Don't blow it buddy!

Barack Obama took office less than two weeks ago to unprecedented goodwill throughout the world and a huge approval rating in the U.S., even having right wing ideologues like the Washington Post's Charles Krauthammer beaming: "I'm now an Obama apologist". Is it possible that another American president may end up squandering massive political capital?

During the primaries I tried to ignore Obama's stance on Afghanistan. His talk of raising the troop level to 60,000 and his tough talk like: "We shall defeat you". I believed he we just posturing -- I can accept the strategy that the president needs to be seen as strong. But after only four days as president Obama has given the go ahead for Predator drone missile attacks on al-Qaida inside of Pakistan to the consternation of the Pakistani government and the outrage of the Pakistani people. This sounds too much like a continuation of the Bush administration. Not the 'change' we expect from Barack Obama.

Here are two highly qualified experts who caution that the Obama administration appear to be falling into the same trap that Lynden Johnson did with his disastrous military escalation in Vietnam. Both warn that an aggressive military, and particularly killing civilians, is not the answer to the current situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pierre Sprey was one of Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's "Whiz Kids" in the Pentagon during the sixties developing deadly war aircraft like the F-16. He says that the events of "9-11" was not an act of war: "It was a criminal act". "By calling it a war we have glorified al Qaeda. We have glorified the cause of violent radical Islam".

History professor Marilyn B. Young teaches U.S. foreign policy at NYU and has written books on China and Vietnam. She says that previous administrations thought they could bomb the enemy into submission. And it's the same notion now with Obama sending those drone strikes into Pakistan thinking that we can scare them and break their will. "But it's, again, an effort to deal with a political issue with force. And it doesn't work".

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Today's Budget

Let's face it this is an "anything to stay in power budget" strictly to appease Michael Ignatieff. Oh, Iggy will rant on and on about it but there is just no way he will force an election by turning this budget down. The Liberals simply aren't ready to face the electorate right now. I don't think there is any doubt, however, that Stephen Harper's days are numbered. Read More......

A Brave New World

After going through an eight year nightmare known as the Bush/ Cheney fiasco the world today has made a giant turn for the better. In a way the person that deserves the most credit for the turn around is none other than George W. Bush. He and his neocon ideologues have screwed things up thoroughly leaving their unbridled market capitalism in shreds. Their expensive war machine exposed as useless in the face of determined and patient insurgency in Iraq leading many people to wonder if this is the end of America as we've known it. Certainly the concept of an American 'empire' is a thing of the past. Bush has been so inept that the country knew it had to try something different. It was such a relief to see Bush take off for the final time in that helicopter, bringing up memories of Richard Nixon's bravely waving off: "I am not a crook". And Dr. Strangelove (Dick Cheney) getting helped from a wheelchair into a limo. We won't be hearing much from these two in the future, I'm sure of that, and thankful of that, too.

The question now is can Barack Obama rescue America from the mess it's in? Can a country continue to prosper after it has sold off its manufacturing base? Will the "bail-out" of the banks work? And will there still be a General Motors in six months from now? These are really difficult questions. The so called 'experts' have lost their credibility with people like Alan Greenspan admitting "I was wrong". Clearly, markets need close oversight and this financial debacle was the big issue that gave Obama the boost he needed to topple the market obsessed Republicans.

Right now there is so much positive emotion in America, in the world, surrounding this new administration that just maybe "the Obama effect" will lessen the financial mess we are presently in the midst of. Yes, I think there is a good chance he will soften this thing.
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