Tuesday Open Thread, September 22nd 2009
What’s on your mind this Tuesday?
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I feel like ranting a little bit, so thank you Hillbuzz for providing the forum.
1) As a ‘Loyal’ democrat all my life (until election 2008) I hated all republicans. That what loyal democrats do. No one hated George Bush more than I did. I even thought he should be impeached. I discounted everything the republicans did, said or thought as lunatic fringe. Then election 2008 happened and after witnessing the corrupt, fraudulent, mind-boggling debocle coming from the democratic party and the despicable treatment of Hillary Clinton my eyes started to open and I suddenly did not lump all republicans together and realized there are some good ideas coming from the right. Now that we have a democratic president, I have never been more afraid in my life. I hated the far right, but I am terrified of the far left. After thinking about it, my hatred of the right did not include being afraid of their policies. I strongly disagreed with many of their policies, just as I strongly disagree with many of the far left’s policies, but the difference now is that I am so afraid as to where this party wants to take our country. I thought democrats were all good and republicans were all bad. Now I see the massive corruption in the democratic party (starting at the top down) and there is no place to go, politically speaking.
2) Will anyone connect the dots from Obama to ACORN in a way that is meaningful, or will everyone just drop the ball and cover up for him just as they have always done? He is like the teflon man. Is it too little, too late? He is already president. ACORN information should have been out there from Day One so will it matter? Perhaps the funding to ACORN will be stopped which will slow down the fraudulent voter registration that Obama used so successfully. Also, he wanted ACORN to do the census but hopefully that will not happen. Will any of it impact Obama personally? He was an attorney for the organization when he lived in Chicago.
Feel free to jump in and continue the dialogue, fellow travelers.
I posted this on Monday’s but since you started a new “day”, I copied it….mainly because I think we are being used, abused, ignored, and suckered each day. We are told how much THEY love the earth and its creatures, but it is only when they can blame US for doing harm. This is the copy of the post I made on Mondays page.
How many birds were killed by the exxon Valdez….or similar oil spills. I do find such deaths tragic, and the Oil Co. was soundly trashed, loud and clear for a long time, plus they were fined millions upon millions. Look at this article on bird deaths from one windmill farm, as reported in USA Today.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/2009-09-21-wind-farms_N.htm?csp=34
No real outcry or concern on the part of the Administration on the deaths of thousands of birds each year, yet they are destroying another area of California and the farmers who live there, claiming they are concerned about a tiny smelt. Let me see….how many of us get excited when we see a tiny smelt, or even put seed out for smelt? As usual, the politicians are blind to the people and their needs.
I do believe that human beings have a responsibility to be good stewards of the land, and that people and businesses should voluntarily pursue higher standards for reducing various pollution emissions and improving general welfare of wildlife.
However, there is a limit to what is sensible, and each company and person should decide that for themselves. The government does not need to step in to create an artificial set of rules in order for something to happen.
Instead, the market can create that. Perfect example: organic foods. Going “organic” has grown significantly in popularity without a single bit of intervention by the government. The idea of “organic” appeals to people… so to does the idea of “green”.
A company could enjoy success catering to the “greenies” as companies have catered to those who buy organic. Given the option, as long as it makes economic sense, I’ll happily go green. But when my choice is taken from me, that just makes me angry.
If you can’t get excited about the smelt, perhaps you can muster some enthusiasm for the chinook salmon.
Competing interests. Of course, if they didn’t shuffle off obscene amounts of water to SanFran and LA, the smelt wouldn’t be an issue, and farmer and fisherman would both be happy.
The governments answer to everything is to lie. The fact is that thousands of birds are dying and the gov’t says it’s not too many. When golden eagles and burrowing owls are both rare to begin with every single one starts the countdown. Very sad story, but as long as environmentalists are causing the birds deaths it’s a.o.k with them. Bunch a blowhards is what they are.
Hypocrites!! Any true conservationist must be in jaw dropping anger at these ba$tards who stoop in their fear-mongering to stealing water from farmers (hello food lines) –
Breaking news, not that it’s all that shocking… Massachusetts State Senate voted 24 – 16 to ok interim appointment to fill Senate Seat left vacant by Ted Kennedy’s death. It’s only a matter of time (days) before Deval Patrick gets to name a replacement (until the Jan 19th special election) and can be as early as tomorrow.
I’m pretty sure that Democracy is now officially dead, especially in this abyss known as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts…
Glad to see a ‘new’ column!!!
Happy Tuesday…and (for me and my hometown, Pittsburgh) Happy Board up Your Business Day for the Coming G-20 Riots. True to form, the Obama Adminstration (along with our local, ‘Dim’ pols) have ‘spurred the economy’ by increasing plywood sales to record levels (that would make S. Florida, during hurricane season, proud!)
But before the coming G-20 Fun and Frivolity, let’s discuss Utopia’s ‘Blame America’ First Tour stop at the UN today. Gosh darn it…if our standard of living isn’t the bane of the rest of the world’s existance. Global Warming…errr…’Climate Change’ will be ‘catastrophic’ if we don’t all have Single Payer Health Care; Federal Student Loans; and really, really swell NEA Artwork hanging in our gov’t issued, ‘green’ communal apartments.
The Won, by the way, stayed in a four bedroom ‘suite’ whilst in NYC (for Letterman and the UN). Four bedrooms? What kinda carbon footprint there? Hmmmm…and Letterman…
What to say about Letterman (I hope the CBS makeup dept has alot of Carmax/Blistex cause Davey’s lips were firmly planted on Barry’s butt…they must be chapped today). Can we say ‘needy’ as in Utopia NEEDS constant love and assurance from the most pandering of all audiences??? For gosh sakes…if you have time for Letterman…man up (per WSJ!!!) and go to Fox…
Next stop FOODTV, ‘Smack Down with Bobby Flay’ (because alot of health related ‘issues’ start in the kitchen…)
Thanks HillBuzz for giving me a chance to ‘vent.’
The interim president of Honduras has an op-ed in the WaPo today. My heart goes out to Honduras. It’s just shameful and distressing the position the US is taking.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/21/AR2009092103111_Comments.html
Vera Baker got a special mention in the NYPost today… interesting!
Government Grants.
Why in the hell do we have them in the first place? All it does, to my view, is open one more door for corruption, kickbacks and graft.
Seems to me that we are all capable of giving our money directly to causes we want to support, and in the age of the internet it is much easier for us to find those causes. So why do we need the government taking our cash and handing it out?
That’s what’s on my mind.
Many grants do a lot of good work. NIAAA, for example, funds a ton of research and initiatives to learn about the driving forces behind drunk driving, alcoholism, and drug use on college campuses, and ways to mitigate the damage young people do to themselves and to each other.
Drunk driving and alcohol abuse among minors/young adults is an issue that does impact us all. It doesn’t matter if you drive a beat up old hatchback or a brand new Mercedes, you can just as easily be killed by a drunk driver. Likewise, almost every young person is exposed to situations where underage drinking is taking place.
There is a place for government grants.
But I do think that the system needs to be tightened. Rules need to be made that severely limit the scope of government grants. I am all in favor of grants that have the potential to help all citizens, but am opposed to grants that single out a particular sub-group for benefits.
Good question by Instinct: Why do we need the government taking our cash and handing it out? Isn’t that what Obama’s wealth redistribution plans to do? THEY decide who is worthy and who is not, and spend our money. Likewise, they spend our money in foreign lands they deem needy (does the money ever get to the people or does it all land in the hands of corrupt leaders?) Why is our federal government still holding our stimulus money? If the economny is “turning around” as some suggest, put the money back into the coffers and forget about bailing out whoever Obama deems worthy.
I posted a reply which hasn’t shown up yet… must be trapped in WordPress purgatory, awaiting the HB Boys to save it.
Basically, the gist of my reply was that some grants – those which benefit everyone – are worthwhile. Some examples are grants funding research into alcoholism, and drug/alcohol abuse on campuses, why it happens, how to prevent it, etc. I believe these types of grants help everyone because anybody can be killed at any time by drunk driving, and alcoholism saps billions of dollars from the economy each year.
Ah, but as soon as you start saying “This is good and helps us all” you start down a slippery slope.
Some would say that the NEA helps us all, but look what it has turned into.
Planned Parenthood could go into the same category as well as ACORN. Oh, they are helping people with unwanted pregnancy and helping people get houses. But, what if I feel that abortion is immoral and wrong – should I be forced to give my money to that? And we’ve seen what has happened with ACORN.
Yes, there are a lot of programs that are good, but I think it should be the individual’s, or company’s, choice to give money to a program they believe in and not have the government decided it for us.
I also wonder how much money in the budget goes into grants.
Steven Chu is dangerous and possibly mentally disturbed.
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/09/22/obama-cabinet-official-americans-are-children/
I think what you’re witnessing is what I had previously predicted. Steven Chu is not a politician. I disagree with his position and he’s on the wrong path. His meltdown is onloy the start of things to come. He’s accustom to getting things his way from the way he had worked. In his previous position, all he had to do was to deal with his dean. He was able to apply for grant funding through bodies like the NSF. Since he has a reputation, those who are in positions to give our tax dollars to him aren’t going to deny his request. Besides, it is no secret that he already knows who the parties are who sit in judgment of his research proposal. If they deny him, he’ll deny their requests when he would be in a position to judge. But, in his bureacratic, government position, things aren’t so rosy. His boss is turning out to be an empty suit who makes promises he can’t keep (and I am SO THANKFUL!). He can persuade an editor to publish his paper, but when dealing with the public who don’t know him from Adam, that’s a whole different thing. My next prediction: he will soon resign, and will gladly get back to his research position.
A righteous throw down from A.J. Strata (the free thinking independent)… and I couldn’t agree more:
President Obama, if you do not fulfill your promise to finish the war in Afghanistan with success, if you do not get Bin Laden (as you said you would all through the campaign), if you end up losing your hand picked general to your own incompetence and crass political machinations, you sir are a failure. Is it possible you, sir, had no idea what you were saying when you committed to winning the war in March? Or did you think you could just reword things to mean something else later?
So far you have been quasi-disaster, trying to get your bearings as all new presidents do. But you cannot leave our fighting forces hanging. You cannot hold back what they need to win and stay safe. You have broken lots of promises, dreams and bonds. This one will be straw that destroys your presidency and your party.
And I include the Democrat party because I better hear some loud voices coming from moderate/centrist Dems supporting General McChrystal and his requests. And I mean now. There needs to be an honest chorus from the Dems to do the right thing, to make it clear their party has some small piece of brave America left in it. I don’t expect the liberal loons to chime in, but if the Dems want to be a broad party that can win state and national elections this is your litmus test. Fail this, let your party’s president slink away from this responsibility, and it will be just as much your fault as his.
http://strata-sphere.com/blog/index.php/archives/10719/comment-page-1#comment-493329
Nice.
Although, I am still reserving a portion of my opinion that the “leak” of the Afghanistan situation may have been intentionally perpetrated by the White House in order to paint themselves into a corner. Obama can now look like the pragmatist by “considering all the options” while the 24-hour news cycle talks endlessly about the need for more troops. Then Obama can agree to a troop surge and look like the “hero” with minimal anger from the anti-war folks who will have resigned themselves to the inevitability, and blame the situation on the “pro war idiots”.
Even the language itself seems possibly designed for this effect. As support for the war slowly wanes, what does the Obama administration need to revive support? How about the threat of “losing”? Americans hate to lose.
Sure it’s a bit thin, but I think it could be possible.
Leaked to WaPo? Of course it was intentional
Eric, I don’t care how thin it is and you may be exactly right. If that cover story provides the Viagra for Obama to overcome his impotence I’m fine with it.
I will support Obama wholeheartedly any time he puts America first.
As someone who lives near the border and realizes that Muslims are getting thru, including many of the Tarahumara (who are rapidly converting to Islam), I think we need all our troops home from Afghanistan.
We have thousands of miles of borderlands, airspace, seaports, airports, and other transportation hubs that need to be protected.
However, if Utopia decides to stay in Afghanistan, he should supply what’s needed. Though I don’t see how anyone can win in Afghanistan–or anywhere in which guerrilla/terrorist warfare is used–short of leveling the entire country.
(We need to start railing against the illegal population big-time. Don’t hire them or anyone who uses illegal labor. Call them out, wherever you encounter them. Boycott Mexican restaurants, etc. Sing it with me: “I like to live in America. Okay by me in America. Everything free in America…”)
I agree that we will not take care of the problem in Afganistan without a serious amount of shock and awe…and we all know Obama isn’t going to do that…he doesn’t have the DNA to take that kind of forceful military action. I just hope knowing his limitations he doesn’t put our troops in harms way and set them up for failure. They deserve better than that.
Shouldn’t the allies be moving into the lawless North West Pakistan? Isn’t that where the problem really lies and where Osama probably hides? There seems to be a curious lack of will to finish off the job.
More brilliance from Charles Winecoff.
http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cwinecoff/2009/09/22/the-nea-more-than-just-a-little-gay/#more-228022
FYI – from the Wall Street Journal
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204488304574427041636360388.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Mr. Obama took great pains to act as if he barely knew about Acorn. In fact, his association goes back almost 20 years. In 1991, he took time off from his law firm to run a voter-registration drive for Project Vote, an Acorn partner that was soon fully absorbed under the Acorn umbrella. The drive registered 135,000 voters and was considered a major factor in the upset victory of Democrat Carol Moseley Braun over incumbent Democratic Senator Alan Dixon in the 1992 Democratic Senate primary.
In 1996, Mr. Obama filled out a questionnaire listing key supporters for his campaign for the Illinois Senate. He put Acorn first (it was not an alphabetical list). In the U.S. Senate, Mr. Obama became the leading critic of Voter ID laws, whose overturn was a top Acorn priority. In 2007, in a speech to Acorn’s leaders prior to their political arm’s endorsement of his presidential campaign, Mr. Obama was effusive: “I’ve been fighting alongside of Acorn on issues you care about my entire career. Even before I was an elected official, when I ran Project Vote in Illinois, Acorn was smack dab in the middle of it, and we appreciate your work.”
But the Obama campaign didn’t appear eager to discuss the candidate’s ties to Acorn. Its press operation vividly denied Mr. Obama had been an Acorn trainer until the New York Times uncovered records demonstrating that he had been. The Obama campaign also gave Citizens Consulting, Inc., an Acorn subsidiary, $832,000 for get-out-the-vote activities in key primary states. In filings with the Federal Election Commission, the Obama campaign listed the payments as “staging, sound, lighting,” only correcting the filings after the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review revealed their true nature.
And who is going to press Obama to tell the truth about his connection to ACORN?
Kenneth Starr?
Where is Ken Starr when we REALLY need him?
KENNETH STARR????
LOL
Good thing I wasn’t drinking coffee when I read that!!!!
LOL
Hey, Ken Starr would be digging and looking to find the dirt, more than anyone else could possibly be doing that would be appointed by this Congress!
I think Obama and truth only have a passing acquaintance with each other, and it’s not a friendly one either.
I’ve come to realize that truth to President Obama is whatever he wants it to be on a minute-by-minute basis.
I will have to agree with both of you, Instinct and Ten.
Today is the day that Sarah Palin speaks in Hong Kong. I can’t wait to hear how she does. I beleive that she will be terrific.
In another vein, why doesn’t Hillary run from these morons in charge as quickly as possible? She has to know what a mess they are making.
Well as much as Bill Clinton has been following Obama’s footsteps lately and agreeing with everything Obama says and does…seems like they must agree with it…??
I know – been shocked by how much support they have shown.
Really makes me wonder what is going on behind the scenes. Some of the behind the scenes stuff is fairly easy to take a guesstimate at, but the Clintons party loyalty and lockstep is a mystery to me.
I’m not sure…I just think that sometimes it is hard to realize that someone isn’t who you think they are…unfortunately that could be what we are facing..
Getting back to the 9/12 Protest in DC, which I attended….I can honestly say the email I pasted and including in this post is full of lies about the protest. I walked around constantly, and didn’t see thousands of Rebel Flags, didn’t hear white power chants, not did I see anti-gay protestors. I can’t help but wonder what kind of propaganda this student conference call they are pushing will contain. The following is long, but please take the time to read it.
Dear Nation Friend:
If you think the “Age of Obama” has miraculously swept clean right wing influence in American schools and on campuses, think again:
* Just weeks ago, Rush Limbaugh, the crown prince of hate speech, twisted words and logic to turn a simple presidential speech encouraging school children into a sinister political plot.
* Just days ago, Glenn Beck led the astro-turf 9-12-09 “Taxpayer March on DC.” Compared to the millions who have marched for civil rights, equal rights, and gay rights, and against the war, Beck’s 70,000 would be small stuff — except for the tens of thousands waving Confederate flags, anti-gay hate signs, and shouting “White Power!”
Well-equipped minds have no trouble countering an increasingly dangerous, racist and radical right wing. And, unlike any other magazine in America, The Nation’s unique Student Outreach Program equips students to question… think… and seek the truth.
Won’t you give a gift today to keep this essential program going strong?
https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1555/t/510/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2810
In the face of Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin and other purveyors of misanthropic “free speech,” our goal for the year ahead is to grow every aspect of our Student Outreach Program … including expanding our Student Essay Contest, beefing up our Student Nation webpage, hosting more students at our Student Journalism Conferences, and aggressively marketing our Classroom Education Program that offers free teaching guides, an email newsletter, and discounted bulk subscriptions to high school and college teachers.
With a million dollar deficit, thanks to a $600,000 postal increase and plummeting ad revenues, without your urgent help this valuable program is in danger of shutting down.
Sincerely,
Katrina vanden Heuvel
Editor & Publisher, The Nation
P.S. If you donate today we’ll send you instructions on how to join our Student Activism conference call later this month with Kristina Rizga and Peter Rothberg.
https://salsa.wiredforchange.com/o/1555/t/510/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2810
——–
Quote:
“With a million dollar deficit, thanks to a $600,000 postal increase and plummeting ad revenues, without your urgent help this valuable program is in danger of shutting down.”
Ha! & who, pray tell, is resposible for “deficits, increases in costs and plummeting revenues” ? Lemme guess? Limbaugh, Malkin, Beck et al, am I right Mz. Kat van Bunchahorseshit?
BZZZZZ! Nope, I’m sorry. That’s the wrong answer! Awwww…. Better luck next time!!!
Fools.
Ugh.
:/
Shocking…a positive article from the NYTimes on Sarah Palin’s speech in Hong Kong..
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/us/politics/24palin.html?_r=1&hp
To Mr. Goode (with the accent on the “e”): tell us something we didn’t already know…but thanks for admitting it: Sarah Palin IS bright AND articulate.
Whoo-hoo! Thanks for posting this Mom7!
Nice way to start the morning, indeed.
Yes it was!!! Great job Private Citizen Palin!!!
BTW, thank you for your nice comments on the Thursday thread, I tried to post back to you…but my comment went to WordPress purgatory apparently.
MQ-C
“She’s definitely a serious future presidential candidate, and I understand why she plays so well in middle America,” said Mr. Coulter, a Canadian.
AMEN Mr. Coulter! A Canadian that knows more than our media!
As for Mr. Goode, what an admission:
Mr. Goodé, a New Yorker who said he would never vote for Mrs. Palin, said she acquitted herself well.
“They really prepared her well,” he said. “She was articulate and she held her own. I give her credit. They’ve tried to categorize her as not being bright. She’s bright.”
I can’t believe in this day and video age, that no one caught the two “declined to be identified” delegates from the US who walked out on Palin’s speech. They were quoted as saying the speech was so awful they couldn’t even stay. Sounds like they were scripted by Charles Gibson, or maybe Chris Matthews.
all eyes are on Sarah today
If all eyes are on Sarah, then it must be the MSM’s clever ploy to keep cameras from catching Utopia hugging/bowing/scraping to Khadaffi at the U.N. After the conference, perhaps Utopia will sneak off to Momar’s tent (pitched on The Donald’s front lawn? My, how that must go over with the neighbors!) for a few hits on the hookah and whatever else transpires when two kindred Arab spirits meet.
Makes me wonder if all of the butt kissing could also place him at risk for E. Coli infection? Maybe he can take antibiotics in advance to fend that off? Healthcare only our government leeches can get…
Yeah and Khadaffi did just say that all of them are proud that a son of an African is now the leader of the US and hope that Obama can stay the leader forever….
All eyes on Gov. Palin is excellent as she is getting great reviews (much brighter than expected; she spoke with humor and eloquence for 90 minutes; she held the crowd)…yet…in true Utopian fashion…
Don’t you think that ‘good news’ about Palin (or anyone other than The Won) will insight the Obamabots to talk up the ‘ovations’ Obama received at the UN? And doesn’t that backfire (for reasonable thinking people) when they hear what the President of the World trashed the US; basically gave away our way of life to third world loons like Khadaffy.
Totally upstaging Dr. U’s speech this morning.
Maybe but we should still listen to what he said because basically he just through the country under the bus again…scary stuff..
On the lighter side of life:
http://www.petcentric.com/Theater/Video/Snouts-in-Your-Town-Cat-Circus.aspx?videoid=29958025001&DCMP=EMC-PETC-PETC-Sep09_2
Palin Speaks to Investors in Hong Kong
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/24/us/politics/24palin.html?_r=2
Some of the reviews have noted she came across as a ‘conservative with a small c.’ Palin sited Reagan and Thatcher…could this be the first salvo fired for a third party creation?
I kind of agree with Rush…if there is a third party created it will guarantee that the Dems are elected forever..
Just think about it..Perot, Nader, etc…not sure if it would pick up speed? even with Palin..
Perot actually garnered a pretty large percentage of the vote, but let’s face it, he was not a viable candidate. He didn’t look or seem Presidential.
Nader ran on a platform that doesn’t resonate well with middle America.
If anyone were going to successfully create a third party, Palin might be the one to do it.
I also share Rush’s view that a third party branching from the Republicans will ensure Democratics get elected for awhile…. not forever, but awhile.
Perot had a good chance to win….until he imploded. After that, I kept saying I was a Pre-Perot independent because he gave us independents a bad name. I always believed he realized hat he could win, finally figured out what that entailed, and used that lame excuse that his family was threatened, to back out. I think Limbaugh is wrong especially since the discontent with the current crop of Republicans is strong now, and the Democrats are on equally shaky ground. Both parties are beatable…they need to shape up, or there will be a new Party taking over.
This is on my mind today; a recent blogtalk radio interview with Bettina Viviano, the producer of We Will Not Be Silenced. Listening to it made me steaming mad all over again–not that I’ve stopped being livid since November. When you listen to it, ignore the cuckoo woman blathering about diversity and children. Scroll down and look for the Bettina Viviano interview re: ACORN and the primaries.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jim-neidner
Very funny, so true and posted everywhere including NQ:
http://www.missourah.com/2009/09/15/obama-criticism-flow-chart/
Some good reading over at “Not Your Sweetie” blog.
Obama the impotent (not ready on day 200)
So goes the title of a headline – not in a conservative paper, but in the Guardian. The subtitle is
The disappointment with Barack Obama is tangible – on climate change and financial reform Europe leads while the US lags
Its biggest achievement so far has been a disappointment. President Obama signed an executive order to increase US motor vehicle mileage standards – but only to a level that will push fuel efficiency by 2020 to a level that European and Japanese cars reached several years ago, and even China has already achieved.
Beyond Obama’s oratorical skills, which excited not only American voters but people all over the world, he is mostly untested as a politician. His previous experience was only a few years in the US Senate and a few years more as a state senatorA sinking feeling is arising among many that President Obama may not be up to the task, that he may not possess the artful skills needed to accomplish even his own goals.
http://edgeoforever.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/obama-the-impotent/
Part of the reason other countries have such a higher fuel efficiency is the higher prevalence of large vehicles in the U.S. The majority of roadways in many European countries are smaller/narrow, not lending themselves to larger vehicles.
So it’s kind of apples to oranges.
I also disagree that Obama is untested. I believe that he began being tested by foreign countries, especially Iran, Russia, and North Korea, within hours of his inauguration, if not sooner. And he has largely been a failure.
Since Obama took over, Afghanistan has gotten worse, Iraq has gotten worse, North Korea tested a nuke, Iran has become emboldened, and we gave up a missile shield plan to appease Russia. Nothing but apologies, concessions, weakness. And guess what, it’s gotten us nothing.
Terrorist still hate us, Russia is still asking for more U.S. concessions, and North Korea and Iran are at least as impetuous as they were with Bush if not more.
I’m not sure how much more improvement of the U.S. standing around the world we can take.
FYI
Michelle – She is quoted as saying to her husband, “You only think about yourself. I never thought I’d have to raise a family alone.”
…Mrs Obama was frequently left alone while her husband pursued his political career.
http://nobamablog.wordpress.com/2009/09/23/barack-and-michelle-obama-nearly-split-up-book-claims-telegraph/