Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Obama. Show all posts

Friday, October 26, 2012

This is just sad ...

I'm still trying to figure out how we were not prepared for our embassy / consulate to get attacked in a country that collapsed in a civil war six months earlier.  We also know that a lot of insurgents in Iraq came from this area and were even cautious to putting our troops on the ground during the hunt for Momar.

I also love how no other media is covering this story and how Obama is skirting it. Yes, it's a State / CIA issue and Hilary won't have much of a political career after this, but the buck stops with the President.  Yeah, he made some comment about that during a debate recently, but those were words ... what's being done? Where are the heads of the terrorists to who did this? Where is the explanation from Patreaus and Panetta on why nothing was done?

From the reports, we had a SEAL team on stand by 2 hours away and gun ships near by ... unbelievable. And we had drones in the air filming all of it? And the two SEALs that were KIA survived for 6 hours before being killed by a mortar round?  Wow ... talk about SNAFU. Imagine what was going through those two heroes minds when they were saving everyone. I hate to think that our country abandoned them and didn't even send in a drone with some hell-fire missiles. This story just makes me furious ... why did we leave them to die after all they did to save everyone else? Why hasn't the government allowed the people they saved to speak? Reminds me a lot of Black Hawk Down but at least those troops had lil birds and help from Delta / Rangers.



Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Debate #1 ... some comments

For the record, I have pneumonia so I could be delirious due to medicine and a constant cold sweat.  So here are a couple of my takeaways.

  • I spent a good portion of the debate fairly confused ... not because I don't understand the issues but more because there was a lot of wandering through topics, poor pauses and inaccurate information. 
  • Obama is not a good speaker off teleprompter -- if I stuttered that much I'd get fired. Also, he's also not good at staying on message. As a professional who has media trained many people, he's doing a lot of things wrong. His bridge messaging, which is what connects one idea to another, is not going so well. In fact, if it were a real bridge, it would be on fire.
  • Both candidates need to work on  the drama effect of the pause. If you pause too long, you should take a shot -- the candidates, not the viewers.  
  • This just in ... Romney's plan is not a $5 trillion dollar tax cut.  I wish that was repeated a few more times.  I counted 17.
  • How old is Jim Leher?  He looked like an old puppet - basically one of the angry guys in the balcony from the Muppets.
  • Pretty sure I heard Obama say insurance companies are going to jerk me off. I think he meant jerk me around, but that's not what he said (and this occurred around 10 or so).
  • Are there applications for the board that determine's people's fate?  I vision a bunch of dudes in black capes sitting next to a hang man's noose. I bet it pays well ... if anyone knows how to get on that panel, gimme a hollar. 
  • For the record, I watched the healthcare debate. There was nothing bi-partisan about it.  
  • Neither candidate can pronounce "alternatively" and I think Wolf Blitzer just call Candy Crowley "snacks" 
  • Trickle down government -- everyone should try and work trickle down into some sort of conversation this weekend. 
  • What's the deal with community colleges? What if we pushed people to go to 4 year schools? How about we challenge kids to be the best?  
  • I just created a survey of pretend things in my house and they feel that there were too many surveys polled for this debate.
  • Only one Bin Laden mention ... I was disappointed. 
  • They need a scoreboard in the middle so people can watch the time. Neither candidate is good at watching time. I mean, there's a coin toss at the beginning so why can't there be a "speech" clock. 
  • 12 million jobs ... that seems like a lot.  Are we installing the draft? 
  • The vice presidential debate will be amazing! I can't wait ...
So the debate was interesting. Curious to see the next couple and of course, the Vice Presidential debate will be the greatest thing EVER!  

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

It's a Terrible Tuesday!

I will clearly play Tuesday's Gone in the car on the way home tonight. Not a horrible day, but I'm pretty sure that you couldn't cram any more admin or logistic work into the day. Conference call, expense report, book travel, finance review ... repeat over and over again. Good times! Lucky for me, I'm at a work event all day tomorrow.  

Some other fun things from the day:
  • Bought me some Wild Card and Divisional Series tickets for the Braves.  The good news, I'm not charged for them until the game is played. The bad news, this year's Braves team is either really good, or absolutely horrible. When they are bad, they are Shiloh High School bad.  In really more miserable news, just realized as I type this I bought tickets for a game where I'm flying back from Chicago. Sure hope its a night game. 
  • In some political news that most don't care about, Romney was recorded saying something stupid in a video that was release by Jimmy Carter's grandson. Personally, I thought the end for Romney was before the race event started but this pretty much seals the deal. And if any of you (and this means you Dad) thought Romney was going to win, you were delusional. And for you Obamaites (my sister and Captain Fry), don't get too happy - the lowest common denominator is going to win. Woo Hoo for voting for the best of the worst!!! Good thing I don't look to politicians for inspiration. 
  • Back to Jimmy Carter's grandson -- this kid clearly hit his head often as a kid / or adult. I've included the video below and this guy is all over the place. Based on my knowledge of FBI interrogation tactics, looking up to the left and to the right tends to mean you are lying. Watch this guy -- not sure he was telling the truth when he said his name.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Why, Obama, Why?

Go ahead and put this on the top of the "that's a really horrible ideas list" ... didn't the anointed one make some comment that we aren't the "world's policemen" a few weeks back? Well, screw that comment. Let's send some special forces to the middle of Africa!

Are Obama's advisers doing anything or are they just pulling answers out of a hat? Normally, I'm all for blowing shit up, but this is just a bad, bad, bad idea. If we are going to intervene somewhere, why aren't we paying attention to our neighbors to the South who are pretty much run by the drug cartels.

What a disaster ... 


Story on CNN


Saturday, October 8, 2011

Oh, how I love ... Joe Biden

Great quote, big guy. Keep 'em coming ... "Look, no matter what the circumstance, at the end of the day, the American people right now are in real trouble," Biden continued. "An even larger percentage have stagnant wages. And a significant majority of the American people believe that the country is not moving in the right direction. That is never a good place to be going into re-election, whether it's your fault or not your fault. It's almost sometimes irrelevant." I bet Obama loves hearing the truth from the coolest cat on the planet. I really need to meet him.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Even Scotland Yard is having a go with Obama

This is great ... while in the UK, Scotland Yard used the world Chalak (or chalaque depending on how you spell) as the code name for the POTUS. Here's the fun part -- it is Punjabi / Urdu and translates roughtly to wise ass / smart ass. That's great -- other security forces are mocking him but I'm sure it can't be as bad as what they call Merkel or Sarkozy. 

Story (link) or (link).

You Muppet!

Please, please, please ... stop bowing, toasting or screwing up any other foreign customs -- and he didn't even take a sip either. Just stay in DC, the East Coast, Ohio or other areas that will vote for you.

Monday, May 2, 2011

His best speech yet

From last night:



President Obama: Good evening. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world, the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women, and children.

It was nearly 10 years ago that a bright September day was darkened by the worst attack on the American people in our history. The images of 9/11 are seared into our national memory -- hijacked planes cutting through a cloudless September sky; the Twin Towers collapsing to the ground; black smoke billowing up from the Pentagon; the wreckage of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the actions of heroic citizens saved even more heartbreak and destruction.

And yet we know that the worst images are those that were unseen to the world. The empty seat at the dinner table. Children who were forced to grow up without their mother or their father. Parents who would never know the feeling of their child's embrace. Nearly 3,000 citizens taken from us, leaving a gaping hole in our hearts.

On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.

We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. We quickly learned that the 9/11 attacks were carried out by al Qaeda -- an organization headed by Osama bin Laden, which had openly declared war on the United States and was committed to killing innocents in our country and around the globe. And so we went to war against al Qaeda to protect our citizens, our friends, and our allies.

Over the last 10 years, thanks to the tireless and heroic work of our military and our counterterrorism professionals, we've made great strides in that effort. We've disrupted terrorist attacks and strengthened our homeland defense. In Afghanistan, we removed the Taliban government, which had given bin Laden and al Qaeda safe haven and support. And around the globe, we worked with our friends and allies to capture or kill scores of al Qaeda terrorists, including several who were a part of the 9/11 plot.

Yet Osama bin Laden avoided capture and escaped across the Afghan border into Pakistan. Meanwhile, al Qaeda continued to operate from along that border and operate through its affiliates across the world. And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network.

Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice.

Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.

For over two decades, bin Laden has been al Qaeda's leader and symbol, and has continued to plot attacks against our country and our friends and allies. The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda.

Yet his death does not mark the end of our effort. There's no doubt that al Qaeda will continue to pursue attacks against us. We must --- and we will -- remain vigilant at home and abroad.

As we do, we must also reaffirm that the United States is not --- and never will be --- at war with Islam. I've made clear, just as President Bush did shortly after 9/11, that our war is not against Islam. Bin Laden was not a Muslim leader; he was a mass murderer of Muslims. Indeed, al Qaeda has slaughtered scores of Muslims in many countries, including our own. So his demise should be welcomed by all who believe in peace and human dignity.

Over the years, I've repeatedly made clear that we would take action within Pakistan if we knew where bin Laden was. That is what we've done. But it's important to note that our counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan helped lead us to bin Laden and the compound where he was hiding. Indeed, bin Laden had declared war against Pakistan as well, and ordered attacks against the Pakistani people.

Tonight, I called President Zardari, and my team has also spoken with their Pakistani counterparts. They agree that this is a good and historic day for both of our nations. And going forward, it is essential that Pakistan continue to join us in the fight against al Qaeda and its affiliates.

The American people did not choose this fight. It came to our shores, and started with the senseless slaughter of our citizens. After nearly 10 years of service, struggle, and sacrifice, we know well the costs of war. These efforts weigh on me every time I, as commander in chief, have to sign a letter to a family that has lost a loved one, or look into the eyes of a service member who's been gravely wounded.

So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when our people have been killed. We will be relentless in defense of our citizens and our friends and allies. We will be true to the values that make us who we are. And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda's terror: Justice has been done.

Tonight, we give thanks to the countless intelligence and counterterrorism professionals who've worked tirelessly to achieve this outcome. The American people do not see their work, nor know their names. But tonight, they feel the satisfaction of their work and the result of their pursuit of justice.

We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation, for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism, and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. And they are part of a generation that has borne the heaviest share of the burden since that September day.

Finally, let me say to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 that we have never forgotten your loss, nor wavered in our commitment to see that we do whatever it takes to prevent another attack on our shores.
And tonight, let us think back to the sense of unity that prevailed on 9/11. I know that it has, at times, frayed. Yet today's achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people.

The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it's the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.

Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you. May God bless you. And may God bless the United States of America.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Embarrassing

Normally, I would think a government shutdown would be awesome b/c that would mean we wouldn't have to hear from all the ass bags in Washington.  Unfortunately, this is not really the case and it looks like the shutdown will occur. Why, because our politicians would rather play politics than sign a budget bill. I know conservatives and liberals alike will say that's not the case and the "planned parenthood" and "PBS" portions are really important.  Personally, I'd worry more about not paying the 1st Marines, 101st Airborne or the 94th Fighter Squadron because I have a theory in life (as do most dictators and Ghaddafi), pay your military -- they will keep you alive.

The really nifty part, if the government is shutdown, many people be out of work and soldiers / military will not get paid EXCEPT the president, cabinet and members of congress -- they will all continue to get paid. So let me get this straight, the people who got us into this mess, will continue to get paid while others will go with out pay because of squabbles over Planned Parenthood and PBS? Yeah, just spend the money. Our government wastes so much money anyways what does it really matter. 

You can't not talk about this issue and bring up our anointed leader. His leadership is about as sound as the Red Sox starting rotation and bullpen (0-6 to date). Last night he spent, wait for it ... wait for it ... 55 minutes meeting with everyone to get a deal signed. 55 whole minutes. That's pretty much an episode of Mad Men, Jersey Shore or the West Wing. He might have been better served watching an episode of West Wing for some tips on what to do next. I'm pretty sure Pauly D might have some advice on what to do. That's what we need ... Pauly D for president ... denim, denim, denim ....

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Teddy Roosevelt just requested his remains be moved to Canada

Caution -- anti-Obama administration rant about to occur ... In case you are living in a cave, which means you are either a member of Al Queda or stuck in cro-magnon-man times, things are changing drastically around the world, especially in my two favorite areas, Africa and the Mid-East.

Call me a pessimist, but I'm not as overly excited as our current administration about the "change" and democracy in the region. I'm happy to see that this could mean the end of radical Islam (or then again the exact opposite)- which by the way was predicted by both Powell and Bush but no one wants to point that out - and Al Queda, but I am more concerned about how the current admin has reverted back to Carter-ism almost over night. And if you think that worked well, Google Desert One.

Why, oh why, is the Obama administration weighing in on what's going on in the Mid-East on a daily basis. Obama is not Anderson Cooper and should not feel the need to share thoughts about the situation in the mid east. "Our" government's comments had a major influence in the demise of Mubarak in Egypt which might not be the smartest thing in the world b/c ole Hosni knows where the bodies are buried. Pretty sure we don't want him running his mouth off about all the things we've done in the "interest of democracy" in the mid-east. And now, we are weighing in on Libya, Bahrain, Syria and Iran.

First off, I want to say that I agree that democracy is super and that shooting protesters is wrong, but I do have a problem with an administration constantly weighing in on the side of protesters because they are protesting. Does the brain trust in Washington realize they are creating verbal precedence and doctrine when they comment on such issues? What will we do when they Iranians send out death squads to kill protesters in Tehran; because that is a plausible option. Or better yet, when Syria uses chemical weapons on its own people? Do we risk supporting the victims and as well as alienate and damage our relations with Israel even further?

All questions that no one has the answer ... and rightfully so ... these are tough questions. But wouldn't it have been easier to say nothing or just a simple "we think this is unfortunate" statement? Probably would have given us some time to determine the path forward and saved us all the future headaches.

I saw a T-Shirt the other day that had George Bush on it and in big letters underneath it said, "Miss me yet?" I'm not so sure its only him that I miss him specifically ... hell, I'd take Carter over the current goat rodeo ruining our foreign policy.