*
*
http://kokeshforcon gress.com/ posts/obamas- candor-refreshin
g-his-policies-
not-so-much<http://kokeshforcongress.com/posts/obamas-candor-refreshing-his-policies-not-so-much>
OBAMA'S CANDOR REFRESHING, HIS POLICIES, NOT SO MUCH BY ADAM KOKESH, ON JUN
5, 2009
President Obama delivered a speech yesterday at Cairo University that has
already been noted around the world as unique for its candor. It has been
translated into thirteen languages and stirred emotions throughout the
Middle East. There were a number of issues that he raised that we do not
hear about very often from politicians in Washington, let alone the
President himself. Unfortunately, his policies are all too typical of the
establishment.
He buttered up the audience with praise of Muslims' contributions to
civilization before he went straight into Afghanistan. “We did not go by
choice, we went because of necessity. . . . Make no mistake: We do not want
to keep our troops in Afghanistan.” Perhaps there was a necessity to pursue
some legitimate target after 9/11, which he invoked, but the
disproportionate nature of the attack was a choice, the perpetuation of the
occupation for eight years now is a choice, and Obama's surge of thirty
thousand troops in Afghanistan is HIS choice.
Regarding Afghanistan, he said, “We seek no military bases there.” This must
be in contrast to his plan for Iraq which will leave 50,000 troops there
indefinitely on 14 permanent bases. “Unlike Afghanistan, Iraq was a war of
choice.” So is his commitment to maintaining the occupation indefinitely.
This is the one place we have gotten lots of change from Obama on his
foreign policy. First, he wanted to end the war in Iraq. Then he wanted to
end it in 12 months. Then it was 16. Then 16 months and a “residual force.”
Then, after taking office and meeting with generals on the ground in early
March, he extended his plan again, this time to 19 months, to coincide with
his first midterm election. I do not believe that was coincidence.
“I have made it clear to the Iraqi people that we pursue no bases, and no
claim on their territory or resources. Iraq’s sovereignty is its own. That
is why I ordered the removal of our combat brigades by next August.” So
Iraq's sovereignty is its own, starting next August? Sort of? I guess we are
just going to keep that “residual force” on the bases we already occupy, so
we don't need to “pursue” any more bases. I don't think Obama has made his
real intent clear to the Iraqis, or even to us.
He also mentioned Pakistan where he plans to “invest” $1.5 billion dollars
of America's money. Perhaps the new strategy in Pakistan is going to be
indicative of the new imperialism: bomb them with drones, then buy them off
to rebuild what we've blown up. The President looks magnanimous, the defense
contractors get paid, and the internationalists have a field day. The only
people who lose in this deal are the Americans who are taxed to fund this
absurdity, and the Pakistanis who know better. When Senator Obama supported
the strikes in Pakistan as a presidential candidate, the Pakistani
protestors were burning effigies of him right next to the ones of President
Bush and the American flag.
Next, Obama did a truly courageous thing by calling out the holocaust
deniers in a very powerful way. He condemned the use of violence by
Palestinians while at the same time, unequivocally stating that, “The United
States does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements.”
Wonderful, and yet tragically in denial of the fact that we subsidize those
very settlements that he condemned with about $40 billion per year in
“foreign aid.”
He confronted the Palestinian violence head on. “Violence is a dead end. It
is a sign of neither courage nor power to shoot rockets at sleeping
children, or to blow up old women on a bus. That is not how moral authority
is claimed; that is how it is surrendered.” He is so right here, but fails
to point out the hypocrisy of our policy. Rockets at sleeping children?
Drone strikes into Pakistan. Old women on a bus? “Acceptable collateral
damage” in Iraq. Flip-flopping on the release of torture photos? Yes, Obama,
your moral authority has been surrendered.
Then he went on to the issue of democracy, failing to mention that America
is Constitutional Republic. “So let me be clear: no system of government can
or should be imposed upon one nation by any other. That does not lessen my
commitment, however, to governments that reflect the will of the people.”
Why do we have to keep reminding him that he is only President of the United
States of America, and not the world? “All people yearn for certain things:
the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed;
confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice;
government that is transparent and doesn’t steal from the people; the
freedom to live as you choose.” Can't we try to get those things in America?
After all of the lofty rhetoric, Obama brings his speech to a conclusion by
bragging about his variety of government programs that will solve all of the
problems he brought up. He set a high bar earlier in the speech with, “You
must maintain your power through consent, not coercion.” The arrogance of
the neoliberalism that Obama embodies is quite the opposite: it is the
belief that it is moral to use the violence, force, and coercion of
government to reshape society, or the world, to your vision. On that point,
President Obama uttered one great truth that was particularly poignant for
me personally: “No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust.”
__._,_.___
Messages in this topic
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/message/13039;_ylc=X3oDMTM3YmZwdnNwBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRtc2dJZAMxMzAzOQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyNDQyOTIzOTMEdHBjSWQDMTMwMzk->(
1) Reply (via web post)
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJyZ2luN2h2BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRtc2dJZAMxMzAzOQRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzEyNDQyOTIzOTM-?act=reply&messageNum=13039>|
Start
a new topic
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJmNHR2ZW45BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNudHBjBHN0aW1lAzEyNDQyOTIzOTM->
Messages<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJmODNzbDJxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNtc2dzBHN0aW1lAzEyNDQyOTIzOTI->|
Files<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/files;_ylc=X3oDMTJnbHBoYWtwBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNmaWxlcwRzdGltZQMxMjQ0MjkyMzky>|
Photos<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/photos;_ylc=X3oDMTJmOGg4ZWhmBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNwaG90BHN0aW1lAzEyNDQyOTIzOTI->|
Links<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/links;_ylc=X3oDMTJncnZzYzZvBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNsaW5rcwRzdGltZQMxMjQ0MjkyMzky>|
Database<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/database;_ylc=X3oDMTJkNGlpNTRwBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNkYgRzdGltZQMxMjQ0MjkyMzky>|
Polls<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/polls;_ylc=X3oDMTJnYTJpMWRoBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNwb2xscwRzdGltZQMxMjQ0MjkyMzky>|
Members<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJmaGkxbmk0BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNtYnJzBHN0aW1lAzEyNDQyOTIzOTI->|
Calendar<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/calendar;_ylc=X3oDMTJlMjR1OXU1BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNjYWwEc3RpbWUDMTI0NDI5MjM5Mg-->
[image: Yahoo!
Groups]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJlbzllbXU2BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTI0NDI5MjM5Mw-->
Change settings via the
Web<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJnbDBvOWFkBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNzdG5ncwRzdGltZQMxMjQ0MjkyMzkz>(Yahoo!
ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily
Digest<[email protected]?subject=email+delivery:+Digest>|
Switch
format to
Traditional<[email protected]?subject=change+delivery+format:+Traditional>
Visit Your Group
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches;_ylc=X3oDMTJlcGdsZWdpBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNocGYEc3RpbWUDMTI0NDI5MjM5Mw-->|
Yahoo!
Groups Terms of Use <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> | Unsubscribe
<[email protected]?subject=>
Recent Activity
- 1
New
Members<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJnbGFsNWJjBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2bWJycwRzdGltZQMxMjQ0MjkyMzky>
- 1
New
Files<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches/files;_ylc=X3oDMTJoZjBzbHE2BF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2ZmlsZXMEc3RpbWUDMTI0NDI5MjM5Mg-->
Visit Your Group
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Democratic_Witches;_ylc=X3oDMTJmdXYzNG1zBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEwNjQ5NDY3BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2MDEzNgRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzEyNDQyOTIzOTI->
Give Back
Yahoo! for
Good<http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylc=X3oDMTJuM2ZnM2YyBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BF9wAzEEZ3JwSWQDMTA2NDk0NjcEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYwMTM2BHNlYwNuY21vZARzbGsDYnJhbmQEc3RpbWUDMTI0NDI5MjM5Mg--;_ylg=1/SIG=11314uv3k/**http%3A//brand.yahoo.com/forgood>
Get inspired
by a good cause.
Y! Toolbar
Get it
Free!<http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylc=X3oDMTJwNGdoYmxtBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BF9wAzIEZ3JwSWQDMTA2NDk0NjcEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYwMTM2BHNlYwNuY21vZARzbGsDdG9vbGJhcgRzdGltZQMxMjQ0MjkyMzky;_ylg=1/SIG=11c6dvmk9/**http%3A//toolbar.yahoo.com/%3F.cpdl=ygrps>
easy 1-click access
to your groups.
Yahoo! Groups
Start a
group<http://groups.yahoo.com/start;_ylc=X3oDMTJwN3Juc28yBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BF9wAzMEZ3JwSWQDMTA2NDk0NjcEZ3Jwc3BJZAMxNzA1MDYwMTM2BHNlYwNuY21vZARzbGsDZ3JvdXBzMgRzdGltZQMxMjQ0MjkyMzky>
in 3 easy steps.
Connect with others.
.
__,_._,___
--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups.
For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
* Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/
* It's active and moderated. Register and vote in our polls.
* Read the latest breaking news, and more.
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
