My laughter still hasn't subsided from the last post. I told my research assistant, who happens to be an atheist, that many of his fellow non-believers were too dumb to recognize even the most blatant irony and satire. He refused to believe it, until he saw it with his own eyes. He's a believer now, at least in the fact that there are plenty of atheists who are as clueless as the most ignorant fundamentalist.
Now that I've established that beyond a reasonable doubt, it's time to move on to the latest political news. In his latest speech, Obama confidently declared that America's war in Iraq is a "distraction" from our involvement in Afghanistan.
Leave aside the problem that Obama's Iraq views and policy all seem formulated prior to actually finding out what is going on in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama is scheduled to go to Iraq later this month on a "fact finding mission." He will also visit Afghanistan for the first time. Couldn't Obama's wisdom on Iraq and Afghanistan have waited for what he might find when he's over there?
Liberal Democrats like Obama keep saying Iraq is the "distraction" when, from the point of view of the Islamic radicals, Iraq is absolutely crucial. Al Qaeda has publicly stressed that Iraq is the global center of the war on terror, the staging ground for the beginning of World War III.
Why is Iraq so important to Bin Laden? Because since 1979 the radical Muslims have controlled only one major Muslim country, and that is Iran. They are desperate to get their hands on a second one. They have already said that if they get Iraq, they will focus next on Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
For America, Iraq is crucial for a reason regularly stressed by real estate agents: Location, location, location. Here are the names of Iraq's neighbors: Turkey, Jordan, Kuwait, Iran, Syria, Saudi Arabia. Is there any doubt how important it is to have a pro-American Muslim government (or even better, a pro-American Muslim democracy) in that neighborhood?
By contrast, it is Afghanistan that is quite frankly a "distraction." Afghanistan was chosen as the launching pad for the 9/11 attacks because the Taliban government provided rent-free accommodations there for the Al Qaeda training camps. It was essential for the U.S. to get rid of the Taliban, and I'm glad the international community is keeping an eye on the place to prevent a return of those fanatics. Even so, anyone who thinks Afghanistan is strategically more important than Iraq needs his head examined.
If Obama's dismissal of Iraq seems like the unserious speculation of a novice, McCain has shown the prudent judgment of a real statesman. When almost everyone was against the surge, McCain pushed it. It wasn't that Bush talked McCain into supporting the surge. The truth is actually the opposite: McCain sold it to Bush.
It is the surge that seems to have changed the facts on the ground, and that is a testament to McCain's political bravery and strategic far-sightedness. Let's hope Obama finds out what is really going on before he issues more pearls of unwisdom.
Reader Comments ( Page 5 of 15)
61. mike
Suggest you go back to school. The correct spelling is bull s**t not facts.
Jerry Brown at 12:21PM on Jul 16th 2008
62. i'm sorry about the 9 soldiers we lost in afghanistan but we were discussing the war in iraq, not afghanistan. but afghanistan is next (yes, it should have been 1st, i agree with that). we need the cooperation of the pakistani gov't and we will decimate the taliban too. we are not the russians, who, in the early 1980's, got their ass handed to them by the afghan mountain men who are extremely tough warriors, but quite primitive. have faith in our military, we are the best. but we still need our allies, nato & pakistan, to be on the same page. which is not case as yet, but it will be.
mike at 12:30PM on Jul 16th 2008
63. The ultimate debating technique: Declaring each of your statements to be facts.
Mokele Mbembe at 12:31PM on Jul 16th 2008
64. Mike; I thought we were discussing "The War on Terror".
In that case, 37 were just killed in a new wave of suicide bombings.
Ryan Anderson at 12:32PM on Jul 16th 2008
65. The only victor in Iraq is Iran. Soon the Iraqi Shia will be in total control of Iraq and will say thanks now please go home USA and no you can't have any bases in our country. The end result of 4000 dead 30,000 wounded and 750 billion spent will be an alliance between Iraqi and Iranian Shia and the creation of a Shia super state in the Persian Gulf.
Larry at 12:34PM on Jul 16th 2008
66. We actually fell back and abandoned the base in Afghanistan where the 9 were killed. That really surprised me. Seems really bad.
Ryan Anderson at 12:33PM on Jul 16th 2008
67. Obama is a microcephalic jug-eared fool. A Fraud, in fact the biggest hoax ever perpetrated on the American public.
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I swear that when I first read this, I thought it said Dinesh instead of Obama. It fit, too, until I got past this part and than it got weird and I had to double check and then saw my error.
Godless Heathen Brian at 12:35PM on Jul 16th 2008
68. This one little Pub I used to frequent would host a Trivia night and we had a team for several years, each member of our team was "issued" one "Fact Card". You got to throw it down anytime you absolutely knew the answer but others doubted you. If it turned out you were wrong however, you lost your "Fact Card" privileges for the remainder of the season.
Ryan Anderson at 12:38PM on Jul 16th 2008
69. so all i am seeing here are 1 second sound bites and ad hominum comments but no real discourse on your negative position(s). thats kid stuff which i won't respond to. y'all have been making negative comments about our country & our president on here for months. we won, we fucking won the iraq war. weather you like that or not, thats a fact...
mike at 12:43PM on Jul 16th 2008
70. I agree with this guy. Obama hasn't even been over there to see what's going on! And the chances of Osama and Bin Laden not working together are slim to none. And to all those who talk about killing people - how about the fact that Obama STRONGLY agrees with partial abortion. I can't knowingly endorse a man that has no problem with stabbing babies in the skull!!! While I don't like seeing our soldiers die, at least they knew when they joined the army that there was a chance of war. I too hope that the war ends soon but I highly doubt it's as simple as just pulling everyone out and that being the end of it.
Another thing - McCain IS NOT Bush! And to those of you that think that Obama is going to do all these wonderful things he claims when he actually gets in office, then you're dreaming. Lets hear from the soldiers that have actually been over there fighting and see what is REALLY going on and THEN decide what should be done about the war.
Darlingirl24 at 6:44PM on Jul 16th 2008
71. Tabais
The person who writes the blog, DD, sets the tone of discourse. I suggest you ask him why he sets it in such a way as to get the type of response you seem dislike.
Jerry Brown at 12:53PM on Jul 16th 2008
72. Yay, we won the war, so now we can bring the boys back home. Thanks for the good news, Mike.
Mokele Mbembe at 12:55PM on Jul 16th 2008
73. He's a believer now, at least in the fact that there are plenty of atheists who are as clueless as the most ignorant fundamentalist.
-DD
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As clueless as the most ignorant fundamentalist? The MOST ignorant fundie? Can you imagine the guy with that title?
The most ignorant fundies can't even read or write. (Or clean themselves properly) But I can see how not getting ineffective and unfunny heavyhanded irony is just as bad as that. Yeah.
Godless Heathen Brian at 12:57PM on Jul 16th 2008
74. I realize that bashing Jimmy Carter is something of a favorite sport for many people in our country. But when it comes to energy conservation and the dismal situation we now find ourselves in regarding foreign oil dependence, and a withering auto industry, Carter's diagnosis and solutions would have largely spared us the pain we're all now feeling.
Last night, NPR's "Marketplace" ran a few excerpts of Carter's famous "Crisis of Confidence" speech (watch the entire speech here) , and it was striking to realize that if we'd simply followed the former president's 1979 energy blueprint, we'd not be in our current mess. Among the goals Carter laid out that night were:
--Never use more foreign oil than that which we ourselves produce.
--Start massive government investment to develop alternative sources of fuel.
--Mandate that utility companies cut their use of oil by 50%, and switch to alternative fuels.
--Give $10 billion to strengthen the nation's public transportation system.
--Drastically raise CAFE standards for US automakers.
The speech called on Americans to buy energy bonds, so as to take direct ownership in America's energy policy. It advocated personal sacrifice coupled with government action, all of which was ditched by Carter's successor, Ronald Reagan, in favor of the unfettered, free-market approach. That attitude has continued to persist, and was evident in President Bush's address yesterday in which he refused to prod the country into even attempting to conserve.
To Bush-once an oil man, always an oil man-the only solution is more drilling. Unfortunately, even if we hit a gusher on the first try, more domestically produced oil won't have an effect on current gas prices for may years to come. So here we are, grasping for short-term solutions to problems that always required long-range thinking.
It's too bad the country didn't follow through with Carter's plan. But his words still ring true, as this line from the speech:
"Every act of energy conservation like this is more than just common sense-I tell you it is an act of patriotism."
Steven at 5:28PM on Jul 16th 2008
75. Jerry Brown,
We each have control of our own responses, regardless of the tone of anyone. Respect comes from rising above pettiness, not following in step with it.
Tabais at 1:02PM on Jul 16th 2008