Home › Blogs › Ironman's blog ›

President Obama: The Great Procrastinator

Submitted by Ironman on Sun, 11/15/2009 - 23:12
in

Yep, even the Politico has caught on.

President Obama takes heat on Afghan timing 

SHANGHAI, China – President Barack Obama made no effort to conceal his irritation when his press corps used the first question of his maiden Far East trip to ask what was taking him so long on Afghanistan.

 

Jennifer Loven of The Associated Press had asked: “Can you explain to people watching and criticizing your deliberations what piece of information you're still lacking to make that call.”

Yep, just as President Reagan was  the "Great Communicator", our 44th President is the "Great Procrastinator" 

I note that a Google Search of "Obama" and "dithering" yielded 743,000 hits

I mean there was a single by the Lovin' Spoonful in 1966 that might be the theme song for the President's military "strategy"

 

0
Your rating: None

Comments

What is the right amount of time to spend

Submitted by John Smith on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 00:32.

deciding whether or not to send even more fine young men and women to their deaths in a country where we have no reliable partner when the current US commander and his immediate precessor have dimatrically opposed opinions about the best strategy?

Do you not think that if George Bush had spent a little bit more time thinking and consulting before blundering into Iraq it might have been less of a fiasco?

I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did. - George W. Bush, August, 2003.

Perhaps this is the key - unlke the prevous resdient of the White House, Obama doesn't hear voices in his head, telling him what to do. So instead he and his subordinates have to sift through facts, evidence, and the lessons of history. You know, reality-based stuff.

Do you want another Vietnam, with steady creep, creep, creep of increasing lives and treasure poured out, mostly in the name of saving face?

Met any infantryment or marines who said "man, I wish Obama would hurry up and send me on another deployment to Afghanistan"?

 

fake George Bush quote

Submitted by chemjeff on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 14:27.

The quote:

I am driven with a mission from God. God would tell me, 'George go and fight these terrorists in Afghanistan'. And I did. And then God would tell me 'George, go and end the tyranny in Iraq'. And I did. - George W. Bush, August, 2003.

cannot be reliably attributed to George Bush.  This is what Bush was alleged to have said, as related by a Palestinian delegate to an Israeli-Palestinian conference in 2003.  There is no transcript or official record of what George Bush really said.  So reported that right-wing rag The Guardian.

Not to decide is to decide

Submitted by Ironman on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 06:56.

It's sad that when it came to the bailouts and the stimulus programs trillions of dollars were spent with virtually no deliberation; but on matters of war and peace the President has allowed mold and dust to accumulate on his General's recommendations.

The President has made clear he would rather play golf and campaign for the likes of Jon Corzine that do anything other than to ratify the Bush approach for Afghanistan by virtue of his lassitude.   How much time has he spent with the generals--a half hour on a plane on a tarmac in Copenhagen?

Besides, Obama promised before the election to shift attention from Iraq to Afghanistan. All his critics want him to do is to keep his damm campaign promise. 

P.S. I actually know someone who lost a son in Afghanistan.  My brother-in-law served in Afghanistan briefly. Maybe the snark here doesn't work, Jonny 

So what is the correct time frame?

Submitted by John Smith on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 09:22.

You didn't answer the question - what is the correct amount of time? Did George Bush allot the correct amount of time to deliberating on starting the Iraq War instead of concentrating on Afghanistan? How long did it take the Iraq Study Group to compile its report, and then how many months elapsed after that before the surge was proposed? Was that the right amount of time? Would it be OK with you if Obama formed an Afghanistan Study Group?

 

my ex-brothers left handed cousin 3 times removed also served

Submitted by bob on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 11:28.

I know a guy who lives down the street who has a younger brother whose wife's ex-brother's left handed cousin 3 times removed by half a marriage annulled by they Pope also served as a cook for the people who made the boots that are worn by soldiers who are in Iraq.  This makes me an expert on war.  So there! That proves my points!  I also say that if we're going to go to war, it should be fully paid for. Let's see if people like you who don't enlist but reap the benefits of being kept safe from terrorist attacks on your po dunk city's local little league park are willing to pay for it.  Billy looks good this year in right field so certainly islamic-pinko-extremests are going to want to blow up the coca-cola scoreboard! 

What I like about you is you're such a name dropper!  I know someone. Dumb a**. we've been fighting a war(s) for 8 years.  Of course you know someone. That someone probably has been over there away from their family on 2-3 tours of duty. Where have you been?  Starbucks?  Yeah, thanks for the insightful analysis!  And George Bush never played golf, or took a month vacation. Dick never went hunting.  They were at their desks 24-7.  You should point that out next time you post.

But more importantly, this guy I know was the inventor of the left handed screwdriver.  Since it seems like you buy whatever is shown on fox news, I got one for ya!

oh and conservative jacka** yields 1,170,000 hits

Submitted by bob on Mon, 11/16/2009 - 11:30.

So there!