President Obama and the Afghanistan War

President Obama gave his speech yesterday at West Point, explaining his plans and policy for prosecuting the Afghanistan war.  There wasn't much wrong with it, except the setting of an arbitrary timeline for withdrawal.

I am unconvinced of Obama's will to win.  He has taken on an important task, but doesn't fully believe in it and isn't fully committed to it.  A large part of his base is opposed to any avenue but withdrawal.  A couple of days ago far-out leftist Michael Moore wrote a public letter to President Obama urging him to immediately withdraw all troops from Afghanistan and to abandon the war effort altogether.

Both General McChrystal and Sarah Palin are happy with Obama's new course, i.e. a troop surge in Afghanistan.  Rush Limbaugh is highly skeptical of it.  My feeling is one of mild skepticism and pessimism.

The most convincing argument I have heard against Obama's plan concerns the 18 month timeline for withdrawal.  Local Afghanis will be reluctant to cooperate with us, knowing that they may soon be abandoned.  Those who do cooperate will be killed by the victorious Taliban after we leave.  Smart Afghanis will hedge their bets and stay neutral in order to stay alive.

See Fox News "Obama's Afghan Plan Fails to Satisfy Left or Right"

President Barack Obama

Barack Obama is now officially the President of the United States. I watched the inauguration on television and was put off by the number of grown people crying with tears running down their faces, as if in deep joy or in religious awakening.

Obama did give an excellent speech, however. Except for a few points eliciting groans, like his references to global warming, I found the speech inspiring. Of course, a new President's speech should be to inspire and to unite, and in that regard President Obama did very well. My favorite line was this:

"We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."

Holy smoke, Obama actually sounded on our side for once.

Now with all the pomp and circumstance behind him, it is time to do the actual work of being President. That will be a lot more tedious and difficult than giving speeches.

So for the new President, I can only say, good luck. May your wisdom increase, may you grow in office, may your stated goal be realized: to deliver freedom intact to future generations of Americans. May you prove me wrong about my lack of faith in your abilities and vision; may you govern so well that I might actually consider voting for you next time. Don't count on it -- but in any case, may your Presidency be successful beyond what any and all loyal Americans could have hoped for.

Waiting for the Other Shoe to Drop

In another two weeks Obama becomes the President of the United States. I can't help but feel that one of the most incompetent administrations in US history is about to take over the reins of government. That it will be supported by such clowns as Al Franken, who appears to have successfully stolen the senatorial election in Minnesota, is appropriate.

Now hype and hoopla will no longer save the day. Obama and his team of Clinton retreads will have to face the real world and perform. Obama hasn't said much about the Israeli-Hamas conflict, ostensibly because Bush is still the President and he's not yet. However, I fear that he hasn't said anything because he doesn't have a clue as to what to say. Will the Obama Administration be frozen by indecision? Paralysis by analysis? Will Obama reply to the daunting questions of current events with a question of his own, "Why can't I just eat my waffle?" We shall see.

Meanwhile, Israel seems to be taking advantage of the time remaining in the Bush Administration to wipe out the den of vipers known as Hamas. I am gratified and surprised to see that Israel hasn't yielded to international pressure to stop killing these terrorists; they are pressing on as if they are actually serious about finishing the job instead of apologizing for their own existence. You'd think the Israeli leadership grew gonads or something. I'm shocked beyond belief. But I approve. Keep up the skeer, Israel! (That's a quote from my favorite Civil War General and no, his uniform wasn't blue.)

Election Post-Mortem: Are We All the Fat Guy in "Deliverance"?

Blogging has seemed less urgent since the presidential election has concluded. Now we are just waiting for Obama and the new and bigger majority of Democrats to take power. Once they do, changes will be rapid. Think of the barbarians sacking Rome, breaking into the wine stash, carrying away golden goblets and screaming maidens. Yes, it will be something like that.

There will be a move towards shoring up the auto industry. The auto industry is slowly dying of union-inflicted wounds, namely the outrageously high pension plans and post-retirement benefits for its many workers. These burdens were forced on the auto makers by the unions, when times were good and the auto makers could afford them; but now that the economy is in a nose-dive, those fixed costs are eating GM, Ford and Chrysler alive.

So if the Dems bail out the auto makers, they are actually bailing out their own voting constituents, i.e., over-indulged and overpaid union retirees. Unions. Outrageous benefits. Bankrupted companies. Recessions. Democrats. Beginning to sense a pattern here?

Hmm, come to think of it, my own state of Fruits and Nuts, also known as California, has the same problem: they are largely bankrupt from lavish retirement programs for state employees who are (surprise!) represented by militant unions.

President Bush wants to make our ally Colombia a trading partner with the United States; Obama does not. Why? Because unions aren't as ruthlessly strong in Colombia and some over-harried, overtaxed American companies may want to export jobs there so they can actually make a profit. American unions would rather those companies stay here where they can be more easily fleeced.

The American public is about to get the fat guy-in-Deliverance treatment. If you saw "Deliverance," remember the fat guy who was made to strip and get down on all fours? He was made to squeal like a pig while some homosexual hillbilly violated him.

Squeal piggies, squeal! Wheeeooo! Wheeeooo!

The Dems will tell you they are just making love to you. Oh please! Don't try to make something dirty out of it, it's a beautiful thing. You're not losing your freedoms, you're gaining security...well, security except for entrepreneurs, businessmen and capitalists. But then again, you can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs.

If you're one of the eggs, tough luck.