Free Republic

Even more from the farticle: Again, this new, more engaging and positive negotiating attitude has doubtless made it easier for the Chinese to become more accommodating on exchange rates, which is critical for the medium-term resolution of global financial imbalances. All in all, an excellent year, opinion polls notwithstanding. In fact, the only still-egregious issue that Mr Obama hasn’t touched yet — and, make no mistake, he will address it in time — is domestic gun control. It may turn out to be personally dangerous, but he’s a brave man. In any event, that’s for his second term. For right now, God bless you, Mr Obama. And give Michelle a kiss from me. Where's the standby barfbag when you need one?!?!?

More from the farticle: And then, of course, there’s the whole global image thing. Mr Obama has completely changed the way the world looks at the US. And while many in the US appear uncomfortable with this, seeing it as a capitulation from being “the greatest nation in the world”, it is, in reality, no such thing. Rather this image change is strategically crucial to the success of virtually every US policy. Remember the speech in Cairo early in the presidency — this perception of openness to normal Muslims is part of the reason that US policy in Af-Pak looks to be gaining traction and appears to have a greater chance of success. Iran and the Israel-Palestine conflict, too, have more chances of success today since America is seen as being more open-minded and actively engaged. Well, how about measuring success in terms of longterm trust engendered as a result of investing hard-won US geopolitical capital, eh? The writer is a sold-out deluded hack. And writes like one too. Typical.

From the farticle: Domestically, Mr Obama has stuck doggedly to getting the US health care albatross into the public gaze. And while the bill that finally comes through may be disappointing to many — perhaps, most — people, the fact is that creating real competition to the insurance companies by setting up a non-profit insurance option will certainly loosen the grip of the medical-financial-legal complex. Of course, the devil, as always, will be in the details and implementation, but, as with the restructuring of the financial infrastructure, I have little doubt that Mr Obama is committed to ensuring accountability in health care costs and, critically, that even low income Americans can get reasonable health care. Success may spill over into his second term, but succeed he will. There - in one para the scrooball manages to praise Ogabe to the high heavens while simultaneously sowing the seeds of excuses and blame-deflection to use when Ogabe's actions finally fail. Typical.

Okie, this was just some dark humor to spice up the holiday season...

Enjoy!

Grande.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama lives currently in India as a guest of the Indian Government, which too has often scurried to curry (pun intended) favor with Beijing but has never stooped so low as to give him up to the chicoms.

And yet, Barak's admin lists India on the religious freedom watchlist?

I came to know recently that Italy officially recognises only the 3 Abrahamic religions denying permission to the others (primarily Indic faiths) to assemble and worship freely in Italy. Yet, Italy finds no mention on the said watchlist, last I heard.

Hypocrisy has become real cheap n easy indeed.

The H1B program should be suspended at least for the next few yrs.

The sad truth is that the US is no longer cost competitive in a large number of formerly high tech fields, many of which the US pioneered.

For instance, the Indian Chandrayaan lunar probe cost just $80 million as opposed to $500 mn and $400 mn for similar Japanese and Chinese probes, all launched in the last few months. Just HOW do you compete with costs structures like that? And no, the Indians float rather than peg their currency. So, its not a currency manipulation thing that accounts for their cost competitiveness.

Keeping the brighter lot amongst the Indians in India should benefit India in the longer run. Will hurt those currently in the US on student visas but am sure the higher edu and industry markets in the US and in India will adapt to changed circumstances within a year or 2 of the H1B program being scrapped.

Either way, India is destined to rise and is currently way, way below her true potential. Of course, the Indian political system is pretty much capable of screwing up anything, so I wouldn’t count on a fast or even a steady rise. It will likely be chaotic, messy but ultimately good for the country - pretty much like the democracy they have.

Just my $0.02.

>>Probably so they can give warnings to the inended targets.

Worse.
They’ll hand ‘em over to the Chinese to study and reverse engineer.
Exactly what they did with Clintoon’s doomed Tomahawk launches against Bin Laden in ‘98.

>>The elections startin mid April...

And will last into Mid May.

And it will be an epic battle between the forces of darkness and of light - much like the Kurukshetra scene you’ve displayed.

The nationalist right in India simply has to rise to the occasion and win power else the nincompoop, socialist, muslim-appeasing lefties will drag India further down into the cesspit of nonperformance and poverty.

JMTs of course.

Well, chances are the engines will be offered again just when the Indians are able to design and build one themselves.

Unlike many other countries the US is used to dealing with, India has shown in the past it is willing to invest in its own sci-tech to develop and build systems that are denied under various sanctions regimes to it.

O so I suspect.

Dear Gandu,

>>Welcome to dealing with Indians. The lower caste people are generally just fine, but the upper tiers of their social order are arrogant bastards in the extreme.

Oooh. Someone’s burning away inside I see. All that hate, daubed with generalizations, dripping with racism, sans sufficient understanding of the subject to be mouthed off on.... smella of Pakiness.

Tch tch, and what for Gandu? Such a sorry attitude shall merely affect your own precious health, Gandu.

>>but see they have to establish their superiority over you so getting you to kiss their ass is the point.

Attaboy, Gandu. Seems Gandu’s been kissing yindian a$$ bigtime. Hence, the burning passion to hit back by mouthing off any inanities that may come to mind.

You go, Gandu! I’ll cheer your noble effort in what small way moi can.

May the Lord bless you, Gandu.

The UPA govt is as misguidedly liberal as Obama is. And their spending has dwarfed all previous estimates.

I’m not at all surprised the rupee is falling given the rate at which they’re printing rupees.

Longterm, perhaps even medium term, India’ll likely recover and do quite well coz it has a lot going for it. These temp ups and downs happen and these are particularly difficult times for the world economy as a whole.

Seems like ‘em yindoos are learning from the muslims that violence and aggression pay. Its easy to parachute into Hindu land and preach to the Hindus that they’ll all burn in Hell. Can’t see the same happening in Muslim lands simply because the preachers would burn on earth before they got too far. And to preserve their majority, their numbers and their way of life, which, as far as I know, doesn’t deny anyone the right to heaven based on belief, but only of actions (’good karma’), seems like some yindus have learned the wrong lessons.

Even so it seems uncharacteristic of the yindoos to indulge in wanton mobbery. As a rule its difficult to organize them to get anything done for a Hindu cause, such are the divisions within their society.

Disclaimer: I’m an atheist. An agnostic at best. And their belief system has place even for folks like me. I wish the broader, peaceable Hindu community well.

I'm sorry to say that my reading of history suggests that the anglo-saxonian powers - UK and now the US, have attempted to ‘use’ radical Islam in service of geopolitical interests. A relationship that now has returned to haunt us all.

The very creation of Pakistan was a British ploy to retain influence in the Indian subcontinent. The covert and overt support by the US and the UK to the murderous Pakistani regime in the 1971 genocide in Bangladesh is appalling and unpardonable.

UK’s attitude towards Israel bears little mention. And even now UK advises the US to ‘negotiate’ with a ‘good Taliban’ and accommodate Paki schemes in Kabul.

Folly, thy name is Britain!

I certainly hope that the US government break into the secrecy code of the Swiss banks where a lot of ill gotten tax evaded wealth is stored. Am sure a lot of politicians also have goodies stacked away there which is why this move will never fructify.

>>I have met, worked with, and been friends with quite a few Indians over the years. They are a very spiritual, non-aggressive, intelligent and inquisitive people.. I cannot help but have the utmost respect for them. Amen, Brother. I have family among them. And I couldn't have put it better.

Moi thinks the GOI has a long way to go before challenging anybody.

And the next few yrs in the wilderness could actually do it some good. Esp as they will see the Dems making blunder upon blunder in a dangerous world.

>>Roggio is sounding more like an Indian than even the majors and colonels of the US Army stationed in Afghania, lol.

Maybe, maybe not.

Its no secret what the basic premise of NATO policy seems to be in that region.

And it is that terrorism is terrorism only when western targets are hit, and when Indian targets are hot, oh, it must be some regional differences like Kashmir.

Baloney.

Apart from rank hypocrisy against a fellow secular-pluralistic-giant democracy, its self-defeating in the long run.

NATO is allowing a monster to grow in the region by not strangling the Pak army-ISI nexus that directly feeds and the Taliban/Al Qaeda jihadists.

I repeat, ‘Give peace a chance, destroy Pakistan’. Rather, allow it to commit (assisted) suicide. Withdraw all life-support such as emergency aid etc. Then see how long they last.

Classic misdirection.

No names, just unnamed sources, ‘critics say..’, ‘experts say...’.

The Indians aren’t dumb. They know better than to push America on an issue on which they really have no locus standi. The farticle is suspicious and reads like a hit job.

>>India will deal with the US on its own terms. Any attempts by the Big O or anyone else to force India will only get the American influence in the region to wane.

True.

The Indians have proven to be quite stubborn mofos when it comes to matters of core national interest. The entire world, technology denial, famine etc among other hardships could not force Delhi to abandon its N-weapons program. (Don’t hetme wrong. India 100% merits its own N-weapons force, IMHO). I pity the fools who think they can wrest Kashmir by leaning on Delhi. They are welcome to try though.

>>India can very easily sabotage American attempts to “be nice” to Pakistan by sending an army to work with the Afghans.

The Indian army in Afgn? wow. Not happening without land access to Afgn, possibly via the chahbahar port in Iran. Its an interesting proposition if you think about it but I think its premature.

>>We’ll see what the turtle-eggs in Beijing will do when their sissy eunuchs in the Pakistani army go running, tails between their legs to their masters for help.

PRC has successfully boxed in India all these years. I wouldn’t underestimate the chicoms. But yes, once India gets its N-triad operational, the field would truly be leveled. More PRC antics inside India’s borders would then become untenable.

Letting Pak collapse into 4-5 independent stans is the best outcome. Riven by ethnic divisions, these stans will squabble, rely on external support and occupy themselves there.

Pak’s collapse would be the best, hardest and most irrecoverable blow to terrorism the world has seen in a long time.