"U.S. policy is not about one individual, and no matter how much faith people place in President-elect Barack Obama, the policies he enacts will be fruit of a tree with many roots. Among them: his personal politics and views, the disastrous realities his administration will inherit, and, of course, unpredictable future crises. But the best immediate indicator of what an Obama administration might look like can be found in the people he surrounds himself with and who he appoints to his Cabinet. And, frankly, when it comes to foreign policy, it is not looking good."
"Obama has a momentous opportunity to do what he repeatedly promised over the course of his campaign: bring actual change. But the more we learn about who Obama is considering for top positions in his administration, the more his inner circle resembles a staff reunion of President Bill Clinton's White House. Although Obama brought some progressives on board early in his campaign, his foreign policy team is now dominated by the hawkish, old-guard Democrats of the 1990s. This has been particularly true since Hillary Clinton conceded defeat in the Democratic primary, freeing many of her top advisors to join Obama's team."
I've been watching the announced and possible Cabinet-level appointees Obama is considering. Remember when I discussed the Class of 2012's "Things have always been this way" that they know? Well, the statement that "There have been two families controlling the United States, the Bushes and the Clintons" is still valid. It's just that the top slot doesn't happen to be filled by a Clinton at the moment. But Obama sure looks to be putting together a Clintonista Cabinet and White House Staff.
"Meet the new boss,
He's the same as the old boss..."
And despite The Who's warning, 52% of the American people sure got fooled again!
That isn't change. It's the same old thing. The Bushes, the Clintons, the Bushes, the Clintons. On a better note Ron Paul is considering a run in 2012. Now that would be change.
From my perspective, there is little Obama can do other than choose former Clinton people. That is pretty much all there are that have any experience at all. He is not going to choose Republicans for the most part, so who's left?
"The team Barack Obama has begun assembling suggests that, in terms of substance, the incoming administration may not be that different from the outgoing."
"Some people just don't want to be confused with facts that contradict their preconceived opinions or prejudices.
During the presidential race Democrats were so committed to “change” and the counterintuitive claim that McCain represented a third Bush term (despite McCain's significant record of mucking up GOP goals and objectives) they somehow neglected to mention electing Barack Obama could result in a third Bill Clinton term (albeit arguably without the erstwhile bimbo eruptions...).
Change can be good and experience is valuable. However, change for the sake of change is bad, and experience not tempered with lessons learned is bad."
"“A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within…For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation…he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear. The traitor is the plague.” --Cicero
So Obama says he will change the world? One of those myriad unanswered questions is if so, will it be for the better or worse?"
"Meet the new boss,
He's the same as the old boss..."
And despite The Who's warning, 52% of the American people sure got fooled again!
That 52% is 52% of the 24% that actually participated in the election. That means 76% of Americans are too stupid to vote, which may not be a bad thing that they stayed home.
48% of the 24% were also fooled into thinking McCain is a republican and conservative.
With the way the primaries were run, with only McCain left in the race when the primary came to Ohio, I was fooled into thinking MY vote meant anything.
2% of the 24% have been fooled into thinking Ron Paul is not a nutjob, who thinks all of our military forces should return to the US and we should make no effort to protect our interests abroad. Granted, Jefferson kind of made the same argument once, but Jefferson didn't live in our modern world, and Jefferson also went after the Barbary Pirates with much vigor.... from the halls of montezuma to the shores of tripoli... la la la la
And by the way, thats why Jefferson owned a Quran. Not because he respected Islam, but so he could understand them and know how to best defeat them. That idiot congressman who swore in with Jefferson's Quran has no knowledge of its history and meaning.
"The old adage — the more things change, the more they stay the same — comes to mind.
One has to wonder at what point will the Obama supporters get the déjà vu feeling they’ve been deceived by a master manipulator, a smooth talking con man, who is already reneging on campaign promises he knew he couldn’t keep but that sounded good in the name of “change.”" Lynn Stuter -- That déjà vu feeling
Last edited by LiveToShoot; 12-02-2008 at 07:43 AM.
"The true irony in this election is that for the first time in 60 years, the President elect actually has a shot at making some memorable history.
Americans, like no time since FDR are ready for genuine change.
The American people would embrace any number of reforms right now. But I want to stick to what Mr. Obama promised and or insinuated throughout his campaign and help him reason out some of those themes from a man on the street point of reference."
"Barack Obama has assembled a team of rivals to implement his foreign policy. But while pundits and journalists speculate endlessly on the potential for drama with Hillary Clinton at the state department and Bill Clinton's network of shady funders, the real rivalry that will play out goes virtually unmentioned. The main battles will not be between Obama's staff, but rather against those who actually want a change in US foreign policy, not just a staff change in the war room." Jeremy Scahill: Obama's Kettle of Hawks Imperialism we can believe in.
Last edited by LiveToShoot; 12-03-2008 at 09:03 AM.
