Over 8000 Washington lobbyists have quit the biz since Obama was elected. The usual turnover is about 400.

We've never had a President who stood up to these rats like Obama has. Never.

Many people voted for him because they liked who he was. The poles make it clear that a huge number of those people are very nervous about his Leftist policies. It is possible that his decision to tack left after being elected willl doom his presidency. This is a shame, since he had the potential to truly unite the country, instead he picks battles with Fox.

Sounds like Gary Willis's heart is in the right place, but he -and apparently everyone who's taking this surge debate seriously- don't understand Obama's approach. The decision to add 44 thousand troops was made at least six months ago. The Pentagon embraced counterinsurgency some five years ago. Our government has been moving to reshape not just the military but our State Department into nation building more broadly. With that in mind, the 44 thousand troop surge is probably already happening and this "debate" is just cover. When both Bush's invaded Iraq, they used an ultimatum (in Bush Sr.s case, get out of Kuwait, Bush Jr.'s submit to full inspections and handover all WMD) to provide cover for the invasions that were going to happen no-matter-what and needed time to get the logistics in place. Bush Sr. also took the time to work up a real coalition while Bush Jr. simply lied to the UN to make it look like he respected international diplomacy.

It's frustrating to read Willis because he doesn't understand that counterinsurgency is fundamentally a policing action. And Vietnam was completely different because we were fighting the North Vietnamese; a standing, fairly well equipped army, and a proxy war with the Soviets. It would be nice if the UN could send INTERPOL over to slap the cuffs on al Qaeda, but guess what? INTERPOL doesn't have an enforcement arm. So, do we send UN troops? Uh, Pakistanis (who the UN has paid to act as peacekeepers in other parts of the world)? Hummm.

Look , it takes four to six months for the military to put troops on alert, pack up their gear, fly them abroad -from Iraq or where ever- and acclimate and orientate them to their new surroundings. At the end of the day, Obama's going to" sign off" on more troops and if he hasn't already sent them that six extra months to put them in country will appear to be more dithering. But guess what, they will have already landed. Immediately after Obama agrees to the increase, we're going to see an uptick in suicide bombings, attacks on US personal, and more casualties. It's sad, but it's expected. Once the new troop strength is able to provide better logistical support to the combat troops already there, which is the point to this surge, the counterinsurgency approach will create a stabile environment to allow the kind of police work liberals, like myself, are calling for. Let's remember that much of the Taliban is fighting for economic reasons, or because it's fun to fight Americans. They can be paid to stop fighting. The rest, the hardcore, are hated by average Afghans and Pakistanis for their abuse and suicide bombings.

Finally, I'd love for the US to restore Afghanistan to some kind of "1st World" notion of democratic living, but it may be too late because Cheney and Bush dropped the ball. But the United State's main interest in the Afgan/Pakistan region is to keep nukes out of extremist hands. And that means to keep Pakistan's fragile democratic government from falling. Not just to keep U.S. cities safe, but cities in India, Africa, the Middle East, Europe, etc.

The greatest generations were asked to sacrifice for a common good. We are now asked to believe that self interest is the common good and that we can expect a redistribution of wealth and power as an election promise.
The politician without a national purpose is just another parasite sucking the nation's blood.

The POTUS has done a good job, by stopping a FINANCIAL COLLAPSE, moved Congress to start working on Health Care Reform, signed the Lilly Ledbetter bill to ensure EQUAL PAY FOR WOMEN, insured health care for 14M poor children, repaired our world standing by a willingness to listen and work with other nations, actually creates a strategy for Afganistan, moved to get us out of Iraq, closing GITMO. And now he is starting to focus on creating JOBS. Not bad for one year.

From the recent pictures in the paper, 0bama's so thin he looks like a cross between JJ Walker and the Olsen twins. Maybe the coke problem didn't end in his college days after all... Hangin' with Marion Barry much Barry? Looks like running the country into the ground is a little harder than being a community organizer.

Lets list what he has NOT done first... Still in two wars with the 2nd one getting bigger... Still hiring paid mercenaries to fight for the US... Still has not recognized Cuba... Still have "don't ask don't tell...The earth still getting warmer by the day... The banks getting bigger & nothing about braking them up as the Brits are doing... Still allowing Wall street to run over every citizen... Still has two of the reasons for the bank & Wallstreet horror story to be employed by him, Timmy & Larry... Still nothing on re-writing all trade agreements that have killed this countries ability to make anything... Still backing the companies & not the unions... I could go on but I am getting tired & crying & my tears are jamming the keyboard becasue of what he has NOT DONE & what he has screwed up like the Health Care debate... We are now faced with a pubic option that by 2019 might have as many as 2 million people in it, wow what a great job Obama, I can't wait to see how much money YOU get from the whole health lobby in 2012.....

I am a candidate for president. Here is one of my jobs programs.

"In December, 1995, Time Magazine's Richard Stengel gave Michael Stephen Levinson a one liner in his article, "Look Ma, I'm Running," a piece about unknown candidates for president in New Hampshire. "Lev" proposed building ten thousand clipper ships for a jobs program, but Stengel left out his concept of college students paying lesser tuition for crewing the ships, "sew" with or without a cargo, the clippers generate money, and pay for their building carrying cargo.

We build clipper ships, with semi-automatic computer controlled sails. College students crew the ships, get their undergraduate education via internet, and pay lessor tuition, so with or without a cargo the ships make money and pay for their building! Not complicated.

We could say to any country, we will take all of your goods without tariff, as long as the goods come to us on our clipper ships. The students could inspect the cargoes as they are loaded, with state of the art detectors, so weapons of mass destruction, or contraband, won't be coming in on our ships.

My shipbuilding program creates meaningful steady work on the East Coast, Gulf Coast, West Coast, and the shores of Lakes Huron, Michigan, Erie, Superior, and Ontario, perhaps three and a half millions jobs total wherever there is water and people need work.

Which is better for planet good ship mother earth, fleets of clippers with semi-automatic computer controlled sails, or giant container ships three stadiums long with thirty-four crewmen? Any sea mammal, napping on the sea top is dead meat for these mammoth ships and what matter, with lobbyists representing the owners stuffing the blubber down the throats of your district's I-must-be-reelected congressperson.

When my clipper ships come across hundred acre wide swaths of sea top with garbage floating everywhere, the "stew dent" volunteers will lower long boats with electric motors and rake the sea, bring the garbage aboard and, supervised by the captain, weigh it up, because the kids will be paid $100 a pound for time and trouble. This is a great way for a stew dent to "sea" the world and work their way through college. Harvard, their fleet, forty ships, will have 1600 additional undergraduate seats to fill.

Mother Nature will shine on your good deeds as a seafaring people. Her dolphins will jump the long electric motor boat bows in unison, as wild dolphins have been known to playfully jump the bows of boats when their mood arises; the gentle Right whales and Sperms, in pods, will show off their kids, and let you hop on their backs for a sea top ride.

Whoops.

I left out all that required slush money for your corrupt leader bleeders. The filthy money these people require for their reelections was excluded from my bill of lading. Recollect lobbyist slush deregulated the financial industry, nearly sinking the world's financial house!

The handing over of billions to the banks' sinkholes shows your whole congress is on the take. They all need to go.

"Sew," regardless how many decent people are stuck between a rock and a hard place with bill that must be met and no job in sight, you won't be building any clipper ships because how to, you don't know, it's too creative an enterprise, and the container shipper's lobby won't allow it to be even talked about as they own all the committee chair persons.

Expect instead your hollow Congress' derision, their laughter and spittle in your innovative ship building face. Of course you could build fleets of clippers without the government, the investment from the university endowments. Not-for-profit corporations, run by the universities whose students are the crew, could manage sailing the ships regardless, underbidding for a steady cargo, except for all your elected on-the-take bleeders in office blocking your way.

Do not expect five million jobs to materialize up and down the coasts and Great Lakes waters without your Blagojevichite congress tithing your pay.

michaelslevinson.com

Obama's "driving" is way off course.

Obama may watch Hillary (and Bill) and weep. Obama will NEVER be their intellectual or political equal.

Deficits are sinking us. Borrowing and spending must cease.

Dems, let's right the wrong of the 2008 campaign debacle. Obama was not and remains unqualified to be President of the United States. He's simply not up to the task. His lack of experience and decision making skills are glaringly apparent.

Hillary 2012!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!

New leadership at the DNC, new House Speaker and New Senate Leader as well.

I voted for Obama, the first time in my life that I didn't vote GOP in the Presidential elections of my adult life.

While I don't regret doing so, as I can only imagine where we would be with McCain and Palin in charge of things, I do have a few regrets.

I regret that the man who inspired so many millions of new and established voters, has settled in, and no longer feels obligated to change the way Washington business is done.

It is much easier to keep people on your side, supporting you through thick and thin, than it is to win them back after losing them. It is much easier to keep people inspired and believing in you, than it is to re-inspire someone and regain their belief in you after it has been lost or shaken to it's core.

In David Plouffe's new book, he says of Obama, " He had run to challenge the bankrupt and conventional politics of Washington, not master it."

It is painfully clear to many of us now that the President has turned his attention towards mastering the conventional politics of Washington.

I swear, I voted for him, and given the same choice today, I would do the same, but I am feeling more and more like I just fell for the inspiring rhetoric of a savvy politician, and less like I was inspired by a man dedicated to changing the way politicians and special interests "wag the dog".

He gave us a look into a person, I have not seen that person. He gave us hope of significant change, I have not seen that change. He gave specific examples of what he would accomplish, not only have I not seen the manifestation of these accomplishments, I am seeing all of the same old, tired excuses and justifications for why these accomplishments have not come forward.

I continue to believe in our President, his message of hope, his promises of change and his pledges of reform, but my belief has been and continues to be shaken and tested more each day that the special interests thrive while the middle class flounders.

If I could say one thing to President Obama, it would again be, that it is much easier to keep peoples belief in you and to retain their faith in your message, than it is to win those things back after losing them.

Having been in South Korea as a teacher for the last two years, I note that they (having a newer, thus less corrupt democracy) handled the recession by
1. decreasing the value of their currency, which allowed their export items to sell better.
2. decreasing the working hours of their employees, rather than laying them off...which works much better for both working harder and feeling OK about it, and saving unemployment payments.
What is wrong with the US in not following these simple rules?
Additionally, their car companies, like Europe have 50-60mpg cars which somehow the US car companies don't seem to be able to comprehend would save their ass. The US public seems to know more than the US car companies, who must mostly be run by paid off stooges of the oil industry.
Since the US is a country with large distances bridged by cars, we cannot prosper without cheaper gas...considering that the oil company actual costs for gasoline are about 14cents per gallon, it seems vital for our government to regulate our oil companies to max the gas cost to consumers (like China does) to say $1/gal. This would still allow them to make a profit of 6x their cost...still huge profits.
The medical industry is of course trying to bleed us dry of all our savings and home costs and should also be regulated..in Korea it cost me $60/mo for insurance and a flu antibiotic pill set with doctor's visit was $6...without insurance it cost me $16. Heart surgery was $10,000. So one of the major reasons the US is in recession is very obviously that the medical, oil and war-monger companies are making a killing and need to be regulated!!!

At the end of the day Obama/Emmanuel will be remembered for bringing ACORN voter fraud and SEIU thugs to the national level.

Saw pictures of Obama on Drudge, is he on crack again or got aids or something? perhaps girl disease anorexia nervosa

Whats wrong with him?

Wow where were all these folks concerned about our national debt when W was still around? Nowhere is the answer...they were getting theirs and that's all that mattered. Obama was left a nahful of s&%T and is dealing with each and every item. He is also trying to deal with issues that have gone unadressed in some cases for decades (Health Care?) (National infrastructure?) The R's may very well nominate a governor who watched a major bridge in his state collapse because of benign neglect...he certainlt wouldn't raise taxes to repair it. Give the Pres. a little time and we will be far better off for it.

If he distances himself from the SEIu and that crowd, and tacks towards the middle, I think he will do okay. But, right now, he is heading for a fall and bringing the US down with him.