Tag: Obama Administration

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Politics Syria

Hillary Clinton Adopts Republican Talking Points – Criticizes Barack Obama

Hillary Clinton has decided not only to run away from Barack Obama, but she has joined the Republicans in blaming the Obama administration for the birth of the terrorists group ISIS and the turmoil in Iraq.

In recent interviews, Clinton is quoted as saying that Obama’s “failure to help build up a credible fighting force of the people who were the originators of the protests against Assad—there were Islamists, there were secularists, there was everything in the middle—the failure to do that left a big vacuum, which the jihadists have now filled,” Clinton said.

As she writes in her memoir of her State Department years, Hard Choices, she was an inside-the-administration advocate of doing more to help the Syrian rebellion. Now, her supporters argue, her position has been vindicated by recent events.

Will Clinton’s decision to go against the president hurt her with the die-hard Obama supporters? Time will tell…

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Mitt Romney Politics

Romney’s Job Creation Record at Bain is Non-Existent

Mitt Romney is the first one to admit that he is not a politician, although he’s been running for political office for decades. He would rather the American public see him as a private citizen who spent his life running a business and have now decided to run for president. He would love if we forget the political nonsense he has said over the years and his dismal economic record as governor in Massachusetts.

With that in mind, the Obama administration decided to take a look at Romney’s business career – his record at Bain Capital. As the head of Bain, Romney’s decision to take over businesses, selling off their assets and shipping jobs overseas for cheaper labor is how Bain made its money.

Here’s an example…

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Politics South Carolina United States voter suppression

Nikki Haley Plans To Sue Obama Administration To Implement Voter I.D Laws

Their attempt to suppress the vote in South Carolina with the implementation of voter ID laws, was stopped by the Obama administration, but this is not derailing the Republican governor, Nikki Hailey, as she and her administration promises to take the case to court in the form of a law suit.

“The will of the people was that we want to protect the integrity of the voting process,” Haley said. “And if you have to show a picture ID to buy Sudafed, if you have to show a picture ID to get on a plane – you should have to show an ID to do that one thing that is so important to us, which is that right to vote.”

Exactly Haley, “the right to vote.” Buying Sudafed or getting on a plane is not a “right.” Voting is, and it is protected by the Constitution. So why exactly are you and your Republican friends trying to put a condition on our rights, rights that are protected by the United States Constitution?

Seems unconstitutional to me Haley. Didn’t you take an oath to uphold the constitution?

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Barack Obama Condoleezza Rice Dick Cheney Osama bin Laden Osama BinLaden Politics United States Waterboarding

Torture Had Nothing To Do With Finding Osama Bin Laden

We have all heard their claims, that former President George Bush is equally responsible for bringing down Osama Bin Laden as our current President, Barack Obama. And these Bush lovers credit the torturing and water-boarding of prisoners as the only pathway that led to Bin Laden.

Are they right? Is the Obama administration wrong for ending torture and abiding by the rules in the Geneva Convention – a treaty that America is a signatory to? A treaty that clearly states in Article 27;

Protected persons are entitled, in all circumstances, to respect for their persons, their honour, their family rights, their religious convictions and practices, and their manners and customs. They shall, at all times, be humanely treated, and shall be protected, especially against all acts of violence or threats thereof and against insults and public curiosity.

If we listen to the likes of Dick Cheney and Condoleezza Rice, we would be led to think that torture is the best thing since slice bread. But branch out a little and listen to others in the business of getting intelligence, and you’ll understand why torture or “enhanced interrogation,” loses its effect after a while.

Forbes today released an interview with a top United States interrogator in Afghanistan, who claimed that “torture played no role in locating Osama bin Laden.” According to the report, this interrogator refers to the support for torture made by former Bush administration officials as “propaganda [that] degrades our intelligence operations more than any other factor I can think of.”

He continues;

“Listen, water-boarding and/or other coercive techniques did nothing to contribute to our attempts to track down UBL (Usama bin Laden). What did succeed was weeks, months and years of diligent, laborious, and dedicated work – all within the bounds of legal and ethical boundaries…No torture, no waterboarding, no coercion – nothing inhumane – is considered a useful tool in our work.

I cannot even count the amount of times that I personally have come face to face with detainees, who told me they were primarily motivated to do what they did, because of hearing that we committed torture. Even the rumor of torture is enough to convince an army of uneducated and illiterate, yet religiously motivated young boys to strap bombs to their chests and blow themselves up while killing whoever happens to be around – police, soldiers, civilians, women, or children. Torture committed by Americans in the past continues to kill Americans today.”

But why would Cheney and Rice listen to anything an interrogator says? Torture was their policy. It had nothing to do with American exceptionalism, finding terrorists or saving the lives of American troops deployed abroad. It was their interrogation practice of choice.

Torture violates the very  moral fabric of who we are as Americans and admitting it was wrong means their policies were wrong as well. And that is what it all boils down to… politics 101.

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Osama bin Laden Politics

For President Obama, It’s A Promise Kept

“If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.”

That line was given in a speech by President Obama in 2008 while he was campaigning for office as President of The United States. Since becoming president, Mr. Obama has not only lived up to this promise, but has authorized more drone attacks in Pakistan than the previous administration ever had. It’s been reported that these attacks, although Bin Laden was the ultimate target, resulted in other terrorists being killed.

According to a recent report by The Washington Times, “CIA drone attacks in Pakistan killed at least 581 militants last year [2009], according to independent estimates. The number of those militants noteworthy enough to appear on a U.S. list of most-wanted terrorists: two.” The report goes on to question the wisdom of these increased attacks, stating “despite a major escalation in the number of unmanned Predator strikes being carried out under the Obama administration, data from government and independent sources indicate that the number of high-ranking militants being killed as a result has either slipped or barely increased.”

But it will appear now, that the Administration was acting on “actionable intelligence.” And on Sunday, that intelligence paid off;

“Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan,” Mr. Obama said. “A small team of Americans carried out the operation with extraordinary courage and capability. No Americans were harmed. They took care to avoid civilian casualties. After a firefight, they killed Osama bin Laden and took custody of his body.”

I’ve heard it said that while the rest of the political pundits and talking heads play checkers, the President is actively engaged in a game of chess. Chalk this one up as a checkmate against Osama Bin Laden.

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Barack Obama Medicare Paul Ryan Politics Republican The Budget United States weekly address

President Obama Slams Ryan’s Budget… Again!

After President Obama presented his speech on reducing the federal debt, Republicans went on a crying spree, accusing the President of not playing fair, and “making a partisan speech.” All of a sudden, the very same Republicans who have stood in the way of every single piece of legislation the Obama administration has put forth, are now questioning why, as they see it, President Obama is not working with them and agreeing on the Paul Ryan budget.

So to make sure Republicans heard him the first time around, President Obama used his weekly address to put emphasis on his original points – that all, including the rich, must contribute their share to America’s future, and that Paul Ryan’s plan is not worth the paper it is written on.

The President:

Now, one plan put forward by some Republicans in the House of Representatives aims to reduce our deficit by $4 trillion over the next ten years. But while I think their goal is worthy, I believe their vision is wrong for America. It’s a vision that says, at a time when other nations are hustling to out-compete us for the jobs and businesses of tomorrow, we have to make drastic cuts in education, infrastructure, and clean energy – the very investments we need to win that competition and get those jobs.

It’s a vision that says that in order to reduce the deficit, we have to end Medicare as we know it, and make cuts to Medicaid that would leave millions of seniors, poor children, and Americans with disabilities without the care they need.

But even as this plan proposes these drastic cuts, it would also give $1 trillion in tax breaks to the wealthiest 2% of Americans–an extra $200,000 for every millionaire and billionaire in the country.

I don’t think that’s right. I don’t think it’s right to ask seniors to pay thousands more for health care, or ask students to postpone college, just so we don’t have to ask those who have prospered so much in this land of opportunity to give back a little more.

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Politics United States Wisconsin Wisconsin Union Bashing

Koch Brothers To Liberals – We Will Not Step Back

Earlier this week, when a blogger called Wisconsin’s governor Scott Walker, pretending to be David Koch and talking to the governor for about 20 minutes, the joke apparently did not go down too well in the Koch compound. In an interview with National Review Online, Mark Holden, the general council for Koch Industries said the call was “fraudulent” ;

“There are serious fiscal issues at play in Wisconsin. Yet our opponents are interjecting us falsely into this story. But our Wisconsin story is about bringing and keeping good manufacturing jobs in the state. It is disturbing that when a blogger calls using the Koch name, it is used as an opportunity to attack the company.”

Mr. Holden wasn’t the only one upset. Richard Fink, the executive vice president of Koch Industries also voiced his displeasure, saying, “We will not step back at all.” He then accused the left of trying to “intimidate” the billionaire brothers empire, saying;

“With the Left trying to intimidate the Koch brothers to back off of their support for freedom and signaling to others that this is what happens if you oppose the administration and its allies, we have no choice but to continue to fight.. We will not step back at all. We firmly believe that economic freedom has benefited the overwhelming majority of society, including workers, who earn higher wages when you have open and free markets. When government grows as it has with the Bush and Obama administrations, that is what destroys prosperity.”

The brothers, whose millions have been used to finance the Teaparty movement –where average Americans are used to protest policies that are in their best interest — feel like their backs are up against the wall and they’re coming out swinging. Mr. Fink states that the attacks on the Koch brothers is not just coming from “left-winged bloggers,” but part of a much bigger scheme constructed by the Obama administration. He continued;

It involves the Obama administration, the Center for American Progress, aligned left-wing groups, and their friends in the media. This is just the latest salvo in their attacks on the Koch brothers and Koch Industries. But it is an escalation — they’re now bringing in some labor groups, which they have not done before. We expect this to be part of an ongoing effort against [Koch Industries] as the 2012 presidential campaign approaches.”

But don’t feel sorry for the multi-billionaire brothers just yet. They are fighters, and if the past is any indication, we can expect to see  hundreds of little old grandmas and grandpas, pushing their walkers and carrying signs along the streets of Wisconsin, demonstrating again for the poor Koch compound.

Read the rest of the interview here.

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Egypt Egypt Egyptians United States

The Obama Administration Takes A Stand On Egypt’s President

The Associated Press is reporting ongoing negotiations between the Obama Administration and Egypt’s Vice President on what is being said is the “immediate resignation of President Hosni Mubarak and the formation of a military-backed caretaker government.” The article referenced talks between Vice President Joe Biden and Egypt’s Vice President Omar Suleiman, as well as conversations between Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mr. Suleiman.

From AP Reporting:

With protests in Cairo and other Egyptian cities expected to grow in size and intensity Friday, the administration fears they may erupt into more widespread violence unless the government takes tangible steps to address the protesters’ main demand that Mubarak leave office quickly. Creation of an interim government is just one of several possibilities under discussion, the officials said late Thursday.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic talks, which are continuing.

The officials stressed that the United States isn’t seeking to impose a solution on Egypt but said the administration had made a judgment that Mubarak has to go soon if there is to be a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

“The president has said that now is the time to begin a peaceful, orderly and meaningful transition, with credible, inclusive negotiations,” a White House spokesman, Tommy Vietor, said Thursday night. “We have discussed with the Egyptians a variety of different ways to move that process forward, but all of those decisions must be made by the Egyptian people.”

White House and State Department officials would not discuss details of the discussions U.S. officials are having with the Egyptians. Vice President Joe Biden spoke with Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman on Thursday, a day after a similar conversation between Suleiman and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Officials said neither Biden nor Clinton made a specific call for Mubarak to resign immediately but pressed for measures that would ease tensions on the streets and set the stage for democratic elections.

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Democracy Egypt Egypt United States

Egypt Puts The Obama Administration Between A Rock And A Hard Place

In it’s strongest statements thus far, the Obama Administration is distancing itself from the embattled dictator in Egypt, President Hosni Mubarak. United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared on ABC’s  Sunday morning news program and stated that real stability can only be achieved through a democratic process. She said;

Real stability only comes from the kind of democratic participation that gives people a chance to feel that they are being heard. And by that I mean real democracy, not a democracy for six months or a year and then evolving into essentially a military dictatorship or a so-called democracy that then leads to what we saw in Iran.

Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak has been a strong ally of the United States, and the relationship between the two nations is important in maintaining peace in the area. Israel, another strong United States ally is also watching the events as they unfold, as the wrong outcome in Egypt immediately puts them at risk, thus, putting the United States in a position to defend its stronger ally.

The Obama administration has therefore found itself between a rock and a hard place – they must be on the right side of history and support the people of Egypt fighting for freedom, but they must also look out for the protection of our strongest supporter in the Middle East.

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