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What happened to the Barack Obama dream?
London Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | September 23, 2010 | Alex Spillius

Posted on 09/25/2010 8:19:00 PM PDT by Schnucki

Bob Woodward's searing critique of the Democrats' war strategy comes as key advisers are leaving and voters lose patience with Barack Obama's promise to deliver 'hope and change'. Alex Spillius reports on an increasingly isolated President.

When Barack Obama took office 20 months ago – and what a long 20 months it seems – there was a lot of talk about the great "Team of Rivals" he was appointing around him. Parallels were drawn with the cabinet of substantial talents and big personalities assembled by Abraham Lincoln to rebuild the nation after the civil war.

Now, in a new book, Obama's Wars, the veteran reporter Bob Woodward has confirmed in intricate detail what has been known in Washington for some time: that some of the team could barely stomach working with each other. General David Petraeus, then the military overseer of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, avoided contact with David Axelrod, the President's chief strategist, whom he regarded as a "complete spin doctor". No one had a good word for General James Jones, the national security adviser and former Nato commander, while his number two, Thomas Donilon, was regarded as a "disaster" by the Defence Secretary, Robert Gates.

Most withering of all was Vice President Joe Biden's description of Richard Holbrooke, the special envoy to Afghanistan, as "the most egotistical bastard I've ever met". Biden has nearly 40 years' experience in Washington, so that is saying something.

Much of this would be unimportant if there weren't a war involved – no one expects to be given a smooth ride in the White House and some of what Woodward describes could even be called healthy debate – but the aura of dysfunction portrayed by Woodward as Obama and his "team" debated strategy in Afghanistan is truly alarming.

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: afghanistan; alexspillius; axelrod; bobwoodward; davidaxelrod; davidpetraeus; donilon; genesperling; iraq; jamesjones; joebiden; obama; obamaswars; partisanmediashills; petraeus; richardholbrooke; robertgates; sequester; thomasdonilon; woodward
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1 posted on 09/25/2010 8:19:04 PM PDT by Schnucki
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To: Schnucki
It turned into a nightmare for the American people.
2 posted on 09/25/2010 8:19:59 PM PDT by ladyvet (I would rather have Incitatus then the asses that are in congress today.)
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To: Schnucki

His dream of socialism was a nightmare first last and always


3 posted on 09/25/2010 8:21:37 PM PDT by xp38
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To: Schnucki
All of this bad publicity will help us in November. And, after November, when the full evidence of Obama's loss of power and prestige is made clear, I think the blinders will completely fall and everyone will declare "The emperor has no clothes."

His last two years will be very unpleasant.

4 posted on 09/25/2010 8:23:40 PM PDT by ClearCase_guy (Things will change after the revolution, but not before.)
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To: Schnucki

America and the world woke up with a hangover...and a coyote date next to them.


5 posted on 09/25/2010 8:24:05 PM PDT by 240B (he is doing everything he said he wouldn't and not doing what he said he would)
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To: ClearCase_guy

His last two years will be very unpleasant.


Narcissists fall hard and hit hard. May this evil bastard splatter into a trillion pieces.


6 posted on 09/25/2010 8:25:28 PM PDT by unkus
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To: Schnucki

It was only a liberal wet dream...Now America is waking up and going to clean up the mess....lol


7 posted on 09/25/2010 8:26:13 PM PDT by jakerobins
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To: Schnucki
No one had a good word for General James Jones, the national security adviser and former Nato commander

As a Marine, I find this comment interesting. General Jones was fairly well liked within Marine circles, though we considered him a 'political' Commandant as opposed to a warfighter (his war record not withstanding). He was a very influential and liked Marine officer.

8 posted on 09/25/2010 8:27:01 PM PDT by rjsimmon (1-20-2013 The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
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To: Schnucki

I could have told you this 2 plus years ago .... .


9 posted on 09/25/2010 8:27:53 PM PDT by Deetes (God Bless the Troops)
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To: Schnucki

What happened to his dream? Hopefully, it will be dead come November.


10 posted on 09/25/2010 8:28:13 PM PDT by fatnotlazy
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To: Schnucki

Impeachment is imperative.

Coming to DC January 2011.


11 posted on 09/25/2010 8:29:29 PM PDT by exit82 (Democrats are the enemy of freedom. Sarah Palin is our Esther.)
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To: Schnucki

Obama’s Hope and Change is garbage. Even looney leftists are seeing it, as they are bussing in Democrat college students from all over Wisconsin just to fill Library Mall at UW-Madison.


12 posted on 09/25/2010 8:29:48 PM PDT by Thunder90 (Fighting for truth and the American way... http://citizensfortruthandtheamericanway.blogspot.com/)
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To: Schnucki

“Those who voted against health care – his signature achievement – tout the fact at every opportunity. Some omit the word “Democrat” entirely from their ads or campaign material. There is no other way for them to win.”

So don’t let them. Paint ‘em red and track every last one of them down.


13 posted on 09/25/2010 8:31:28 PM PDT by Psalm 144
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To: Schnucki

There was never a dream...just a bunch of sophmoric crap


14 posted on 09/25/2010 8:32:04 PM PDT by barbarianbabs (smell the tea?)
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To: ClearCase_guy

“All of this bad publicity will help us in November.”

Yea...Just too bad that none of it is the American
Marxist news media.


15 posted on 09/25/2010 8:32:18 PM PDT by AlexW
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To: ladyvet

16 posted on 09/25/2010 8:33:26 PM PDT by jimbo123
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To: Schnucki

Lincoln tried to rebuild America after the war. Obama is trying to cause a civil war.


17 posted on 09/25/2010 8:36:06 PM PDT by DBrow
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To: ladyvet

Like most dreams, eventually the dreamer wakes, usually when he’s made to realize he’s run out of “other people’s money”. Obama’s campaign successfully managed to put enough people into a dream-state, which is what he needed to be elected. They’ve woken up to reality, while he and his Dems
have kept on a-dreamin’. Nov. 2, fittingly, and keeping the metaphors intact, will be his “wake-up call”.


18 posted on 09/25/2010 8:39:35 PM PDT by supremedoctrine (Come closer. I want to get a better look at you.)
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To: Schnucki

I have reached the highest level of disgust with comparisons of Obama to Lincoln.

Lincoln did indeed assemble a cabinet “to rebuild the nation after the civil war.”

On the other hand Obama has assembled a cabinet to create a civil war and destroy the nation.

As bad and inept as some other presidents have been, none of them intentionally set an agenda to dis-assemble the nation and consign the constitution to the dust bin as Obama has.

If America survives this onslaught and returns to a Constitutional Republic, honest historians will look back on this administration as the lowest point in our history. They will wonder what posessed more than half of the voters to fall for a charlatan who is little more than a later day Marxist decked out as a snake oil peddler.


19 posted on 09/25/2010 8:40:38 PM PDT by Iron Munro (I prayed: "O Lord make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it - He sent the Obamas.)
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To: unkus

My fondest wish and what I live for: to see Palin get sworn in on January 20, 2013 with Obama sitting there.


20 posted on 09/25/2010 8:42:43 PM PDT by toddausauras
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