Wednesday, November 25, 2009

ONE WEEK BEFORE OBAMA'S WEST POINT SPEECH LIMBAUGH ATTACKS THE SPEECH AND HOPES FOR A COUP D'ETAT

Confession - I have this nausea /fascination thing about the Fox, Limbaugh, Palin 24/7 anti-government mob. I'm not proud of this obsession because actually listening to what comes out of the mouths of these people feels a lot like slowing down to gape at a horrible car crash.

Too busy counting his $37 million per year salary to be bothered with pesky annoyances like facts and reality - Rush Limbaugh tossed his listeners this piece of raw meat last week condemning the Obama speech one week before the speech.

LIMBAUGH: You see where President Obama, in announcing how he intends to lose the war in Iraq -- sorry, Afghanistan -- or both, actually -- is going to do it, the national address will occur from West Point on December 1st. My question is, will theydetain him? Hopefully.


A week before the commander in chief speaks at West Point while the nation is fighting two wars Rush Limbaugh condemns the speech and calls for a military coup d'etat.


So much for that other pesky annoying thing called patriotism that the right wing has decided to bury for now until some day in the future when they might need to use it again.

Friday, November 20, 2009

A note to the President about Afghanistan

Dear Mr. President

As you know the US can't beat these guys militarily and "winning" means keeping the entire country of Afghanistan on colonial style US life support indefinitely. Heads we lose and tails we lose. We need to get the hell out of there.

When it comes to sending other people's children to war its much easier to be a Republican - no dithering. For Cheney and his fellow travelers there's also pots of Haliburton style war budget bucks to be salted away. The Bush Cheney model for troop deployment is the pickpocket who creates a diversion by terrifying people and then waving a large flag in front of their eyes so no one realizes they've been fleeced until he is safely on the next train out of town, laughing and counting their money in the bar car.

Your friends know that the lessons of Vietnam are a major part of what must be an agonizing process. We know that you are thinking about the 55,000 young Americans sent to their deaths by Washington's "best and the brightest" who thought they were "saving" Vietnam from the fake threat of falling communist dominos- with other people's children.

Meanwhile the Taliban seems to be thriving for many reasons not the least of which is the opium business. They're able to pay better salaries and provide more local services. Our presence as "infidel occupiers" gives them a recruiting tool to enlist a lost generation of young men. For starters, instead of troops on the ground our military dollars would go much further keeping Afghan cops and soldiers salaries ahead of what the Taliban is paying.

There is another secret weapon - liberating and protecting the women of Afghanistan from the murderous neanderthal fundamentalists so that the next generation of educated women can start running things. There is no doubt that you and the Secretary of State get this.

One thing is clear - the problem will not be solved militarily. It will take a 21st century Marshall Plan with the world mobilized into a full court press to dry up the swamp that fosters the stone age creeps. Its exactly what you - President Obama are uniquely able to do.

Your approval ratings outside of the US are off the charts while at home they have taken a dip. Its time for the rest of the world to wake up and start supporting your vision of international relations with troops and money.

No president since Roosevelt has been in a better position to tap an international reservoir of good will to enlist allies in a plan of unprecedented scope, resources and unity. Its what should have been done after 911 when the world was ready to move in unison against the causes of terrorism under US leadership and Bush blew it.


If America's allies keep sleepwalking through the Obama presidency they will share some of the blame if America's home grown fundamentalists nuts emerge from their swamp and take back the White House.


Pulling for you Mr. President.

Love
Bob