Interesting New York Times article on the making of a reluctant war president.
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OJTBy lex, on August 29th, 2010
8 comments to OJT |
Targets of Opportunityblog advertising is good for you Credo"Sign on, young man, and sail with me. The stature of our homeland is no more than the measure of ourselves. Our job is to keep her free. Our will is to keep the torch of freedom burning for all. To this solemn purpose we call on the young, the brave, the strong, and the free. Heed my call, Come to the sea. Come Sail with me." -- John Paul Jones "Pardon him, Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature" --George Bernard Shaw, "Caesar and Cleopatra" "And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."--Friedrich Nietzsche "A kind Providence has placed in our breasts a hatred of the unjust and cruel, in order that we may preserve ourselves from cruelty and injustice. They who bear cruelty, are accomplices in it. The pretended gentleness which excludes that charitable rancour, produces an indifference which is half an approbation. They never will love where they ought to love, who do not hate where they ought to hate."--Edmund Burke “You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”--General Sir Charles Napier "Μολὼν λαβέ" -- Leonidas "Blogito Ergo Sum" -- Neptunus Lex Amazon AssociateFor the Effort!Winnar! Subscribe CategoriesPagesTagsacademy
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Today’s article published: August 28, 2010, has the caption:
The picture of the president shown in the article was taken on 29 OCT 09.
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=obama%2C+dover%2C+salute&form=QBIL&qs=n&sk=#
At the time, he was learning saluting. Still has a way to go in his learning curve. Glad the adults are still in charge.
He still has a long way to go. Alas, Gates is his teacher.Gates is good at intrigue and infighting. He’s not much good for anything else as he is proving quite well.
Using the 10 month old one time photo op when he showed up to salute returning Heroes is a damnable propaganda move on the part of the NY Times. I don’t think he cared squat about those troops or any others, only his own narcissistic image.
They fail to mention that the War President’s job would be a lot easier if the very same NY Times were not so busy giving away military secrets.
Of course, coming from the NY Times, the whole story, its premises, allegations and supposed facts are all suspect, at best, or more likely propaganda coordinated (or not) with our War President’s inner circle.
And, sadly, much of what our War President says cannot be believed, by friend or foe.
Our only hope is that our military leaders are able to steer him generally in the right direction until such time that a President who loves and leads THIS country is in the oval office again.
Meanwhile, our blood and treasure flow out with uncertain goals, incompetent leadership, and diminishing support from our newly antagonized former allies, and increased threats from our less fearful foes.
Not quite the hope and change we needed.
When I learned of this article early this morning, drawn to a snarky headline shared with me by a combat zone veteran cousin, I eagerly anticipated pie in Obama’s face. But, after reading the entire thing, I was struck by a completely different train of thought. Namely, the professionalism of our military leaders. For a community organizer who suddenly finds himself the most powerful man on earth, what a relief it must be to find himself surrounded by career military men schooled not only in warfare, but also equally schooled in history, the classics, science, etc. By having remained firmly grounded in the Constitutional concept of duly elected civilian control of our defense forces, our current military leadership is able to exert much influence in all spheres of influence involving our country. I like that.
P.BO would rather exhort reporters who have the temerity to ask him questions about Iraq while he is on vacation.
Because of course the leader of the free world should be allowed to “buy some shrimp” without talking about the soldiers who he is supposedly commander-in-chief of.
As if fighting any war, or any size has an “Easy” button to push….re tired the “Reset” to on avail.
So he’s frustrated and his aoplogist makes it the military leader’s fault that there wasn’t a simple answer.
Unfortunately, I think the Obamanation’s biggest concern on Afghanistan is how he can get out of that bothersome little conflict and redirect all that green to his favorite entitlement progam. All those votes to buy out there, and only a little bit more than two years to get it done. All Hail the Community Organizer-in-Chief.
Zipper
Of all the things this article said to me, many of which have been pointed out already (apologist tone, hey he’s doing the best he can, etc), this is what struck me the most…
“He came into office with a very sound strategic vision,” Mr. Reed said, “and what has happened in the intervening months is, as with every president, he is beginning to understand how difficult it is to translate a strategic vision into operational reality.”
We all have concerns where the nation is heading. What this statement says to me is that this Presidency is being defined by the actions of its President… it’s being defined by the actions of its Congress.