Posted on 02/24/2010 9:20:39 AM PST by milwguy
THE WORLD WAR II ANALOGY Bottom line: We have no easy means to create the wealth necessary to pay back the unprecedented trillions we now owe — and we have no accurate historical parallel to guide us through these upcoming years of unsustainable levels of indebtedness, other than perhaps a Greece or Argentina writ large. WAR AS CRIMINALITY Bottom line: We have no systematic answer to whether we should try or summarily execute suspected terrorists, whether they are enemy combatants or felons, or whether it is more moral to waterboard known terrorists or to execute suspected ones. IRAQ Bottom line: This administration, partly because of past declarations, partly because of its own innate confusion, cannot quite celebrate the success in Iraq and so settles on the confused notion that we nobly removed Saddam and fostered consensual government although we should never have tried to do either. Similar surreal examples could be found in matters of health care, global warming, partisan politics, and immigration. It seems reductionist to suggest that Obama came into office with little clue how to govern or to galvanize the country, but with one real assumption: He would simply advertise himself as not George Bush, and almost anything he subsequently did would be declared inspired by the enthralled media.
Keep that notion in mind, and the confusion over the last year makes a sort of sense.
(Excerpt) Read more at article.nationalreview.com ...
Sure we do.
It's called obyuummers health care bill.
Why do you think he and gang are so desperate to pass a bill - spending about 95% of the entire administration on it when it doesn't take effect until 2014?
Because we start paying for it immediately - pre-pay for years ahead. You don't actually think that money will allocated to a "lock box", do you?
I suspicion it's the instant flow of big bucks to Washington that even is tempting to RINOS.
Although that money may also be 'redistributed' to Muslims countries, like out NASA monies are - while closing down our space Program and putting thousands out work - and will plunge the area into 15% unemployment.
bump & a ping
Here is the Obama saga on Iraq: 2003: a mistaken war; 2004: “not much of a difference between my position on Iraq and George Bush’s position at this stage”; 2005–07: voted each year to fund the war; 2007: all troops out by March 2008; 2008: the surge is not working; 2009: the status-of-forces agreement signed by Bush is adhered to; 2010: Iraq (according to Vice President Biden) might be the administration’s greatest achievement — though it was, of course, not worth the cost. Factor in Bush’s popularity rating at any one time, the relative ongoing level of violence in Iraq, and the proximity of Obama to an election, and one might predict his often-changing position on the war.
So what exactly is Iraq now? Is it a brilliant effort by the U.S. military that removed Saddam, defeated an insurrection, helped to wipe out thousands of al-Qaeda terrorists, and birthed a viable consensual government? Or is it still “Bush’s war,” which somehow morphed into Obama’s “greatest achievement” by some mysterious and yet unspoken process?
Great summary of the schizophrenic, deceitful, hypocritical garbage of the Obama 'policy' on Iraq.
Some "mysterious and yet unspoken process" has turned it from the dastardly Bush's war to the miracle of the Obama administration.
Great VDH piece. Thanks!
Obama is George Bush.
Ping !
Let me know if you want in or out. Links:
FR Index of his articles: http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/victordavishanson/index NRO archive: http://author.nationalreview.com/?q=MjI1MQ== Pajamasmedia: http://pajamasmedia.com/victordavishanson/ His website: http://victorhanson.com/
Some days are busier than others. Thank you for the heads up.
“The apparent subtext is that the Left in the past really had no problems with renditions, targeted assassinations, Guantanamo, tribunals, Predators, or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — only that George Bush presided over them. Take the latter away, and so too vanishes criticism of the former.”
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