Obama Inherited Afghanistan

The left-wingers are angry about Obama's actions vis-a-vis Afghanistan (in general they seem angry because only now did they discover he lacked supernatural powers to change everything instantly). I don't understand the resistance to Obama's way of waging wars that he inherited. Anybody who says that 'he owns them now' is being idiotic. Only if he sharply changes the mission of the wars, and in a way that is more destructive/aggressive, will he own the wars.

An example: Did Clinton 'own' or 'inherit' the Korean War? That war ain't over - the North Koreans would gladly swoop down and swallow South Korea at any moment. It's only the massed troops (and landmines) on the 38th parallel that keeps that from happening. But that's an inherited condition. If Clinton/Bush/Obama were to take the South Korean/US troops and attack North Korea then maybe I'd say that president 'owns' the war - but even then, not fully, because that was the aim of the war in the first place.

Obama doesn't own Iraq and Afghanistan - these are two botched wars, the first because of criminal-lies and the second because of criminal-negligence. He needs to find some way to salvage them - not just 'remove the troops' because, as a result of the botching, if we leave we'll have a power vacuum in the Mideast that will be quite dangerous for the world.

As far as I have learned destabilizing Iraq and Afghanistan in turn emboldened Iran and other terror sponsors. That's why the botch was so evil and criminal (and why Cheney should be incarcerated not lauded on TV shows) - because it created a worse mess than would have been around had we done nothing.

Bottom line: Obama is trying to repair damage that he inherited. Anyone says he 'owns' the wars (or the recession, off topic) will get a Twitter Tax.

Pic from this numb-dumb website.

Pres. Obama Address on Afghanistan

I didn't get to see it last night, but I just watched it on C-SPAN (here's a transcript).

It was a good and important speech. I'll say it again: I am so glad he's president. And that's in the positive direction, not just compared to Bush, McCain, and Palin. He's sober, intelligent, and clear in his thoughts and goals. He speaks to me (the American people) as if I were his intelligent partner in leadership, not some rube to be duped.

Pic from CBS News.

Tom Toles Wins the Internet, Again

Part of Toles metaphor, that's implied, is that Obama has not received any "honeymoon" by the GOP. The party is committed to destruction - of Obama, of the US, and as Toles puts so well, of themselves.

Update:

The GOP, and the "journalists" (which includes political cartoonists) who slavishly carry their water, are trying to maintain the culture of falsehood and aggression that was successful from 1994-2006. In some ways it still worked from 2006-2008, but since Rove as out of a job, and following Katrina, the press rebelled slightly. They resisted some of the gross falsehoods yet happily swallowing most. We saw this in the 2008 Election when the press largely gave McCain's clear falsehoods a pass and only choked a bit when they needed to swallow Sarah "W2" Palin.

So this is why the GOP has fought Obama from the git-go. Even when Obama gave them concessions - specifically large tax-cuts - the GOP voted unanimously against his bill. Let me repeat the crucial point: the Republicans unanimously voted against a tax cut. That's the level of intensity of their aggression.

Gary Varvel is one of the more craven of GOP cartoonist lackeys, as we see in the accompanying cartoon. He depicts Obama happily accepting only Democratic ideas while the GOP ideas are put in the trash. Har. Except, of course, that it's pure falsehood. Does Varvel know it's false? Does he *believe* the GOP's press releases and just ignores the facts, or does he know the truth and is willing to print slander in order to make sure his "team" wins?

Most of these Right Wing Cartoonists have the latter attitude; especially because they are often single issue voters: abortion. Glenn McCoy, a bad artist and worse thinker, is a good case in point (as the third cartoon attests). He likely hates the Democrats, and Obama, because of abortion and as a result needs to destroy everything his opponants do even if it's not related to abortion.

Whatever their reasons, the Vast Right Wing Idiocracy is desperate to extend their bullying of the truth because were the press to report accurately, and the American people to be better informed, then the GOP will be in deep trouble. But an aggressive, oppositional, defense is all the GOP has right now. And while Obama was referring to Islamic terrorists when he talked about those who destroy rather than build, it is also a good description of the GOP.

Thank God: Obama Orders Secret Prisons Closed

See the NYTimes: "Obama Orders Secret Prisons and Detention Camps Closed."

This really was the most important step of the new administration - more than ending the Iraq War, ending domestic spying, or even the financial meltdown. This action is the crucial step to restoring America.

And it's something that would *not* have happened under Palin-McCain.

Bye bye Bush era; you were truly horrible.

Now This is a Benediction

Rick Warren was terrible (something I didn't expect). Very christ-y and dumb from beginning to end.

But Reverend Lowery was golden!

The 44th President

Finally.

P.S. What was with the feshtunker musical interlude that prevented the oath from being uttered before high noon??!

Inauguration Imminent

I plan to watch the inauguration in the Brandeis student center with a hundred or so screaming fans. Not as good as freezing my tush off at the Capitol, but warmer and closer to my 1 pm class.

Here's a good AP story about some inauguration data.

Tomorrow is Finally Here

Even though I'm working hard on a number of projects, I feel it necessary to say (especially since I may not be able to blog tomorrow) that the Bush Era will finally be OVER! And, if that isn't enough, we're finally going to have what purports to be a decent, brilliant, ethical president. Finally, finally, finally.

One thing I've been doing over this long weekend is cleaning up the old blog posts from my archives (2003-2004) and I have been reading all of my apoplexy over the 2004 election. I was pretty angry back then and I knew in my bones about all the horror we were going to see in 4 years. And that will finally be over.

Let there be Truth and Reconciliation, let there be Justice. And thank God for a new president.

More Rahm!

A nice link: Rahm Emanuel Facts: The Complete Dossier

Emmanuel and Axelrod

Marc Ambinder is all over the Rahm Emmanuel selection (about a dozen posts today). But as I asked yesterday, what about David Axelrod, Obama's campaign chief of staff. Let's cut to Ambinder, already in progress:

Though David Axelrod isn't confirming it himself, friends say that Obama has asked him to be an assistant to the president and senior adviser. Assistant to the president is a very coveted post with quasi-institutional prerogatives; assistants can (if the Obama administration chooses to continue the practice) pop in on the president whenever they want, and they're given review privileges over everything that goes out in the president's name.

And, to round out the picture, here's the New Republic's description of him, and note the last line (bold mine) about Axelrod and Emmanuel's relationship:

Obama's chief of staff could be the Dick Cheney of his administration-the heavy with his hands in everything. Like Cheney, Rahmbo is respected, feared, and a formidable wonk. Emanuel might make an attractive chief of staff because of his reputation for fierce loyalty and his ability to corral the House Democrats. Those in Congress who don't owe their jobs to him are terrified of him. That pick, like so much of Obama's world, would bear Axelrod's fingerprints: Ax signed the ketubah at Emanuel's wedding.

Thanks to my brother for pointing out the story and we both agree that the comparison to Cheney is stupid (and mean): "Obama, like Hitler, was elected the head of his country."