The Age of Obama

I write to you today at the end of a crazy week both in politics and the economy. We now have President-Elect Obama who has managed to already have a huge effect on both the economy and policy both domestic and foreign. At home, he's already found a way to grow government with his new website, change.gov. There's plenty of stuff to go through there, but for the most part its a website dedicated to Obama's planned policy papers and positions as a bit of a preview before his term actually begins. One of the websites I follow, sweetness-light.com has done some digging through the site and has written some fairly revealing articles on Obama's position on Education, Amnesty and Civil Rights. I think if you take the time to read the articles and look through his site you'll be just as dispirited as I am currently. As for the economy, well hows this for a statistic, as of election day the market is down more than 7%; which just so happens to be the largest post election drop the market has taken, ever. It sure is a good thing that none of this happened right after Obama was elected so it can't have anything to do with him.. oh wait, it did.. and it does. I think we all have to remember that the markets work on a 6-9 month futures basis and apparently the markets aren't too sanguine about an Obama presidency. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that he wants to up the corporate tax rate, (the US already has the highest corporate tax rate in the world) or the fact that he wants to impose so called "windfall" profits taxes or any of the other naive and impractical ideas that he has that has the net effect of being bad for business which ends up killing jobs.

On the international front, I'm sure everyone has heard about the goodwill coming from all around the world, but I think a few of the following stories must have just missed the news coverage, probably because they aren't important.. or something. Our old buddy Valdimir Putin seems to want to make a come back tour as President of Russia, or at least so reports Reuters. It seems that current Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will propose extending Presidential terms of office and then resign allowing Putin to return to power with the benefit of the longer term. And then of course there are new reports out today about how the EU is "worried" about Russian plans to have missiles stationed near Poland's border. This new boldness wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that a young inexperienced US President is going to be coming to office that has openly voiced that he prefers talking and negotiating over decisively using military force. As if that wasn't enough, Israel who is of course very concerned with their continued existence is warning President-Elect Obama about how to go about foreign policy in the region especially relating to Iran.

"We live in a neighbourhood in which dialogue - in a situation where you have brought sanctions and you then shift to dialogue - is liable to be interpreted as weakness,' said Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni."

I've taken a slightly different tack with my blog today, mostly because I felt it was necessary in order to demonstrate a number of points. First off, I wanted to demonstrate that my thoughts and opinions don't just come from my own limited world view. I do a lot of reading and research so that I can get up on my soap box here and foam at the mouth, while still having a reasonably good grasp of the issues at hand. As a distant secondary goal, I wanted to just release some steam because lately it seems like the entire country has gone mad. History, logic, indeed reality itself doesn't seem to be as important as the perception of "fairness," which I somewhat addressed in my previous entry. Am I happy that we have elected a black President? In a way yes, I am. Am I happy that it was THIS particular black President? Not at all. Give me a Clarence Thomas, or a Thomas Sowell any day of the week and I'd be first in the voter line for either of them. For that matter, put a Margret Thatcher on the ticket and I'd be proud to have her as my President. At some point reality is going to have to set in. Racism or bigotry has nothing to do with my dislike of Barack Obama, only his policy and political ideology affect my perception of him. When the American people wake up one day and they find they elected an empty suit, I'm just going to shake my head and ask, how could you have not noticed this sooner? Fortunately we can look back into history to see how this situation is going to resolve itself.. we had 4 years of (misery index) Carter, and as a direct result we got President Ronald Reagan who ushered in a wave of prosperity that was felt all the way until Sept. 11, 2001. I can only hope that the turn around is even half as successful as that of President Reagan, certainly it is something to look forward to, for this greatest nation on God's green Earth.

Video/Audio Clip(s) of the Entry:

Well I found the video of Congressman Jim Moran's comments that I brought to you last entry. I don't think I need to say too much about this, as I think it should be fairly self explanatory. It's easy to want a hand out.. it's much harder to stand up on your own.. I think we Americans need a refresher course on self reliance.


I thought that I'd put this video in because this is the man that I wanted to be President. Unfortunately Americans today seem to be more enamored in image rather than substance. If Fred Thompson had become the standard bearer, well.. let's not get to crazy with the "what ifs." In any event, it's a good video and well worth the time spent watching it.


Okay, so this one is a bit disconnected from the rest of my post.. but what can I say? I needed something to help with my blood pressure. Alicia Keys may not help with my heart, but I'll be damned if she doesn't have some pipes. She sings this song as well as anyone.. and it's a good thing too, because it's one of my favorites!

Random Thoughts:
If I had no more time,
No more time left to be here,
Would you cherish what we had?
Was it everything that you were looking for?
If I couldn't feel your touch,
And no longer were you with me,
I'd be wishing you were here,
To be everything that I'd be looking for,
I don't wanna forget the present is a gift,
And I don't wanna take for granted the time you may have here with me,
'Cause Lord only knows another day is not really guaranteed..

So every time you hold me,
Hold me like this is the last time..
Every time you kiss me,
Kiss me like you'll never see me again..
Every time you touch me,
Touch me like this is the last time..
Promise that you'll love me,
Love me like you'll never see me again..

Quote of the Entry: Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good. In area after area - crime, education, housing, race relations - the situation has gotten worse after the bright new theories were put into operation. The amazing thing is that this history of failure and disaster has neither discouraged the social engineers nor discredited them.
-Thomas Sowell, Is Reality Optional?, 1993 (1930 - )

Senator Biden and American Weakness:

I've not posted much about foreign policy matters much because to be completely honest, that isn't exactly my area of expertise. But as always there are events that come up that provide the exception to the rule. Senator Joe Biden, the VP candidate for the Democrat party, had something of an odd moment on Sunday; he actually told the truth about his running mate at the top of the ticket, Senator Obama.

"It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama like they did John Kennedy. The world is looking.... Watch, we’re gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy...."

"I can give you at least four or five scenarios from where it might originate… And he’s gonna need help. And the kind of help he’s gonna need is, he’s gonna need you - not financially to help him - we’re gonna need you to use your influence, your influence within the community, to stand with him. Because it’s not gonna be apparent initially, it’s not gonna be apparent that we’re right."

There are a million things I'd love to comment on about these statements, and I may yet do so further along in this post; but chief among my concerns is the fact that Senator Biden and Senator Obama are in effect advocating a weak American Presidential response to such a "test" and that it would be the correct response, though it would not initially be thought as such. (A President that champions an unpopular policy because he knows it's right, even if it isn't initially apparent.. President Bush anyone?) I may not know as much about foreign affairs/politics as either Senator, but I do know this much, American military and economic power has kept stability and relative peace in the world since the end of WWII. The world that exists today has a fragile world economic outlook and is full of dictators on the verge of war that are looking for any sign of weakness in American resolve to give them the green light to go about their murderous business. All these things I know to be true, and strangely enough, as a statement of fact, I can't disagree with Senator Biden's statements, I just wish more people would heed them.

Compare and Contrast - Strong President vs. Weak President:
Let's do a little exercise in comparison of Presidential responses to Terrorism. The only two comparable President's in this respect are Clinton and Bush, both were two term Presidents and both had to deal with the relatively new phenomenon of terrorism on a global scale. The results are staggering, and should be the best argument for a strong executive bar none.

* February 26, 1993, attack on the World Trade Center: 6 deaths and 1,042 injured

* June 25, 1996, Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia: 20 deaths and 372 injured

* August 7, 1998, attacks on American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania: 12 U.S. deaths out of a total of 223 deaths; 12 U.S. injured out of a total of over 4,000 injured

* October 12, 2000, attack on the USS Cole in Yemen: 17 deaths; 39 injured

* September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington (occurred during Bush presidency but planned during Clinton administration): 2,975 deaths and 24 missing.

All of these attacks were either planned or executed under the Clinton Presidency and what was his response? NOT killing Osama Bin Laden when they had the chance, and even more egregious than that is the fact that he didn't even take him in 1996 when the Sudanese government offered to remand him to American custody and jurisprudence. Generally I found President Clinton to be a good President, but his severe weakness on national security issues can not be ignored. Indeed it was not ignored by Bin Laden and al Qaeda, and because President Clinton refused to retaliate meaningfully they continued their deadly attacks on Americans both at home and abroad, ultimately culminating in the 9/11 attacks. In Senator Bidens' terms, Bin Laden "tested" the strength and resolve of the American President, and he was found wanting; or to put it simply, if the attacks were a test, President Clinton failed.

President Bush for all his failings, both imagined and real, passed the test of his resolve. I do not think any reasonable objective observer can come to any other conclusion. Americans tend to have a short memory about thing's that don't involve a video game, movie, or celebrity so if I put out the USS Cole incident in Yemen, I'd guess 9 out of 10 people would look at me blankly. Indeed, time tends to have the effect of "rose colored glasses" on the memory, where it seems as if everything was better 10 years ago and we conveniently forget all the hardships that went along with those supposed "good times." The point is, that most people don't remember all the acts of terrorism that happened during the Clinton years and so can not draw what would ordinarily be a clear and straight line to continued attacks and to 9/11. In any event, where Clinton failed, the Bush Presidency succeeded in spectacular and unexpected fashion. The wide ranging reforms on security on the domestic front and an active aggressive policy abroad has had at least one clear result, no more attacks on American soil. President Bush may be regarded as a reckless cowboy or a dimwit Texas yokel, but the adjective that one must add to that is STRONG, and because of that standing; I have no doubt that foreign leaders irregardless of their standing with the US approach President Bush differently than President Clinton, namely with more respect. The next President will have to have a strong position on all fronts, the world economy, domestic policy, foreign affairs and most of all have the fortitude to see these policies through to the end; these qualities are among the things that Senator Obama does not posses.

World Status - Analysis:
Okay, let's take a quick look around the world to see what hot spot's are out there to see where these potential "international crises" could come from as referenced by Senator Biden's predictions.

Israel vs. Iran - Iran continues on it's quest to gain nuclear weapons and Israel and the rest of the world knows it. Israel depends on the implicit support of the US to maintain a balance of power in the region and to keep the Jewish state from literally being wiped off he map. Israel also knows that Senator Obama has not positioned himself to be a strong friend of Israel and any actions that Iran makes in the future would not illicit an immediate response from their "allies" in the US as would have been the case during the Bush Presidency or in a McCain Presidency. This puts Israel in a tough position, making a preemptive strike more necessary depending on the outcome of the election in November. Israel may act unilaterally to disable Iranian nuclear facilities to ensure US backing while a friendly administration remains in office till the beginning of next year, thereby obligating the new president to continue military and financial aid depending on the amount of blow back that Israel would receive from Iran and other countries in the region would create.

Russia vs. Former USSR Satellites - While Putin is no longer the official leader of the Russian state, he is in fact the de facto leader and shows every indication of stretching his muscles now in the waning days of the Bush Presidency, in preparation of a young inexperienced President that might await him in the new year. Russia once again seems to be putting together it's empire and chief among the prizes up for grabs seems to be the Ukraine. Any number of former Soviet satellite states are also ripe for the taking. NATO refuses to allow some of them membership into the organization and the UN is little more than an international circus where little gets done in the way of actual solutions and much gets accomplished in the form of resolutions that are often ignored the following day. Should Russia make moves against surrounding countries, and Senator Obama is president, I wonder what solution he would offer? Would it be the same one he offered during the Georgia crisis? Should we bring the issue to the UN security council for possible censure of Russia if they don't stop military actions? Okay, sounds good. I'm glad we have a plan! Only one problem.. Russia is a permanent member of the the Security Council and has Veto Power. Oh darn, looks like that one won't work.. anyone else got any ideas? I thought so.

Video Clip(s) of the Entry:

Here's the audio, unedited of Senator Biden's comments.. am I the only one that gets worried hearing things like this coming from a man that could be Vice President of the United States?


I've hardly ever agreed with Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, and I suppose this would be again the exception to the rule. I'd be interested to hear the rest of her soundbite, but I suspect that she's going to obfuscate a rather succinct and prescient point with some sort of cover for Senator Biden.. and well I'd rather not have to deal with that. Thankfully whoever made this clip cut out the fat and just left the red meat.

Ultimately, I agree with Senator Biden and with Madeleine Albright, it is simply a point of fact that terrorists and indeed the world is going to test whomever becomes the next President of the United States. To determine who would pass these tests, you need only look into a man's past and character. The choice is simple, a man who spent half of his life in military service and the other half in legislative service to his country in both aspects showing determination and transparency of both action and ethics. Or, a man who has numerous ties to domestic terrorists, ties to America hating Preachers, and legislatively shown no backbone by voting "present" over 100 times while in the Illinois state senate. Again, I'll have to deffer to Senator Biden on this, "I think he can be ready, but right now I don't believe he is. The Presidency is not something that lends itself to on the job training." I couldn't agree more, in this greatest nation on God's green Earth.

Random Thoughts:
It's been the longest winter without you,
I didnt know where to turn to..
See somehow I cant forget you,
After all that we've been through..

go in, come in,
thought i heard a knock,
who's there? no one,
thinking that i deserved it..
now i realize that i really didn't know,
you didn't notice, you mean everything..
quickly I'm learning, to love again,
all i know is, imma be ok..

thought i couldn't live without you,
its gonna hurt when it heals to..
it'll all get better in time..
eventhough i really love you,
I'm gonna smile cause i deserve to..
it'll all get better in time..

Quote of the Entry: The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just.
-Abraham Lincoln (1809 - 1865) 16th president of US