President Obama

George Will’s Advice To President Obama On Afghanistan

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The conservative columnist George Will, who is also seen on This Week with George Stephanopoulous on ABC every Sunday morning, has today come out in the Washington Post with a piece of advice for President Obama: Get out of the war in Afghanistan, as it is unwinnable.

This is an excellent piece of advice on the part of Will, who although I don’t often agree with him, is obviously an intelligent, perceptive conservative who occasionally speaks wisdom.

The war has become very unpopular with the American people, with a majority now saying to get out as soon as possible. The loss of more Americans in August and July than previous months is a warning sign that we are being dragged into a long term war that undermines our ability to deal with domestic problems and to cut the growth in government spending.

It is time to recognize that the only way to deal with the Taliban is to use air power and intelligence gathering, not ground troops in that country which has been the graveyard in the past for the British and the Soviets.

President Obama, you have enough to deal with, so do not allow any military pressure or Republican hawkishness to sucker you into a war that is rapidly becoming another Vietnam. It is time to face reality and LEAVE Afghanistan!

CIA Torture Interrogations To Be Investigated By Special Prosecutor

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In a controversial decision by Attorney General Eric Holder, the government will use a special prosecutor to investigate violations of interrogation policy by CIA operatives in the immediate aftermath of 9/11 in secret CIA prisons and in the war zone in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The advantage of this is to promote transparency and prevent any future such use of torture in interrogations. It is horrifying to think that there were threats of killing prisoners, use of handguns and power drills as threats, suggestions that family members of suspects would be murdered,choking prisoners, and blowing smoke in their faces to make them vomit. These techniques, along with the already known waterboarding, are against international law, and a registered Republican, John H. Dunham, will be pursuing prosecution, with a record of trust from both political parties, and a reputation of fairness, rather than partisanship, in his background.

This decision, independently made by the Attorney General, will be highly controversial and make new political problems for President Obama, but what is new about that? 🙂

It seems to me to be essential that we do a thorough investigation, but also hold accountable top Bush Administration officials, all the way up to Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney, and maybe, just maybe, George W. Bush himself!

The Swine Flu Pandemic Challenge For The Obama Administration

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As we enter the school year and the coming of cooler weather in the next month in much of the country, the danger of a Swine Flu pandemic sends out alarm bells to all of us, including the Obama Administration.

This is an issue, that should the pandemic result in reality, will be a political loser for President Obama if the vaccine is in inadequate supply or does not succeed in lessening the number of people who would be taken sick, and also the number of deaths that would evolve.

If the vaccine turns out to be ineffective or actually causes other health problems in the population, as has happened at times in the past, then it will promote a feeling again that the government is inept, unable to deal with a crisis.

So just as Hurricane Katrina undermined the reputation of George W. Bush, the likelihood exists that even with great preparation by the Obama Administration, the President could still suffer in public opinion, and it could have an effect on the midterm elections of 2010 and even the Presidential campaign of 2012.

So we are facing a health crisis likely in the making, and the concurrent political fallout that could develop. The hope is that we will discover that we over prepared, rather than under prepared.

Barack Obama, The Scottish Justice Minister, And Pan Am Flight 103

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I am as outraged as anyone by the Scottish Justice Minister releasing a convicted Libyan terrorist, who brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December, 1988, killing all 259 people aboard and eleven on the ground. Even if he has terminal cancer is no reason to have released him, allowing him to go back to Libya, to a hero’s welcome, by a government which promoted terrorism and is still in power today under Colonel Quaddafi after 40 years of dictatorship.

But President Obama, unfortunately, was much too tame in his response. Deploring the development, but doing nothing else behind the scenes and in public during the period when this occurrence was being contemplated, is a tremendous mistake by the President. Contacting the Libyan government and asking that this terrorist not be greeted, as he ended up being received, was a total disaster.

I think the answer is to condemn publicly how the Libyan government has handled this situation, and the renewal of Libya on the list of terrorist nations. George W. Bush decided to remove Libya a couple of years ago because of so called “cooperation”, and supposed giving up of all nuclear material that could be used in weapons.

I always had doubt about the wisdom of Bush’s move, and I think this action by Libya requires a harsh response, even if it undermines relations with the Arab and Islamic world. If we do not take a strong stand against a mass murderer and the regime that sponsored him, then we are in deep trouble in regards to national security in the future. Such a development would tremendously undermine any possibility of serious Obama success during his Presidency.

Democrats’ Growth In The Western States And 2012

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Every indication is that the Democrats can expect to do well in the “New Western” states in future elections, as a result of trends that have favored them in the past few election cycles.

The “New West” is defined as those states not bordering on the Pacific Ocean. Three of them were won by President Obama in 2008–Nevada, Colorado and New Mexico. He came close in Montana and had a good chance in Arizona if John McCain had not been his opponent. These eight states have 17 representatives and seven senators and four governors who are Democrats.

With the growing Hispanic population in these states, the Democrats have strong odds to win the same three states they won in 2008, plus Montana and Arizona. One can forget Utah, Idaho and Wyoming, which are the three states most loyally Republican along with Oklahoma, according to other polls that indicate party loyalty.

So any indication that temporarily Obama’s public opinion ratings are declining fails to take into account that it will have very little effect in 2012, since the polls are very much a judgment of the moment subject to dramatic change over the next few years, and the Electoral College system heavily favors the President’s reelection, unless there is a major disaster or tragedy to change the minds of the mass of citizens.

It is hard after the economic collapse of 2008 to imagine any situation as dire as that to transform the national mood.

State Gun Laws And The President And Other Public Figures

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It has been absolutely insane that wherever the President has traveled for Town Halls, we see the presence of ordinary citizens displaying guns in the area of his presence.

It may be that states in many cases allow the public display of weapons, including assault rifles, but it should be made clear that they are NOT acceptable at a public event or gathering of large numbers of citizens, such as a Town Hall, whether it is the President or even any other public official in attendance.

The presence of firearms promotes an atmosphere of intimidation and fear, and no state law should put a public official, and particularly the President, in a position where his security agents have to be on the defensive. This is states rights gone amuck.

We have a short memory. Considering all of the political assassinations of the 20th century of national political figures–including Huey Long, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy among others–and the shooting of such political figures as Theodore Roosevelt, George Wallace, Ronald Reagan–and the missed attempts against such leaders as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Gerald Ford–we should ban guns in public gatherings that include major government leaders.

No other democracy allows such freedom, and we need to learn that guns have their place, and that is NOT in a public gathering with major political leaders appearing.

Barack Obama’s Promotion Of Community Colleges

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President Obama has become an advocate of promoting many more high school graduates to go through at least the community college level in education.

He has allocated $12 billion to accomplish the goal of five million additional graduates from the 1200 community colleges nationally by the year 2020.

It is well understood that even a two year degree can bring about a great increase in lifetime income, and also increased job satisfaction.

Needless to say, this could become one of the major accomplishments of the Obama Presidency if it works out as planned.

President Obama And Town Halls In New Hampshire And Montana

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Despite all of the controversy surrounding some of the town halls that have been held by Congressmen and Senators these past few weeks, it turns out that President Obama performed excellently at town halls in New Hampshire earlier this week and Montana today.

The crowd in both cases was pleasant and respectful, as should be, but there were definitely opponents in the crowd who seemed to be satisfied with Obama’s responses, even if they were not totally convinced. Obama invited challenges and questioning by critics, and it was done in a civil way.

Obama certainly made it clear that the charges leveled against the health care plan were myths, and he was strong in his assertions that the government was not out to promote socialized medicine. He repudiated all of the hysteria and panic that has been promoted by conservative and Republican and corporate opponents of any substantial reform in health care.

It is evident that the American people are concerned about changes in health care, but Obama, after having held back in the past couple of weeks in getting deeply involved in defending and explaining the plans for health care, has finally taken to the road and is actively promoting what he sees as essential action.

Despite a lot of doubts that remain about the effects of health care reform occurring, it seems to me that Obama is starting to change public opinion in what is likely one of the toughest battles he will face as President. The supporters of health care reform have to realize who the enemy is, and fight with courage and conviction!

Damon Weaver And President Obama

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It was really pleasant to see an 11 year old African American boy from Pahokee, Florida, get the chance to interview President Obama at the White House yesterday, after earlier having had the opportunity to interview Vice President Joe Biden.

As usual, President Obama put on a great performance and encouraged Damon and other young people to study, work hard and accomplish their goals. The President is a great model for youth in this country, and it was wonderful to see such an inspiring interaction between the young man and the President.

It is certain that Damon will not forget this exciting moment in his young life!