The more Obama insists that he’s not naive, the clearer it becomes that he is dreadfully naive–with a complementary political cynicism added to the mix. Obama is horrendously naive on the issue of nuclear proliferation, as today’s news regarding a ChiCom-Iranian plot uncovered reveals*:
The President went even further in Prague, noting that “as a nuclear power — as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon — the United States has a moral responsibility to act.” That barely concealed apology for Hiroshima is an insult to the memory of Harry Truman, who saved a million lives by ending World War II without a bloody invasion of Japan. As for the persuasive power of “moral authority,” we should have learned long ago that the concept has no meaning in Pyongyang or Tehran, much less in the rocky hideouts of al Qaeda.
The truth is that Mr. Obama’s nuclear vision has reality exactly backward. To the extent that the U.S. has maintained a large and credible nuclear arsenal, it has prevented war, defeated the Soviet Union, shored up our alliances and created an umbrella that persuaded other nations that they don’t need a bomb to defend themselves.
The most dangerous proliferation in the last 50 years has come outside the U.S. umbrella on the South Asian subcontinent, where India and Pakistan want to deter each other. No treaty stopped A.Q. Khan. Meanwhile, the world’s most conspicuous antiproliferation victories in recent decades were the Israeli strike against Saddam Hussein’s nuclear plant at Osirak, and the U.S. toppling of Saddam and the way it impressed Libya’s Moammar Ghadafi.
All of which means that any serious effort at nonproliferation has to begin with North Korea and Iran. They are the urgent threat to nuclear peace, the focus of years of great-power diplomacy and sanctions. U.N. resolutions have formally barred both countries from developing an atomic bomb and the missiles to deliver them. If Iran acquires a bomb or North Korea retains one despite this attempt to stop them, then the world will conclude that there is no such thing as an enforceable antinuclear order. It will be every nation for itself.
Obama demonstrates to Czechs the operation of their new nuclear umbrella.
This is exactly right, and where Obama means conciliation, nations and institutions that are predisposed so to do will see only weakness in such symbolic acts as bowing before the House of Saud. It is naive to think otherwise. It is naive to think that American DVDs will play on British players. It is naive to search for the Austrian language equivalent of “wheeling and dealing.” It is naive to swallow the hype regarding AGW, or to believe that cap and trade can solve the imaginary dangers that CO2 emissions subject us to–though once again that is counterbalanced by cynicism regarding the ends. It is naive to believe that Hamas or Hizbullah are at all interested in a two-state solution. It is naive, albeit cynical, to believe that the government can direct automobile companies to produce automobiles that consumers will want to buy with the money that they won’t have as a result of the government growth initiatives that he wants them to underwrite.
And as others on the right side of the blogosphere have been pointing out with regard to Obama’s Capitulation Tour, his view of American history and the role of America in the world is exactly what you would expect from a red-diaper baby (“You may say I’m a dreamer!”). Everywhere Obama goes, he apologizes in his uniquely arrogant way for the presumed prior arrogance of the US, as he imagines it. But when Obama refers to the US, he does not mean himself, and he does not mean the US citizens who believe as he does. He isn’t apologizing for his country, he’s apologizing for those in his country who believe differently from him. Obama himself is never to blame for anything, foreign or domestic. He has inherited problems? Well, what President has not?
And why shouldn’t he be naive and cynical? Obama has never been responsible for anything his entire life. He was a figurehead at the Harvard Law Review. He somehow managed to graduate from Columbia, apparently, without having to pass its language requirement, which, until proven wrong, I’m going to insist was in place at the time he was there. He wasn’t responsible for the waste of $150 million poured into radical school reform in Chicago with no positive benefit. He wasn’t responsible for the machine politics that he engaged in while an Illinois State Senator and later US Senator. He wasn’t responsible for spending 20 years sitting in the pews of race-baiting conspiracy theorist preacher Reverend Wright’s Church of Blame Whitey. He isn’t responsible for the sweet land deal that he received from Rezko. He wasn’t responsible for claiming he’d accept public financing and then changing his mind. He wasn’t responsible for the verification mechanisms being shut off at his campaign donation site. He isn’t responsible for campaigning on promises not to make lobbyists part of his administration, just as he wasn’t responsible for the hand up he received from radical liars Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. He won’t be responsible for his campaign promises that no one making under $250k per annum would see a dime’s worth of increase in their tax burden. He certainly isn’t responsible for not having read line-by-line the Porkulus Bill, as he’d promised, and excised all of the pork. He was somehow appointed to a lucrative position at the University of Chicago School of Law, despite having no history of publication. He received a very lucrative advance on a book deal that he proceeded to blow deadlines on. He received another on entering the White House.
He has never been responsible for anything but time serving and sinecure.
So, Obama has good reason to be naive. Naive and cynical.
The indictment will outline the financial conspiracy behind 58 different transactions, including shipments of various banned materials from China to Iran between 2006 and late 2008.
Among them:
* 33,000 pounds of a specialized aluminum alloy used almost exclusively in long-range missile production.
* 66,000 pounds of tungsten copper plate, which is used in missile guidance systems.
* 53,900 pounds of maraging steel rods, a superhard metal used in uranium enrichment and to make the casings for nuclear bombs.The recipient is believed to have been a subsidiary of the Iranian Defense Ministry.
The suspect, who is not believed to be in the U.S., set up four bogus import-export companies that did business with six Iranian shell firms, one source said.
“They took elaborate steps to conceal the identity of the shipper and the recipient,” the source said.
The deals went through “several” New York banks, which cooperated when the alleged plot was uncovered.
“The New York banks were completely unaware,” the source said.
Authorities first stumbled over the scheme seven months ago in an unrelated probe into Iranian money-laundering through Lloyd’s, a British bank.
In January, Lloyd’s paid a $350 million fine to settle accusations it “stripped” information from Iranian money transfers to New York banks, hiding where the cash came from.
Officials said they suspected that money was also used to finance Iran’s nuke program.
“The important thing is to put sunlight on these deals,” the law enforcement source said.
I hope it does not take a crisis for Obama to grow a set.
Maybe Michelle Obama will lend hers to him.
Some further insight into the Lloyds debacle:
http://www.e3gazette.com/2009/01/and-we-wonder-why-sanctions-dont-work.html
Aside from that – naive, cynical… at least he’ll have more muslims surrounding him!
http://www.e3gazette.com/2009/04/white-house-seeks-muslim-adherents-for.html
– MuscleDaddy
When even cynn realizes that Obama is a tool I’m thinking the game is near up. You can fool some of the people all of the time, but the people who remain fooled are becoming more of a minority every day.
It remains to be seen how our Narcissist-in-Chief will respond to this dawning realization, but I’m thinking his response will be one of the things that make our times interesting.
cynn said that???
Holy schnikies batman.
I just wish there was ONE military type that Obama might bother to listen to for fifteen minutes.
Clark comes to mind, but he’s almost as big an idiot on strategy as is Obama… but somebody needs to sit down and explain the math of three hundred million unmarried, never will be married, un- or underemployed Chinese men, the world’s largest manufacturing base, and a world where America has unilaterally laid down its nuclear arsenal.
For jollies, the same military professional could go over the track record of ChiCom penetration in our intelligence, industrial research, and political institutions. I think he probably knows a lot about the latter topic. The briefer could mention that over the past five years the Chinese have built a blue water ‘phib capability from almost scratch. That they have a cruise missile capability that we don’t have a clear understanding of.
That their submarines got about ten years more quiet in just a few years.
Oh… WAIT a minute. I forgot: it’s our fault if we are attacked. We’ve got it coming.
And our president believes just that.
Well, March madness was a hoot, wasn’t it? Baseball now, isn’t it?
O/T Does any one know if the person who refers to his/herself as Capitulus is Deb Frish. One of the other commenters at Hot Air is suspicious
(please forgive the repeat post)
Obama is a gardener, a gardener of crises. With Chaunce like devotion, he has been busy sowing many seeds, everywhere. Most will not germinate.
Of the ones that do the most suitable will be turned over to the forced growth and harvesting specialists of Axlerod, Carville and Dean. When fully mature and ripe the packaging and marketing arms we call Hollywood and MSM come in to make the sale.
A faster version of the Clinton fall from ’92 to ’95. Like Clinton there will be a crisis. One sown from his own arrogant, incomprehensible, and imbecilic actions. It will be blamed on his political enemies, falsely but plausibly.
Clinton used his to get reelected and to take down some of his political enemies. Obama is not facing reelection, he will use his to attempt to annihilate all his opposition. His preferred election strategy is to run unopposed.
That’s the domestic version. Internationally spread seeds can be much messier. They tend to sprout stubborn kudzu like weeds. This foreign trip may bloom badly for him, us and all everywhere.
This reminds us it might be better to require our prospective Presidents to prove themselves by successfully running something, somewhere, preferably bigger than their mouths.
But, gee willikers, isn’t it just so COOL to have assuaged all that darned old white guilt by electing a gentleman of colour? If it costs us an economic collapse and a degeneration of world order, and leads to a few catastrophes, well, that’s the price you just have to pay for so much COOLness, you know?
That’s the COOLest, you know! Pimping that defeater’s lack’o experience and skin color narrative as The Man brings Europe in line in one sweep. You have to be hip to be square, I suppose.
Let me try to be rethuglidum COOL too. The last election: It was merely about his skin color!
Was that hick-punky enough?
Fawning right into line. Which is awesome, as long is your goal is to Hail M’chelle.
So, how much support did he get for Afghanistan, thor?
Don’t confuse thor with facts….. or with anyone having an IQ above room temperature either.
So, how much support did he get for Afghanistan, thor?
You and your damn measurable results.
The point is that they said nice things about him.
I think Obama the Feckless might be a good thing for Europe. They’ve spent decades behind our aegis, devoting all to butter and nothing to guns.
Now we’re stuck with Jimmy Carter II, Russia’s feeling its oats, and Iran”s getting ready to acquire nuclear weapons.
I have no doubt that many European leaders, finding themselves to the right of Obama the Feckless, are beginning to think a bit about rebuilding their military infrastructure. Which is all to the good, IMHO.
In related news: I was watching CNN at the gym this morning. They popped up a factoid that 88% of people who get their news from CNN think America now has better relations with Europe. I don’t know whether that means Obama the Feckless is having an effect, or CNN’s propaganda machine works.
Well, here’s his big chance to shine: Somali pirates kidnap 21 Americans.
Save us, Teleprompter Jesus! You’re our only hope!
Slightly more than that stuttering numbnut who was in office ten weeks ago.
Haha. Weak burrito-fu.
Liar.
Related: the Human Gaffe Machine speaks out on Offgawwwwwwneeeeeeestawn.
Breaking: All Republicans inbred.
Breaking: thor is a serial liar who has nothing but insults to bring to the table.
The Euros told your plastic Presendent to go fuck himself, thor.
Deal with it.
Related: Bush seen drinking moonshine.
Uh, no. Bush got everyone who’s ever been there over the last 7+ years. O’Bambi got 300 gendarmes. Chalk that one up in the fail column.
This just in: Bush isn’t President any more. Thor fails to get new material.
Trouble at home for Barky and his cronies, too: Palatine votes to secede from Crook County.
Huffing aguardiente and drinking industrial adhesives just makes hicks bitterer.
Put the brown paper bags down.
Update: thor still has nothing but cliched insults.
Bored with you now, thor. Back in the troll bin you go.
Breaking: Less is more.
Related: Up is down.
More lovely economic news: cities resort to printing their own currency.
Well, here’s his big chance to shine: Somali pirates kidnap 21 Americans.
I expect him to react to this just as well as he did to those two chicks kidnapped by the madman in pajamas.
I’m just saying, folks, perhaps it’s not a good time to travel abroad. Apparently they LOVE us so much now that O is in the white house, they’re kidnapping us.
They aren’t pirates, Carin. They are flag-challenged seamen.
It’s an undocumented navy.
I just know, in regards to nukes, that if we put down our nuclear arms everyone else will too!!!! I think I read it on a bumpersticker.
Words, cheap as they are, are neither “cost effective” nor “proven”. In fact as a defense they are exactly the opposite.
Is thor even advancing a point or an argument? He might as well come in here and start typing batting averages for the Boston Redsox.
duh, Mr Pink. That’s why it’s pointless to engage.
You know what I find helpful, is to type a reply where I insult his manhood, intelligence, and crack habit and then just delete it. In the time it takes me to compose, the more sensible part of me realizes the futility. But, I do feel kinda better.
I should trollhammer, but it makes my pages load slowly. And, for a brief moment, his comments appear anyway.
Obama managed to annoy Sarcozy more than once. So much for a complete European swoonfest.
He’ll get tested soon enough, I think, by Israel. Iran will not be allowed to acquire a nuclear-tipped missile.
And my favorite part is where the few liberal friends I do still have have been saying they think “history” may decide he was the best president ever. I get the whole “but he’s at 60% approval rating. What was Bush at ? -5%? roflcopter”
The only people I see swooning are the journalists covering this.
Pink, they are the only ones who matter.
It’s really interesting to see people place so much stock in mere words. In line in a week? The naivete on display is hilarious, considering the source. It’s like he’s never seen the Euros do nothing but make a big show of doing it.
Empty posturing. We remain on our own.
Anyone seen this yet?
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=da8_1239137290
Yeah they really really love him.
Ha! They did blackface? too rich.
Mr. Pink, am I seeing a translator in blackface?
They sort of overdid the contrast, no?
Another thread derailed…
#34 – I just find myself stopping by less.
“that word you’re using, it doesn’t mean what you think it does” Who would think the Princess
Bride would be the key to presidential statements
Well, it doesn’t have to be derailed. I think this is a good and important post. Obama’s foreign policy is (perhaps) even more frightening than his domestic one. The good thing is that we can criticize Obama w/o resorting to ad hominems. I mean, we could because it’s FUN. But not a necessity.
[…] Camille, but enough people predicted exactly this turn of events. From BHO’s known history, we find him surrounded by and befriending some very questionable individuals; most notably […]
[…] Camille, but enough people predicted exactly this turn of events. From BHO’s known history, we find him surrounded by and befriending some very questionable individuals; most notably […]
[…] Camille, but enough people predicted exactly this turn of events. From BHO’s known history, we find him surrounded by and befriending some very questionable individuals; most notably […]
Derail this, thorbage..
Well speaking of his foreign apology tour, after his numerous gaffes, bowing to the Saudi King, and his recent idiocy in Turkey, all not being reported to the point that 85% of the American public will never hear of them, I have come to the conclusion that we are being fed propaganda. What else am I supposed to think though when there are deliberate news blackouts on information that would harm O! in all the major news outlets contrasted with hype that a rock concert would not get? I have been voicing that opinion lately to people that value my opinion and even they look at me like I am saying something off the wall but when I look at what information they are being fed daily it is hard to be surprised. To be honest I am not surprised his poll numbers aren’t higher than 60 percent that he continually gets.
The ironic pose – trying desperately to hide the naivety with a veneer of lame scorn.
He’s still just a Cook County hack.
I am surprised I mean.
I think , Pink, that a large majority of liberals are simply no longer interested in politics. People who regularly frequented and debated on my blog simply no longer appear. I don’t know if they’ve taken a sheepish approach to acknowledging their mistake, or if they simply have some sort of paternalistic approach to politics. Their guy is in, so they can relax. Until, of course, Bill Maher tell ’em it’s time to worry again.
HuffPo is filled with only the most complex of banking matters, so their understanding of that doesn’t go beyond the rudimentary.
My father was down visiting my cousin (who – when I was there in October – went on a viscious anti-Palin attack) and not a word was spoken about politics. Their two issues were the environment (laughable, since they-by far- have a larger-than-average footprint) and the deficit.
This is what the majority of people are being fed.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090408/pl_politico/21010
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090408/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama
And look another halo behind his head.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2009/03/31/GA2009033103365.html?sid=ST2009040704513
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/politics/2009/04/08/hill.michelle.essence.cnn
Carin, I think there’s a sense of economic doom that’s sinking in. Politics may be moot; a second-tier concern at best. There’s an understanding here, but even that’s just guesswork. But we all know things will never go back to business as usual.
53
I can not speak for individuals following the news, hell they do not even have to. I was speaking about most American’s sources of information, specifically the low information voter’s sources of information. They are simply not hearing ANY negative information or information contrary to the narrative that Obama is the greatest thing since sliced bread and everybody loves him. It is textbook cardstacking.
“Card stacking:
Card stacking, or selective omission, is one of the seven techniques identified by the IPA, or Institute for Propaganda Analysis. It involves only presenting information that is positive to an idea or proposal and omitting information contrary to it. Card stacking is used in almost all forms of propaganda, and is extremely effective in convincing the public. Although the majority of information presented by the card stacking approach is true, it is dangerous because it omits important information. The best way to deal with card stacking is to get more information.”
http://library.thinkquest.org/C0111500/proptech.htm
53
I agree with your point though. Most people on the left I know simply do not follow it anywhere near as closely as they used to now that “their” guy won. All is good with the world now and any debate can be ended with a simple “but Bush blah blah blah”.
Comment by thor on 4/8 @ 2:05 am #
Please ignore the talking STD.
Thank you.
Comment by Spies, Brigands, and Pirates on 4/8 @ 5:25 am #
Please ignore the talking canker sore.
Thank you.
The MSM is playing one very dangerous game. Sooner or later that kowtow to the Saudis, and other Obama foolishness, is going to breakthrough. If not sooner as news then later as political advertisement.
The later the denouement occurs the worse it will be for the MSM and for Obama. People may not consciously wonder why they had not yet seen the images, but deep down they will know.
#59 erm, that needs some clarification. Or do I just need another cup of coffee?
Re 59: I believe the proper term is chancre, not canker sore.
Ug, Pink. I just lost my breakfast reading one of those links. Here, let me share it with the class:
The previously unannounced Iraq trip was confined to the main U.S. military base there, Camp Victory. Attention from the new commander in chief proved a huge morale booster, judging from the wildly cheering audience that greeted the president at a former palace of the late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.
“I love you,” shouted one of the hundreds of soldiers gathered in a marble-covered atrium. “I love you back,” yelled Obama, positioned before a massive U.S. flag.
I’ll bet you $500 the soldier who said that wasn’t combat.
63
You never know. Odds are that it was a female which means it wouldn’t be infantry but in an asymetrical war an MP or truck driver could be every inch the front line soldier.
His understanding is limited by his refusal to see any Democrat as having any part in the financial mess. Or any mess foreign or domestic.
Indeed he sees them as the saviors if they will only take forceful action and nationalize most everything in sight. Fire and prosecute all those evil private sector people before those Glen Beck lynch mobs hang them while rampaging through the streets shooting at and looting from all the good decent common folk.
His solution is prosecute and imprision the “rich”, this is to stop the mobs from hanging them for the crime of having more. Nationalize much of the private sector to keep those rich from appearing again. Then have all the common folk live much poorer lives as they have been sucking the Earth dry of resources.
Obama and the Democrats are seen as the only calming, rational, and pure at heart force to stave off the ravening, tattooed?, right wing mob. This is a projected, cartoon reality.
*They are flag-challenged seamen.*
We took away their flags ! Its our fault ! OUR FAULT !!
I can’t figure out why Jeff doesn’t just ban thor- while I can understand the need for a decent liberal foil, I haven’t heard a fact or an actual response to an argument in, oh I don’t know, foreever. And what kind of response is “Bush drinks moonshine”. Ok, my counter argument “Obama’s a fucking coke fiend and does lines off of Michelle’s spectacular arms in the oval”.
He’s tried, Matt. It doesn’t work.
If you want to really get a good laugh Carin just start googling old AP stories of when Bush visited troops and compare them. The difference is pretty freakin glaring.
Just tell me if you can find one that doesn’t either mention the total death toll or death toll for the month in the first paragraph.
Yeah Pink but how many troops shouted out to Bush “I LOVE YOU!!!”?
How can banning not work ? You’ll have to forgive me, I know almost nothing about the seedy underworld of blogging…
Bans only stop those who agree to be banned. You ban an IP address. They get another. It’s like gun control, which only controls the guns of those who are not a problem to begin with.
TrollHammer is the best solution so far. Better than anything that Usenet ever came up with in all the many millions of flame-wars and trolls.
When you’re orderd to yell “I love you!”, you damn well better yell “I love you!”. I’m your momma now.
Obama like Entourage.
I like Entourage too. And the Wire was okay. I would be more impressed if he watched The Sopranos and Rome and (dare I say) John Adams.
And I admit that I have laughed at Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Naive. Ha ha ha. That kills me. Everybody knows the word naïve takes a diaeresis. Insist all you want, but leave off that one little dot and you’re automatically naïve.
No SRSLY, if this administration slides a full term without international incident it will be by miracle, this isn’t academialand anymore. Governments simply cannot put to proof those policies that have already failed elsewhere repeatedly and expect success while simultaneously dismanteling those policies that have already demonstrated success. What distortion of reality believes otherwise? Ah, fairness. The world is simply not fair, and it never will be. Period. The thing that’s truely unfair is the attempt to make its so. I suppose this must be re-learned over and over again, and that’s truly naïve. But I must add, as an observer, I’m enjoying watching the show of this dispicable party crash and burn. By watching the show I mean to say watching the reviews of the show for the show itself and its principals are unbearable to watch, and have been for years.
Obama thinks John Adams is Michelle’s personal trainer. The arms have it.
*I’m enjoying watching the show of this dispicable party crash and burn*
I can certainly understand the sentiment but the country is crashing and burning with them – they are in complete control. My 401k is crashing and burning, my credit is crashing and burning, my employment opportunities are crashing and burning. And the media fiddles (and suckles) while the country burns. I look no further than the blind servitude to democratic causes deeply ingrained in the press as the primary cause behind the slide into socialism. The 4th estate are supposed to be gatekeepers and instead, like traitors, they’ve thrown open the gates for the barbarian socialists waiting just outside. Its despicable. The interest thing is, look no further than the woes of liberal rags and sagging ratings of network news and liberal cable “news” shows. People are doing the job the press just won’t do- finding out the truth- and when they find the press has been lying to them or are so slanted towards a particular agenda that the truth is nebulous, these people are canceling their subcriptions and changing the TV channel- its capitalism at work – failed businesses go under.
That being said, if that socialist asshole and his minions give the newspapers bailouts, I’m going to revolt. Let the gray lady die a long painful death from cancer- maybe some of the other “news” outlets will take note (though I doubt it).
Not to mention, Matt, that the government expansions planned by Barack will be with us forever. Barring a miracle.
Obama needs to study before he can be called naive. I’d go with ignorant buffoon. In a few months, he might realize that they aren’t laughing at his jokes, they are laughing at him.
“In a few months, he might realize that they aren’t laughing at his jokes, they are laughing at him.”
Not with media covering for him. It’s not that the emperor has no clothes, it’s that the media likes him nekkid.
Perhaps this has already been posted. China seems to think that they need a rapid, foolproof way to sink our aircraft carriers. They are developing ballistic missiles with terminal homing capability in order to hit moving ships in the middle of the ocean. Ships locations to be tracked by Chinese military satellites.
“TAIPEI, Taiwan – China is developing anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) that could sink U.S. aircraft carriers responding to a Taiwan Strait crisis, a development that has some defense analysts and former U.S. and Taiwan government officials envisioning scenarios like this:
In March 2012, Washington responds to Chinese threats to invade Taiwan by sending two U.S. aircraft carrier groups toward the Taiwan Strait. Rhetoric out of Beijing and Washington escalates with threats and counterthreats, then open battle.”
More:
http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?i=3307277
Yarg. These are capabilities that don’t yet exist. When they do exist, they’ll rely heavily on radar, which our Carrier Battle Groups have in spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs and notrump.
I’d guess that we could shoot these things out of the sky before they ever had a chance to activate their radar, and any leakers would have their “eyes” fried out of their head by active jammers on any of the escort ships, or on the carriers themselves.