THE 'EXCUSE ME' PREZ

[countybear]

"Hope" and "Change", (and other unmitigated bullshit):

PRESIDENT Obama added a line at the last minute that wasn't in the prepared text of his nuclear-disarmament speech in Prague: "I'm not naive."

He needed the disclaimer because, nearly simultaneous with his speech embracing the goal of eliminating all nuclear weapons, Kim Jong Il launched a three-stage rocket over Japan. Coincidence? "I hate to speculate about North Korean motivations," said Gary Samore, the very mannerly White House coordinator for nonproliferation -- as if speculation were necessary.

North Korea's strategy for two decades has been to engage in spectacular acts of international malfeasance to bully and cajole the world into concessions and aid. In between provocations, Pyongyang has promised several times over to abandon its nuclear program. It has never truly given it up, lest it lose its most prized bargaining chip.
As soon as the UN Security Council passes another ineffectual resolution regretting the defiance of its last ineffectual resolution, the North knows it can eventually find the Obama administration back at a negotiating table for the charade's next act.
The meme in the press was how the test launch made Obama's disarmament speech all the more "urgent." It really makes it all the more childish and dangerous. In setting the goal of "Global Zero" (the program of universal disarmament that sounds a little like a new international Coke product), Obama hitched himself to a project as utopian as President George W. Bush's ambition to end tyranny in the world.

In fact, they're essentially the same goal. The bipartisan congressional Strategic Posture Review concluded in an interim report that to achieve Global Zero would require a "fundamental transformation of the world political order." All significant geopolitical conflicts would have to end, and all untrustworthy governments disappear. The verification regime would have to be so all-encompassing as to constitute a kind of world government.
The administration thinks Global Zero serves a hardheaded purpose against rogue states. The theory is that our arsenal makes us nuclear hypocrites. Only by pursuing its elimination do we gain the moral standing to pressure others to give up their nuclear ambitions.
This misreads the calculations that drive states to seek nuclear programs, and of human nature. If we had zero weapons, there would be even more of a premium on other states acquiring nukes.

The same weakness undercuts all the lesser arms-control schemes Obama touted in his Prague speech, from the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty to an international nuclear fuel bank: It's easier to get responsible states to comply than the truly dangerous ones -- or they wouldn't be dangerous.

The nuclear gambit is emblematic of Obama's "excuse me" (or "excuse my predecessor and my country") diplomacy. He played to the European crowd by chastising Bush and his countrymen for their arrogance. He took responsibility for starting the financial crisis. He noted his country's diminished power, with evident satisfaction.

All this can be justified as winning over Europe with a soft sell, if it weren't that he got nothing for it.

Obama pleaded for more troops in Afghanistan, arguing correctly that terrorists emanating from that region pose a more direct threat to Europe. French President Nicolas Sarkozy responded with no additional troops, 150 MPs, and an offer to take one Gitmo detainee when the detention facility closes. At that, he pronounced himself much pleased to be working "with a US president who wants to change the world and who understands that the world does not boil down to simply American frontiers and borders."

Obama referred at a press conference to every country having its "quirks." This is a cute way of saying all nations have their own character and interests. They may applaud our self-flagellation, but it won't change them.

[Retdetsgt]

Again, he sounds more and more like Jimmy Carter everyday. I wonder how long it will be until we have another Iran hostage situation like he did? Somebody's going to take advantage of him (us) pretty soon. It might be the little nut case in N. Korea.

[mtaylor]

The sad thing is I have a feeling he will get another 4 years unless the media starts mainstreaming his screwups.

[Captain America]

.............................. .................. unless the media starts mainstreaming his screwups.

You can forget that happening.

[chewy]

Obama beats Bush still...

Bush was easy to mainstream his screw ups because that's ALL he did was act like an idiot and F'up the country.

[countybear]

Obama beats Bush still...

Bush was easy to mainstream his screw ups because that's ALL he did was act like an idiot and F'up the country.

... in your opinion. You are entitled to it. Time tells more than opinion.

If you love a president who is seemingly embarrassed by the country that elected him, go for it.

Bush made some mistakes in my opinion as well, but never once did he apologize for being an American.

In 2001, radical Islamics took a bold swing at "F'ing" up the U.S. That no other attacks succeeded beyond that point is far from 'F'ing' up anything here, I believe.

Study your history objectively, and you'll find out what truly caused the troubles that the nation faces.

[mtaylor]

Obama beats Bush still...

Bush was easy to mainstream his screw ups because that's ALL he did was act like an idiot and F'up the country.

HAHA. I want to hear how you think he fucked up the country!

[sgtbear111]

.........Study your history objectively, and you'll find out what truly caused the troubles that the nation faces.

History. Amen. (could not rep you)

My .02 is the re-definition of everything. People with different loyalties, value systems, and motives will twist the definition to suit their purpose. Words they speak have multiple meanings, and the consequences can be disastor. Look at what the word "change" brought us....

thanks c/b

[ChesCopPodz]

Obama beats Bush still...

Bush was easy to mainstream his screw ups because that's ALL he did was act like an idiot and F'up the country.

I'll take a president who reacted when his country was attacked. Reacted hard and fast and assured we werent attacked again, over a president who apologizes for his county and wants to turn us into victims.

And please, tell us all how Bush F'd up the country. Seems Obama's the one running up the deficit more than any president in history, trying to turn us into a European state, and wants us to disarm so anyone who wants to attack us has free reign.

[MacLean]

Obama beats Bush still...

Bush was easy to mainstream his screw ups because that's ALL he did was act like an idiot and F'up the country.

Do you really believe that, or did the media tell you that?

Also, if you answer the former, show your work.

[Morris]

I've yet to meet an intelligent liberal.

Seriously.

Gonna be a rough time under the new Socialist government. May the Goddess help us all.

[213th]

I'll take a president who reacted when his country was attacked. Reacted hard and fast and assured we werent attacked again, over a president who apologizes for his county and wants to turn us into victims.

And please, tell us all how Bush F'd up the country. Seems Obama's the one running up the deficit more than any president in history, trying to turn us into a European state, and wants us to disarm so anyone who wants to attack us has free reign.

isn't he running up a bigger deficit then every past president combined? I'll have to check on that...seem to remember reading the article before it mysteriously disappeared of the net

[IMachU]

I hold President George W. Bush in VERY high esteem and regard. I thank GOD he was in charge when 9/11 happened, and pray to GOD that this administration has what it takes to do the same when the next hit comes.....and not just write a letter telling everyone how angry we are.

[Retdetsgt]

I think Bush did a good job after 9-11, but I'm not that enamored with him. He was better than either Gore or Kerry would have been, but then again, who wouldn't have been?

I think he was way too quick on the trigger to invade Iraq. Saddam needed to go, but it was no secret Bush was impatient to do it. Saddam's only real threat was that he wanted to take over the oil in the Middle East. We could have gone slower and let the other Arabs do more. The only reason Saudia Arabia helped us in Desert Storm was we showed them evidence Saddam was posed to invade them after Kuwait. If Bush had waited and let Saddam be more of a threat to the other countries in the area, it would have been easier for us. As it was, he kept Saddam hunkered down until he had an excuse to invade.

I would have rather he concentrated more on Afghanistan and did that right the first time rather than waste resources in Iraq. He had a lot of support there, but not that much public backing to do Iraq. And in doing so, he did rack up the deficit.

In some ways, he reminds me of Nixon's administration. Nixon cared only about foreign policy, really. He let the Democratic Congress do what it wanted on domestic issues. Bush did more or less the same thing by allowing Frank and company to create the financial mess we have now.

Bush was probably the best alternative, but I liked his old man better.

[countybear]

When discussing the logic of an Iraq invasion, I like to cite this article. It is the only one I know of that actually compiles at a glance the reasoning behind the invasion, (without the media spin and drivol).

The Invasion of Iraq: Still The Right Thing To Do | NewsBusters.org

[Captain America]

I think Bush did a good job after 9-11, but I'm not that enamored with him. He was better than either Gore or Kerry would have been, but then again, who wouldn't have been?

I think he was way too quick on the trigger to invade Iraq. Saddam needed to go, but it was no secret Bush was impatient to do it. Saddam's only real threat was that he wanted to take over the oil in the Middle East. We could have gone slower and let the other Arabs do more. The only reason Saudia Arabia helped us in Desert Storm was we showed them evidence Saddam was posed to invade them after Kuwait. If Bush had waited and let Saddam be more of a threat to the other countries in the area, it would have been easier for us. As it was, he kept Saddam hunkered down until he had an excuse to invade.

I would have rather he concentrated more on Afghanistan and did that right the first time rather than waste resources in Iraq. He had a lot of support there, but not that much public backing to do Iraq. And in doing so, he did rack up the deficit.

In some ways, he reminds me of Nixon's administration. Nixon cared only about foreign policy, really. He let the Democratic Congress do what it wanted on domestic issues. Bush did more or less the same thing by allowing Frank and company to create the financial mess we have now.

Bush was probably the best alternative, but I liked his old man better.

I think that is a fair assessment. I would add that I think Bush is a good man with a lot of class who did the best he could handling a difficult job during difficult times. He wasn't perfect , he made mistakes but I think his heart was always in the right place. Besides that President Bush always demonstrated respect and admiration for law enforcement officers and the U.S.Military. It's difficult to judge a presidency while it's in power or even a couple years removed from office. History is the true judge of a president. In time I think history will be a lot kinder to George Bush and he will be remember a lot fonder than he is now.

[armsmaster270]

At least Bush didn't bow to foreign religous leaders who control the people we are fighting. Might show his religious leanings that he disavows.

[Retdetsgt]

I think that is a fair assessment. I would add that I think Bush is a good man with a lot of class who did the best he could handling a difficult job during difficult times.

I totally agree that he has a lot of class. He's one of the very, very few politicians I think I'd like on a personal basis. And he certainly stands taller than Gore, Kerry and especially Obama.

But I can't blindly defend him because he does carry some responsibility some of the economic mess we're in. Not only the recession, but the huge deficit that Obama's now going to make worse.

I'm no economist by any stretch, but I saw this mortgage thing coming at least a couple of years ago. My wife and I were listening to the radio in the car when we first heard about "interest only" mortgages. I told my wife that we're screwed. People will be buying houses they can no way afford. Now, if an old dumbshit retired cop like me can see this coming, why couldn't all the brains in Washington? I've been watching people in my neighborhood buying houses they can barely afford for the last 10 years. They move in with an ARM, the prime goes up one point and the interest on their mortgages and all their credit card debt take them over the edge.

When I was younger, no mortgage company would loan me the money if my payment (including insurance and taxes) exceeded 36% of my take home. It's pretty apparent that this rule is no longer in existence. Otherwise, people wouldn't be over their heads. Again, if I could see this, why didn't the "experts"?

Sure, Frank and others are directly responsible for a lot of it, but why didn't Bush's economic advisors see this and do something to rectify it before this?

I think history would be kinder to him if he'd only served one term. His second was nothing to write home about, IMO.

[Retdetsgt]

When discussing the logic of an Iraq invasion, I like to cite this article. It is the only one I know of that actually compiles at a glance the reasoning behind the invasion, (without the media spin and drivol).

The Invasion of Iraq: Still The Right Thing To Do | NewsBusters.org

I still don't buy it. News articles can be compiled to justify anything if the reader wants to buy it bad enough.

Governments are killing people all over Africa. Why do we give a shit about anyone but Iraq? As far as nuclear weapons, why hasn't anyone, including Clinton, Bush and now Obama doing something about N. Korea? Kim is crazier than Saddam ever was. That idiot is liable to attack Japan and really cause a mess. But we keep kissing his ass by sending food and supplies even though he has continually lied.

If anyone wants to talk about the Saudi royal family, why have we spent untold billions protecting their fat asses and they aren't contributing shit? If Saddam was such a threat to the region, why aren't they footing the bill? They've just sitting back getting richer and richer. Kuwait is our only ally in this and they just supply a staging area. The Emir there is also getting richer off our economy. We should have let the people he posed a real threat to shoulder most of the cost.

No matter how much smoke you throw in the air, the bottom line is Iraq was personal with Bush and that's why we attacked. Not because Iraq was a direct threat to the USA.

[countybear]

...No matter how much smoke you throw in the air, the bottom line is Iraq was personal with Bush and that's why we attacked. Not because Iraq was a direct threat to the USA.

If you, like so many of the other ill-informed masses believe that... I'll have to resort to sources:

Terrorists have been found in Iraq & there were numerous associations between Iraq & terrorists

1. Abu Niddal, Rome Airport Massacre: National Review - Dead Terrorist in Baghdad
2. Abu Abbas (#1): CNN - U.S. captures mastermind of Achille Lauro hijacking
3. Abu Abbas (#2): BBC - Cruise ship hijacker dies in Iraq
4. Ayman al-Zawahiri: CNN - Pentagon: Bin Laden deputy complains about money, Iraq tactics
5. al-Zarqawi: Kaleejtimes.com (running an AP story) - Saddam refused to hand Zarqawi to Jordan: King Abdullah
6. al-Zarqawi: Free Republic - Zarqawi in Iraq Long Before the War Started
7. Saddam had contacts with Al Qaida: Slate - A Loser's History
8. Saddam had contacts with Al Qaeda: Weekley Standard - Saddam's al Qaeda Connection
9. Saddam had contacts with Al Qaeda: Weekley Standard - Case Closed
10. Saddam had contacts with Al Qaeda: Weekley Standard - Yes, There Is a Connection
11. Saddam worked with Terrorists: NY Sun - Saddam, Al Qaeda Did Collaborate, Documents Show
12. Saddam worked with Terrorists: CNN - On tape, Hussein talks of WMDs
13. Saddam worked with Terrorists: Free Republic - Saddam Regime Document: Iraqi Intelligence met with Bin Laden in 1995 (Translation)
14. Saddam recruiting Terrorists: Free Republic - Saddam Regime Recruits Suicide Terrorists to Hit US Interests (Translation)
15. Saddam worked with Terrorists: Free Republic - Saddam Ordered To Treat The Arab Feedayeen Terrorists The Same As Iraqi Soldiers
16. Saddam worked with Terrorists: Free Republic - Iraqi Intelligence To Train Arab Feedayeen Terrorists In the Year 2000 (Translation)
17. Saddam worked with Terrorists: Free Republic - Saddam Regime Training and Using Foreign Arab Terrorists As Suicide Bombers. (Translation)
18. Saddam worked with Terrorists: Free Republic - Afghani Taliban Consul Spoke of a Relationship Between Iraq and Bin Laden
19. Saddam paid Terrorists: Free Republic - Saddam Ordered 25,000 Dollars for Each Suicide Terrorist Against Israel
20. Saddam recruited Terrorists: Free Republic - Iraqi Intelligence Asks Hamas To Conduct Terrorist Attacks Against The US
21. Terrorist camp in Iraq: Foxnews - Marines Discover Terror Training Camp Near Baghdad
22. Terrorist camp in Iraq: Weekly Standard – Saddam's Terror Training Camps
23. Terrorist camp in Iraq: MSNBC - Positive test for terror toxins in Iraq
24. Terrorist camp in Iraq: PBS – Interview: Sabah Kodah
25. Terrorist camp in Iraq: GlobalSecurity.org - Salman Pak / Al Salman
26. Terrorist camp in Iraq: Guardian - Al-Qaida running new terror camp, say Kurds
27. Terrorist camp in Iraq: Intelmessages.org - Salman Pak - Iraq's Own Terrorist Training Camp

Not enough?

U.S. Strikes Iraq for Plot to Kill Bush

By David Von Drehle and R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writers
Sunday, June 27, 1993; Page A01

U.S. Navy ships launched 23 Tomahawk missiles against the headquarters of the Iraqi Intelligence Service yesterday in what President Clinton said was a "firm and commensurate" response to Iraq's plan to assassinate former president George Bush in mid-April.


The attack was meant to strike at the building where Iraqi officials had plotted against Bush, organized other unspecified terrorist actions and directed repressive internal security measures, senior U.S. officials said.

Clinton, speaking in a televised address to the nation at 7:40 last night, said he ordered the attack to send three messages to the Iraqi leadership: "We will combat terrorism. We will deter aggression. We will protect our people."

Clinton said he ordered the attack after receiving "compelling evidence" from U.S. intelligence officials that Bush had been the target of an assassination plot and that the plot was "directed and pursued by the Iraqi Intelligence Service."

"It was an elaborate plan devised by the Iraqi government and directed against a former president of the United States because of actions he took as president," Clinton said. Bush led the coalition that drove Iraq from Kuwait in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. "As such, the Iraqi attack against President Bush was an attack against our country and against all Americans," Clinton said.

After two months of investigation and mounting evidence, Clinton became convinced during two "exhaustive and exhausting" meetings last week that Iraq was indeed behind a foiled car-bomb plot to kill Bush during his visit to Kuwait April 14-16, a senior administration official said...

Clinton was persuaded to act by three kinds of evidence, a senior intelligence official said last night. First, key suspects in the plot confessed to FBI agents in Kuwait. Second, FBI bomb experts painstakingly linked the captured car bomb to previous explosives made in Iraq. Third, unspecified intelligence assessments concluded that Saddam meant seriously the threats he has made against Bush. Other classified intelligence sources supported this analysis, the official said.

The combination made the CIA "highly confident that the Iraqi government, at the highest levels, directed its intelligence service to assassinate former president Bush," said the intelligence official...

"Certain aspects of these devices have been found only in devices linked to Iraq," an intelligence official said.

Clinton also had the confessions of the two alleged leaders of the 16 suspects arrested by Kuwait when the plot was uncovered. Both are Iraqi nationals. Ra'ad Asadi and Wali Abdelhadi Ghazali told FBI investigators detailed to Kuwait that they met in Basra, Iraq, on April 12 with "individuals they believed to be associated with the Iraqi Intelligence Service," according to a senior U.S. intelligence official...

They were given a vehicle loaded with hidden explosives. Ghazali told the FBI he was recruited specifically to kill Bush. Asadi also told the FBI he was to guide the car bomb, driven by his partner, to Kuwait University, where Bush was to be honored by the Emir of Kuwait for his leadership in the gulf war.

Administration officials said the suspects told the FBI that the bomb was to be parked near the motorcade route. From a vantage point 300 to 500 yards away, Ghazali would set off the bomb using a remote control. FBI bomb specialists estimated the bomb would have been lethal for nearly a quarter-mile.

FBI agents were told if the remote control device failed, the bomb was to be detonated by a timing device on a street in Kuwait City named for Bush. They were also told that Ghazali had a "bomb belt" he would use if all else failed; he was to wear it, approach Bush and blow them both up.

Perhaps you felt vindicated when Clinton ordered a cruise missle fired into a Tylenol plant... perhaps 550 metric tons of yellow cake uranium doesn't meet your criteria of WMD's, either.

Either way, I'm personally glad we'll now never know how Saddam Hussein planned on using that, (or the large volumes of Sarin, and VX he still posessed when he was deposed).