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Obama is personable, extremely articulate and infinitely more intelligent than George W. Bush. In the aggregate sense he is the diametric opposite of the despised Bush, which accounts for his popularity. But he is a young man who is very devoted to his family and because he does not have a family fortune to fall back on when he leaves Office he must avoid stepping on the toes of those who have the financial power to negatively affect his future -- or worse.
Which is why he chose to let the Bush Crime Family walk away smiling. And why he appointed Rahm Emanuel Chief of Staff. And why he gave the key to the cash drawer to the likes of Rubin, Geithner and Summers. And why he appointed an inert, apathetic clerk as Attorney General.
While President Obama is a vast improvement over Bush he is a soft-stepping appeaser rather than the fighter that Candidate Obama implicitly promised to be.
...While President Obama is a vast improvement over Bush...The trouble is that Obama now finds himself in a fiscal straitjacket: America's $US14 trillion national debt has put the kybosh on further stimulus, while big spending cuts would threaten jobs growth. That has left the central bank as sole proprietor of new attempts to encourage the recovery, printing money and buying back US Treasuries to keep interest rates low.
You want a non-partisan perspective?
The trouble is that Obama now finds himself in a fiscal straitjacket: America's $US14 trillion national debt has put the kybosh on further stimulus, while big spending cuts would threaten jobs growth. That has left the central bank as sole proprietor of new attempts to encourage the recovery, printing money and buying back US Treasuries to keep interest rates low.
See the above?
Now who amoing us has a solution to that problem?
The Rs?
No?
The Ds?
No.
Do I doubt that the dems will lose ground this election?
Of course not.
Do I think the incoming Rs will solve the above?
Nope.
Not even if they had both houses, and the White House, too.
Which obviously they won't have.
So as the economy continues to fibrilate, the Ds will blame the Rs for preventing them from implementing their solutions and the R's will blame the Ds for preventing them from implementing their solutions.
What they won't admit is that they collaboratively got us into this mess, and they cannot -- not collectively or seperately! -- fix the problem.
You want a non-partisan perspective?
The trouble is that Obama now finds himself in a fiscal straitjacket: America's $US14 trillion national debt has put the kybosh on further stimulus, while big spending cuts would threaten jobs growth. That has left the central bank as sole proprietor of new attempts to encourage the recovery, printing money and buying back US Treasuries to keep interest rates low.
See the above?
Now who amoing us has a solution to that problem?
The Rs?
No?
The Ds?
No.
Do I doubt that the dems will lose ground this election?
Of course not.
Do I think the incoming Rs will solve the above?
Nope.
Not even if they had both houses, and the White House, too.
Which obviously they won't have.
So as the economy continues to fibrilate, the Ds will blame the Rs for preventing them from implementing their solutions and the R's will blame the Ds for preventing them from implementing their solutions.
What they won't admit is that they collaboratively got us into this mess, and they cannot -- not collectively or seperately! -- fix the problem.
That is an impressively partisan piece, for a non partisan piece.
That is an impressively partisan piece, for a non partisan piece.
I disagree. You come from a country, and now live in another country, where most mastheads nail their colours to the mantlepiece of partisanship, which does a disservice to the greater public. Australian newspapers are generally the same, but nowhere to the same degree. I think it is a fair and balanced piece. He is saying that Obama is naive (true), that he inherited a mess (true), that his solutions have not been as good as they could have been (true), and that any attempt to alleviate the current crisis is basically out of his hands (true). Honestly? I don't see anybody looking good in the piece...
His GPA at "Colombia" could not have been over 3.3. Fact. That ain't the GPA of an 'extremely smart' person. Fact. He won't release his records from Harvard. Fact. Since he's such an arrogant ass, why not release his records? Because his grades ain't all that. Opinion.
The piece claims successes that don't exist, ignores failures that do, attributes improvements to Obama falsely while ignoring detrimental actions by Obama. Of course it doesn't make Obama look good, that's impossible. It tries though.
Universities do, in fact, give out diplomas to some people with the right connections, influence or cash. It happens, there is corruption everywhere to some degree.
Universities do, in fact, give out diplomas to some people with the right connections, influence or cash. It happens, there is corruption everywhere to some degree.
So list Bush's connections vis-a-vis Obama...wonder who comes out on top in that little scenario...
The piece claims successes that don't exist, ignores failures that do, attributes improvements to Obama falsely while ignoring detrimental actions by Obama. Of course it doesn't make Obama look good, that's impossible. It tries though.
Please point them out...take your time...
I often disagree with Christopher Hitchens but I am awed by his use of language. Listening to him express his thoughts is pure pleasure.
You are basing this on what? He gets along well with other world leaders. Bush on the other hand was basically loathed. He gave Angela Merkle a backrub during a meeting of heads of state. He wore a cowboy hat and boots. He disrespected Tony Blair on a live mike. Gosh..he was hated world wide. Even by people who normally like America. In Thailand I saw a t-shirt that had him and Osama Bin Laden listed as the "Twin Terrors".
The "world" gave Bush the finger.
If anything, he's repaired many of the alliances Bush fractured. I was in Istanbul, shortly after the invasion. Turks absolutely loathed Bush. They loved Americans..however. And this is from one of the most solid allies of America..for pete's sake. That and the whole "freedom fries" debacle. An insult to another solid ally. That may have been none of Bush doing..but he sure has heck alienated the French.
BOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOOSH!
SCARRRRRRRYYY!
ALIENATED THE FRENCH!!
Jatsus Christ talk about a one trick pony.
Anyway I actually read the article and agree with Grump: It is a non-partisan look at Obama, mainly because its not written by a babbling boob who repeats "BUSH, BUSH, BUSH."
You are basing this on what? He gets along well with other world leaders. Bush on the other hand was basically loathed. He gave Angela Merkle a backrub during a meeting of heads of state. He wore a cowboy hat and boots. He disrespected Tony Blair on a live mike. Gosh..he was hated world wide. Even by people who normally like America. In Thailand I saw a t-shirt that had him and Osama Bin Laden listed as the "Twin Terrors".
The "world" gave Bush the finger.
If anything, he's repaired many of the alliances Bush fractured. I was in Istanbul, shortly after the invasion. Turks absolutely loathed Bush. They loved Americans..however. And this is from one of the most solid allies of America..for pete's sake. That and the whole "freedom fries" debacle. An insult to another solid ally. That may have been none of Bush doing..but he sure has heck alienated the French.
BOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooOOOOSH!
SCARRRRRRRYYY!
ALIENATED THE FRENCH!!
Jatsus Christ talk about a one trick pony.
Anyway I actually read the article and agree with Grump: It is a non-partisan look at Obama, mainly because its not written by a babbling boob who repeats "BUSH, BUSH, BUSH."
Yeah..the French.
Any true American knows they stood shoulder to shoulder with us during the war for independence.
That alone makes them our best allies.
"that the $US800 billion stimulus did staunch the economic wound"
It didn't. The stimulus didn't work at all and the recession was technically over before even 10% of the funds were disbursed. TARP could be possibly credited for stopping the downward spiral, but that was Bush '43 not Obama. That's falsely attributing an improvement to Obama and claiming a success that doesn't exist.
The piece ignores the fake and damaging way in which the stimulus program was sold - all those "shovel ready" projects that weren't there and the claim that unemployment would decline soon and stay below 8%. That's a massive failure the piece ignores.
"that tax cuts have been pulling small enterprises out of the mire"
Which tax cuts are those? I know of no small enterprise that paid lower tax rates in 2009 and 2010 vs. 2008. There are none. Another fictitious "success."
"That has left the central bank as sole proprietor of new attempts to encourage the recovery"
Only in the worldview that requires the government to meddle in business (different than proper regulation and oversight). The policy that more government and higher taxes are going to help is killing innovation investment and hiring, a quite detrimental action.
"In the diplomatic build-up to last year's war to remove Saddam Hussein from power, the two most vociferous opponents of military action were Russia and France. Even though Presidents Putin and Chirac reluctantly signed up to UN Security Council resolution 1441 in November 2002 - which threatened Saddam with "serious consequences" if he did not fully comply - they were at the forefront of the international campaign to block military action.
His GPA at "Colombia" could not have been over 3.3. Fact.
That ain't the GPA of an 'extremely smart' person. Fact.
He won't release his records from Harvard. Fact.
Since he's such an arrogant ass, why not release his records? Because his grades ain't all that. Opinion.
"that the $US800 billion stimulus did staunch the economic wound"
It didn't. The stimulus didn't work at all and the recession was technically over before even 10% of the funds were disbursed. TARP could be possibly credited for stopping the downward spiral, but that was Bush '43 not Obama. That's falsely attributing an improvement to Obama and claiming a success that doesn't exist.
The piece ignores the fake and damaging way in which the stimulus program was sold - all those "shovel ready" projects that weren't there and the claim that unemployment would decline soon and stay below 8%. That's a massive failure the piece ignores.
"that tax cuts have been pulling small enterprises out of the mire"
Which tax cuts are those? I know of no small enterprise that paid lower tax rates in 2009 and 2010 vs. 2008. There are none. Another fictitious "success."
"That has left the central bank as sole proprietor of new attempts to encourage the recovery"
Only in the worldview that requires the government to meddle in business (different than proper regulation and oversight). The policy that more government and higher taxes are going to help is killing innovation investment and hiring, a quite detrimental action.
I first and last points are aboslutely valid and I believe to be correct. Right now, the US would be close to Germany ciria 1933 if it was not for the economic stimulus package.
I don't know enough about the tax cuts to make an informed opinion...
"In the diplomatic build-up to last year's war to remove Saddam Hussein from power, the two most vociferous opponents of military action were Russia and France. Even though Presidents Putin and Chirac reluctantly signed up to UN Security Council resolution 1441 in November 2002 - which threatened Saddam with "serious consequences" if he did not fully comply - they were at the forefront of the international campaign to block military action.
Wow the French telling us not to invade Iraq? It's sort of like your best friend telling you not to drive drunk.
