Al Qaeda

The Bush Apologists In Full Swing: Blame Clinton And Avoid Giving Full Credit To Obama Regarding Osama Bin Laden

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The Bush Presidency was when September 11 occurred, and everyone knows that George W. Bush was on vacation in Crawford, Texas, and did not pay attention to the memorandum warning of the intentions of Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda to attack America in a short period of time.

The Bush apologists went to work after September 11, placing a large share of the blame on Bill Clinton, because he had not resolved the threat of Al Qaeda during his administration.

Now that President Obama hasa accomplished the goal of eliminating Osama Bin Laden, after the Bush Administration had over seven years to resolve the issue and failed, Bush apologists are trying to take a lion’s share of the credit for his demise, pointing out the effects of waterboarding on gaining information as to his location, even though there is no proof that using torture actually worked. They have tried to give Bush the major credit for setting up the conditions for the successful mission, even though it occurred more than two years after Bush left office.

In both ends of this story, there is a refusal to take responsibility by Bush and his apologists for the failures, instead blaming Clinton and avoiding giving full credit to Obama.

This is an attempt at rewriting history, and taking Bush off the hook on the whole disgraceful matter of September 11.

Fortunately, intelligent and knowledgeable people KNOW that Bush is responsible for the failures in 2001, and has no right to ANY credit for the success of 2011!

The Multi Tasking President In His Prime: One Week In Barack Obama’s Presidency

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Everyone knows that the American Presidency is a tremendous burden, with the occupant of the Oval Office having to deal with so many issues and problems at the same time, that he MUST be able to multi task with great skill.

So is the case of Barack Obama, who in one week, did the following:

1. Had Hawaii issue his official Certificate of Live Birth to silence his critics, which now have dropped dramatically, according to public opinion polls.

2. Toured Alabama and other states that were victims of the worst tornado destruction in decades, and was praised for the quick federal response to the natural disaster, as compared to Hurricane Katrina uncer President George W. Bush

3. Traveled to Florida to witness the Space Shuttle launch, which was unfortunately delayed, but also to visit Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, wounded in an assassination attempt in January, who was there to witness her husband, Mark Kelly, the captain of the shuttle crew, begin the space mission.

4. Performed great standup comedy at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner, including teasing of Donald Trump, who has been bad mouthing Obama for the past month, including on the “birther” controversy.

5. All of that week, and even earlier, Obama was planning the raid on the compound in Pakistan to eliminate the Al Qaeda leader, Osama Bin Laden, the most daring action by a President in many decades!

And in the past week since, Obama has also visited the site of Ground Zero and commiserated with the families of victims of the World Trade Center, and also visited the Navy SEALS who were engaged in the most delicate operation possible, the attack on the Bin Laden compound and retrieval of the body of Bin Laden after he was killed.

This period of the last week of April and first week of May, a two week period, will go down in history as one of the most momentous periods in the history of the nation!

Second Thoughts On Osama Bin Laden Assassination!

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In the flush of excitement over the demise of Al Qaeda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden, some second thoughts are developing in many people’s minds.

We have learned that a lot of the early news reports were fabricated, or distorted. For instance, it was said that Bin Laden was armed, that he had a woman as a human shield, and that he resisted, and that there was a major battle of our Navy SEALS against others in the compound.

None of that is true, and Michael Moore, the film director, and John Yoo, the Bush aide who justified the use of torture, including waterboarding in the infamous memo that has caused such controversy, both–despite their different sides of the political spectrum–question why Bin Laden could not have been taken alive and put on trial in an international court as the Nazi and Japanese war criminals were subjected to after World War II. Those trials led to executions of most of the war criminals under international law.

There are some observers who claim that what the Obama Administration did was unlawful under international law, and that setting the goal of political assassination, which has been supposedly banned in America since the 1970s, is a dangerous and troubling trend.

Even the publication of the bloody scenes of the three men killed with Bin Laden, one being his son and looking very much like him, is deeply disturbing to many, as the author himself has never seen such horrific photos, and agreed with the Obama Administration decision NOT to publish the photos of the dead Bin Laden. But then, why was not the same care given to sensitivities toward the public for the other three male victims?

While certainly no one mourns the death of Bin Laden, it is much harder in the light of day to be as gleeful and excited about his death, once one considers all of the details we now know, that we did not know on Sunday night!

Al Qaeda Website Admits Death Of Bin Laden: One Conspiracy Theory Destroyed!

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Imagine thanking Al Qaeda and having them applauded for something positive!

The terrorist organization has admitted on its website that Osama Bin Laden is dead!

That is a big relief in the sense that we don’t have to spend inordinate amounts of time debating whether what happened last Sunday is true or a fabrication of the Obama Administration to end the issue, and give Obama a political victory for 2012.

Of course, some loonies out there who wish to exploit the issue for monetary gain will still try to claim otherwise, but it is good that the conspiracy theory is nipped in the bud!

However, we should not be sobered by this as far as the threat of Al Qaeda is concerned, as materials gathered at the compound where Bin Laden lived are clear in the late terrorist’s plans to continue to attack America and the West, with apparent plots to attack the railroad network on the tenth anniversary of September 11.

Even without Bin Laden, Al Qaeda remains a threat, and we will need to continue to be on the alert in the future, not let our guard down, and be particularly concerned on the upcoming September 11, when we mark ten years since the dastardly event that changed all of our lives forever!

The Change In The Democratic Party Image On Foreign Policy: From JFK To Obama

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Ever since the failure of John F. Kennedy to overthrow Fidel Castro at the Bay of Pigs fiasco in April, 1961, Democratic Presidents have had to carry the burden of being perceived as weak and ineffective in foreign policy.

Of course, this is not totally the truth as John F. Kennedy negotiated very skillfully through the Cuban Missile Crisis a year after the Bay of Pigs, but the concept stuck to the party image.

In so many cases, it proved to be true in many people’s minds.

Lyndon Johnson escalated our involvement in Vietnam, and could not resolve the conflict in a satisfactory manner, and was forced out of the race for the Presidency in 1968 as a result.

Jimmy Carter was unable to accomplish the goal of rescuing the 52 hostages being held in Iran after the rise of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979. and the humiliation of those hostages being held for 444 days still rankles many Americans.

Carter’s inability to stop Soviet intervention in Afghanistan in 1979, and the problems involved in the Cuban wave of immigrants to Florida, known as the Mariel Boat Lift, also doomed his image.

Bill Clinton’s constant threats to intervene in Bosnia with air power, a total of eleven threats, before actual intervention in a successful way, also doomed him as being perceived as weak and ineffective.

The fact that JFK not only handled the Cuban Missile Crisis expertly, but also brought about the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, is forgotten.

The fact that Carter brought about the Panama Canal Treaty and the Egyptian Israeli Camp David Accords is forgotten.

The fact that Bill Clinton brought about the Dayton Peace Accords that ended the fighting in Bosnia; the successful intervention in Kosovo by NATO; and the peace arrangement in Northern Ireland is also forgotten.

And, of course, the fact that Barack Obama overcame the Somali Pirates seizure of a merchant ship in 2009 is also forgotten, conveniently.

But now, with the death of Osama Bin Laden, and the gathering of much evidence that should help the apprehending of more Al Qaeda terrorist operatives, suddenly the reputation of Democratic Presidents may be undergoing a renaissance!

It will be very difficult for the Republican Party to sully the reputation of Barack Obama, as they have been doing for the past two plus years, as a result of this gutsy, courageous, daring decision by Obama to take a chance, realizing it could have been total failure, but demonstrating resolve and commitment to the principle of fighting terrorism wherever it is!

So from April 17, 1961 to the first day of May 2011, exactly fifty years and two weeks apart, the image of the Democrats has now been transformed for the good of the future of the “party of the people”!

A New Attitude On American Muslims Needed After Death Of Osama Bin Laden

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Now that Osama Bin Laden has been removed from the scene, it is important that our politicians, news media, and the American people reassess their attitude on American Muslims as part of American society.

The Islamic faith is as divided as Christianity is, and while it is important to remember there are extremist and radical Muslims, including those who have attempted unsuccessfully to commit terrorist acts on American soil, that does not mean we should stereotype or scapegoat the vast majority of American Muslims, who are just as patriotic and committed to our democracy as any Americans of other ethnicities.

The hate mongers must be condemned, at the same time that our intelligence agencies must be thorough in their search for those rare Muslims in America who wish us ill!

But let’s remember that it was not only Christians and Jews and Hindus and Buddhists who died on September 11, and in the various terrorist attacks worldwide since September 11, and even before that date. It is clear that it is actually Muslims who have been the greatest number of victims worldwide, because of the murderous intent of Al Qaeda and its supporters as led by Osama Bin Laden.

Just as any other minority group, American Muslims can and will be assimilated into America, with always, however, a watchful eye on those who choose to commit crimes in the name of their God, and working to stop them before they succeed, and putting on trial those who are apprehended, in the most strict terms possible!

Barack Obama: Calm, Cool, Steady Manager Of Crisis

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The American people are very fortunate to have Barack Obama as their President in these times!

Not only his reaction to the Great Recession with the effort to revive industry and banking, and his attempt to aid the state governments in difficult times; not only with his concern about national health care for all; not only with his emphasis on education reform to help America return to educational greatness; not only his emphasis on restoring American prestige in the world scene by promotion of diplomacy; but also because he has proved to be a calm, cool, steady manager of crisis, as proved when he saved the ship seized by Somali pirates in April 2009, and more dramatically, the accomplishment of the killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden this past Sunday!

The opposition Republicans have long promoted the myth that only they can defend the nation from terrorism and preserve our national security. But as it turns out, that is far from true in the past, and is certainly now destroyed as a myth as a result of the flawless military operation conducted on Sunday in Pakistan!

Barack Obama’s historical reputation has been improved dramatically by this great moment in our history! It will be one of the first sentences in his biography, certainly in the first paragraph when history is written in the future!

This is a moment for all patriotic and fair minded Americans to salute President Barack Obama as a man of courage, principle, and dignity! Thank God Barack Obama is our President!

Two Events To Commemorate On May 1: Holocaust Remembrance (Yom HaShoah) And The Death Of Mass Murderer Osama Bin Laden!

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As we come to the end of the first day of May, we have two developments to commemorate–both Holocausts of different sizes!

Today is the day we commemorate the Nazi Holocaust of World War II, which killed 6 million Jews and 7 million other victims! It is called Yom HaShoah, and it is a day to remember the sacrifices of these millions of victims!

Ironic that on Yom HaShoah that we learn that Osama Bin Laden, the most sought man in the world, responsible for 3,000 deaths at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, has been killed by the United States through the CIA, with a statement due soon by President Obama as we near midnight!

Bin Laden also hated the Jews, so this is a double day of remembrance for those people who support Israel and Jewish survival through the thick and thin of world history!

This is a great moment, and it unites Americans like nothing since September 11!

It is thrilling to witness tourists outside the White House singing the National Anthem, and it is a time for all of us to rejoice that justice has been done!

It also makes President Obama look great, that this happened on his watch, and it strengthens him in his re-election contest in the fall of 2012! What can the Republican Party say in opposition to Obama, considering that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were unable to resolve this matter in seven years after September 11?

This will make Obama look strong on defense matters, and overcome the old myth that Democrats are weak on defense!

It will give some solace to the families of the 3,000 victims of September 11, and will make May 1 a special day in the history of the United States, to be commemorated every year as one of the major events of American history for all time!

It, however, also makes us need to be more cautious and on alert, as the odds are that Al Qaeda will want to strike back at the United States in retaliation for Bin Laden’s death!

As John King of CNN just stated, this is an HISTORIC day in capital letters, and we will applaud this as one of the major successes of Barack Obama’s great leadership in the War On Terror!

The Obama Doctrine: Uphold Values Of Human Life By Intervening To Stop Massacres Overseas!

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President Obama tonight gave a speech at the National Defense University at Fort McNair in Washington, DC, justifying American intervention in Libya as part of an international force to prevent a massacre of civilians in that civil war.

Obama called it a basic principle of the United States that we should oppose all violations of human rights when it involves the likelihood of mass murder by a deranged dictator who does not value human life, and is only too willing to conduct mass operations against civilians in large numbers.

This is a direct contradiction of what the United States did in the past: failure by Woodrow Wilson to intervene in the Armenian Massacre by Turkey in 1915 during World War I; failure by Franklin D. Roosevelt to step in during the mass Holocaust by Nazi Germany against Jews, gypsies, and others during World War II; refusal by Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter to intervene during the holocaust in Cambodia in the late 1970s; and failure by Bill Clinton to step in during the massacre that went on in Rwanda in 1994.

All of the above are seen as moral failures by the United States and the world, but this new doctrine, while admirable and principled, does bring up the issue of how the United States and NATO are supposed to afford the cost of constant interventions all over the world!

What if similar massacres are imminent in Syria, Iran, and other unfriendly nations in the Middle East? Why should not the United States step into the situation in the Sudan, the Ivory Coast, the Congo Republic, Zimbabwe, Myanmar and elsewhere?

Are we to be selective in where the US and NATO intervene? And what about the deaths in Bahrain, where the US Naval Command in the Middle East is situated, and in Yemen, where there are dangers of Al Qaeda influences that could affect world wide terrorism?

And how in the world are we to afford more defense and war spending long run, as we cut ruthlessly into education, health care, and other public services all over the country? How much longer can we tolerate the worsening of our every day lives and commit ourselves to reforming the world of its evils?

It is hard NOT to agree with the purposes of the Obama Doctrine in theory, but in practice, it seems impossible and a losing proposition politically for Barack Obama to seem to commit us to never ending intervention in the name of human rights and decency!

This is a torment for those of us who consider ourselves progressives and liberals, as even the best intentions cannot be fulfilled within the budget constraints the country faces in the short run and the long run!

The Middle East Headaches Of Barack Obama

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Now in its fifth day of intervention in the Libyan Civil War, the Obama Administration faces a whole series of headaches in the Middle East, many more problematical than Moammar Gaddafi!

The biggest problem of all is the Afghanistan War and the instability in next door Pakistan, which could blow up any time and affect the security of next door India, with the growing threat of Al Qaeda and Islamic terrorism in the region.

Iran is also a problem that will NOT go away, with the growing dangers presented by the radical theocracy of that nation, and the movement ahead on development of nuclear weapons capability.

Third issue is Iraq, where the last 50,000 troops are supposed to be withdrawn by the end of this year, but Iran is gaining more influence by the week in a country which once fought an eight year conflict against Iran from 1980-1988.

Bahrain, where the US naval fleet is housed, and Yemen, which has an active Al Qaeda cell, both are undergoing revolutionary activities against then established governments, endangering American security interests.

Egypt and Tunisia have to adapt to their revolutions and evolve toward democracy, something they have never experienced before.

The Israeli-Palestinian struggle continues, and new violence has now erupted, leading to new possibilities of widespread bloodshed and turmoil.

Libya is less significant comparatively, but it is a reality that Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and Robert Gates and others involved in the execution of foreign policy must be having sleepless, or at the least, restless nights!