It’s too soon to tell whether the strategy Gen. Stanley McChrystal laid out will lead to the defeat of the Taliban. But we already know that his plans have been thwarted by an even more tenacious foe: Burger King. One of McChrystal’s symbolic actions — banning fast-food establishments from U.S. bases — has now been reversed by his successor. Gen Petraeus is quoted as saying: ”These quality-of-life programs remain important to soldiers for stress relief and therefore enhancing military readiness.” It is a decision that, I am sure, will be widely welcomed, by troops who look to break up the monotony of the DFAC (dining facility).
The downside is that supplying all those establishments can strain supply lines, which, as we are seeing in Pakistan, are a major vulnerability for U.S. forces. That’s something I noted back in 2006 in a column from Iraq, headlined: “Our enemies aren’t drinking lattes.” However, the real issue isn’t Green Beans or Burger King. It’s the creation in the middle of a war zone of giant forward-operating bases with tens of thousands of residents (many of them civilian contractors) who must be kept fed and supplied and whose contributions to the war effort may be marginal. The presence of a few fast food joints doesn’t have much of an impact on logistics requirements, one way or the other.
Gen. Petraeus may be allowing the fast-food joints to reopen but he is also keenly aware that the war won’t be won by locking troops away on mega-FOBs with all their amenities; he is continuing his predecessor’s policy of pushing more units to live in small outposts in Spartan conditions, where hot showers are in short supply, much less Whoppers. Thus, on what really counts, there is considerable continuity between McChrystal and Petraeus.
Try to consider objectively the following reason for being concerned about Obama’s political past, and with whom he has associated. When a president takes office, he is responsible for as many as 6,000 appointments to his administration. It is reasonable to assume that many, if not most of those appointments will be offered to the people who he knows, has worked with in the past, and have contributed to his campaigns.
We are not electing two people to office. We are electing an administration. Trying to set emotions aside, can we begin to see why people could be concerned about Obama’s associations with Bill Ayers, ACORN, Chicago politics, etc? Who will become Obama’s equivalent of FDR’s “brain trust”?
I see in Obama’s past strong indications that he will appoint socialists in disproportionate numbers to his administration. You can call inquiries into Obama’s past anything you want. I think they are mandatory due diligence.
McCain regularly bets $100,000 in a single evening playing craps at high-roller VIP tables in Vegas. There are videos of McCain blowing his stack if the dice don’t go his way. The security videos are held by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, call the Board and demand they release the videos: (775) 684-7750.
Republican Pat Buchanan refers to McCain as “bipolar,” but that is an insult to those who suffer from bipolar disorder. McCain is just a gambling junkie, and he’ll gamble away your job, your health insurance, your mortgage––he’ll gamble us into another war.
Just say no to erratic gambler McCain.
“What might you be endorsing if you elect Barack Obama?”
Have you ever seen the 1976 movie, The Omen? Barack Obama is the secular version of Damien Thorn.
He desires to do enormous damage to this country. Obama offers salvation to self-hating white people.
He tacitly tells them to vote for him—and he will forgive them for their racist past. Please note that I am not describing Obama as something of an anti-Christ found in religious mythology. No, he is instead a secular anti-Christ. Be afraid, be very afraid.
“McCain regularly bets $100,000 in a single evening playing craps at high-roller VIP tables in Vegas. There are videos of McCain blowing his stack if the dice don’t go his way. The security videos are held by the Nevada Gaming Control Board, call the Board and demand they release the videos: (775) 684-7750.”
Take a good look at the above disgusting slander. These are the type of people supporting Barack Obama. they should readily remind you of the lying ideologues who pledged their loyalty to Hitler or Stalin. They are truly dangerous individuals. The secular anti-Christ Barck Obama told them to get into our faces. Soon they will try to put us in jail and take away our constitutional liberties. Wake up. We live in very dangerous times. The United States may about to be destroyed.
You people are still obsessing about Obama’s cultivation of the wacky son of the Pres. of Commonwealth Edison, while George W. Bush has in two weeks done more for socialism than anyone since Mao Tse-tung. In the name of the bondholders, to be sure, rather than the proles, but wasn’t the prole bit was a dodge all along?
What little remained of the Republic is disappearing, and you’re worried about a campaign coffee in Hyde Park? Get real. Get real.
I just found out that Michael Barone essentially agrees with me:
http://townhall.com/columnists/MichaelBarone/2008/10/11/the_coming_obama_thugocracy
The irony is that Barone also cited Obama’s command to get into the faces of his enemies. Alas, he has admittedly not described the “Messiah” as a secular anti-Christ.
Grumpy Old Man No. 7 – I said nothing about George Bush. Why do you bring him up? This campaign is between McCain and Obama. Can you give me any indication that Obama will not appoint socialists to his administration?
I am sick and freaking tired of all this crap. I hate that the media and the Democratic party are in collusion to win this election at all cost! I am really, really questioning why McCain chose Sarah Palin, because he is not in the least trying to win this thing. Running a “respectful campaign”, but is getting assailed for lunatics at his rally that maybe Obama campaign plants? This is crazy! Is McCain working for the Democrats? Did he choose Palin only to ensure she could never rise to prominence nationally with this inevitable defeat? Yes I am very cynical now because this campaign is vicious, upside down, and sinister! Look at what ACORN is doing! My goodness!
Speaking of guilt by association, Obama has associated McCain to Bush at every opportunity.
Both are from the same party, of course, but beyond the superficiality there are vast differences in position. Let us not forget the Keating 5 association, and the anti communist organization that McCain was allegedly associated with in the 1980s’s.
The fact is, McCain’s history is a open book whereas Obama obfuscates his background whenever asked about it.
Steven, I couldn’t agree with you more. As Americans we place a great deal of trust in the media to report the facts. But, there is even conflicts in reporting within their own agencies.
CNN ran a special investigative report by Drew Giffin about the long alliance between Ayers and Obama. I commend readers to go to YouTube and search under CNN, Obama, Ayers, Giffin and view the video. Most revealing for CNN.
But here is Dana Bash, CNN campaign reporter, commenting yesterday that “CNN and other (unnamed) news outlets have concluded that there was no relationship”. Today, Bash reports that Gov. Palin was found guilty in firing Montegan (sp).
“It is by now axiomatic on the Left that McCain is stoking racial and religious intolerance in a last ditch effort to save a spiraling campaign. The evidence for this? Two individuals who said hateful things in the audience of two campaign events.” — Abe Greenwald
Try reading your own comments thread sometime, Abe. Or watch the YouTube videos of the commentary coming from the queues at McCain_Palin events. Or simply listen to Palin’s rhetoric. Of course you don’t recognize the hate speech, you traffic in it, you wallow in it. But America rejects your extremism.
The beauty of your strategy is twofold: Not only does it ensure the destruction of the GOP and the death of the conservative movement, but you go out confirming the longheld argument of the left: That your core is rotten and your ideology rooted in hate.
I just think that its a danger to our democracy that the so-called “mainstream media” is an active participant in the promotion of a politcal party. How is this any different from authoritarian regimes controlling the media and using the media to promote their agenda? Like in Russia! The hallmark of our democracy is having a media that is not beholden to any political party running government. I don’t feel confident that if Obama is president that we will get straight reporting, because their interest will then be to cover for anything Obama does and to put a twist on everything he promotes. This is why I am steamed with McCain and I am aghast that he would say there is nothing to fear in an Obama presidency. IS HE WORKING FOR THE DEMOCRATS! WHY DID HE CHOOSE PALIN! I am so frustrated…
David Thomson said “Take a good look at the above disgusting slander.”
However, before that he said:
“Have you ever seen the 1976 movie, The Omen? Barack Obama is the secular version of Damien Thorn.
He desires to do enormous damage to this country. Obama offers salvation to self-hating white people.
He tacitly tells them to vote for him—and he will forgive them for their racist past. Please note that I am not describing Obama as something of an anti-Christ found in religious mythology. No, he is instead a secular anti-Christ. Be afraid, be very afraid.”
David, the cognitive dissonance that you have shown here is amazing. You slander on the one hand (give proof for one of those statements!) and you decry slander the next. HOW HILARIOUS!
“Try reading your own comments thread sometime, Abe.”
Could you please provide examples on the comment thread that you deem to be racist and religiously intolerant? Heck, could you even point to one example?
Abe… you are pandering to really stupid ideas… well you’re embracing them in order to cling on to some shred of hope that McCain might win.
One wonders indeed how Obama could have been made a senator given the views that republicans support… Lets see, what is a brief list. Obama:
1) Hates America… to pin or not to pin…
2) Pals around with Terrorists… actually he pretty much is one. Bush pals around with the saudi regime, such lovely people. That never mattered.
3) Is corrupt. Keating anyone? Guilt by association.
4) Hates Jews. Of course the GOP love jews (well Palin’s minister aside of course)… unless you’d like to elect one POTUS.
5) Is a closet Muslim… and would like to foist Islam on us all.
6) Is the antichrist.
7) Is a socialist, a marxist too.
8) But actually a dergulator of markets as well.
9) Wants to teach kids how to screw before how to spell.
Indeed… one wonders why anyone would vote for such a guy. I mean ‘who is Obama’…
NYTime Caucus Blog: Pitbull turns to Puppy
October 11, 2008, 1:13 pm
Palin Tempers Attacks on Obama
By Michael M. Grynbaum
JOHNSTOWN, Pa — Despite an enthusiastic reception on Saturday in this small Pennsylvania town, Gov. Sarah Palin dialed back the attacks on Senator Barack Obama that have typified her public appearances of late, a day after her running mate described Mr. Obama as “a decent man.”
The name of William Ayers, the 1960s radical that the McCain campaign has tried to tie to its opponent, was not spoken once by the Alaska governor, a stark contrast to a series of increasingly vituperative attacks related to Mr. Ayers that she delivered at private fund-raisers and large-scale rallies in the past week.
Ms. Palin was by no means light on the Democratic candidate, but she shifted the focus of her attacks to Mr. Obama’s voting record on abortion, saying that he “hopes you won’t notice how radical
his ideas are on this until it’s too late.”
“Let there be no misunderstanding about the stakes,” she said to a cheering crowd. “A vote for Barack Obama is a vote for activist courts that will continue to smother the open and democratic debate that we deserve and need on this issue of life.”
It was a shift for the governor, who, in three fund-raisers on Friday, tried to raise questions about Mr. Obama’s personality and patriotism, charging that he had chosen “ambition over country” and “started his political career in the living room of an unrepentant terrorist.” That language was gone from Saturday’s speech. ….
I’ve always loved the “complaint” that it’s wrong, or somehow inappropriate, to mention Barack Hussein Obama’s middle name. Why is that? Is that not his middle name? Is it a secret we’re not to speak?
He was named for his father, a Muslim. He was born to a Muslim father, so he therefore was born a Muslim–as is the convention in most religions. (With Jews, it is the mother’s religion, IIRC.) He converted to Christianity as an adult. These things we know.
Why do leftists seemingly have lists of unmentionables? Inconvenient truths?
It’s clear now that McCain knows he has lost and intends to spend the rest of the month feeding red meat to the base. He has written off the independents. His end game now is to prevent a humiliating, landslide defeat. He can’t let the base get so dispirited that they stay home. Word is, the RNC will pull back ad support for McCain and use that cash to try to save a few Senate seats.
#3, David Thomson: “Be afraid, be very afraid.”
Hear hear!
Forbes said: “I’ve always loved the “complaint” that it’s wrong, or somehow inappropriate, to mention Barack Hussein Obama’s middle name. Why is that? Is that not his middle name? Is it a secret we’re not to speak?”
You can pretend to be confused, if you like. The right throws out “Hussein” as an epithet. I don’t know about you, but when I talk or write, I rarely include people’s middle names. On many right-wing websites his middle name is often the proof that he’s “not one of us”. If you watched the videos of the McCainiacs in line to see Sarah Palin the other day, you’ll remember that many of them said he wasn’t American because his middle name was Hussein.
So, go ahead and pretend that you are “confused”. I believe you know damn well what the score is. Either that, or you are a complete idiot.
Every time you call him “Hosseini,” you seek to otherize him.
Obama describe his relationship to a know terrorist as “just a guy in the neighborhood” He forgot to mention that he and his wife enjoyed dinners together with this terrorist and his wife. He forgot to mention that he kicked off his state senate campaign in the livingroom of this known terrorist. Oh well, he forgot. Obama has been endorsed by known terrorist groups, whack jobs, and tin horn dictators in the world…like Castro, Chavez, and the president of Iran…..but what the heck…come on people…move on…there’s nothing to see here. Oh I forgot, Obama forgot he was tied with this whack job oganization called “ACORN”. He forgot about the training he provided to them and he fogot that as an attorney, he represented them….. Again…nothing to see here folks..move it along……stop being racists…and move along
“…and you’re worried about a campaign coffee in Hyde Park?”
Uhm, no. I’m concerned that Obama has never told us how he and Ayers spent the millions of dollars they controlled as part of the CAC and Woods Fund. But thanks for playing “Argue The Strawman.”
I’m also concerned about Obama’s membership in the New Party. I’m concerned that the New Party was a front for the Chicago DSA. I’m concerned that the sole purpose of the New Party was to beat mainstream democrats in the primaries. I’m concerned about Obama denying he worked with ACORN. I’m concerned about Obama suing banks to make risky loans to poor people. I’m concerned that Obama doesn’t want to tell the truth about how long and how well he knows Bill Ayers. I’m concerned that Obama isn’t concerned that he spent years serving on the board of a group founded by a guy who tried to kill soldiers and did kill police and thinks he didn’t do enough killing. I’m concerned about the $800,000 the Obama campaign paid indirectly to ACORN for “get out the fraud” drives.
There’s a few of them. I’m sure I could come up with more if pressed, none having to do with his race.
Let’s see if I’ve got this straight. I’m a racist if I question Barack Hussein Obama’s association with ACORN, I’m a racist if I question Barack Hussein Obama’s motives, I’m a racist if I question Barack Hussein Obama’s lack of experience, I’m a racist if I question Barack Hussein Obama’s lack of support of America’s Heroes, I’m a racist if I don’t vote for the most unqualified person to run for POTUS in my lifetime, and I’m a racist if I mention his full name.
Hot dann! I Want To Be A Racist! Thank you Barack Hussein Obama for helping me to become a racist as that allows me to keep, and exercise my basic rights as an American. .
P
Actually he agreed so much with Wright that he supported his church to the tune of multiple tens of thousands of dollars.
#2: And so Messi Fahrt blows another one.
For months the left wing loons have screeched every vile & despicable lie they can conjure up in the fever swamps of their deranged minds. Now they profess to be shocked, shocked that the McCain campaign might dare to fight back against the anointed one Barack the most merciful. As the old commies used to say ” this animal is dangerous, when attacked it fights back”.
Obama’s rogue’s gallery of associates are the only ones we know about and after he disowns each and every one, who’s he left with? Of course, should he win the presidency he will appoint and reward from his very shady, unaccomplished past; except for, of course, his “community organizing” for ACORN, the sub-prime pressure group and voter fraud company.
I’m still waiting for him to name all “57 states” as well as the two others he planned to yet visit. I only know of one organization with 57 members and it is the OIC, Organization of the !slamic Conference. Had a Republican made that comment, he’d be rightly consider unfit to lead; that’s worse than any GWBush gaffe.
Now where was the MSN or the Dems to shout about the lack of state roll-call for the nomination process? Why is it the Dems are satisfied with a back-room deal that ousted Hillary and acclaimed Obama? This anti-democratic escapade should be an object lesson for the rest of the country in how the Left dismisses and silences dissent, and degrades the democratic process severely.
I’ll flat out call Obama a liar, half-truth teller, a misleader, and low no-good Socialist peddler to his face if he’d take the time to listen to the faction of America that he has purposely allowed the media and his thuggy goons to shut out.
I’m sick of the way that Obama, his media-in-the-tank, and worshippers keep trying to shut me and others up. They say insulting things as if to question our rationality and intelligence. . . very passive-aggressive mother-in-law/smart ass- style in tone. Hypocrites all. Look how Obama has and hasn’t behaved: He’s never “called his dogs” off of the cheap shots they have taken at Palin for weeks, he said to his worshippers in Nevada that they needed to “get in their faces”, and he still won’t answer questions posed to him at debates. . . like “who will you put on your cabinet?”
And he’s the weasle-y coward who wouldn’t meet McCain at Town Hall style debates all over our country to bring citizens of all walks of life together. . . He wouldn’t look McCain or the people in the eye. . . And now he says things like, “McCain never said it to my face!”
Obama’s words are slippery turds, and some people are so fooled that the can’t smell the stink. He doesn’t have to admit his bad connections. Just listen to WHAT he does say and WHAT he doesn’t say instead of HOW he says things. It’s all there. Socialism.
For the record, Americans, black, whites, Latino, Asian, and you-name-it, are angry and scared together at the Socialism that Obama wants to bring to this wonderful country. Not everybody thinks he is Antichrist. . . some of us simply and thoroughly despise his Socialist rhetoric and ideas because it’s anti-American. It’s theft. . . he’s stealing the American birthright of MY CHILDREN and YOUR’s. Atlas will shrug, and the whole world will suffer for it.
Yeah, he’s gonna grow the middle class. It will be the only class except for his rich, corrupt intellectual elitist friends on top. All of us will get the same teat no matter how hardworking or lazy we are. We will all be dumbed down and never get to or feel like reaching our potential. Our society will stagnate. The government will own us. It makes me angry that Obama wants to steal the birthright of future Americans! American blood was not spilled for this purpose of Obama’s.
I’m not mad at McCain for not showing his anger the same way his supporters are showing it. If he showed anger, he’d be a “mean man” in the headlines of our Socialist, power-hungry media that’s in bed with Obama. If he is nice, they label him cowardly and wimpy. If his supporters get angry, we’re labelled
RACIST, CRAZY, MOB-MINDED
Well, geez at least we haven’t threatened to throw a riot party if we lose on November 4th. Talk about violent, rageful, toddleresque, irrational behaviour.
Where Obama goes, he stirs HATE not HOPE. He will not be able to bring our country back together because there are too many if’s in his closet, and he has Socialist ideas and plans.
McCain is the last political bastion of grace. Yeah, his supporters are mad, and rightfully so. We’ll take the heat for our own outrage, but we refuse to back down to the Obama Bully Squad. Not everyone wants to silently embrace Socialism at the trance-inducing lull of Obama’s “uh, uh, uh” voicing of Socialistic ideals and philosophies.
Looks like Yossi Narth is trying to irritate the Nevada Gaming Control Board so much that they all end up making a protest vote for McCain.
Many of your commenters have become quite unhinged, alas.
Fear not, Obama’s Federal Mental Health Police will provide free Valium for all, whether you want it or not.
McCain claims he was looking for friends,
Obama claims he was looking for some change,
Three lives intersected one night, in September, when they met tranny gambler Yossi Narth. Fortunately the casino cameras were rolling. Call (775) 684-7750 and demand these videos be realeased.
Okay, I admit, I’ve become quite unhinged. Righteous indignation does not ever need to be medicated though.
Do you think “they’re” honing in on me and will come get me if Obama wins? **looks over shoulder**
I would not be the least bit surprised if these people were Democrat activist puppets in there intentionally causing scenes at GOP rallies with a willful press on hand.
“Association” in the form of conducting regular business, politicking and engaging for years in left wing “policy” implementation with not only Bill Ayers, but with hardline Maoist communist Mike Klonsky, and ACORN’s Madeline Talbott, at the Chicago Annenberg Challenge (CAC) and the Woods Foundation, are hardly comparable in any respect whatsoever with inadvertently attracting one or two overly exuberant loudmouths to a rally atttended by thousands. Obama and his pals frittered away as much as $150 – 160 MILLION dollars in grant money entrusted to them, on a useless effort over several years to try to take control of the Chicago public schools.
And in the course of doing so, they did absolutely nothing to help the school children of Chicago. Their own evaluation concluded that there was absolutely no academic improvement among the children — achievement or engagement — that was in any way attributable to the “work” of the CAC. None.
As regards the McCain rallies, to assist the Democrats in “making” their silly “association” case in this regard, it would hardly have been beyond the realm of possibility for the Obama folks to have simply sent an agent provocateur into the crowd to shout out “kill him” within earshot of a reporter, now would it? I notice that no one in the press made any effort to identify the person. Could it have merely been the 21st Century successor to old Dick Tuck?
#22, e40: “The right throws out “Hussein” as an epithet.”
Why not? It is still his name; and if it is an epithet too,
so much the better! The name is a fact, and the epithet fits.
One gets double value for the same 6 letters.
“On many right-wing websites his middle name is often the proof that he’s ‘not one of us’. “
Of course. And he isn’t. He is – at the very least – a long-time friend and
collaborator of his country’s enemies. Most probably, he shares their views.
(If he does not, he never told them that). Now he claims to love America – but
that change in rhetoric is too recent and obviously self-serving to be credible.
As for that name: people are free to change their names.
After 9/11, he could have changed “Hussein”.
That would have made a patriotic statement…
Instead, after 9/11 he stopped wearing an American flag in his lapel.
That has made a statement, too. Not a patriotic one.
But one that fits well with that name!
When it became expedient in some primaries,
he began to wear that flag again. That tells one only
one thing: the scoundrel is sailing under a false flag.
#40, correction.
“One gets double value for the same 6 letters.”
I should have said “for the same 7 letters.”
The difference, Yossi, is that while McCain may gamble, it’s his OWN money, Obama, on the other hand has gambled with other peoples money. ie Annenberg Challenge where money was given away for everything else, except the children it was supposed to help. Don’t be so self rightous, Obama is a community organizer, where I come from, they’re known as
sh– kickers.
Abe Greenwald writes “What might you be endorsing if you elect Barack Obama?”
America would be endorsing:
1) an infallible “hero” leader
2) class warfare invoked to topple “the old guard”
3) media colluding for “the greater good”
4) widespread ballot fraud in the “free elections”
All the elements of a socialist revolution. The only question is, will we allow it?
Mark,
bingo. I was immediately suspicious of the woman who claimed Obama is an “Arab terrorist.” That’s the type of nonsense that only lefties think conservatives and moderates actually believe. I’m not surprised that the news media haven’t investigated her political affiliation.