OBAMARAMA

President Obama is a good man. I don't think anybody doubts that. Is he a good president? That's a question that doesn't have an answer yet. If it were up to me I would stop all future elections and let Obama hold the reins of this country for as long as he's wants to. I see no politician today who is as intelligent, charismatic, or sincere. Now his sincerity is shaped by Obama the savvy politician, but I believe there's a heart and a soul leading his every decision. Can he lead us out of the mess that the Bush administration left behind? In the beginning, not without creating his own mess. That's been quite evident lately. The kid's still learning. But he's a quick study and my money's on him.

Though a savvy politician he still doesn't have enough experience to take on the old politics. That takes more than intelligence and a smooth tongue. Power is what's respected on Capital Hill, and although he's the president, most of the power is still in old alliances. He has to trade his intelligence for a horse traders sensibility. Obama knows this. That's why he hired so many politicians from the Clinton years. They know the game, they've played it before. But knowing the game isn't the same as knowing how to play the game well. Lyndon Johnson knew the game backwards and forwards. He got things done. Obama may be the more cultured individual, but Johnson is the better politician. He got things done. Like Obama he got stuck with an unpopular war and instead of getting out he stepped into quicksand, but other than that, his years in the White House are bright with achievements.

Another thing Obama has to learn is how to truly lead. He's a good organizer, but that's not the same as leading. He constantly has to explain what he's trying to accomplish because his actions aren't clear. He's become the salesman of his own policies instead of the initiator. At least that how it seems. He might have a firm hand behind the scenes but in public what we see is a charismatic person talking about what he wants to accomplish with sincere fervor, but there isn't much fervor in his actions. And if he listens to the people, they're confused, and more than a little worried that the path he's taking us on may be leading us over a cliff.

The people are confused by the new health care policies, the new fiscal policies, they're confused about just about everything. That's why a leader has to step in and take charge. Make things clear. Who's in charge of this country? The banks take our money, and then thumb their noses at us as they go back to the business of sucking on the big money-tit and not thinking of the country at all. The government is making changes so credit card companies can no longer gouge its customers, so the credit card companies are gouging their customers before the new laws take effect, and the government isn't stopping them. So, what good are the changes? This country is lauded as having a government for the people, by the people, but now it seems the people are just patsies to be used like toilet paper by by those with any level of power. Lobbyists are still pushing their wares to get an edge, get things their way. They know the game. They play it well. Obama is a quick study. I hope he's quick enough. This country is slowly sinking because of the stupidity of the last administration. Let's hope the intelligence of the new one doesn't get mired in playing the wrong game with good intentions, because of ignorance as to how the game is really played.

WE CAN'T WIN FOR LOSING AFHGANISTAN.

Some are calling Afghanistan "Obama's war," as if being handed the broom to clean up after the elephant makes it his mess. It's not his, it's the elephants, it will always be the elephants. Obama is just the guy stuck with the broom.

If anyone thinks we can win the war in Afghanistan, they should go back to playing with their GI Joe dolls, because it isn't going to happen. We had our chance and we blew it. We blew it twice. After helping the mujaheddin guerrillas defeat the Soviets by supplying weapons, we could've stayed and helped the country. Already a poor country, Afghanistan was really hurting after the Soviets were driven out. We could've helped. They thought we would. But after we got what we wanted, we walked away. The Taliban emerged from the chaos that followed.

After 9/11 the United States demanded that the Taliban hand over bin Laden. The Taliban leader, Mullah Omar, said he couldn't. So, on October 7th, 2001, the US launched missile attacks against Taliban and al-Qaeda targets.By early 2002 the Taliban were driven out of power. A definite victory. And what did our government do with it? It decided to attack Iraq. Yes, stupidity prevailed, and Rumsfeld removed troops and and weaponry from Afghanistan to feed the new war in Iraq. The result? The Taliban returned, determined to stay this time, and it looks like they're succeeding.

We've turned victory into defeat, twice. And what are we left with?

We have succeeded in creating two thoroughly corrupt governments that have helped themselves to the coffers of their respective countries, (much of it our money), while its citizens still struggle to stay alive. We made a big deal about people risking their lives to vote in Afghanistan and Iraq. That was supposed to banner-wave our victory. We love the symbols of democracy. There is no democracy in Afghanistan or Iraq. There never has been, never will be. Afghanistan and Iraq are both tribal cultures. Democracy doesn't fit. Read their histories and be saddened by the ignorance of our government in plunging us into wars that have left us weakened, vulnerable, and disheartened.

ANOTHER TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT.

I completed my blog about Sarah Palin's latest foray into the limelight and when I hit edit to make a few changes, lo and behold, I had an entire ad from something called SarahPAC, asking me to donate to the Sarah Palin cause. Obviously they hadn't read my blog, but I was entertained by what they wrote.

Here's a piece of it: "SarahPAC believes the Republican Party is at the threshold of an historic renaissance that will build a better future for all. Health care, education, and reform of government are among our key goals. Join us today."

Historic renaissance? The Republican Party is back to learning to tie its shoelaces. And a better future? The Republican Party dominated the government for over seven years. We're living the future they created, and it sucks, big time. And their key goals mirror the key goals of the government right now. So, why aren't they voicing their renaissance ideas now when new legislation is being created? Could it be they're waiting for mighty Sarah to save the day?

If you read the entire ad it's a diatribe against the enemies of Sarah Palin. Like everything else, these are vague and not named. The jist of it is: Give Sarah your money, and you can rescue her, and in turn she will rescue you. Hallelujah, amen.

Lamebrains and lambasters unite, you have found your messiah.

PALIN TAKES HER SHOT.

Sheee's back. Yes, Sarah Palin the populist airhead lionized by those Republicans who only judge a book by its cover, is back in the spotlight wrapping her tongue around the flag and spouting red white and blue rhetoric that has her fans salivating for more. And more she'll give them, I'm sure.

She's resigned as governor of Alaska. Her reasons were expressed in a convoluted mishmash of nonsense that only made sense to translators from the Republican Party, who actually made her sound rational. If only.

At the picnic where she officially resigned, she let us know that in Alaska "we eat therefore we hunt!" I was hoping she'd wave a rifle like Calamity Jane, but she didn't. Sarah Palin may be personable, but she's not presidential. And if the Republicans intend to push her to the front of the line and then follow her, I think they should rename themselves the Lemming Party.

But who knows, the Republicans already half ruined this country with the last idiot they pushed forward, why not finish us off completely with another one. Sometimes we're as stupid as they think we are. Sarah Palin may put that statment to the test.

IRAN

Here in the United States we know about stolen elections. We had one, but we didn't go running into the streets to shout our outrage. We grumbled, shrugged, and went on with our lives, while the new president dragged us further down than we've ever been before. OK, it's not exactly the same thing, our election was real, votes were counted, not just dumped in order to create the illusion of an overwhelming plurality. But the result was the same, the wrong man jumped in front of the line, proving that even in a real democracy there's enough corruption to blur what is true.

And now in Iran there's blood raging, and running, down the streets. You can watch a young woman's last breath on YouTube. See her eyes take one last look at the world before she bleeds to death, listening to her companions shouting their anguish at her passing. What horror. What passion, as the people continue pouring out into the streets, shouting encouragement to each other as they risk their lives to give voice to their feelings. This is not just about freedom, it's also about wanting a government they can trust. The elections are a lie, a blatant, obvious lie, a gob of spit in the face of democracy, and that's why they're out there being beaten, tear gassed, killed. The government's actions have told them that they don't count for anything, and they want the government to know it's wrong.

Meanwhile here in the United States, a compassionate president gives a heartfelt message and is called weak. He's been called this before, even during the election process, his machismo was called into question. The fact that he has to tread carefully in order not to have the Iran government use his message as proof of their allegations that it is the United States and England who are instigating these protests, doesn't bother these politician. They want the United States to be the pit bull of the world again. The last president we had would certainly be snarling and growling the machismo creed. Either him, or his vice president, who had such a blood lust he shot one of his best friends while hunting.

These politicians aren't used to intelligent governing. The last president told the whole world to f__k off, that the United States would do whatever it wanted to do whether they liked it or not. He let Rumsfeld strut into Iraq with his intelligent weapons blazing, and no one realized that only the weapons were intelligent, the thinking behind them was stupid. Some politicians are nostalgic for the blind fury of stupidity.

My only hope is that President Obama continues to govern with compassion and intelligence, and not listen to those who failed us but want a second chance to do it again.

As for the Iranians... may their courage grant them something besides death and sorrow. We want them to win, because in pursuing a free society, they have become our brothers and sisters. The whole world is watching. God Bless them. God help them. God help us all.

PRIME EVIL

The New York Times recently printed a headline that read, U.S. LAWYERS AGREED ON THE LEGALITY OF BRUTAL TACTIC. The legality? What does that mean? A band of lawyers, some of them acknowledging it was a mistake, gave the green light to 13 methods of interrogation, One of the lawyers, John C. Yoo, declared in a memorandum that only pain equal to that produced by organ failure or death qualified as torture. So, according to Mr. Yoo, as long as you don't kill them you're on solid legal ground.

What does one thing have to do with the other? Declaring waterboarding legal doesn't make it any less a torture. Just reading its description tells you how barbaric it is. Michael Mukasey, President Bush's pick for attorney general, called waterboarding personally "repugnant," but concluded he didn't know enough about how it'd been used to define it as torture. Has our conscience become so numbed, and our morality so corrupt, that an obvious act of torture is no longer immediately repellent, but turned over to lawyers to discuss it's legality?

We're not the only country to use waterboarding to interrogate. It was used by the Japanese in World War II, by U.S. troops in the Philipines and by the French in Algeria. The British used it against both Arabs and Jews in occupied Palestine in the 1930's. In 1947, the United States charged a Japanese officer, Yukio Asano, with war crimes for waterboarding a U.S. citizen. And other countries have used it at one time or another. This horror dates back to the 14th century.

None of this matters. What matters is that if at this stage of our evolution the best we can do is create weak excuses for barbaric behavior, then we're lost as a civilization. Our moral compass is askew, and we are lost, lost beyond redemption, because in excusing our brutality, we lose our conscience--and isn't that what anchors our morality?

HERE COMES THE JUDGE

Judge Santamayor has the Republicans in a tizzy. They don't want to upset the growing Hispanic community by being downright hostile, yet, they don't want anyone leaning away from the right- the direction they nudged the court when they had the power. In obvious desperation they've plucked one remark to wave like a red flag in order to cast doubt on a judge whose heard appeals in 3,ooo cases and has written 380 opinions. The Republicans still want everyone to play by their rules; they are the spoiled brats of politics. That red flag they're waving is the emperor's new clothes on a stick. They have nothing. Get out of the way, boys, here comes the judge.

WE EXPERIENCE THEIR FAILURES EVERYDAY.

The Republicans are chasing their own tails looking for a new direction. They had almost eight years of power to make this country better, and instead took a strong economy and turned it into a total nightmare,while shoving us into a war we should never have entered. So, now they're trying to convince us that they know better. They've learned their lesson, and if we just give them a second chance, they will give us back the country we deserve. You know, those Reagan years, when life was good, and the Republicans proud, and able to hold their heads high.
Carping and whining, or ranting like rabid dogs, one is appalled not inspired. You can't listen to any of them without wanting them to shut up. Big egos, little minds, their holier-than-thou rhetoric now turned into background noise, the Republicans are victims of their own actions and they can't escape that. We experience their failures everyday, and nothing they say can erase the pain of that experience.

SHAKESPEARE KNOWS RUSH LIMBAUGH

I listened to a bit of Rush Limbaugh's rant at the Conservative Political Action Conference the other night. With a backdrop of more American flags than you see at a Fourth of July parade, he puffed himself up like a giant blow fish and tried to eke a flame out of the ashes of defeat. He postured long and loud, and there's no need to go any further than to quote Shakespeare: "Twas a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

MORE REPUBLICAN MEMORY LAPSE

The Republicans have separated themselves from the present government. If they can't own the playing field they don't want to play. They had the field for 7 years. They played badly. Worst, they let it run down, didn't care, drained all the profit from it, brought it to almost complete ruin, and now they act like only they can save us from the damage they created. I'm not into this democratic "we're all to blame' theme that moderators keep throwing out to calm the angry populace. No, we're not to blame, the idiots that were holding the reins for seven years are to blame.

Under Bush and the Republicans, we ended up with a tax code favoring the rich, a huge national debt, an 850 billion dollar trade deficit, hemorrhaging mortgage defaults, and a weak dollar. There was also no real investment in the future, no effort to train people with the skills to compete in the new world markets. We've been running in place while countries, like India and China, keep picking up their pace.

During one of the presidential debates in 2000 between Gore and Bush, they argued over how to spend the anticipated $2.2 trillion budget surplus. Remember? Yeah, there actually was a surplus before the Republicans took over. What's funny is that the Republicans are aghast that the Democrats want to spend this same amount to save the economy. They had the $2 trillion, they blew it, and now they're shocked that we need that amount to climb out of the hole they put us in.

OK, but let's move on.
I'd like to give a tip of my hat to John Kenneth Galbraith. In his The New Industrial State (1967) Galbraith argued that major corporations dominated the economy to such an extent that they no longer responded to the old laws of the market, but rather dominated it. This allowed them to control market demand, determining even the actions of the government, which gave them tremendous economic clout, that they used to further their own interests, rather than society's. I think that sums up one of the main reasons we're in the mess we're in.

What are the Republicans so upset about? President Obama is following classic Keynesian economics. They on the other hand are pushing "voodoo economics", the term given it by the senior Bush. The basic premise is, that if you give to the rich, everything works out great. Yeah, for the rich. The Republicans have taken this economic philosophy of inequality to heart, have in fact formed a cult around it. I'll be writing more on that, in more probing detail, in my next blog.

SOLUTION TO OUR FISCAL PROBLEMS

Yes, I have the solution to the fiscal problem. Let President Obama trademark all images of himself and his family so that every time someone sells a photo, a button, a TShirt, or whatever, a small percentage of the sale goes to the government. I think the national debt could be paid off in a year or two this way. Get on it Mr. President-- and keep smiling.

REPUBLICAN MEMORY LAPSE

Today I saw a banner headline that read: "Republicans Urge Responsible Spending of Taxpayers Dollars." I later saw another banner headline. It read: Under Bush Federal Spending Increases at Fastest Rate In 30 Years. President elect Obama is talking about spending to save this country from complete bankruptcy and depression, the Republicans spent our taxpayer dollars, that they're now so diligently protecting, because...well, because they could. Let me quote from The Independent Institute: "President George W. Bush is now on his way to becoming the first full-term president since John Quincy Adams (1825-1829) to not veto a single bill. The result is a congress that has been completely unconstrained in satiating its appetite for pork and corporate welfare." Does this sound like "responsible spending of taxpayer dollars?" It sounds like the Republicans had a party with our money, and now that the banks are failing, they put out that sombre, self righteous bullshit, that makes them so endearing to themselves.

This proves to me what I've always known, the Republicans are hypocritical con men/women, who twist the truth anyway they can in order to advance themselves, or control the politics of this country. They only talk about protecting our taxpayer money after they've spent it. They think of themselves as superior to the rest of us, and we prove them right by voting for someone like Bush--- twice. But now we have a Democrat who is far superior to any Republican they can put forth. In comparison, he makes Bush look like the lethal lamebrain he is. They'll try and trip Obama up, try and make him look bad, you know, try to pull the bullshit over our eyes again. But it's hard to make a truly intelligent man look stupid. Yet Karl Rove is probably grooming some idiot savant right now in preparation for the next Republican takeover. Sarah Palin, pick up the phone, Svengali Rove wants to prepare you for your close up.