President Barack Obama Claims Credit on Iraq War

For Advertising Info, Write.
rwnews@blogads.com

Premium Left blogad

Left Blog Ad

Permalinks

President Barack Obama Claims Credit on Iraq War

Written By : Donald Douglas

For all of the socialism and Islamist-appeasement of this administration, the one thing that has bothered me the most about this president (and candidate in 2007-08) is his screechingly perverse antiwar ideology and opportunism. Barack Obama was the most antiwar Senator in Congress throughout 2007 and in 2008 he tried to play both sides of the fence: After opposing the surge he then turned around and hailed its success, while insisting once more that the war was wrong. As noted in his New York Times op-ed in July 14, 2008, “My Plan for Iraq“:

In the 18 months since President Bush announced the surge, our troops have performed heroically in bringing down the level of violence. New tactics have protected the Iraqi population, and the Sunni tribes have rejected Al Qaeda — greatly weakening its effectiveness.

But the same factors that led me to oppose the surge still hold true. The strain on our military has grown, the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated and we’ve spent nearly $200 billion more in Iraq than we had budgeted. Iraq’s leaders have failed to invest tens of billions of dollars in oil revenues in rebuilding their own country, and they have not reached the political accommodation that was the stated purpose of the surge.

I do not hate this president. But he brings deep shame to the role of Commander-in-Chief. And that shame is seen one more time with this weekend’s White House announcement on the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq. IMHO, Obama just lies when he claims to be upholding the “sacred trust” of our fighting men and women. It takes more than winning an election to win that trust — you have to earn it. That said, folks may have different emotions than I do. But I think we can agree that getting the Democrats out of power in 2010 and 2012 will begin the process of restoring American power in the world. I cringe at the thought of this sick ACORN-sleazeball presidential interloper directing the force and capabilities of the U.S. abroad. But time heals all wounds, and the electorate is rumbling:

UPDATE: Also Blogging …

* American Glob, “Let Me Be Clear: Obama Deserves ZERO Credit For Iraq.”

* Cold Fury, “Obama singlehandedly wins Iraq war, comes home victorious, pats wonderful self on back.”

* Ed Morrissey, “Obama: Iraq begins and ends with I, I, I.”

* Sister Toldjah, “Obama: “Iraq was all about me”.”

Cross-posted from American Power.

Mr. EMT

That's going to confuse what few mouth breathing morons still support him. They are still claiming we are loosing in Iraq and that it wasn't worth it etc.
Now their great leader is taking credit for it.
Classic.

http://www.wordaroundthenet.com Christopher Taylor

Eh, really hardcore leftists are really good at compartmentalizing their brains, thats how they can say totally idiotic, self-contradictory things in the same sentence like “George W Chimpy is the dumbest loser in the history of the world, that's why he's secretly controlling the world and manipulating everything behind the scenes as a mastermind!”

fail_baby_fail

A couple issues with your post. Did the Iraq war start with the surge? Now did the surge work Hell yes. Would the surge even been needed if we sent in the troops that was needed and asked for in the first place? Is it safe to say troops got killed because Bush and Rummie low balled what was needed to do the job? Yes it is.

You said the war cost 200 million over the original cost. But didn't we get told it would only cost 40 billion? The war only cost 240 billion? I think that number is a bit higher then that.

I'm glad combat operations are over in Iraq. My brother lost most of his hearing in one ear because of an IED. Obama is not taking credit for the war who would want to take credit for the cluster fuck it was. Obama can take credit for ending it, because he is the one the ended the unending war.

Mr. EMT

Remind me of something, fail.
Bosnia… did we win there?
Hmm…
Oh and numbers for the cost of Iraq?
Less than the stimulous which failed.

fail_baby_fail

What's Bosnia have to do with anything? Also what's the stimulus have to do with what Mr Douglas said about the war cost? Your non answer has been noted.

Mr. EMT

Did clinton send our troops to Bosnia? Yes.
Do we even know why? No
Did he send enough troops? Hell no
Did he even make sure our troops had enough ammo and the right gear? HEll no.
Did he even know what the fuck he was doing when he sent them over with a ridiculous set of ROE's that got our troops in harms way? Nope.
We went over to Bosnia, and all we got to show for it is the movie Black Hawk Down to brag about.

And here you are bitching and whining that Bush and Rumsfield got troops killed by low balling what was needed in Iraq.

Little reminder for you We had Bush International Airport set up in Iraq, our troops were being housed in the presidential palace and Saddaam got his ass kicked long time before we used a surge to mop up the remnants of Al Qaida operatives in Iraq, you know those guys that you dipshits claimed had no connection with saddaam but mysteriously appeared out of no where to fight us when we got there?

Martha

Yup – a deflective meme. What else does the rightwing have?
Mr. EMT

What else does the rightwing have?

More tax payers
More votes
More concern for this country.
More patriots
More soldiers.
More employers.

What is it you libtards have?
Jack and shit and empty promises to put a chicken in the pot and free housing free medical care and free income for people who dont want to work for a living and shouldn't have to because they are entitled.
The Karma Hoser

Martha, EMT-Man presented facts, and you responded with juvenile snips. EMT-Man is clearly the winner in that debate! :D
fail_baby_fail

Do you mean Somalia? If your trying to make a point you should get the country right. FAIL…..

Now that we have the RIGHT country. If your saying Clinton screwed up and didn't send enuff troops there and gave them shitty ROE's I agree with you. I had a old manager that was in the convoy that pulled our troops out. He spent over two hours talking about it one day.

Was your point bush screwed up sending troops too. If so I'm glad we agree for once. Or where you deflecting and talking about something that had nothing to do with Iraq?
Mr. EMT

SOmalia! Thats right, I had totally forgotten we had another president who sent our troops over seas to trespass and stick their noses in someone else business etc add hominem blah blah to fight two wars that we had no business in.
Yup, totally slipped my mind because the only thing I remembered was hillary clintons harrowing ordeal with having to dodge snipers in her chic duster as her helocopter did a corkscrewing manuver to land her in the middle of a battle field for her tour through Bosnia.

Boy you sure got me there, by rubbing my face in the fact clinton fought two wars…
Now tell me, what did he accomplish that was so much better than fighting Al Qaeda, settling iraq, and going after Osama Bin Laden, who was attacking us during clinton's watch, but getting ignored so we could go fight bosnia and somalia?
fail_baby_fail

And still I ask. Bosnia and Somalia have what to do with Iraq? Stay focused.
Mr. EMT

Sorry, when a mental midget tried to claim that a president sent our troops over to fight two wars under manned and underequipped I kinda got confused since to my knowlege that only happend under one president.
And it wasn't Bush, it was clinton.
I realise understanding what bosnia and somalia have to do with Iraq and Afghanistan is way the hell beyond your feeble mind to comprehend.
But some people actually learn from mistakes made in history.
That was why when we had to go to war, Bush first went to the UN and asked them to intervene, they laughed and turned their backs.
Then he went to congress and the democrats in congress got exactly what they had been baying for.
However, clinton, never went to the UN to ask them to intervene for us… oh wait somalia and bosnia did not have anything to do with any attacks against Americans on American soil.
Martha

“Bosina”. “Somalia”. Wot does bandage boy know of foreign countries? They're all the same to him.
The Karma Hoser

Martha, have you ever been outside of the US yourself?
http://www.wordaroundthenet.com Christopher Taylor

He's never been in the USA to begin with. Like most really vapid lefty trolls, he's not from here.
sabiticus

Wow, you really suck at making the obvious connections.
Rickvid in Seattle

I think you mean Somalia.

Martha

Yeh, I wonder what Bosnia has to do with anything. It's a new meme to deflect from the truth. The rightwing luvs their deflections.

Mr. EMT

Yup, new meme… its only about 15+ years old.
Moron.

AF_Vet

Well, Billy Jeff DID say that the troops would be home by Christmas–he just didn't specify WHICH Christmas…

mightysamurai

Would the surge even been needed if we sent in the troops that was needed and asked for in the first place?

We didn't have the troops needed and asked for in the first place, thanks to Bill Clinton.

Is it safe to say troops got killed because Bush and Rummie low balled what was needed to do the job? Yes it is.

Maybe for someone with absolutely no idea what he's talking about.

You said the war cost 200 million over the original cost. But didn't we get told it would only cost 40 billion?

Didn't we get told the Stimulus would keep unemployment below 8%?

Obama can take credit for ending it, because he is the one the ended the unending war.

No, child, he didn't. The war is ending according to the plan set by President George W. Bush. It's HIS plan we're following, not Obama's.

fail_baby_fail

Still not understanding how the stimulus has anything to do with the stated cost of the war as said by Mr Douglas. Your point was what????

Now maybe we didn't have the 300k we needed. With trying to pull off two wars at the same time. I wonder if that had anything to do with troop levels. Now with that said we could find the extra troops for the surge. So its safe to say that we could of found them for the invasion force too.

AF_Vet

Afghanistan and Iraq were two fronts of the same war, jacknuts.

But, DO go on, an enlighten us all with your superior knowledge of Theater Operations and logistics.

fail_baby_fail

How was it the second front on the war on terror. Iraq didn't sponsor terror. Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11. Please enlighten me with your vast knowledge of the theater Operations and logistics. If Al queda was not in Iraq until after the invasion. And the 9-11 attackers where not from Iraq. Again second front how so?
TheDickNixon

“Iraq didn't sponsor terror.”

http://www.husseinandterror.com

Sure thing. Thanks for playing.
Martha

Not only that – but thanks for winning. That be me.
TheDickNixon

nixon doesn't blame you for not trying to refute the evidence.
tblrk2006

Saddam most certainly harbored AQ terrorists and funded palestinian attacks. AQ was and is operating all over the ME….hell, they were in south florida. And the attackers were not from Afghanistan either.
The Karma Hoser

Saddam Hussein paid $26000 to each family of Pali suicide bombers – FACT!!
Mr. EMT

There are some mass graves in Iraq, that were full of hundreds of thousands of people we unearthed.
Those dead people would probably beg you to reconsider your ignorant opinion about saddaam and what he did to promote terrorism.
The people his regime tortured, poured battery acid on, raped, murdered etc, would also might like the chance to argue with you.
However, they are all fucking dead because that son of a bitch was a tyrant and he damn sure was connected to islamist terror organizations such as Al Qaeda who we fought the strongest in Iraq more than anywhere else.
You are a moron, and a drooling idiot, nothing you say has any value.
Martha

Wot iz that I hear – violins?

Play, bandage boy, play.
The Karma Hoser

Martha, our dear little intellectual midget, you also fail to remember all of the democrats that called for military action against Hussein during the “Blowjob Willie” years! They screamed for this and that to happen, but when it came time to do something, your lefty ilk in DC proved themselves to be all talk and no action!!
I was in my first tour of duty when the “Clinton Curse” began, training and maintenance budgets suddenly evaporated, while spending on executive perks by the Executive branch flew through the roof, history is repeating itself right now, the Obamas ar outspending the Clintons on luxury perks!! I simply got out then, and reenlisted after 9/11, and I've been deployed twice since.
Anyway, your side is on its way to being thrown out in the upcoming election, you lefties were the ones gloating after the '08 election that Conservatism was dead, and you're about to be proven gravely wrong. I see your fear and hate in you and your fellow moonbats' posts every time I read them and laugh!!

It's simple, Martha, WE are the RIGHT, and WE SHALL OVERCOME!! :D
Martha

Now that's funny.
The Karma Hoser

There you go, Martha, I WIN AGAIN!! :D
Mr. EMT

Sorry bagdad bob, not violins, that would be the sound of your reality crashing around your ears.
http://www.patriotpost.com bthewolf

“Iraq didn't sponsor terror.”

EPIC Fail!
Martha

“Iraq didn't sponsor terror.”

So true.
http://www.patriotpost.com bthewolf

So NOT true, liar.
tblrk2006

Um, yes……they did (before they didnt ;) We caught well known AQ scum there . Saddam was more than happy to play host.
AF_Vet

So that terror training camp at Slaman Pak, south of Baghdad we took over…complete with an airline fuselage was there for….????

Oh, and how about all those rewards Hussein sent to families of Palestinian suicide bombers? Does that count?

Holy jeebus you're stupid.
http://www.thepiratescove.us/ William_Teach

Whoa! Liberals really do live in an alternate reality.
mightysamurai

Iraq didn't sponsor terror.

Yes they did, son. I know liberals like to jam their fingers in their ears and go “LALALALALALALA” whenever someone confronts them with pesky facts, but you're only fooling yourself.

Iraq had nothing to do with 9-11.

Neither did the Afghani government. Al-Qaeda attacked us, not the Taliban.

If Al queda was not in Iraq until after the invasion.

Again, wrong. Members of Al Qaeda were sheltered in Iraq and terrorist training camps were known to be in use there.

Not to mention that the presence of Al Qaeda in Iraq was NOT the only reason for invasion. Read the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq sometime.

http://www.c-span.org/resources/pdf/hjres114.pdf

And the 9-11 attackers where not from Iraq.

They weren't from Afghanistan either.
Martha

Ya know, many an empire builder has learned the downfall of a two front war. History, history, history.
mightysamurai

Interesting, because the United States was able to fight a four-front war in WWII. We fought in Africa, in Italy, in France, and in the Pacific Rim. And all with vastly inferior technology and tremendously higher casualty rates.

And yet, despite your ignorant assertion that even a two-front war is impossible to win, we still won. Fancy that.
tblrk2006

So we are empiricle now? Got proof? And you might want to answer mighty about the number of fronts in WWII.
The Karma Hoser

it's SO obvious that even you moonbats know that your side is gonna go down in flames, but keep up the juvenile hissyfits, WE'LL enjoy watching the election returns on Nov. 2. WE SHALL OVERCOME!!

mightysamurai

Still not understanding how the stimulus has anything to do with the stated cost of the war as said by Mr Douglas. Your point was what????

What do you think?

You want to hold Bush responsible for the “mistakes” he made but refuse to do the same for Obama and you think we won't call you on it?

Now maybe we didn't have the 300k we needed. With trying to pull off two wars at the same time. I wonder if that had anything to do with troop levels.

Wonder away, you're still wrong.

Once again, we simply didn't have the troops available. Clinton had so destroyed the US military that we couldn't provide enough equipment and supplies to send a large enough troop presence in the first place.

Besides, what would you have us do? Ignore one terrorist state and hope they don't notice us? Hope they don't correctly deduce that we plan to go after them next? Hope they don't launch any more terrorist attacks in the meantime?

Now with that said we could find the extra troops for the surge.

Sure, five years later. It took five years to repair the damage the Clinton administration did to our military so we could get enough troops equipped and supplied in order to send them over to Iraq.

http://www.wordaroundthenet.com Christopher Taylor

Its always easy to second guess everything after the fact and point out mistakes. You can do that with any big effort, such as World War 2 (really big, awful mistakes made there). That's inevitable with any human effort.

Your pathetic, wretched attempt to portray this as anything but President Bush's triumph is noted though. Welcome to the ash heap of history along with your favored political system communism.

Martha

“Ash heap of history” and “President Bush”. Couldn't say it better myself. Thanx, Crissy.

CoolCzech

Quiet, you Oik!

http://www.wordaroundthenet.com Christopher Taylor

Some of the left is utterly impervious to reality, I think its a kind of insanity.
Martha

Crissy, no one avoids reality as much as you. Cwaaaaazy iz az cwaaaaaaaazy doez.
The Karma Hoser

“Liberalism is a mental disorder.” Dr. Michael Savage
Martha, you and your ilk that deposit moonbat your droppings here are living proof that that statement is indeed true. :D

Remember, WE are the RIGHT, and WE SHALL OVERCOME!! :D

http://www.patriotpost.com bthewolf

So you presume to know more about the number of troops needed based on what a few Generals said, while Bush had the advice of several hundred Generals, that never agrred that we needed more troops in the initial attack?

What a maroon.

http://www.uncoverage.net GoldenEagle4444

As a politician, he can claim anything he wants; history will document the stark truths. As it stands, Obama has done nothing that wasn't already laid out before him and even his staunchest supporters know that to be the truth. I guess when your approval ratings are in the toilet, you'll do anything to raise them up. It's expected of Chicago politicians.

The Karma Hoser

Indeed, G.E., well said!

gfchicago

I do not hate this president. But he brings deep shame to the role of Commander-in-Chief. And that shame is seen one more time with this weekend's White House announcement on the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq.

Oh I do despise this man, as you noted he has brought so much shame on this country. He has alienated our allies and they want to have as little as possible to do with him. He has empowered our enemies, right now Achmadinanutjob in Iran or whatever his name is, right now is laughing his ass off at President Pookie. He has thrown Israel under the bus.

Never mind the shambles he has made out of our domestic economy, don't even get me started on how he has handled our domestic issues.

It makes me ill to see him take credit for things that President Bush put in place without acknowledging his contributions.

Where is the general rant from this idiot that it is all of the previous administrations fault?

How long after we here in the United States won our freedom from England did it take us to formally sign our Constitution and start getting our house in order, here we have this jackass of a president criticizing the new government of Iraq, when the government that they have formed is less than ten years old.

Simply put President Pookie is a POS.

Martha

Tsk tsk, gf.

gfchicago

Well Martha, you don't like my thoughts on this subject… Tough titty said the kitty.

Fiza1

“Oh I do despise this man, …”

You need to see a shrink soon to help you get rid of some of your “hate”. A good start would be to quit watching/listening to commentators like Beck, Limbaugh, etc., and to quit reading the “hate” on the conservative blogsphere.

TheDickNixon

the only hate on this site comes from you, jharp, martha, and a couple of other liberal posters.

The Karma Hoser

Hey TDN, I'm willing to bet a bottle of Bourbon that Fizzy, Martha, et al. are just D-Vega's sockpuppets, he's had his tail handed to him too many times, so he uses different names!!

Fizzy, our dear intellectual inferior,

WE are the RIGHT, WE SHALL OVERCOME! :D

D-Vega

Still an idiot.
Infidelriverrat

Relax and have another glass of Kool-Aid, Vega, the *WAAAAHMBULANCE* is on its way for you!!

WE are the RIGHT, and WE SHALL OVERCOME!! :D
D-Vega

Point proven.
The Karma Hoser

You're a jealous, juvenile, hateful little moonbat, little d, you prove it every time you speak! :D

gfchicago

So Fiza, if it offends you so much, what the hell are you doing here?

The Karma Hoser

Hey, GF, correct me if I'm wrong, but these mental midgets, Martha and company, the moonbats, seem exactly like spoiled toddlers with soiled diapers that will do anything for attention, their statements speak for themselves. I used to be irked by them, but Knowing what they're made of, I merely see them as the jokes that they are!!

Remember moonbats, WE are the RIGHT, and WE SHALL OVERCOME, YES WE WILL!! :D

http://www.facebook.com/jayhoffer Justin Hoffer

Let one thing be clear. NO ONE can throw Israel under the bus. You can try, but Israel will just drop kick you and leave you on the road side to be picked up by the garbage man. We held off a massive invasion in 1948 with no support from anyone, out manned and out gunned, and we'll do it again if we have to.

No one will ever persecute us again.

The Karma Hoser

All one has to do is read history, and they'd learn that every time Israel had expanded her borders, it was land that she took from her defeated agerssors!! Alas, the moonbats are too drunk and brain damaged on the racist lefty Kool-Aid to even bother to learn!!
gfchicago

Justin,

I hope you know that I meant no offense. But the way I see it is that Obama could give a rats ass about Israel. He is knocking himself out to support everything Muslim.

Now he has the nerve to wonder why we think he is a secret Muslim. It's in his every action and in his history. Bowing down to these people, wanting peace talks with Iran, when we know that, that is a joke. Ackmadinanutjob in I ran is laughing his ass off at us. Not to mention his affiliation with one of the most radical black churches. Remember God Damn America?

fail_baby_fail

What's Bosnia have to do with anything? Also what's the stimulus have to do with what Mr Douglas said about the war cost? Your non answer has been noted.
Karma Hoser

It's going to be tough for any politician to outdo Barack Hussein Obama in blatant hypocrisy!!
Martha

Hmmm. Barak Obama, Commander in Chief. Military operations under his control. Leaving the failed war in Iraq. Boots on ground shaking dust from boots. The best of a lost situation.
http://www.wordaroundthenet.com Christopher Taylor

There is a small amount of credit we have to give President Obama regarding Iraq. Its kind of a negative, but its credit nonetheless: he could have just pulled the troops out when he took office, abandoning the place to the enemy. He didn't. Sure, its not much but he did stay the course when he could have surrendered and run away.

The rest of the credit is 100% President Bush and the troops that fought, bled, sacrificed, and died there – and the Iraqi people for standing up against terrorism.

President Bush stands very, very tall when it comes to the war on terror.

Martha

Is Bush still standing on that aircraft carrier? LOL

AF_Vet

Nope…he's to busy makin' your jug-eared jackass Obama look like the punk ass he is. While homeboy takes his EIGHTH vacation this summer (whiole riding a girl's bike and rockin the mom jeans), Bush is greeting returning troops at DFW airport. Something Obama would be doing if he were a real CINC, a real man. Not a punk-assed little marxist.

Believe me, the troops know which President loved them, and which one simply uses them as a photo op.

Bush was a real Commander in Chief who actually wore a Uniform. Barry? Yeah, not so much.

fail_baby_fail

True nothing says love like 5-6 deployments getting shot and and blown up by IED's. If that equals love I can't wait to see hate.

tblrk2006

Nobody was forced into the services. THey knew the risk.
TheDickNixon

Yep, those draftees, oh wait…

Unlike you, the volunteers in military service in the US love their country.
AF_vet

Thank you for proving that you will NEVER understand what it means to serve in the military, dinglenuts.
The Karma Hoser

Hey FBF, where did you serve, and when? I was part of OEF from '05 to '06 doing convoy security. Do you even know the difference between an M4 and a “Ma Deuce”? I reenlisted after a 9 year break in service just so I could get deployed, and I'd do A-stan again in a heartbeat, because I know from firsthand experience we're winning the fight!!
Have a great day, our juvenile intellectual inferior, and remember, WE are the RIGHT, WE SHALL OVERCOME!!
Wiff O'Grapeshot

I spent two deployment to Iraq (2004-2005) & (2008-2009). And I did that in my 50s.

Are you capable of the same, junior?
The Karma Hoser

Really? What unit did you go there with?

tblrk2006

Considering that did mark the end of major operations against saddams govt and army….id say your being a complete ass, trying to strip our soldiers of their accomplishment.

Snorrk

Call me a pragmatic conservative. Let us not forget the war in Iraq was based on a false premise. There were no WMDs. So, why the billions of $$ and thousands of lost lives of our patriotic soldiers? Don't give Hussein Obama any credit. Give less to Bush. Just get us the hell out of this money corrupting sink hole.

the_hawk

I'd say you are more an uninformed conservative.

There were at least sixteen other reasons we went into Iraq. And it wasn't about finding WMD, it was about making sure they weren't there. Had Saddam simply allowed inspection teams in to verify, we might not have gone in. And not only has the Iraq war cost less than the stimulus, but it has always been a very small percentage of overall spending here.
StanW

And that is not true, Snorrk. Nearly ever intelligence community in the world thought Saddam has WMD, in as much as he had used them against his own people. And Saddam gave us no reason to think he didn't have them.

If any on the Left actually cared about the situation, they would not be screeching “Bush Lied about WMD”, they would be asking “What happened to the WMD that we knew Saddam had.”

No false premise, unless you count the lies from the left!
http://www.wordaroundthenet.com Christopher Taylor

Lets just not call you a conservative at all, eh?

AF_Vet

Yes…that great CINC that the troops cannot stand, and have no respect for. That same great CINC who is following the timetable set by President George W. Bush.

You really do need a clue.
CoolCzech

I give Obama credit for the brown streak at the bottom of the White House toilet. That's pretty much the only praiseworthy thing he has done.

Martha

Whereas you and Bush shit on the American people and this great Republic.

TheDickNixon

sure thing sparky

Martha

Et tu, dicky.

The Karma Hoser

OH, Martha, our dear little intellectual inferior, I indeed pity you at times like this, maybe you can let go of your inner hatred one day, and begin to live!! Moonbats like you are indeed an intolerant breed, once again you scream like a toddler with a soiled diaper!!

Remembet, Martha, WE are the RIGHT, and WE SHALL OVERCOME, YES, WE CAN!! :D

CoolCzech

This is as good a thread as any to quote a wonderful James Tarantino column from the Wall Street Journal:

Xenophobia is fear of the alien; oikophobia is fear of the familiar: “the disposition, in any conflict, to side with 'them' against 'us', and the felt need to denigrate the customs, culture and institutions that are identifiably 'ours.' ” What a perfect description of the pro-mosque left.

Scruton was writing in 2004, and his focus was on Britain and Europe, not America. But his warning about the danger of oikophobes–whom he amusingly dubs “oiks”–is very pertinent on this side of the Atlantic today, and it illuminates how what are sometimes dismissed as mere matters of “culture” tie in with economic and social policy:

The oik repudiates national loyalties and defines his goals and ideals against the nation, promoting transnational institutions over national governments, accepting and endorsing laws that are imposed on us from on high by the EU or the UN, though without troubling to consider Terence's question, and defining his political vision in terms of universal values that have been purified of all reference to the particular attachments of a real historical community.
The oik is, in his own eyes, a defender of enlightened universalism against local chauvinism. And it is the rise of the oik that has led to the growing crisis of legitimacy in the nation states of Europe. For we are seeing a massive expansion of the legislative burden on the people of Europe, and a relentless assault on the only loyalties that would enable them voluntarily to bear it. The explosive effect of this has already been felt in Holland and France. It will be felt soon everywhere, and the result may not be what the oiks expect.

**************

I've pretty much said the same thing about liberals all along, though more succinctly: they're self-loathers.

CoolCzech

Oh, got his name wrong – that column is by James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal.

Martha

Not to worry. It is only one of the countless things you have got wrong, Xen.

The Karma Hoser

Martha, do do anything other than juvenile hissyfits?

“Liberals are wrong, and they know it.” Ronald Reagan
Mr. EMT

Good job, bagdad bob. You totally got him there huh, Traitor.
coolczech

Perhaps, but at least we both know I'm right about the coming anti-left Political Bloodbath this November, LOSER.

D-Vega

As CinC, Obama deserves credit for Iraq, none of your denial can take that away.

Iraq is far from a total success, as the country could devolve into a mess, no matter what we do at this point. We have to give the Iraqis the benefit of the doubt.

The troops deserve the most credit, then Bush, then Obama, then the person who comes after Obama, as we will be there for decades.

Get over yourselves, you simply cannot give this President any credit for anything. It's petty and immature, but your standard M.O.

UFKA_Smithwick

“As CinC, Obama deserves credit for Iraq, none of your denial can take that away. “

Besides somehow stumbling in to the job what exactly did he do to deserve credit for anything in Iraq besides voting against it every chance he got?

It is funny though how he gets the credit for policies initiated under Bush because dammit, he's the man in charge now! The buck stops here!

But he also gets to blame Bush for policies he (Bush) started and are coming to fruition now.

So essentially he gets to have it both ways.

Success in Iraq: Well Obama is prez now, it's all his.
Economic collapse: well it started when Bush was in charge, so that's all his fault.
Oil spill: due to Bushs policies, so Bushs fault.
Oil spill clean up: happened on Obamas watch, he gets credit for it.
Massive deficit caused by TARP: Bush signed it, his fault.
Any benefit that may arrive from TARP: Obama was president when it happened, so it's all his.

“Get over yourselves, you simply cannot give this President any credit for anything. It's petty and immature, but your standard M.O. “

I give him full credit for everything he's done. I do not give him credit for drunkenly stumbling in to a situation that was already resolving itself due to the actions of others with no input from the Sun-King simply because he happens to be in charge now.

If Obama wants the credit for everything that happens on his watch that was started by his predecessors then logically he should also get the blame for anything that goes wrong.

D-Vega

Comment deleted for some mysterious reason.

Mr. EMT

Exactly what the hell did obamao do to DESERVE credit?
Do you even know what the hell the word “Deserve” means?
Was it deserved by him playing golf, sitting on his thumbs while oil leaked into the gulf and is now being ignored floating around, or his dinner parties that EARNED him the right to claim credit for victory in iraq?
Oh wait, I know, it was his 8th vacation this year right?
All that hard work and troop support he has given going before congress fighting tooth and nail to make sure they had the budgets passed they needed to be equipped and geared….wasnt done by him, that was some other guy that you are too obnoxious and stupid to give credit where it is due.
Good job moron, you totally show where your logic is placed, how well you can reason and think an know what the words “Responsibility” means.
mightysamurai

As CinC, Obama deserves credit for Iraq

To echo the above two posts, what exactly did Obama DO to “deserve credit” for Iraq?

Did he create any policies that helped lead to victory in Iraq? No. In fact he OPPOSED policies that led to victory in Iraq (such as the surge) and he has said multiple times that he STILL would oppose it even knowing what he knows now.

D-Vega

So he wasn't CinC of the Military during this period? Iraq was on autopilot, acting autonomously?

If things were going worse in Iraq, would he be blamed by you? Of course.

UFKA_Smithwick

Truman was president when WWII officially ended.

Clearly Truman was the visionary genius who led us through that dark time.

The last battles of the American Civil war occurred in May, months after Lincoln “left” office therefore Andrew Johnson won the civil war for the Union.

Your argument is really absurd, not in the least because you and others have absolved Obama of all blame for various policies on the grounds that while he is in charge now, technically, those were started before he took office so how could be be blamed for them?

Seems hypocritical to pick and choose.

Oh and also Bush should get credit for the budget surplus that occurred his first year in office due to his brilliant leadership and financial responsibility.

D-Vega

Truman was president when WWII officially ended. Clearly Truman was the visionary genius who led us through that dark time.

He doesn't deserve all the credit, but yes, Truman deserves some credit. Are you saying he did “nothing”?

The last battles of the American Civil war occurred in May, months after Lincoln “left” office therefore Andrew Johnson won the civil war for the Union.

No, but he deserved credit.

Your argument is really absurd, not in the least because you and others have absolved Obama of all blame for various policies on the grounds that while he is in charge now, technically, those were started before he took office so how could be be blamed for them?

He deserves credit where it's due, and criticism the same way. Why is that so absurd?

Seems hypocritical to pick and choose.

But I am not picking and choosing.

Oh and also Bush should get credit for the budget surplus that occurred his first year in office due to his brilliant leadership and financial responsibility.

Budget are different as they occur in the prior year.

The rightwing didn't seem to mind the “recession” that occured during Bush's first year because it was “Clinton's recession.”
The Karma Hoser

Indeed it was, Junior, Clinton and his democrat Congress passed the biggest Income Tax increase in US history, and once it took effect, it crashed one of the longest streaks of prosperity in our history. Once again, Junior, you blatantly parade your ignorance in front of us all!! :D
D-Vega

Looks like you are ignorant on a wide range of history.
UFKA_Smithwick

For Obama to deserve credit for the war then he would have to have done more than merely be technically C in C when all this stuff went down.

So what, exactly, has he done to promote victory in Iraq that would not have happened with any successor to Bush?
UFKA_Smithwick

“The rightwing didn't seem to mind the “recession” that occured during Bush's first year because it was “Clinton's recession.” “

Hmm . . . so we are consistent in believing that a presidents effects do not immediately disappear the moment the next president takes charge, for better or worse.

http://www.wordaroundthenet.com Christopher Taylor

Gotta give the Iraqis some credit too.

D-Vega

Absolutely. In the end, it was up to them. In the end, it's up to the Afghanis, too. It doesn't change the criticism Obama gets for Afghan, though.

http://www.wordaroundthenet.com Christopher Taylor

Yeah the Afghani people need to step up and decide they won't put up with that any more, but it takes a “surge” style anti-insurgent strategy that lets the people know they're safe to do so until the bad guys are cleaned up.

President Obama has done okay in Afghanistan, but he needs to stop making unforced errors like announcing an exit date before we've stabilized the place enough and avoiding the CinC until he says something dumb. He needs to listen to his commanders and trust them more, like how many troops they need.

D-Vega

Fair enough. I consider war extremely serious, so consistent criticism is fair and warranted.

The Karma Hoser

D-Boy, our intellectual inferior, once again you fly off the hook on your Kool-Aid fantasies of Barack HUSSEIN Obama. While a US Senator, Barack H. Obama repeatedly voted against funding and support for our troops in harm's way, and constantly stated that all of our efforts were in vain, and that the war was lost, and the opposite is true. Now he's touting himself as the great victor who supported us troops all along while his track record is the total opposite!! B. Hussein Obama also tried to cut funding for the care of amputee veterans, as well as others. Quickly withdrawing Combat units from the theater will be seen by the enemy as a victory for them, as well as a greeen light for commiting more acts of terrorism, read some history about Vietnam, the communists took over after we pulled out and stopped assisting the South Vietnamese. Yes, it's history, something you either failed or didn't take before you dropped out of school. Keep up the juvenile hissyfits, junior, I enjoy the laughs they give me. You haven't been here for awhile, did you get let out of Juvenile Detention early?

WE are the RIGHT, and WE SHALL OVERCOME!!:D

D-Vega

You're a liar and an idiot. What funding bill exactly did he vote against?

Looks like you can't OVERCOME your own stupidity.

D-Vega

BTW, since he joined the Senate in 2005, Obama voted for more than $300 billion in war funding.

So like I said, you're a liar and idiot.

The Karma Hoser

Once again, my infantile moonbat, you failed to check the facts before engaging in your rant, the Congressional Record says otherwise, along with the many antiwar comments he made before getting elected, I WIN AGAIN!! :D
“Facts are stubborn things.” – Ronald Reagan

WE are the RIGHT, WE SHALL OVERCOME!! :D
D-Vega

Yeah? Please show me the Congressional Record that says that. I'll wait, and remind you every time.

MrEthiopian

What in the hell are you talking about, using the same augment you say Bush is a great leader and then you nee-cap Obama, we are talking about the same war it's been a cluster-fuck from the start, Bush sold us out to all his friends at Halliburton and privatized our military, that cost us 4 times or more than using our own great army. Bush had no end game planned, he admitted this and Obama got us out of another Vietnam and yet your complaining?

Your statement ” Obama just lies when he claims to be upholding the “sacred trust” of our fighting men and women. It takes more than winning an election to win that trust — you have to earn it.” Please explain what you mean by this, is it that bush was in the service? Was it his preemptive strike on Iraq, even though all his reason for going to war were proven to be lies? Was it that he sat in the passenger seat of an F-14 landing and then announcing that the war was over and that we had won years prior to Obama ending the same war, I just don't get it please explain.

http://www.wordaroundthenet.com Christopher Taylor

I just don't get it please explain.

Would have saved time and everyone's sanity who has to read your drivel if you'd just posted that.

Ed Klein on ‘The Amateur: Barack Obama in the White House’

Premium Right Ads

Blogads Right

Previous Features

40 Of The Most Bad-Ass, Masculine, Manly, Alpha Male Quotes Of All Time

Why Men Are Becoming Wimpy, Video Game Playing Slackers Who Don’t Want To Get Married

Horror You Will Never Get Out Of Your Brain Again: Bronies

The 10 Best Obama Ate A Dog Images From Around The Web

User Info

Features

Archives Best of RWN Humor John Hawkins Interviews Quotes Special to RWN