May 22, 2012
FSM HOT TOPICS
Exclusive: Thursday, July 24
by PRESIDENTIAL WATCH July 24, 2008
"Dear Barack Obama" by Yossi Klein Halevi -
A letter from an anxious Israeli to the presidential candidate on the eve of his visit to Jerusalem. Click here to read letter.
Obama's Ad Lib Response to Surge - GO HERE.
Don’t miss Katie Couric’s interviews with Obama, then McCain on CBS News - CLICK HERE.
Obama's Overseas Education
Ralph Peters, NY Post.com
From the late 18th through the 19th century, young men of means went on a "grand tour" abroad to finish their educations. Some returned with fond memories, others with artifacts pried from temple walls.
Sen. Barack Obama's grand tour offers fewer opportunities for mischief and misfortune, but we all must hope that he learned from his travels and wasn't just checking the blocks.
Set aside your political preferences (I'll be voting for Sen. John McCain): Whoever wins, all sensible Americans want our next president to perform well. So let's consider the pros and cons of Obama's wheels-down-wheels-up visits to Afghanistan, Iraq and Europe.
First positive: He went. Foreign policy never interested Obama until it offered a political opportunity with Iraq, nor has he ever shown much interest in our military. But magic can happen when you touch down on foreign soil and rub shoulders, however briefly, with our troops. Read article.
Obama’s Head in the Sand
Pete Hegseth, NRO.com
On Monday, Senator Obama finally had his wingtips on the ground in Iraq, to at last meet with U.S. brass and Iraqi leaders and get his dose of reality. He met with commanders on the ground who told him — as they recently told Fox News Sunday and the New York Times — that the timeline for withdrawal that Obama supports would be disastrous, both for the prospects of success in Iraq, and for strategic stability in the region.
Obama heard from Iraqi leaders, Maliki included, who told him the same thing — and who brandished their newfound reconciliation dramatically on Saturday, when the largest Sunni block rejoined the Iraqi parliament and cabinet.
And Obama heard from Iraqi and U.S. troops and from the citizens of Iraq who have all witnessed al-Qaeda’s attempts — both through their extremist rhetoric and maniacal deeds — to make Iraq the central front in their war against the West.
Despite these facts — however the mainstream media chooses to spin them — the operative question is: Will any of this matter to Obama? Read article.
President-Elect Obama
Editors, NRO.com
When Barack Obama arrives in Europe this week, the senator will be greeted as a president-elect. His election in November is regarded as a mere formality — and in Europe it would be one. Obama’s margin of victory over John McCain in opinion polls is 51 percent in France, 49 percent in Germany, and 30 percent in Britain. What some skeptical European governments call “Obamania” is sweeping the continent.
George W. Bush presents Obama with an even more tangled problem. Europeans regard Bush, his America, and his foreign policy as little short of diabolical. They see Obama as the Fifth Cavalry riding in to save them from such dangerous folly. But while they were demonstrating against “Bushitler,” his foreign policy changed sharply on a range of issues — North Korea, Iran, European defense — in a “European” direction. Since the primaries ended and the Iraq surge succeeded, moreover, Obama has hedged his position on Iraq withdrawal (among other things). And Sen. McCain was already closer than President Bush to the European allies on most foreign-policy issues, including climate change.
So, as European governments (but not European peoples) see it, Obama differs only modestly with both McCain and Bush on the foreign-policy matters about which they care most. What distinguishes him is his lack of experience. Read article.
Obama Campaign issues Dress Code for Female Reporters
Rick Moran, American Thinker.com
It appears that Team Obama didn't want to offend any Muslim sensibilities on his trip to the Middle East. The campaign issued a dress code for female reporters last week that showed just how patronizing and condescending these arrogant jamokes can be.
Reporters traveling overseas with Sen. Barack Obama were thrown a bit of curve last week when the campaign emailed a "dress code" for Israel and Jordan. Aides had passed along as a courtesy the list that they had distributed to their staff to follow. But some of the tips raised a few eyebrows, particularly among the female reporters.
"Do not wear green." (Explained later as the color of Hamas)
"Do not wear nail polish."
"Women should only wear a limited amount of jewelry."
"Shoulders and arms must be fully covered (no strapless tops, no tank tops, no short sleeve shirts.)"
"Closed-toe shoes, women should also wear stockings."
At historical and religious sites, a suit or slacks should be worn, shoulders and arms must be covered ("no strapless tops, no tanks tops no short sleeve shirts"), shoes might need to be removed, and women may be asked to cover their heads and "should be prepared with a scarf/pashmina," the email stated.
Perhaps the Obama campaign would like to dictate what color panties female reporters should show up for work in. Read article.
Obama Meets a Grateful Planet
James Lewis, American Thinker.com
Just as Obama has no executive experience, nor any experience that qualifies him to be Commander in Chief, he doesn't even have a legislative record in Illinois, much less the US Senate.
And the media have made up their minds to fall on their knees for this guy. They're not going to ask any tough questions at all. It's just part of their normal service to the American voter.
Maybe that's what so mind-boggling about this candidate? Obama has an overwheening sense of pride and limitless self-confidence. He not only uses the messiah message to sucker millions of liberals -- that's just part of the Al Gore and John Kerry playbook -- but he is fully convinced of it himself. Obama seems to believe with a faith beyond mere human understanding that he has come to Save the Planet. You think Algore the Prophet is a fraud? Wait till you see this guy.
That's weird and scary. Obama doesn't seem to have an adult evaluation of himself --- or of the formidable challenges that will face the next president. He sounds like he's on an adolescent ego trip, or worse, that he has an endemic personality defect.
Overweening pride will not solve Iranian nukes, the rising storm clouds of war in the Middle East, America's self-inflicted energy dependency, the Global Warming fraud, a Democrat Party that is both enraged and fantasy-driven, race problems that are constantly kept on the boil by the Jesse Jacksons of the world, the economy, and a slickster candidate who demonstrates no permanent principles at all, but who has the most hard-core Leftist history of any presidential candidate in American history. Read article.
The Democrats' Baghdad Two-Step
Peter Hoekstra, Washington Post.com
Why are the Democrats in denial about recent gains in Iraq? Unfortunately, it appears that they realize that progress is being made and want to change the subject to some other policy they can use to attack the president.
Indeed, they are so opposed to acknowledging America's hard-won achievements that in a May 28 interview Pelosi credited "the goodwill of the Iranians" for "some of the success of the surge. . . . They decided in Basra when the fighting would end." As Sen. Joe Lieberman noted in a speech last year, "Even as evidence has mounted that General Petraeus's new counterinsurgency strategy is succeeding, Democrats have remained emotionally invested in a narrative of defeat and retreat in Iraq."
After insisting for months that the troop surge was doomed to fail, Obama now credits it with some security improvements while simultaneously claiming in a speech last week that the surge did not meet all of its benchmarks and was too expensive. Setting aside Obama's verbal acrobatics on Iraq, his campaign was caught last week trying to purge his earlier harsh criticism of the surge from its Web site.
This is no time for our elected leaders to play games about the successes and challenges in Iraq. Read article.
Obama campaign hires Muslim liaison
Ben Smith, Politico.com
Obama's campaign has created a Muslim liaison, according to two sources familiar with the move.
The sources said the job was likely to be filled by Haim Nawas, a Jordanian-American who filled a similar role for the campaign of General Wesley Clark in 2004.
The job is complicated by the fact that Obama has been forced repeatedly to deny that he is Muslim, a situation that grates on some Muslim-Americans.
Nawas wrote in 2005 that the Bush Administration should take a more nuanced approach to public diplomacy directed at Muslim women.
"We need to recognise that the social structure in the Muslim world is very different from America's," she wrote. "American women need to understand that what is best for them is not necessarily what is best for Muslim women. Advocacy of women’s rights in the Muslim world must show sensitivity to local political realities." Read article.
Leaving Iraq: Debate Shifts to When
Michael Scherer, TIME.com
Republican political strategists have long said privately what Republican candidates for President only hinted at publicly. No one can win the White House in 2008 by campaigning to continue an unending war in Iraq.
At the time, the major Republican candidates for President, save John McCain, had already begun to dull the edges on their support for President Bush's war policy. When asked about the war, Mike Huckabee would talk about the strain on the Arkansas National Guard. Mitt Romney would say he wanted the troops home "as soon as possible." Rudy Giuliani speculated openly that the so-called "surge" might fail, saying "we have to be ready for that."
McCain, by contrast, stood firm, and alone. When asked about the war, he tried to turn the obvious political liability into a personal strength, a statement of character more than policy. "I would rather lose an election than lose a war," went his catch phrase. Read article.
Back to Afghanistan
Eric Egland, NRO.com
Barack Obama’s weekend trip to Afghanistan illustrates how both presidential candidates are shifting focus now that Operation Iraqi Freedom looks like it will succeed.
Indeed, Operation Enduring Freedom — the war in Afghanistan — needs extra attention. On the positive side, our troops have prevented another attack on our homeland for six years by punishing al-Qaeda and Taliban forces and keeping their top leadership on the run.
However, recent attack statistics reveal a deteriorating security situation. While more attacks generally occur in spring after harsh Afghan winters, the latest trend is more pronounced and appears more sustainable, as Islamic extremists shift their emphasis from Iraq. Both General Petraeus and Afghan president Hamid Karzai have conveyed severally that al-Qaeda seems to understands that it will not succeed in Iraq, and has been redirecting operatives and resources to Afghanistan.
Both presidential hopefuls have made statements expressing the need to win in Afghanistan — a positive sign, as far as speeches go. Each has expressed his support for additional troops to contend with Afghanistan’s porous borders, challenging terrain, and dispersed population. There is little doubt that McCain has the will to back up his rhetoric; but Obama’s dedication to the task remains in doubt, especially if things were to get tough and public support were to wane, as it did in Iraq in 2006. Today, Obama speaks as if a surge in Afghanistan were his own idea. Read article.
Joe Lieberman: The Democrats' Worst Enemy
Jennifer Rubin, Human Events.com
Joe Lieberman is enemy number one in the Democratic Party, at least among the netroot base which now appears to pull the strings. The netroots rounded up more than 45,000 signatures on a petition to strip him of his position as chair of Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committees. As Robert Novak reported, Harry Reid is mulling over whether to kick Lieberman out of the Democratic caucus entirely if he speaks at the Republican convention on John McCain’s behalf.
By championing the surge, advocating for a robust national security, warning of the dangers of Iran’s state sponsorship of terror and nuclear development and lecturing his party on their errant ways, Lieberman has made himself into a major thorn in the Democrats’ side. When he invokes Democratic presidents of the past like FDR, Truman and Kennedy, his Democratic colleagues squirm. He hopes to reform his party and lead them back from the precipice of McGovernism and international retreat, but they aren’t much interested in that. They’re all in thrall to the MoveOn.org types.
In fact, Daily Kos reported that at the annual gathering of the Democratic Leadership Council, the formerly mainstream Democratic group, the assembled Democrats cheered and applauded when Lieberman was referred to with a schoolyard expletive. It seems there is no longer room in the Democratic caucus for a Scoop Jackson Democrat, even one who espouses many liberal positions on domestic issues. Read article.
McCain predicts attacks
Sydney Morning Herald.com.au
Republican White House hopeful Senator John McCain predicted a surge of militant attacks in Iraq around the time of the US election in November.
"I predict that they will make an attempt as we get in to the election season to make more of these spectacular kinds of attacks which they're still capable of doing," Mr McCain said.
"The suicide bombers, etcetera, would not surprise me and we've already found out that they're going to try and step up their attacks and try and do things in a more spectacular fashion so that they can erode the support of the [Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-] Maliki Government."
Meanwhile a key McCain supporter has enraged Muslims by saying that they wanted to kill Americans.
"The Muslims have said either we kneel or they're going to kill us," former Vietnam prisoner of war Bud Day said at an event organised by the Republican Party of Florida. "I don't intend to kneel and I don't advocate to anybody that we kneel, and John doesn't advocate to anybody that we kneel," Mr Day said.
Mr Day was a prisoner of war at the same time as Mr McCain, and a member in 2004 of the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth group that sought to discredit then-Democratic White House hopeful John Kerry's statements about his own war service in Vietnam.
Obama, McCain Set for First Joint Election Appearance at California Megachurch
Fox News.com
Barack Obama and John McCain have agreed to their first joint general election appearance, meeting at Saddleback Church on Aug. 16 for a two-hour forum that is being billed as a “non-debate,” according to the church.
Founding pastor and moderator Rick Warren will exclusively pose questions during the Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion to the presumptive presidential nominees. Warren will speak with each candidate for one hour, reads a press release on the event.
Promising to avoid “‘gotcha’ questions that typically produce heat instead of light,” Warren said he would focus on how the candidates’ make their leadership decisions rather than having them staking out their political positions, the release states. Read article.
Family Security Matters does not endorse any candidate for any public office. Our Contributing Editors’ opinions are their own, and do not reflect those of FSM.
Archives Pre-May 8, 2008: Please click here
Join FSM and stay informed. Get your daily Security Update delivered each day to your e-mail.
The #twittergulag saga continues: @gopfirecracker suspended, others still trapped
May 21, 2012 11:54 PM
#freegopfirecracker #freegopfirecracker #freegopfirecracker #freegopfirecracker— Dale Holt (@DaleHolt8) May 22, 2012 Come on conservatives! Everyone rallied around @ChrisLoesch when he was suspended! Now its @gopfirecracker so stand up! #freegopfirecracker— Schmoop (@RGSchmoop) May 22, 2012 Hey @twitter and @support – #FreeGOPfirecracker's account has been suspended. Please fix this mishap. Thank you.— Gabriella Hoffman (@Gabby_Hoffman) May 22, 2012 [...]
Cory Booker tweets #IStandWithObama; Hashtag hijackers flood the zone
May 21, 2012 11:39 PM
Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker, the Democrat who defended Bain from the Obama campaign's attacks yesterday morning, has been backpedaling more furiously than a clown on a high wire. Tonight, in an effort to mollify his critics on the Left, he posted four tweets that included the hashtag #IStandWithObama. Conservatives immediately took over the #IStandWithObama hashtag to mock President Obama, and within an hour it became a trending topic.
Cory Booker tries to clear up his position on Bain attacks
May 21, 2012 10:25 PM
Cory Booker continued his quest to run screaming away from the apparently too candid comments he made on Meet the Press on Sunday. Despite attempts earlier today to #FreeCoryBooker from those trying to force him to apologize Booker went on the Rachel Maddow show to do everything he could to walk back what he said. Que the mockery.
Obama's 'When you're president' picture spawns hashtag
May 21, 2012 09:59 PM
"When you're president, as opposed to the head of a private equity firm, then your job is not simply to maximize profits. Your job is to figure out how everybody in the country has a fair shot." -Barack Obama
Cue #WhenYouArePresident
Obama takes anti-Romney rant to Twitter
May 21, 2012 09:49 PM
It started off this morning with a video of a woman named Valerie from Indiana posted by Barack Obama’s official Twitter account. 12 hours, 12 tweets and a failed hashtag later, Obama’s reelection team took the day to tweet ongoing misinformation about Mitt Romney’s record in the private sector, specifically Bain Capital’s work with the [...]
FSM Archives
blog comments powered by Disqus