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Subscribe to RSSIn his first installment in the Washington Post about his new book, “Obama’s Wars,” Bob Woodward reports that the U.S. military thwarted the president’s ability to find a way out of Afghanistan. “He was looking for choices that would limit U.S. involvement and provide a way out. His top three military advisers were unrelenting advocates for 40,000 more troops and an expanded mission that seemed to have no clear end. When his national security team gathered in the White House Situation Room on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2009, for its eighth strategy review session, the president erupted. ‘So what's my option? You have given me one option,’ Obama said, directly challenging the military leadership at the table, including Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen and Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, then head of U.S. Central Command.”
More: “‘We were going to meet here today to talk about three options,’ Obama said sternly. ‘You agreed to go back and work those up.’” Mullen protested. ‘I think what we've tried to do here is present a range of options.’ Obama begged to differ. Two weren't even close to feasible, they all had acknowledged; the other two were variations on the 40,000. Silence descended on the room. Finally, Mullen said, ‘Well, yes, sir.’”
Previewing the president’s rally on Tuesday in Wisconsin, the Washington Post sees it as an effort to re-engage and re-energize young voters. “When Obama steps onto a grass quad at the University of Wisconsin on Tuesday, he will deliver a newly tailored, more personalized campaign appeal aimed at ginning up enthusiasm, according to White House and senior Democratic officials. Plouffe said Obama will remind students of the work they put into his 2008 campaign and warn them that if they don't reengage now, ‘all that could be jeopardized.’”
The Kaiser Family Foundation’s September Health Tracking Poll shows the health-reform law is now favored by 49% of the American public with 40% having an unfavorable opinion. A quarter (26%) think it should be repealed.
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He's the Commander in Chief looking for a feasible way... the journalist and media will make his way appear erroneous.
I have no doubt that the President is working hard on getting out of Afghanistan and focusing efforts on Domestic issues all the while allowing Sec Clinton to deal with the International issues, but it appears the national dialogue is to confuse voters with minute meetings quotes.
This November Republicans are banking heavily on the American people to be disgusted with the health insurance reforms passed by Congress this year and that voters are clamoring for repeal. They’re likely to be disappointed with the outcome of that. http://www.startribune.com/business/103781879.html
Conservative positions on this subject show that Republicans aren’t listening to anyone beyond their own base. They’re very upset at the elimination of pre-existing conditions clauses, while 54% of Americans want those clauses to stay dead now that Democrats have killed them. In fact that’s the pattern throughout the most recent AP poll, with Conservatives opposed to most every part of the plan in direct opposition to the majority of the people.
But what’s that? The majority are unhappy with the plan? Yes, that’s right, but as always the devil is in the details. According to the poll 60% of respondents are unhappy with the law as passed…BUT 40% ARE UNHAPPY BECAUSE IT DOESN’T DO ENOUGH! That’s right, people who dislike the new law because they want the law to go further outnumber those who want government to stay out of health care by 2 to 1!
The results are clear enough that Conservative leaders can’t have missed that. So the real question is, if Republicans are ignoring the will of the people in this major, major area which they choose to emphasize, exactly who’s agenda are they following?
John B.
40% ARE UNHAPPY BECAUSE IT DOESN’T DO ENOUGH!
I agree some liberals are disappointed that the law didn't do much to provide competition to bend the private insurance company premiums down.
Might we see some more approval now that the preexisting ban for kids and coverage till 26 has kicked in?
I'm not one to care much about polls but, talking to the generic polling of this subject, the pollsters apparently have tried to quantify why someone does or doesn't like the bill. Is it too weak? It didn't go far enough? It is unconstitutional? etc. The only things that makes the news is that 60% are against it.
Yellowdog, first apologies for posting this topic here instead of on First Thoughts...I simply clicked the wrong link.
My guess is that the 60% number comes directly from attempts to break down the reasons for opposition. If you go here http://www.pollster.com/polls/us/jobapproval-presobama-health.php the disapproval number is only 51.2%. The difference between this AP poll and the 51.2% grouped number is probably the opportunity to say "I wouldn't repeal it but..."
I wonder how a Democrat might do if instead of running away from the health care legislation, they ran on a platform to bring in either a public option or allow a Medicare buy in.
Those on the right insist this president is weak or is easily intimidated. From what I gleen through this excerpt and several others is he stands his ground and is not afraid of the military. They wanted to box him in, have an unending war and the President wants out. I read an excerpt about a six-page, single-spaced memo in which he made the military sign off about July 2011. Does not sound like someone who is weak.
I believe the President is truly committed to putting and end to the fiasco that is Afghanistan, but it has to be done carefully - and that necessarily means it will take time, lots of time.
You are right joi, he is not afraid of Americans, he is just afraid of the terrorists! He's even filed a law suit against his fellow Americans, all the while cheering a foriegner while he bad mouths his fellow Americans! He's definately not afraid of us, but he will be in 2012!!!!
?????
Ditto on that Joi G!
the military is like a "crack addict" !!! once they get on a roll they just can't stop !!! someone has to throw their the pipes and drugs away and send them into REHAB !!!
smith 1 !! its a shame they wasted good human skin, when they stuffed you full of scheit, you are a person of ill up-bringing and low moral character, crawl back in your hole and stay there !!
Smith,
You're an idiot!
It appears that when my "Comment is Collapsed by the Community", it must mean either of two things:
1. They just don't understand that when I use a "certain term" - a name - in my post, it does not suggest anything racial or anything derogatory against any ethnic group.
I am far above that, for goodness sake!
The Uncle Remus character goes beyond racism to mean a stuck situation. Somebody sticks their paw into where they shouldn't have. When they try to get out with their other paw, they get MORE stuck...and so on until it is an inescapable mess. This is a very apt metaphor for our entanglements in Iraq and Afghanistan.
OR
2. The community (?) just doesn't agree with my view and just can't stand it that they cannot come up with an adequate rebuttal to my statement.
Either way, somebody is either just uninformed or unenlightened - or maybe, just plain frustrated.
I call BULLSH!T on your post, RFBS. I will flag it and hope that it not only gets collapsed but gets deleted even if it means my post goes with it.
You, sir, should be ashamed of yourself, not only for what your first post said but by, what I consider to be a worse offense, trying to justify it in this post. You know exactly what you meant and the lies you tell in this post are even more despicable for trying to justify your first, disgusting post.
Gotta get the new Woodward book. It'll add to the three I have on the Bush presidency that softened my opinion on Mr. Bush . . . not his policies, but him personally. I can't help it and it may get me collapsed but the term 'happy idiot' keeps popping into my head.
This is my problem with the administration of President Obama thus far: He fails, time and time again to show true leadership. If President Obama truly felt that the troops should be out of Afghanistan, then he should give that order and begin the retreat. It is the same issue with Guantanamo Bay, if he truly wanted that prison closed, he would have closed it, and damned the political consequences.
I do not agree with the policies I just listed, but had President Obama took that kind of bold leadership, I could respect him for taking a position and acting on it. Allowing Military Officers who swore an oath follow his lawful orders to "box him in" shows naivete, inexperience, and a lack of decisive leadership.
Obama is the Commander and chief and President of the United States. He promised he'd pull our troops out if elected. Ok, Mr. Obama are you going to blame Bush on why you cant keep this and so many other campaign promises to the American voter. Or are you just going to blame the previous administration for not being half the man with a third of the testicles of Bush to actually lead our great nation?
i'm 68 years old when i first started to learn how to read it was in a little schoolhouse in mississippi some of the books were ,[little johnny stout] [little black sambo] and the [tar baby] ,the old people back then called the chlideren of african ancestry tar babies if they were exceptionally black.. this post isn't in defense of what was said earlier, just a bit of old history !!
ya'll have a nice day !!