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Subscribe to RSSIn 8:00 pm ET speech on Afghanistan, expect Obama -- in some form or fashion -- to declare success in defeating al Qaeda in the region… While the U.S. military might not like the surge withdrawal, Obama has more political leeway than ever before… Huntsman’s sluggish start yesterday and his stronger appearance on “TODAY” this morning… Yet he was unable to answer why his family’s Huntsman Corporation employs more in China and India than it does in the U.S… Pawlenty goes on the air in Iowa, meaning he’s all-in for the Ames Straw Poll… Our anti-CW on Iowa and New Hampshire… More rough news for Newt… And Huntsman stumps in South Carolina on Day 2 of his official launch.
*** Declaring success: When President Obama announced his troop surge in Afghanistan back in Dec. 2009, he said that the “overarching goal” was to “disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” The president went on to say, “To meet that goal, we will pursue the following objectives… We must deny al Qaeda a safe haven. We must reverse the Taliban’s momentum and deny it the ability to overthrow the government. And we must strengthen the capacity of Afghanistan’s security forces and government, so they can take lead responsibility for Afghanistan’s future.” In his 8:00 pm ET speech tonight on Afghanistan, Obama is expected to essentially respond to that paragraph from 2009 and say that progress has been achieved on all three fronts. And he might even say publicly what officials have been privately touting: that al Qaeda has been operationally defeated and essentially destroyed in the Af-Pak region, with the bin Laden kill being the symbolic exclamation point.
*** Obama’s political cover: The troop withdrawal that the president will announce concerns the 30,000 surge troops, not the total force in Afghanistan. There is no doubt that high-ranking officials in the U.S. military, including Gen. David Petraeus, want those surge troops to stay a bit longer there. But politically, Obama has more leeway than he’s ever had before. Just listen to what Mitt Romney said about Afghanistan in last week’s GOP debate. And listen to what Jon Huntsman said on “TODAY” this morning: “We can probably be a little more aggressive [on withdrawal] over the next year… What we need now is a healthy dose of nation-building at home.” One additional point: Tonight’s speech probably buys Obama a little more space on Libya. Why? Because, for another day or two, it puts THAT conflict on A4, and that's all the U.S. wants now is time as they continue to believe they are thisclose to forcing Khadaffy out.
*** But still a challenge for the president: Yet even though Obama can declare success regarding al Qaeda, and even though he has more GOP political cover on withdrawal, Afghanistan remains a challenge for him. As the Washington Post notes, “His prime-time address must remind a skeptical electorate and a concerned Congress that the country’s longest war remains worth fighting — and funding — for several more years.” The New York Times adds, “[B]ehind his words will be an acute awareness of what $1.3 trillion in spending on two wars in the past decade has meant at home: a ballooning budget deficit and a soaring national debt at a time when the economy is still struggling to get back on its feet.”
*** Huntsman’s sluggish start: The bad news for Jon Huntsman was that yesterday's presidential announcement didn't go smoothly (with audio issues, a misspelling mistake, and a flat speech). The good news: There's always another day, and Huntsman today stumps in South Carolina. His sluggish start was striking because the pre-rollout had been orchestrated so well, and it ran counter to the level of hype they were trying to give to the announcement. Yet the biggest shortcoming of Huntsman's speech yesterday was failing to address our question from yesterday: Who is Jon Huntsman? Yes, he wants to run an optimistic and civil campaign. Yes, he has an interesting biography (high school dropout, the band, the work overseas). And, yes, announcement addresses are rarely meaty speeches. But his announcement yesterday was full of generalities. In fact, the Washington Post fact-checker found that there were almost no facts to check in speech, because it was “content-free” and “fact-free.”
*** Huntsman on “TODAY”: Huntsman, however, was much stronger in his appearance on “TODAY” this morning. Regarding his low name ID, he told NBC’s Ann Curry that he’s still got months ahead to introduce himself to voters. “We have every opportunity to get out and talk about our issues.” On President Obama’s performance on the economy: “There is a lot of work to be done.” And on whether he’d raise taxes as president: “We didn’t raise taxes [in Utah]. We created the environment for business growth.” The one question Huntsman didn’t handle well was the fact that his family’s Huntsman Corporation now employs more people overseas than in the U.S. (“We now employ more people between China and India than we do in North America,” brother Peter Huntsman recently said.) Huntsman’s answer to this: If you look at any manufacturing company, it’s building more facilities overseas. But will that answer fly on the campaign trail?
*** Pawlenty goes on the air in Iowa: As we reported yesterday, Tim Pawlenty is going up with a new TV ad in Iowa -- the first Republican presidential candidate to do so. And now the ad has been released. In it, Pawlenty looks into the camera and takes a subtle dig at front-runner Mitt Romney, saying he passed health-care reform in Minnesota "the right way, no mandates, no takeover." At a $50,000 buy, the ad will air on FOX News in the Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Omaha, Ottumwa, Rochester, and Sioux City media markets from June 23 to July 3. Make no mistake: Pawlenty is all-in on the Aug. 13 Ames Straw Poll. His window is closing, and his team probably realizes he can’t afford another missed opportunity.
*** Some anti-CW on Iowa and New Hampshire: Speaking of Iowa… The Conventional Wisdom as we head into the early nominating contests is that Iowa will benefit the social conservatives, while New Hampshire will be where the moderates fare well. But here's a little anti-CW: It's possible that a moderate (say Romney) has a mathematical chance to win Iowa because either 1) the social conservative vote gets split, or 2) the moderate attracts new caucus-goers like Obama did in '08. As pollster Ann Selzer recently wrote, “Iowa is a problem for moderate Republicans only if they believe the 2012 caucus will fit the mold of 2008.” Similarly, in New Hampshire, it’s possible that Romney and Huntsman could all split up the moderate indie vote, leaving a social conservative (Bachmann? Perry?) to overperform in the state. Remember, the moderate BUSH won Iowa in 1980, and the conservative Buchanan won New Hampshire in 1996 (even when there was NO Dem primary competing for the indie vote).
*** Newt’s second line of credit at Tiffany’s: Unfortunately for Newt Gingrich, the stories keep getting worse, not better. Yesterday, we learned that his campaign lost two top finance staffers. And then came this: He “had a second line of credit at the high-end jewelry store Tiffany’s for as much as $1 million dollars,” the Washington Post’s Cillizza reported. “Joe DeSantis, a spokesman for Gingrich, said that the candidate’s personal financial disclosure filing, which is due within 30 days of his formal entrance into the presidential race, will ‘show that the Gingriches had a $500,000 to $1 million line of credit at Tiffany’s, that it has a zero balance, and it has been closed.’ DeSantis added that all debts to Tiffany’s had been paid in full. He offered no details about when the second line of credit was taken out, what it was used for or when it was closed.” How long will Gingrich allow this to go on?
*** On the 2012 trail: In Georgia this morning, Gingrich already delivered a speech on the economy and the Federal Reserve… And Huntsman, in Columbia, SC, visits a local business, holds a media avail, and meets with supporters.
Countdown to Iowa GOP straw poll: 52 days
Countdown to NV-2 special election: 83 days
Countdown to Election Day 2011: 139 days
Countdown to the Iowa caucuses: 229 days
* Note: When the IA caucuses take place depends on whether other states move up
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Obama is the world's largest tyrant he must be
eliminatedremoved, along with all the others who work for the government.The scary thing about Obama closing up shop in AfganniPakki is that he might have to focus on United States issues.
Now, if he decided to put all those troops on our Soputhern Border and reclaimed the land that the mexicans have won from us, I just might think about throwing a vote his way. Otherwise, mission not accomplished.
This is no surprise, Obama illegally declared war on Libya, now he wants to declare victory in a war that hasn’t been won and, in reality, hasn’t actually been fought; and we are no closer to winning this war than when we went in.
Sure, thousands of Americans, Taliban and Afghans have been killed, bin Laden is dead, but al Qaeda has already named a successor, Zawahiri, and the Taliban’s Mullah Omar is ever elusive. These people aren’t stupid, and now that Obama is loudly signaling his desire to withdraw troops -- not because the conflict is won nor is it a strategic withdrawal, but only to bolster his presidential campaign (doesn’t it seems a sin to term a popularity contest conducted in the open-air insane asylum that is America a “presidential campaign?”) -- they’re holding back offensives to lull the American’s into leaving so they can once again take over the country.
But the real cause of the conflict has never been addressed. In fact those that are brave enough to address the cause are chastised and degraded in America, in Europe they are imprisoned, they are ironically called Islamophobes (because they are among the few people left alive on the planet earth not afraid to speak honestly about Islam, i.e. the cause of the conflict) and Muslim haters (because they hope that Muslims disobey their God and live in peace) and what they have to say, even though their words merely reflect the words of the enemy; their God and their prophet, is pooh-poohed or declared hate-speech.
The real cause of the conflict, Islam, is, in reality, a criminal enterprise disguised as a religion. Take the word “religion” out of the picture and we see that its bylaws are those of the Mafia: leaving the organization is death; outing fellow Islamist mobsters (speaking honestly, not practicing taqiyya: taqiyya -- aka: holy lying -- is the Islamic code of silence, i.e. Omerta) is death, not paying protection money (zakat or jizyah) is death. Islam is a criminal organization wherein tactics of fear and intimidation, i.e. “terror” are used by Islamists to expand their influence and criminal empire only to enrich themselves and to please their brainwashed in version of God.
Then there are the death cult aspects of Islam, the poor unfortunate people who, as children, are thoroughly brainwashed by criminal Islamists and taught to desire death while killing as many non-Mohammadans as possible. (That sort of indoctrination and is tantamount to child abuse, yet the Obama administration is seeing to it that more and more exclusive brainwashing Islamic centers are being permanently established in communities across America).
Enforce the law. Arrest the criminal Islamists in our Western countries and free the slaves of Allah (or rather the slaves of his zakat collecting henchmen: the imams and clerics and whatever’s who run the brainwashing madrassas and demands their obedience).
BTW, I want to thank MSNBC for having this "older" (and sometimes "newer") linking nonsense located to float along at the side of the page and then expand over the comment field when it's not expected. I had quite a number of links set up, which clarified and added support to my above comments, but just as I was about to finish my last link the "older" field expanded into the comment frame just as I clicked. That sent me to a story I had no interest in and destroyed all my work. I have no time to repeat it, thanks again MSNBC for your stupid expanding links.
As is the case with all hatred, your's is based on ignorance.
First off, I clearly stated my desire that Muslims disobey their hate/murder/martrydom demanding God and live in peace. Only criminal Islamists; the brainwashers, the zakat collectors and cultural terrorists, need be arrested; why, because they are breaking our laws: Islam is a death cult/criminal organization disguised as a religion. Would you clarify how that makes me a hater? Secondly, you have not properly refuted anything I wrote, you have not, and cannot, provide any Islamic doctrine to prove me wrong in my statements about Islam and the fact that what I wrote is confirmed by the Koran, Mohammad and leading Islamic scholars of today. Tell me, again, about "hatred" and how it is based on "ignorance"; you seem to have a deep knowledge of it.
Success: ?
Hundreds of surrendered Afgan 'prisoners' suffocated to death in metal containers: http://www.wsws.org/articles/2001/dec2001/pows-d13.shtml
Wikileaks: hundreds of war crimes comitted by US forces: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/27/wikileaks_founder_says_afghan_war_logs
Severed human heads brandished in Afganistan, with US soldiers posing beside them: http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/04/25/us-war-crimes-afghanistan-severed-human-heads-brandished
Wikileaks: drones, unmanned aircraft that attack their victims from 50,000 feet, wreaking death and destruction on defenseless civilians without warning. http://www.tehrantimes.com/index_View.asp?code=223727
Journalist Jamie Doran beaten and tortured by the US army for video taping their rampage killing everyone in sight: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3879703582207034825#
........the list goes on.... and you call this success???????????????????????
Political,Political,Political in all phases just so Obama can get reelected.... What a shame we have to live with a president who sees and knows NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Richard,
See my post #45.
Edward
How is it that anyone could possibly declare a win here? After the thousands of our boys that have been maimed or died and the enormous debt that this country may possibly never recover from there is no conceivable way anybody could color this rosy. Worst of all, the enemy is still out there laughing at us.
I would like to see a PRESIDENT in office who will STAND and FIGHT for us here i n AMERICA!!!!!!!! Obama has done 000000000000 for us... Wake up America and see what has been done for you by Obama 00000000. I am neither Rep or Dem and am waiting for someone for ME!!!!!!!
David Walker, Do You really think the Government is the one to regulate these things, when in fact they are the ones that created the problems ? Don't get Me wrong, I agree with a lot of what You have said here. But, we have them regulating banking and wall street, when they are the ones that created the problems there. The American reinvestment act required banks to give loans that wouldn't be repaid. Those loans were rolled into investment vehicles on Wall Street, and guess what ? When everyone defaulted on these loans, everything crashed. So in rush's the government to save the day, when in actuality they created the problem. Just another way for them to rob everyone's money ! Government is not the answer, but they are the problem!
Gov. Has always been the problem!!! To much Gov will destroy us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama is a true Car salesman in every way... Just Listen to him and he will sell you 1 hell of a bay of goods that means NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
No disrespect to our military who have, as usual, conducted themselves with the utmost integrity and professionalism...
What did we win? Where is the prize? If this was a 'win', what would a loss have looked like?
I am no peacenik, tree-hugging. liberal-progressive by any means. I believe these wars, military actions, whatever were necessary, but to call them successes or wins is a bit much. There are no winners in war, only losers.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43488239
Again I reiterate I have no political party affiliation..but Wow this Republican went nuts on this ad here in Nevada...so honestly.how far off is this guy??..or how close to the truth ??
Affiliation???? Slam who you may but live by what you post. Lib true and true you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Obama has helped every other Country but ours you FOOL!!!!
Richard....chill..I just posed the question to get opinions..I honestly dont know if this guy was being overdramatic or really is closer to being correct..I do not care for any political party..thats the truth..Libs and Conservs can both bite my azz
MRHGI
All is good bud!!!
Obama' speech:
"Let me be clear, I am a jackass. Me me me I me I I me, let me be clear, blah blah blah. me me me, I have done this, I have done that, vote for me"
Throw the bum out!
Bum, Dumb-ass, Entitlement Freak, Socialist/Communist threat to the US is what he is!!!!!!
To put it quickly: It's hard to change the minds and hearts of those we invade. the Taliban are a very bad group that actively encouraged and allowed international terrorists train in their areas (to be used against us). They were actively undermining the welfare and rights of women and children and pursuing moving Afghanistan back in time a few hundred years socially. They were actively destroying all religions other than fundamentalist radical Islam, including all religious sites, iconography, texts, organizations, killing the leadership of those religions, etc. Generally speaking they are about as bad as humans get. So we decide to stop them post 9/11 and did succeed in routing them out (until we tied our general's hands, created additional rules of battle so as to not upset other countries, and they were welcomed into hiding by their neighboring countries). Once they realized that we weren't going to risk unpopularity over finishing the job they backed off and started attacking us as a way to gain recruits and money for later. Now we, according to the President, are negotiating with the Talliban our departure- so all they have to do is wait us out and they get the country back. We won't be able to win over their hearts, so they'll just wait us out and when they get the nation back they'll welcome the large aid package, that I'm sure we'll provide them, they'll build up bigger and better than before.
The "propper" way to run a war is to: 1. Avoid getting into one until staying out is more damaging than getting into it., 2. Once you decide to get in, dedicate enough personel and materials to outright devistate the enemy in as short a time as possible. Force them to surrender or kill them off., 3. Let the generals do their work, don't let politicians run a war., and 4. When you want to leave (and are victorious) negotiate your departure as based on being paid back for your efforts for their freedom, not giving it all away, walking away, and then providing them with "aid". We have to wake up and either do it right or don't do it at all.
BUT!!!!!! Obama needs help in his re-election so he wants to bring them home for the wrong reason........ Can, Will the people please see the true Obama now????????
Any conversation saying in private, if one would like to relieve the conversation, then one should ask the other if he/she would like to relieve the conversation with oneself, especially politics and office's concerns.
It is also the first and the fifth amendments. Or it is just plain gossip.
When you look at the first page of this post, you read intelligent posts with good questions regarding the direction of our country. But looks like the right wing extremists (no different in their values than the Taliban) have taken over. Ignorance and hatred continues.
You are another of the lost Libs of this country who are standing inline for their handouts from those who work for a living!!!!!
Your ignorance is amazing!
LIBERALS, ACCORDING TO RICHARD: "Their all bums, looking for a handout!"
At least your ignorance is amusing!
Urbom-3565330
All Libs do have their hand out for what they can get from the GOV......... You are so lost... You have no feelings for your neighbors at all!!!!
With Dems in POWER the last several years, I have but one ???? Has life been better or worse? To me it has been the worst years of my life. I have struggled more in last few years and have had a hard time making ends meet!!! Is the US GOV. going in the right direction, I think not and I think it is time for a TRUE change that looks out for you and me and puts most people back to work!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wake up Richard, most of us understand who was president when the economy was free-falling.
Urbom-3565330
Dems were in complete control dummy... Explain that if you can... Congress makes policy not the President or do you need some Civic/History class update????
Urbom-3565330
When you post here you should have some thought about what you post... Congress controls what is done not the President..... Are you in the 5th or 6th grade????
Boy I chose my posting moniker correctly. We still have those on here blaming the "the Bush/Cheney corporations. Sorry people but it goes much deeper than that, and Obama is just as much a part of it as the Bush's. The interesting thing about this group of articles is the glossing over of the Federal Reserve issue that Gingrich brought up in that last couple of days. No surprise to me, MSNBC and the fellow main stream media groups are all controlled by those in charge of the Federal Reserve. However Newt in my opinion is just jumping on a band wagon that those like Ron Paul have been driving for 30 plus years.
For those that don't go any deeper than what they see on the boob tube and read on liberal sites like this, the FED is NOT controlled by the government, nor is it even a part of the government but in fact a private group of bankers that snuck themselves into control of our currency in 1913,supposedly to stop monetary crashes and to stabilize our currency - then within ten years came the GREAT DEPRESSION, gee I wonder how that happened. We have had a series of recessions ever since, and this latest one WE the tax payers "bailed out" the very banks that caused the problem in the first place, nice scam.
Dr. Ron Paul is right the FED needs to be audited, they NEVER in the nearly 100 years they have controlled our money been audited? Once they are truly audited and investigated you will be surprised as to how many wars we have fought for them and their Uber-Capitalist buddys, not to mention how they have usurped the earnings of the middle class with the unconstitutional Federal Income Tax, setting up loopholes for the super rich and screwing the middle class.
It's time for REAL change:
Ron Paul for President
Congress makes the Decisions that control what happens to us... Are you lost in US Gov.??? Dems have been in charge for several years and have put us where we are today!!! Are you lost????? The President LEADS the way but CONGRESS makes the DEAL.... Another person who needs Civic/ American History class!!!
Some of your points are good but Congress is at FAULT
We lost that skurmish before it even got started
Let me ask all of you here.... If congress passed a law that put 3000.00 in you pocket you would all jump for joy even knowing that those who work for a living would have to pay for it???? We need a Gov. That looks out for all, not for just a select few.........We are a Country who lives by what they work for not what they can get from the Gov......................
Its funny that he is going to claim success and victory in Afghanistan just like he said he did the same thing in Iraq. For one, he had no real involvement with Iraq because it was pretty much over when he became president. Now, Afghanistan, he didnt kill Bin Laden a Seal took care of that why he was over 5,000 miles or more away sitting in a room in his PJ's. He has no military background and is not listening to his men that are or were the Commanding Officers over there. He has his second campaign to win. Well sorry bud, the only thing you really did was cut the tail off the snake not the head. There is someone already that has stepped up and taken Bin Laden's place. If you would pull your head out of your a$$ it works just like the presidency. The president gets shot or dies the VP step's up and takes power. Wow it's not something that only the US knows about. If he pulls out the troops to fast then that just gives Al Queda more time to regroup and build up again. But I forget people out in US think that he is so smart and is the best thing since sliced bread. Well I am headed back to Afghanistan in the fall to continue the fight to cut the head off the snake. Then I will come back and then go to Libya and fight that war that is about to breakout. Thank you Mr. Obama I hope your family sleeps safe and sound at night. While my brothers, sisters and myself are over there fighting to keep them out of this country.
It is all about Obama........ Me me me me is what he says all the time... We as a country should stand for what is RIGHT not what is right for 1 persons image....
How about giving Bill Clinton a little blame for having the housing industry to loan to those that couldn't afford it.
How about giving Bill Clinton a little blame for having the housing industry to loan to those that couldn't afford it.
RDG6
He is a Dem. and as we all know Dems do no wrong.LMFAO!!!!!
Well put, we all continue to be the victims of these children pretending to represent us in Congress.
I'm sure Obama will declare a victory in Afghanistan in his normal shallow, twisting words, way. What victory? Just like HE took credit for taking down Bin Laden. He's a joke. There is no victory in Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam, etc...Just take our troops our asap, that will be the only victory. Put them on OUR border, to protect our country.
It is not about us in the US it is about Obama and his GLORY. Protect our boarders???? Never!!!