Sunday, December 28

Why Bush Deserves Praise

Neil Gardiner spells out the case for honoring the extraordinary achievements of President George W. Bush in the UK Telegraph:

Ten or twenty years from now, historians will view Bush's actions on the world stage in a more favourable light. America's 43rd president did after all directly liberate more people (over 60 million) from tyranny than any leader since Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Widely seen as his biggest foreign policy error, the decision to invade Iraq could ultimately prove to have been a masterstroke. Today the world is witnessing the birth of the first truly democratic state in the Middle East outside of Israel. Over eight million voted in Iraq's parliamentary elections in 2005, and the region's first free Muslim society may become a reality. Iraq might not be Turkey, but it is a powerful demonstration that freedom can flourish in the embers of the most brutal and barbaric of dictatorships.

The success of the surge in Iraq will go down in history as a turning point in the war against al-Qaeda. The stunning defeat of the insurgency was a major blow both militarily and psychologically for the terror network. The West's most feared enemy suffered thousands of losses in Iraq, including many of their most senior commanders, such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Abu Qaswarah. It was the most successful counter-insurgency operation anywhere in the world since the British victory in Malaya in 1960.

The broader war against Islamist terrorism has also been a success. There has not been a single terrorist attack on U.S. soil since 9/11, and for all the global condemnation of pre-emptive strikes, Guantanamo and the use of rendition against terror suspects, the fact remains that Bush's aggressive strategy actually worked.

Significantly, there have been no successful terrorist attacks in Europe since the July 2005 London bombings, in large part due to the cooperation between U.S., British and other Western intelligence agencies. American intelligence has proved vital in helping prevent an array of planned terror attacks in the UK, a striking demonstration of the value to Britain of its close ties to Washington.

President Bush, in contrast to both his father, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton before him, had a crystal clear, instinctive understanding of the importance of the Anglo-American Special Relationship. Tony Blair may well have been labeled Bush's "poodle" over his support for the war in Iraq, but his partnership with George W. Bush marked the high point of the Anglo-American alliance since the heady days of Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan.

The decision by Bush, with Blair's support, to sweep the Taliban out of Afghanistan was a brilliant move, one that not all U.S. presidents would have taken. A weaker leader would have gone to the United Nations Security Council and sought a negotiated settlement with Kabul. It was a risky gambit that was vindicated by a stunning military victory in the space of a month, with a small number of U.S. ground forces involved.

Bush also made a firm commitment to defending the fledgling Afghan government, and succeeded in building a 41-nation NATO-led coalition. The notion that the resurgence of the Taliban is America's failure is nonsense. The U.S. has more than 30,000 troops in the country under U.S. or NATO command, making up over half of all Allied forces there. Continental European allies have simply failed to step up to the plate with more troops, with almost the entire war-fighting burden placed on the U.S., UK and other English-speaking countries. Afghanistan is not a failure of American leadership, it is a damning indictment of an increasingly pacifist Europe that simply will not fight.

President Bush also recognized the importance of re-shaping the NATO alliance for the 21st Century, backing an ambitious program of NATO expansion, culminating in the addition of seven new members in 2004. He also had the foresight to support the development of a missile defence system in Europe, successfully negotiating deals with both Poland and the Czech Republic. Bush was right to back the eventual inclusion of Georgia and Ukraine in NATO, and both would be well on their way to membership today were it not for the feckless decision of France and Germany to side with Russia in blocking their path to entry.

Bush began his presidency primarily as a domestic leader. He ends it as a war leader who has left a huge imprint internationally. His greatest legacy, the global war against Islamist terror, has left the world a safer place, and his decision to project global power and military might against America's enemies has made it harder for Islamist terrorists to strike against London, Paris or Berlin.

Bush's decision to remove Saddam Hussein from power will make it less likely that rogue regimes, Iran and North Korea included, will seek to militarily challenge American power. The memory of the invasion of Iraq and the unequivocal message that sent is by far the most effective deterrent to Tehran developing a nuclear weapon.

Tuesday, December 16

Caroline


A little late to be getting in the game after leading a life in the shadows don't ya think? Although, since writing a book and doing very little seems to be a qualification for office nowadays--cough, Obama--, I guess why not, right?

The Shoe of Freedom

Amazing how much uproar the 'Bush Shoeing' has caused in Iraq, several reasons:

1. President Bush is clearly "The One", just look at his Neo-like Matrix moves.

2. The two leaders of countries once "at war with eachother" are now pictured side by side in unity. Note that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sought to deflect the second shoe from President Bush, a move you can be gaurenteed extremist leaders like Iran's Ahmadinejad would not have pulled.

3. Most importantly, the incident highlights the change and freedom that has been brought to the country. Unlike Saddam's Iraq where being "held for questioning" would've meant beating, torture, then death of the reporter and his family, in the new Iraq questioning actually means what it says.

4. Seriously, President Bush is quick. Like, really quick. That shoe was moving FAST!

Monday, December 15

Saturday, December 13

Obamessiah Reformer?

'Change' used to mean something. Similarly, 'Hope' used to mean something.

To my liking, Obama has appointed many, if not conservative, centrist figures. Probably not the change most dems wanted, but that's what they get for voting for some who rarely voted while in office.

What's more curious is how Obama managed to run on a 'change-crusade-like platform' with no political reform to show for it, and even more curiously, that nobody in the media noticed.

If there's anything that the Gov. Blago scandal highlights, it's the scumminess of Chicago politics.

Famed Lieutenant General Lewis "Chesty" Puller once said, " We're surrounded. That simplifies the problem! ... Now we can fire in any direction, those bastards won't get away this time!"

Why, with so much corruption, did Obama, "the politics reformer," sit idle? He literally could've fought in any direction and would've been fighting some type of corruption with such rampant dirtiness in all directions.

Wednesday, December 10

Mark Kirk??


With so much up in the air in Illinois politics, the only voice of reason nowadays seems to be IL-10 Congressman Mark Steven Kirk.

With endorsements from just about every side of politics, this guy is a straight shooter. It looks like he may be in position to become the next elected Governor or be appointed to the open Senate seat in the U.S. Senate.

Depending on how things turn out, it's clear that Congressman Kirk will be taking on Illinois corruption the same way he took on the sewage in Lake Michigan.

Tuesday, December 9

Big Surprise Blago

Big surprise, Gov. Rod Balgojevich was finally caught for something.

As the Politico noted, Blago was quoted saying “Unless I get something real good [for Senate candidate 1], s***, I’ll just send myself, you know what I’m saying,” Blagojevich was taped saying on November 3rd, the day before Election Day.

Blagojevich, a Democrat, added that the Senate seat “is a f***ing valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

The complaint does not mention her name, but the description makes clear that Blagojevich is referring to Valerie Jarrett, a senior campaign adviser to Obama who has been tapped as a top White House aide.

And on November 7th, three days after the election, Blagojevich made clear what he wanted in exchange for appointing the Obama adviser to the Senate: the Department of Health and Human Services."

Shocking.

Sunday, December 7

Honor the Lives Lost at Pearl Harbor


The USS Arizona sinks after the attack.

In the attack, the Japanese sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer, destroyed 188 aircraft, and caused personnel losses of 2,402 killed and 1,282 wounded.

I write today to say one simple thing: fighting for freedom is a fight that will never end. We win the fight by continuing the fight on a daily basis and remembering those that came before us.

Friday, December 5

She Doesn't Look Thirsty

(Note the Obama Staff shirt...cute)

As noted in the Washington Post today, "Question No. 58 in the transition team vetting document for the Obama White House asks that applicants: "Please provide the URL address of any websites that feature you in either a personal or professional capacity (e.g. Facebook, My Space, etc.)"

Question No. 63 asks that applicants "please provide any other information ... that could ... be a possible source of embarrassment to you, your family, or the President-Elect."

For a while there this afternoon, President-elect Barack Obama's immensely talented chief speechwriter, 27-year-old Jon Favreau, might have been pondering how to address that question.

That's when some interesting photos of a recent party he attended -- including one where he's dancing with a life-sized cardboard cut-out of secretary of state-designate Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and another where he's placed his hand on the cardboard former first lady's chest while a friend is offering her lips a beer -- popped up on Facebook for about two hours. The photos were quickly taken down -- along with every other photo Favreau had of himself on the popular social networking site, save for one profile headshot."