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Taylor Marsh has been writing on line since 1996, with the archives provided here a representation of that work.

Tag Archives | Syria

Obama and the Boiling Middle East

By on 07 February 2012

“So what do we do? Well, faced with a neutered Security Council, we have to redouble our efforts outside of the United Nations with those allies and partners who support the Syrian people’s right to have a better future. We have to increase diplomatic pressure on the Assad regime and work to convince those people around President Assad that he must go, and that there has to be a recognition of that and a new start to try to form a government that will represent all of the people of Syria,” [Secy. Hillary Clinton] said. – Josh Rogin

It’s no secret I was against the Libya bombing and remain so. Watching the carnage in Syria reveals the flaws in the Obama administration’s strategy, as much as there was one. The unspeakable, which Josh Rogin said outright last night, is civil war in Syria. Even as Secy. Clinton worked the Arab League hard to make the NATO mission feasible, regime change looks differently once it’s over and the fallout begins.

See Egypt, where Americans are reportedly to be tried, including Secy. Ray LaHood’s son. Our so-called relationship today in that country as bad as it’s been in decades, which Josh Rogin explained with Chris Hayes last night. No doubt Secy. Clinton’s first instinct to bolster Mubarak came from this dreaded place. However, the truth is wider and deeper, of an American policy supporting dictators who are our allies in torture and rendition, as both Mubarak and Assad have been, while the people suffer.

The Arab Spring has unleashed a lot of energy, none of which Pres. Obama can predict, contain or manage very easily, but considering we engaged in the contagion to try and impact it, he’ll have to take ownership of something that is uncontrollably unpredictable.

Stephen Walt offers some thoughts on Syria, after the Libyan NATO mission.

One can argue that this was the right course of action anyway, because getting rid of a thug like Qaddafi was worth it. That’s a debate for another day, although I would note in passing that post-Qaddafi Libya remains deeply troubled and the collapse of the regime seems to be fueling conflicts elsewhere. But what if the Libyan precedent is one of the reasons why Russia and China aren’t playing ball today? They supported Resolution 1973 back in 2011, and then watched NATO and a few others make a mockery of multilateralism in the quest to topple Qaddafi. The Syrian tragedy is pay-back time, and neither Beijing nor Moscow want to be party to another effort at Western-sponsored “regime change.” It is hardly surprising that Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin condemned the failed resolution on precisely these grounds. In short, our high-handed manipulation of the SC process in the case of Libya may have made it harder to gain a consensus on Syria, which is arguably a far more important and dangerous situation.

Also read Marc Lynch on what a horror it is that the U.N. failed, which no doubt is making the neoconservatives gleeful.

I wrote about this just a few days ago, but if you count Iran and Israel, the economy may be the least of Obama’s worries, with the Middle East possibly throwing a curve to all the prognosticators.

With Pres. Obama’s foreign policy credentials including ordering the slaying of Osama bin Laden, there is no sense whatsoever that Mitt Romney can make a serious challenge to Pres. Obama if the Middle East goes south.

What that means to Republicans picking a nominee is anyone’s guess. It also could be why Newt Gingrich has seduced himself into thinking the race isn’t over.

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China and Russia Block U.N. Action on Syria

By on 05 February 2012

Thirty years after his father massacred tens of thousands of innocent Syrian men, women, and children in Hama, Bashar al-Assad has demonstrated a similar disdain for human life and dignity. [...] Every government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, and any government that brutalizes and massacres its people does not deserve to govern. The Syrian regime’s policy of maintaining power by terrorizing its people only indicates its inherent weakness and inevitable collapse. Assad has no right to lead Syria, and has lost all legitimacy with his people and the international community… – Pres. Obama

Diplomatically, it was Secy. Clinton versus Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, giving dueling public speeches that came before the U.N. vote delivering a double veto. From Clinton at the Munich Security Summit:

Here in Munich, I have had productive discussions with a number of my counterparts concerning a list of critical issues. One that kept coming up is the ongoing violence in Syria. As a bankrupt regime clings to power by shelling its own people in their homes, we have seen a living nightmare play out in the city of Homs. It’s a nightmare that has been repeated across Syria over these past many months. Almost 30 days – almost 30 years to the day after the infamous Hama massacre, the international community must send Assad a clear message: By repeating the horrors of Syria’s past, you have lost your place in Syria’s future.

From the New York Times we get the outcome:

A United Nations Security Council effort to end the violence in Syria collapsed in acrimony with a double veto by Russia and China on Saturday, hours after the Syrian military attacked the city of Homs in what opposition leaders described as the deadliest government assault in the nearly 11-month uprising.

The veto and the mounting violence underlined the dynamics shaping what is proving to be the Arab world’s bloodiest revolt: diplomatic stalemate and failure as Syria plunges deeper into what many are already calling a civil war. Diplomats have lamented their lack of options in pressuring the Syrian government, and even some Syrian dissidents worry about what the growing confrontation will mean for a country reeling from bloodshed and hardship.

According to Reuters, the latest death toll was 217 people.

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Leaked Syrian Report at Foreign Policy

By on 31 January 2012

“What I saw was a humanitarian disaster. The regime is not just committing one war crime, but a series of crimes against its people,” said Malek. “The snipers are everywhere shooting at civilians. People are being kidnapped. Prisoners are being tortured and none were released.” – report by Column Lynch

After calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down, which was ignored, the Arab League also called off its mission to monitor the carnage inside Syria this past Saturday. Considering they reportedly didn’t have enough armored vehicles and too few bullet-proof vests, with the details from Turtle Bay’s Column Lynch about the Chinese passing the walkie-talkies, it would be laughable if the situation hadn’t been so deadly.

Gen. Mohamed Ahmed Moustafa Al-Dabbi was in charge of the mission, which is part of the problem. Lynch has a good rundown on the general:

The mission’s international standing was also diminished by the selection of its monitoring chief — General Al-Dabbi, a close advisor of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court. Al-Dabbi also served as a top military officer in Darfur, Sudan, at a time when the government was organizing local militia, known as the Janjaweed, that were involved in mass killings of civilians in the region. An Algerian member of the Arab team, Anwar Malek, resigned in protest, telling Al Jazeera that the mission was a “farce.”

The leaked report is available over at Lynch’s Turtle Bay. The Europeans are unimpressed by it, while the Russians and the Security Council are in it over the bloodletting in Syria. One thing is clear after reading the report and that is the Syrian government seems to have had no intention of allowing it to succeed. From Lynch:

On Jan. 18, Arab League Secretary General Nabil Elaraby ordered the suspension of the organization’s observer mission, its first major experiment in human rights monitoring. He claimed that the escalation of violence had undercut its ability to do its job.

But a confidential account of the organization’s mission, signed by the monitor’s controversial chief and obtained by Turtle Bay, shows that the Arab monitors were hobbled from the beginning by a shortage of equipment — and by what Al-Dabbi describes as a ferocious Syrian media disinformation campaign against the monitors and him personally. “The credibility of the mission has been undermined in the minds of Arab and foreign viewers,” he wrote.

[...] “The mission…sensed the acute stress, injustice and oppression endured [by] Syrian citizens,” Al-Dabbi wrote. “Yet they are convinced that the Syrian crisis must be resolved peacefully, in the Arab context, and not internationalized so that they can live in peace securely, and achieve the desired reforms and changes.” That said, he is surprisingly candid and critical of the observer mission’s ability to perform well the task required of them.

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What Might Happen Around the World in 2012?

By on 14 December 2011

Global recession with a surprise winner or two – The Eurozombies may avoid catastrophe but instead produce a macroeconomic remake of Night of the Living Dead. Recession in austerity-bound Europe will only be worsened by the sweeping downturn already taking place in the emerging world, and the result could be a deeper slump worldwide. But here’s the twist: the United States will win, as it is a destination for those in the midst of one of the most confusing, frustrating flights to quality in recent history. Japan too. They won’t do very well at all, but in the global ugly contest they may take home least-ugly honors. – David Rothkopf

So, what could happen in 2012?

David Rothkopf over at Foreign Policy has done his next year headlines in review list, many of which don’t take an expert’s mind to name. Stephen Walt has his own that includes Israel accepting the Arab League Peace Plan. Rothkopf thinks the Eurozone will strengthen. More are below.

The end of Ahmadinejad, but it won’t come through Dick Cheney’s fantasies or any neoconservative getting his war wishes in a Christmas stocking. From Erin Burnett’s “Out Front,” when Burnett brought up the RQ-170 sentinel:

CHENEY: I would assume that’s the case. Or they’ll send it back in pieces after they’ve gotten all the intelligence they can out of it.

The right response to that would have been to go in immediately after it had gone down and destroy it. You can do that from the air. You can do that with a quick airstrike, and in effect make it impossible for them to benefit from having captured that drone. I was told that the president had three options on his desk. He rejected all of them.

BURNETT: And they all involved removing the drone immediately?

CHENEY: They all involved sending somebody in to try to recover it, or if you can’t do that, admittedly that would be a difficult operation, you certainly could have gone in and destroyed it on the ground with an airstrike. But he didn’t take any of the options. He asked for them to return it. And they aren’t going to do that.

The world is going to continue to have major shifts in power centers.

The collapse of Assad in Syria, which couldn’t come soon enough as far as I’m concerned.

Political unrest in China? It’s the beginning, Rothkopf predicts.

Power struggle in Pakistan?  Nothing new there.

Say goodbye to Castro and Hugo Chavez?

Incoming “cybershocker” that will take down somebody financially.

Putin’s not going to return to power easily.

…and get ready for extremism in Africa to become an American strategic interest.

Interesting list, as is Stephen Walt’s.

Do you have any thoughts on what might happen in the world next year?

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Brutal Beating Videos from Syria Spread Online

By on 12 September 2011

From The Lede, which has much more…

The United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, gave a staggering death toll from the violence in Syria as she addressed the opening session of the human rights council in Geneva on Monday. “With regard to Syria, let me note that, according to reliable sources on the ground, the number of those killed since the onset of the unrest in mid-March 2011 in that country, has now reached at least 2,600,” she said.

[...] The death of a human rights activist, Ghiyath Mattar, while in custody last week came after that report was published and drew forceful condemnation from the United States.

… The State Department said of the detention and death of Mr. Mattar:

Ghiyath Mattar’s courage in the face of the Asad regime’s brutal repression is well known in his home of Daraya and across Syria. His brave commitment to confronting the regime’s despicable violence with peaceful protest serves as an example for the Syrian people and for all those who suffer under the yoke of oppression.

According to a statement from the Local Coordination Committees on his death, the 26-year-old “was waiting for two births: the birth of his daughter who won’t have the chance to lay on his arms, and the birth of the new free, just and democratic Syria.”

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10 Years After 9/11, Afghanistan Is No Longer Our Fight

By on 08 September 2011

Kudos to Joe Scarborough for taking the risk, stepping out and releasing this song (video below), “Reason to Believe.”

When I look at Democratic actions to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, I see Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand asking for a quicker timeline, but that’s hardly enough. As a new generation leader and a woman, why isn’t she demanding a full withdrawal immediately? Her timidity represents continued establishment-tied status quo in many ways.

Why won’t Democrats lead the way to get out of Afghanistan?

With SecDef Leon Panetta wanting to stay in Iraq, with Pres. Obama’s Libya regime change policy juxtaposed against Syria’s bloodletting and our inability to respond, there is nothing from Democrats that inspires on the foreign policy front.

See Somalia and the reports from Jeremy Scahill.

I supported Obama’s actions in Afghanistan at first, because Bush allowed the country to spin while our Iraq misadventure manifested regime change. Because I believed soft power delivered through Secy. Clinton could make a difference, which it has. However, once McChrystal imploded in Rolling Stone it was obvious it was over.

How many more men and women have to pay the ultimate price 10 years after 9/11 for a war that is unwinnable by any measurable standards?

We don’t seem to ever learn.

That people continue to support politicians who haven’t either is at the heart of America’s decline.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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The Sunday Early Bird News Round Up: Hurricane Edition

By on 28 August 2011

Good morning and welcome to Sunday. I hope that all those in the path of the hurricane are staying safe. I’m trying to get this post out quick before we lose power here in Boston. My youngest cat, Ziggy, is going nuts- more so than usual- so I guess that means something is coming.

On this day in history, August 28, 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in the nation’s capital, where more than 200,000 people listened as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in Washington, D.C.

Some news for those of you that still have, you know, electricity:

~Irene has hit and sadly, already there have been several deaths. Naturally, Ron Paul thinks FEMA is for wimps. Google Maps has created a cool webpage where you can track Irene.

~Hey people, that story you heard about taping up your windows to prevent them from breaking? MYTH. I learned that the hard way during a category 5 hurricane in Grenada. I might as well have used saran wrap. This tape job is particularly ineffective.

~Oh look, it’s an anti-gay Republican legislator in Puerto Rico posting naked photos of himself on a gay website.

~If you didn’t see this earlier this week, it’s worth a look- Glenn Greenwald slams President Obama on MSNBC’s The Last Word for his selective application of the law to protect political elites from the consequences of their crimes (ie. Dick Cheney etc.) while using broad Executive powers to go after government whistleblowers and even journalists. There’s more on that here.

~The Battle of the Hair- Perry vs. Romney: This Time It’s Personal. *yawn*

~This is classic- Iran urges the Syrian government to heed the calls of its people. OF course the same doesn’t apply to Tehran. They must be getting nervous.

~Leon Panetta is already turning out to be a huge disappointment, not that that is all that surprising. In response to a very reasonable question about the economic and practical considerations of fighting multiple wars even as Al Qaeda is considerably weakened in places like Afghanistan, Panetta basically says that wars shouldn’t end until all terrorists who threaten us are gone. Brilliant. As Think Progress notes, Al Qaeda is present in some form or another in at least 70 countries.

~Speaking of Al Qaeda, the government has announced that they killed Al Qaeda’s “number 2″ leader in Pakistan, which I’m sure will just thrill the Pakistani goverment.

~Wikileaks has released almost 4,000 State Dept. cables regarding our diplomacy with Israel. This docudump has largely been ignored by the mainstream media but has been covered a little bit in Israeli media and some non-mainstream sources.

~Several lawmakers are asking the State Department to look into Blackwater founder, Erik Prince’s, latest foray into the lucrative business of killing people. He has been hired by our ally in Abu Dhabi, Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, to create a mercenary army that will be charged with, among other things, [violently?] suppressing internal revolt, ie. pro-democracy demonstrations of the type we’ve seen in Egypt.

~While the news of the Libyan rebels’ advance into Tripoli has been lauded by U.S. government officials, reports of a very dark side of this ongoing battle are coming to light including the rebel’s use of reprisal killings, torture etc.

~Add Patrick Kennedy to the list of politicians and former U.S. officials getting paid big bucks to advocate for a foreign terrorist organization, the Mujahedin-e-Khalqthat (MEK), they seem to know little to nothing about. The fact that the MEK has almost zero support in Iran, particularly among the Green Movement, apparently doesn’t matter.

~Apparently deficit spending doesn’t matter when it’s a multi-billion dollar defense program that is way over budget. It seemed that the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter was finally going to die a long-deserved death because of cost overruns, poor performance and the fact that we probably don’t even need it but NOPE, the GOP is trying to bring it back from the dead.

~Robert Reich is right, this Labor Day we should protest, not just have parades.

~David Sirota has a great piece in the Washington Post about how the Pentagon is turning to Hollywood to make war look Top Gun cool. Your tax dollars at work.

~Oh my God, mark your calendars- the Washington Post ombudsman Patrick Pexton actually found something the Washington Post did wrong. Usually he just gets defensive and blames the readers for their partisanship.

~The number of attacks perpetrated by suicide bombers is on the rise in Afghanistan.

~Here in the U.S. we can really take anything and turn a profit- Islamophobia is big business.

~Gawker vs. Fox News. Fox is falling right into their trap.

~The Martin Luther King statue was completed using unpaid Chinese laborers. Brilliant, really.

~I guess after the 2008 election, candidate’s church attendance, views etc. will be put under the microscope. Bachmann’s church, unsurprisingly, discriminates. Churches, other private religious groups are allowed to do that by the way.

~Do Egypt and Israel need to amend their peace treaty to allow more troops in the Sinai?

~Michele Bachmann thinks those “radical environmentalists” are to blame for our energy problems. Right.

The End. Stay Safe.

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Thanks the Gods John McCain Never Got Near 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

By on 23 August 2011

“The end of the Qadaffi regime in Libya is a victory for the Libyan people and for the broader cause of freedom in the Middle East and throughout the world. This achievement was made possible first and foremost by the struggle and sacrifice of countless Libyans, whose courage and perseverance we applaud. We also commend our British, French, and other allies, as well as our Arab partners, especially Qatar and the UAE, for their leadership in this conflict. Americans can be proud of the role our country has played in helping to defeat Qaddafi, but we regret that this success was so long in coming due to the failure of the United States to employ the full weight of our airpower. [...] – Senators McCain and Graham

Boy, the day Pres. Obama got Osama bin Laden, I bet Cindy had to pull John McCain off the ceiling.

Now, I remain against the notion that regime change is smart U.S. foreign policy. But one thing you cannot call what is happening in Libya is “failure.”

The only thing I did agree upon when Pres. Obama launched his Libyan gamble was letting Pres. Sarkozy take the lead, along with PM Cameron. It’s the only thing that made sense out of the operation.

Lawrence Korb was on with Melissa Harris-Perry last night, who is subbing for Lawrence O’Donnell (and doing a brilliant job as she always does). Mr. Korb rightly criticized McCain and Graham, using Iraq to do it, while saying Obama’s “patience” paid off. This is a ridiculous statement, because it’s not like Pres. Obama had a choice when Gadhafi didn’t quit when “days, not weeks” turned into 6 months, which isn’t a minor point.

But anyone watching the news can tell that what Obama, Clinton, Power, Rice, et al. hoped and intended would manifest is currently unfolding. There was likely a collective exhale and some satisfaction on what the Obama administration’s decision ended up meaning for the rebels, because this story just as easily could have gone the other way.

I’m a “what’s next?” type of foreign policy type. It’s like getting all excited about getting married, but not thinking about the day after when you have to live with the person you’ve chosen and what comes next. Day to day living can be tedious and tough, too. So, I am cautiously hopeful, while thrilled watching the news of the Libyan rebels, knowing this isn’t close to being over, with many minefields ahead.

There also remains a danger that the regime change that is occurring in Libya will be considered smart U.S. policy, because like Bush, Obama chose that route, too, but did so with a country not in our strategic interest. We’ve also now made Libya just that, a strategic interest, but we won’t be able to affect what’s going on. This continues to make the situation precarious for us, but this isn’t about us and never has been.

But calling the results a “failure” because of lack of airpower? This is simply wrong.

An added benefit that made me smile is that Pres. Assad of Syria has got to be feeling a bit queasy about the news coming out of Libya.

Not bad for $896 million.

Regime change is now what we do.

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Obama Administration to Assad: Time for You to Go

By on 18 August 2011

The Obama administration has been reluctant to call on Assad to step down because the next question would be what it plans to do about it. The recent experience in Libya, where similar calls from the United States and others have been ignored, has also led some to urge caution. As violence has increased in recent weeks, beginning with the military’s siege on the restive city of Hama and then spreading to other cities, the White House decided it was time to take the next step. Republican presidential candidatte (sic) Mitt Romney said today Obama should have acted sooner. – Obama Calls on Syria’s Assad to Step Down, Freezes Assets

Pres. Obama released a statement earlier today.

[...] As a part of that effort, my Administration is announcing unprecedented sanctions to deepen the financial isolation of the Assad regime and further disrupt its ability to finance a campaign of violence against the Syrian people. I have signed a new Executive Order requiring the immediate freeze of all assets of the Government of Syria subject to U.S. jurisdiction and prohibiting U.S. persons from engaging in any transaction involving the Government of Syria. This E.O. also bans U.S. imports of Syrian-origin petroleum or petroleum products; prohibits U.S. persons from having any dealings in or related to Syria’s petroleum or petroleum products; and prohibits U.S. persons from operating or investing in Syria. We expect today’s actions to be amplified by others. …

This comes as the backdrop of Afghanistan looks grim, Iraq remains volatile, while Pres. Obama’s power is at its lowest since his presidency began and thinking about becoming enmeshed further militarily makes most sane people nervous.

That would not count Rick Perry who comes from the yeehaw! neoconservative wing of the Republican Party.

This final decision to challenge Assad’s brutality has been a long time in the making, with Pres. Assad telling the U.N. secretary general just yesterday that the carnage had been halted, which was a lie.

Don’t look now, but the Middle East just got hotter.

SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning. For months, the world has borne witness to the Asad regime’s contempt for its own people. In peaceful demonstrations across the nation, Syrians are demanding their universal human rights. The regime has answered their demands with empty promises and horrific violence, torturing opposition leaders, laying siege to cities, slaughtering thousands of unarmed civilians, including children.

The Asad government has now been condemned by countries in all parts of the world and can look only to Iran for support for its brutal and unjust crackdown.

This morning, President Obama called on Asad to step aside and announced the strongest set of sanctions to date targeting the Syrian Government. These sanctions include the energy sector to increase pressure on the regime. The transition to democracy in Syria has begun, and it’s time for Asad to get out of the way.

As President Obama said this morning, no outside power can or should impose on this transition. It is up to the Syrian people to choose their own leaders in a democratic system based on the rule of law and dedicated to protecting the rights of all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, religion, sect, or gender.

We understand the strong desire of the Syrian people that no foreign country should intervene in their struggle, and we respect their wishes. At the same time, we will do our part to support their aspirations for a Syria that is democratic, just, and inclusive. And we will stand up for their universal rights and dignity by pressuring the regime and Asad personally to get out of the way of this transition.

All along, as we have worked to expand the circle of global condemnation, we have backed up our words with actions. As I’ve repeatedly said, it does take both words and actions to produce results. Since the unrest began, we have imposed strong financial sanctions on Asad and dozens of his cronies. We have sanctioned the Commercial Bank of Syria for supporting the regime’s illicit nuclear proliferation activities. And we have led multilateral efforts to isolate the regime, from keeping them off the Human Rights Council, to achieving a strong presidential statement of condemnation at the UN Security Council.

The steps that President Obama announced this morning will further tighten the circle of isolation around the regime. His executive order immediately freezes all assets of the Government of Syria that are subject to American jurisdiction and prohibits American citizens from engaging in any transactions with the Government of Syria or investing in that country. These actions strike at the heart of the regime by banning American imports of Syrian petroleum and petroleum products and prohibiting Americans from dealing in these products.

And as we increase pressure on the Asad regime to disrupt its ability to finance its campaign of violence, we will take steps to mitigate any unintended effects of the sanctions on the Syrian people. We will also continue to work with the international community, because if the Syrian people are to achieve their goals, other nations will have to provide support and take actions as well.

In just the past two weeks, many of Syria’s own neighbors and partners in the region have joined the chorus of condemnation. We expect that they and other members of the international community will amplify the steps we are taking both through their words and their actions.

We are heartened that, later today, the UN Security Council will meet again to discuss this ongoing threat to international peace and stability. We are also working to schedule a special session of the United Nations Human Rights Council that will examine the regime’s widespread abuses. Earlier this week, I explained how the United States has been engaged in a relentless and systematic effort with the international community, pursuing a set of actions and statements that make crystal clear where we all stand, and generating broader and deeper pressure on the Asad regime.

The people of Syria deserve a government that respects their dignity, protects their rights, and lives up to their aspirations. Asad is standing in their way. For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for him to step aside and leave this transition to the Syrians themselves, and that is what we will continue to work to achieve.

Thank you all very much.

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The Sunday Early Bird News Round-Up

By on 07 August 2011

Good morning and welcome to Sunday!

Quote of the Day:

“No risk of that, no risk.”

– Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner during an interview in April, discussing the risk of the U.S. debt being downgraded.

Some links to go with your morning coffee/tea:

~China, our banker, is angry at the U.S. about the downgrade. I guess more administration-China ass kissing diplomacy is in order.

~The Super Duper Debt Committee will just cause more problems than it solves, for obvious reasons.

~The biggest US single-episode loss of life in the Afghanistan War took place Friday as insurgents shot down a Chinook helicopter carrying 38 members of US special forces and 7 Afghan soldiers. More here.

~Also on Afghanistan- The International Crisis Group has issued a report which concludes that despite dumping billions of dollars into nation-building in Afghanistan, the U.S. and its allies have failed to stabilize the country. I think the billions of dollars they are talking about does not include the money spent on the actual war effort there-in other words, just the military and civil rebuilding and stabilization efforts.

~In today’s WaPo there is an article about the origins of the debt showdown and how Eric Cantor took advantage of the House’s new Tea Party recruits to turn the debt ceiling debate into a standoff over the role of government.

~The Wikipedia conference is currently taking place in Israel and the Wikipedia founder talked about how the community tries very hard to keep Wiki entries as neutral as possible. That’s not easy in an era where as soon as there is a political controversy, groups run to the site to get their version of the story out.

~Up to 12 million people’s lives are under direct threat in the Horn of Africa as drought, famine and war take their toll. Much of the world looked away when the predictions of an extreme famine were first put forth. However, the terror group al-Shabab claims there is no famine taking place in Somalia but of course, that could be because the group is preventing humanitarian aid from reaching the men, women and children who are currently starving to death and as a result, they bear direct responsibility.

~A Navy vet and former defense contractor in Iraq explains why he is suing Donald Rumsfeld over the Bush administration’s torture policy- but here’s the thing- in a crazy twist, he was tortured by Americans in Iraq.

~In much of the media’s coverage about the S&P downgrade, there seems to be a tendency to ignore the impact of the refusal to add ANY revenue-generating provisions in the debt deal. There was plenty of blame to spread around to both parties, but there are some interesting tidbits in the S&P statement about revenues. It would seem that the GOP is giddy about the downgrade because throwing a Molotov Cocktail into our already depressed economy was always the GOP plan leading up to 2012.

~While the S&P is certainly correct that Washington is completely dysfunctional and getting them to do anything constructive for the good of the nation is a bit like trying to herd cats, there is no denying the politics of what is taking place. Firedoglake has a good summary of some of the things that may have actually been behind S&P’s decision to downgrade the US credit rating.

~So, how is Saudi Arabia doing on the human rights front? Really, really well. [/sarcasm]

~Despite a lot of people giving Obama props about being willing to put defense cuts on the table, the truth of the matter is that the Obama administration shows no interest in curbing out-of-control defense spending as evidenced by his new Secretary of Defense, Leon Panetta, publicly complaining all last week about how disastrous defense cuts would be. Once again, fear trumps reason. Interestingly, when asked, Leon Panetta can’t seem to articulate any reason why any proposed cuts would be so dangerous to our nation’s security:

~Over 300,000 people took to the streets in Israel this weekend to protest the high cost of living. Good for them. We need to do that here in the U.S.

~The Obama administration will likely squander yet another opportunity to take a serious stand on environmental issues. The Alberta tar sands pipeline is currently being reviewed by the State Dept. and the review itself has been mired in controversy from the start. The pipeline’s chief lobbyist is a former Hillary Clinton deputy campaign director and Secretary Clinton made the none-too-subtle remark long before the review process even started, that she was “inclined to support” it. That made environmentalists and even many Congressional Democrats hopping mad. Of course, the buck doesn’t stop there and environmentalists and congressional democrats are urging the administration to not approve the project. Good luck with that, the fix is in.

~Speaking of the environment, some say that the current Congress is the most anti-Environment since about the 1950′s. Impressive.

~All eyes are on Wisconsin which is in the midst of the largest number of recall elections in U.S. history. Huge amounts of cash have been flooding in to the state via special interest groups from both the left and the right. Some see Wisconsin as a dry run of sorts for what may happen in 2012, ie. did the Tea Party types go too far?

~Gov. Rick Perry’s prayer rally certainly won’t endear him to moderates or independents but I have a feeling that’s ok with Rick Perry.

~Things are still not well in Sudan/Southern Sudan. There is still a long, long way to go.

~The repressive, human rights-abusing Communist Chinese government continues to throw fuel on the fire of religious freedom with respect to Buddhists in Tibet. Even if Americans know very little about this right now, it is a very big issue and could lead to bloodshed when the current Dalai Lama dies. And when that happens, Washington will be forced to take notice but by then it will be too late.

~The death toll in Syria continues to rise as government forces continue the siege on Hama. As Assad’s forces continue to slaughter his own people, the Syrian foreign minister comes out and makes the ludicrous statement that the Assad government will allow free legislative elections by the end of 2011. Yeah, and unicorns are real.

~Both Palestinian and Israeli security forces are frustrated with the politicians in Ramallah, Jerusalem and Washington DC. This is something I have heard over and over again. The Israeli and Palestinian security forces have been training and had unprecedented security cooperation over the past 8+ years, with impressive results, while the politicians piss away every opportunity for a reasonable solution to the conflict.

~Sean Hannity thinks it’s wrong to require insurers to cover birth control but guess what he thinks they should cover…Viagra. Indeed.

~Fox News is out of control with race-baiting.

~Politico continues with its status quo hackery and prints an op-ed from GOP Representative Duncan Hunter, who fear-mongers about cutting defense spending. Ok, no problem there because people can write opinion pieces from various points of view. The problem is that a) he makes patently false claims about the role of defense spending in our current debt crisis and b) Politico knew, or should have known, that Hunter has a conflict of interest when it comes to defense spending given most of his top campaign contributions come from defense contractors. If Politico readers knew that, they might be a little bit more discerning when it comes to taking Hunter’s claims at face value.

~Demonstrations turned violent in Tottenham, England, as people marched to the police station to protest the shooting of a 29-year old man Mark Duggan by police last week. Racial tensions have historically been high in the Tottenham region and as of last night, the situation was still not under control.

~Some in Israel are concerned about a bill that is poised to pass the Knesset and which seeks to provide guidance to the courts such that they would be expected to privilege maintaining “the state as the Jewish nation state in ruling in situations in which the Jewish character of the state clashes with its democratic character.” Israeli journalist Noam Sheizaf and other critics of the pending legislation have argued that proponents of the bill seem to be saying that maintaining a Jewish state and upholding democracy are at odds. It’s an interesting debate.

~Donald Trump really embodies the corporate greed and entitled attitude that seems to have infected this nation. His most recent stunt is to vow to do everything in his power to prevent the building of an offshore wind farm in Scotland because it will obstruct the beautiful view from the golf course he is currently in the process of building.

~Whatever you do, don’t read Thomas Friedman’s silly editorial about the financial crisis in today’s NYT, it’s five minutes of your life that you’ll never get back which is why I read it for you. It’s loaded with dumb analogies and really obvious points like “[r]egarding growth, we surely need a much smarter long-term fiscal plan than the one that just came out of Washington.”

The End.

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Tim Pawlenty’s Neoconservative Spring

By on 28 June 2011

It’s like the ghost of George W. Bush, but with smoother segues. …and so it begins:

Now is not the time to retreat from freedom’s rise.

[...] Yet at the same time, we know these revolutions can bring to power forces that are neither democratic nor forward-looking. Just as the people of Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Syria and elsewhere see a chance for a better life of genuine freedom, the leaders of radical Islam see a chance to ride political turmoil into power.

The United States has a vital stake in the future of this region. We have been presented with a challenge as great as any we have faced in recent decades. And we must get it right. The question is, are we up to the challenge?

My answer is, of course we are. [...]

But President Obama has failed to formulate and carry out an effective and coherent strategy in response to these events. He has been timid, slow, and too often without a clear understanding of our interests or a clear commitment to our principles.

And parts of the Republican Party now seem to be trying to out-bid the Democrats in appealing to isolationist sentiments. This is no time for uncertain leadership in either party. [...]

There’s the obligatory chastising of Pres. Obama, because he’s mean to Israel:

In 2008, candidate Barack Obama told AIPAC that he would “always keep the threat of military action on the table to defend our security and our ally Israel.” This year, he told AIPAC “we remain committed to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.” So I have to ask: are all the options still on the table or not? If he’s not clear with us, it’s no wonder that even our closest allies are confused.

The Administration should enforce all sanctions for which legal authority already exits. We should enact and then enforce new pending legislation which strengthens sanctions particularly against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards who control much of the Iranian economy.

And in the middle of all this, is Israel.

Israel is unique in the region because of what it stands for and what it has accomplished. And it is unique in the threat it faces—the threat of annihilation. It has long been a bastion of democracy in a region of tyranny and violence.

Oh, and you’ll love the part on Syria. Mr. Pawlenty has a domino theory of sanctioning nations, with the U.S. providing Wilsonian intervention wherever needed.

The fall of the Assad mafia in Damascus would weaken Hamas, which is headquartered there. It would weaken Hezbollah, which gets its arms from Iran, through Syria. And it would weaken the Iranian regime itself.

Daniel Drezner weighs in saying it was a “a reasonably coherent speech.”

You can likely imagine what the part on Palestinians reads like, but here’s the bottom line: It’s all the Palestinians’ fault.

When the Palestinians have leaders who are honest and capable, who appreciate the rule of law, who understand that war against Israel has doomed generations of Palestinians to lives of bitterness, violence, and poverty – then peace will come.

If you like your neoconservatism rebooted, T-Paw’s for you. A more accessible, well spoken George W. Bush, whose record at least shows a hint of competency.

John McCain’s got to love this guy.

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Assad’s Evil Regime, No One is Safe

By on 31 May 2011

Hamza al-Khateeb was 13 years-old. The details are horrifyingly shocking. From Al Jazeera and be prepared if you’re going to read on:

Arrested during a protest in Saida, 10km east of Daraa, on April 29, Hamza’s body was returned to his family on Tuesday 24th May, horribly mutilated.

The child had spent nearly a month in the custody of Syrian security, and when they finally returned his corpse it bore the scars of brutal torture: Lacerations, bruises and burns to his feet, elbows, face and knees, consistent with the use of electric shock devices and of being whipped with cable, both techniques of torture documented by Human Rights Watch as being used in Syrian prisons during the bloody three-month crackdown on protestors.

Hamza’s eyes were swollen and black and there were identical bullet wounds where he had apparently been shot through both arms, the bullets tearing a hole in his sides and lodging in his belly.

On Hamza’s chest was a deep, dark burn mark. His neck was broken and his penis cut off.

There is now a Facebook page simply dedicated to saying We are all Hamza Alkhateeb. The YouTube comes with login filter because of the graphic nature.

Obama’s intervention policy now lies in shambles. Libya was good enough for humanitarian reasons, but because of where Syria resides we do nothing. Now, I’m not for intervention in either country, because I’m against the U.S. being the world’s policeman alone. But Pres. Obama intervened militarily in Libya on human rights grounds, so what of Syria at this point? Interestingly, tomorrow Rep. Dennis Kucinich is going to get a floor vote that pulls the trigger on the War Powers Act of 1973. You have to admire the man’s idealism, as if anyone in Congress would challenge the Executive Branch fully.

While all this is going on the Assad regime is reportedly butchering children. The international community must not stand by while he does.

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

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My $0.02/Saturday: Sailboats at Sunset

By on 30 April 2011

Escaping Dystopia 2011...

Morning, news junkies.

Chris Hedges ushered in 2011 by calling it a brave new dystopia. For a brief moment in time, the Egyptian and Wisconsin protests provided a glimmer of “there’s something happening here,” but then we were returned to our regularly scheduled dystopic nightmare. I don’t know about you, but lately I’m finding that the actual headlines these days sound more satirical than the ones in the Onion. They leave me either wanting to lolsob…or just sob. So, on that note…

Above, to the right… from National Geographic’s Intelligent Travel:

This photo of sailboats at sunset has us yearning for the sea, which makes it an Editors’ Pick for week one of our 2011 Traveler Photo Contest in the category of Outdoor Scenes. The photographer Ken Michael Jon Taarup writes, “Boracay has never ceased to amaze many people from all over the world. With its white crystal sand, pristine blue waters, and beautiful sunsets, this place still tops the list of the most visited and beautiful resorts in the Philippines.”

That’s so you have something calming to visualize while you read my Saturday picks.

Alright, grab your morning cuppa if you haven’t already, and read on.

Let’s just get the biggest distraction out of the way first…

Tornado aftermath: Pictures say a 1000 words

“Depressing women’s history news of the week”

Being pro-choice means understanding that self-determination for women regarding sex, sexuality, reproduction and motherhood is a fundamental precursor to womens’ ability to achieve their own educational, economic and familial aspirations, a fundamental precursor to the health and well-being of individuals and families, and a core condition of the long-term stability and health of society. It therefore also means understanding the profound connections for women–supported by more than ample evidence–between economic and educational status and unfettered access to comprehensive sexual health education, contraception, family planning services, and abortion care.

The War on Unions… now brought to you by Dems in MA?

The bill will take a month before coming to the state Senate, but the overwhelming vote in the House, and [Gov.] Patrick’s kinder, gentler rights-stripping plan, make it look like something’s going to happen in Massachusetts. Time to get out in the streets in another blue state.

“I’ve played at hundreds of protests and demonstrations, and this was really unique,” he said. “It was every segment of society. It was radical students and cops on the same side, and I’d never seen that before.”

Hillaryland

  • The otherwise serious and reliable Laura Rozen overreacted a bit to Hillary taking a few days of Easter R&R time off with her family. There’s a reason Hill was dubbed the “Energizer Secretary.” The woman works non-stop. She has a personal life that she’s entitled to attend to and/or just recharge every few years or so.

Click to view HQ. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

When Bushies fight… Get out your popcorn

First of all, I didn’t have modest experience in management. Managing Stanford University is not so easy. But I don’t know what Don was trying to say, and it really doesn’t matter. Don can be a grumpy guy. We all know that.

As always, Black Agenda Report tells it like it is…

  • This is an instant classic! Please read and disseminate. Bruce A. Dixon’s Top Ten Answers To Excuses For Obama’s Betrayals and Failures. Note Number 9 — it’s for all the Obamaphiles who won’t accept that Obama is the third Bush-Cheney term. And, to quote a snippet from Numero Uno (Re: “It’s our fault the Obama presidency hasn’t kept its commitments. We need to ‘make him do it.’”):

You cannot make a US president do what he fundamentally doesn’t want to. Michelle Obama is nice to look at, but she is no Eleanor Roosevelt. Franklin Roosevelt used to publicly bask in the hatred of wealthy banksters. Barack Obama’s dream is mostly not to piss off rich people.

  • For more on the atrocities of Bush-Cheney III, give BAR’s April 25th podcast a listen. In the first segment BAR’s Glen Ford interviews Labor Notes editor Mark Brenner, who sees no growth and no jobs on the horizon and says:

“Absolute disaster for working folks. If we follow the Ryan plan or if we follow the Obama plan, none of it spells good news for the rest of us.”

  • In another segment, Clarence Thomas, former Local 10 union secretary-treasury, says “what one needs to understand is that this is not simply an attack on public sector workers, it is also an attack on public services.” Thomas says the goal is to put labor back where it was before the New Deal, noting that it is a corporate and rightwing agenda in which “the Democratic party is complicit.”

The ongoing crackdown on dissidents: Syria, China

In response to the brutality of the crackdown, President Barack Obama signed an executive order today instituting sanctions against the Syrian intelligence agency and two of Assad’s brothers, a White House official confirmed. Meanwhile, the UN Human Rights Council voted in Geneva today to condemn the Syrian crackdown.

“The [Executive Order] is a watershed,” Andrew Tabler, a Syria expert with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told The Envoy. “This is the first time an Assad has been designated by the [U.S. government], and the first time the USG has issued an EO on human rights in Syria. Until a few months ago Human Rights was a distant fifth on our list of issues with Syria. Now it’s emerged as the center of our policy.”

Ms. Cheng was arrested on what was supposed to have been her wedding day last fall for sending a single sarcastic Twitter message that included the words “charge, angry youth.” The government, lacking a sense of humor, sentenced her to a year in labor camp.

Timeout: Art break

We’re about halfway through, so click to read the rest… Continue Reading →

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Ryan Lizza: Obama is a ‘Consequentialist’

By on 26 April 2011

One reaction among liberals to the Bush years and to Iraq was to retreat from “idealism” toward “realism,” in which the United States would act cautiously and, above all, according to national interests rather than moral imperatives. The debate is rooted in the country’s early history. America, John Quincy Adams argued, “does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to freedom and independence of all,” but the “champion and vindicator only of her own. In 1966, Adams’s words were repeated by George Kennan, perhaps the most articulate realist of the twentieth century, in opposing the Vietnam War. …The use of force to stop human-rights abuses or to promote democracy, they argue, usually ends poorly.” – Ryan Lizza



Consequentialist? Say what?

Mike Allen led with Ryan Lizza’s story in the New Yorker yesterday in his Playbook, logging it under “West Wing Must Read.”

It requires hip-waders.

Philosophically speaking, Lizza contends that whether a decision by a president is moral or right depends on the consequences of that action, which he concludes makes Pres. Obama’s evolving doctrine “consequentialist.” By that theory isn’t every president’s doctrine consequentialist by nature?

Oy, some experts…

Read it anyway, at least then you’ll understand Libya.

If there is such a thing in foreign policy as a “consequentialist” doctrine, Harry Truman might agree, though his interpretation of Lizza’s theory would be far different from Obama’s, because Truman believed the buck stopped in the White House. John F. Kennedy, a president who doesn’t resemble our current one at all, wouldn’t agree at all with Lizza, because imagining Kennedy bombing Libya requires enormous feats of mental acrobatics, regardless of the consequences.

Libya is doing for Pres. Obama exactly what I warned would happen.

Interesting premise pulled out of thin air to try to unwind whatever it is Pres. Obama is attempting to do on foreign policy, which is hardly clear at this point. Unfortunately, Obama’s actions also reveal timidity to declare U.S. intent, because admitting an altered U.S. policy based on Lizza’s “consequentialist” theory would cause political havoc for Obama in 2012.

From Lizza’s article:

Nonetheless, Obama may be moving toward something resembling a doctrine. One of his advisers described the President’s actions in Libya as “leading from behind.” That’s not a slogan designed for signs at the 2012 Democratic Convention, but it does accurately describe the balance that Obama now seems to be finding. It’s a different definition of leadership than America is known for, and it comes from two unspoken beliefs: that the relative power of the U.S. is declining, as rivals like China rise, and that the U.S. is reviled in many parts of the world. Pursuing our interests and spreading our ideals thus requires stealth and modesty as well as military strength. “It’s so at odds with the John Wayne expectation for what America is in the world,” the adviser said. “But it’s necessary for shepherding us through this phase.” – The Consequentialist – How the Arab Spring remade Obama’s foreign policy.

Ah, China, but first America has to wean itself off of our Middle East obsession, which includes that we can create an outcome by anything we do. But the take away on this one is “leading from behind,” with the notion of a “humanitarian hawk” haunting U.S. foreign policy in a very real way, the latest in Libya, neoconservative unilateralism replaced with righteous certainty of America the savior in countries that are not of strategic interest, meanwhile we can do nothing in Bahrain, with sanctions on Syria coming in 3… 2… … .. 10… 9… 8… Oh, and just try to do anything in the Middle East by pissing off the Saudis.

David Drezner’s take:

On the structure – despite Lizza’s 9,000 words, and despite Obama’s stated intention to reorient American foreign policy to be less Middle East-focused, the essay…. is totally focused on the Middle East. I’m not saying that the Middle East is unimportant, but I’d have liked to have read something about how the Obama administration is dealing with the rest of the world. Indeed, Lizzaa notes that Obama visited South America during the opening days of the Libya operation precisely “to show that America has interests in the rest of the world.” Despite this effort, the thrust of the article demonstrates its futility during the start of a war. New military conflicts crowd out attention that should be paid to other arenas of foreign policy. It would have been nice to see how the administration’s strategy is playing/affecting the rest of the world.

The inside elite from Pontificate Hill, of which Ryan Lizza is certainly one on foreign policy, lays down that Obama is a consequentialist, which is really just shorthand for making stuff up as he goes along, moving from crisis to crisis with no guiding light, except outcome. Good God.

Brzezinski, too, has become disillusioned with the President. “I greatly admire his insights and understanding. I don’t think he really has a policy that’s implementing those insights and understandings. The rhetoric is always terribly imperative and categorical: ‘You must do this,’ ‘He must do that,’ ‘This is unacceptable.’ ” Brzezinski added, “He doesn’t strategize. He sermonizes.”

Then Mike Allen says Lizza’s is “West Wing Must Read,” which sends the message.

All it means to me is that if Lizza and Allen are correct we’re in bigger trouble than I thought we were and I didn’t think that was possible.

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The Sunday Early Bird News Round-Up

By on 24 April 2011

Good morning and welcome to Sunday. Happy Easter to those who celebrate it.

On this day in history, April 24, 1915, the Armenian genocide began as the Ottoman Empire rounded up Armenian political and cultural leaders in Constantinople. See link below about Obama’s statement regarding the genocide that he won’t call genocide.

Link dump:

~Friday was the bloodiest day yet in Syria, with over 110 people killed on that day alone. The violence continued into Saturday and several members of the Syrian parliament to resign in protest. What’s going on is truly horrific, but the usual suspects calling for Assad’s ouster don’t really provide specifics on how we do that, nor do they engage in any real debate about consequences. Naturally, these are the same people who were cheerleaders for war with Iraq and who would like war with Iran. When I hear these hawks call for a draft or a war tax, then I’ll take them seriously. I think we all understand the strategic importance of Syria, but the notion that we can simply run around the Middle East removing leaders without any blowback (or sacrifice) is woefully naive.

~Former CNN anchor Rick Sanchez is desperately trying to make himself relevant (while throwing in some shameless self promotion). Naturally the New & Improved No Labels HuffPo gives him a platform.

~Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is now being held for additional questioning stemming from a cushy and secretive natural gas deal he penned with Israel which essentially resulted in Israel getting the gas for well below market rate, which is rather curious given Egypt’s faltering economy and Israel’s high demand for gas.

~So, is Iran really the source of all Bahrain’s troubles? No, probably not. Are they likely taking some advantage of the unrest in the region? Of course. But it’s hard not to notice how the Obama administration (and the media) conveniently ignore the government of Bahrain’s killing, detaining and torturing democracy protesters. It’s interesting how in each country where there have been uprisings, the despotic leaders blame “outside influence” and we dismiss that out of hand (Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, Iran) but when it’s one of our allies, suddenly we accept without question that outside influence-Iran- is to blame. In other words, the people of Bahrain (and Saudi Arabia) have no legitimate grievances- it’s all some evil Shiite plot. Thank you Fifth Fleet. If you haven’t seen this Al Jazeera English show on the situation in Bahrain, it’s worth watching.

~The hypocrisy of the Obama administration’s selective views on leaking information, secrecy and the rule of law.

~If you read nothing else today, read this- the Washington Post has an illuminating article about why Obama was unable to close Gitmo. The administration’s claims that it was all Congress’ fault don’t add up and don’t align with the facts. Yes, Congress made it harder, but once the push-back started, Team Obama didn’t have the political will to fight this battle. Given that closing Gitmo represented a key aspect of candidate Obama’s political philosophy and agenda, it sort of makes one wonder what he does stand for and why he gave up so easily. Gitmo has become a stain on the U.S. and when we point our fingers and call out the unlawful detentions in China, Egypt and Syria, they can always respond with one word- Gitmo.

~Ok, so Libya is a stalemate. Now what?

~Speaking of Libya, the State Dept. approved Senator McCain’s trip to Libya which is interesting given McCain is pushing for much more direct U.S. intervention and support than the administration is prepared to give. Once again the Obama administration can’t seem to handle its foreign policy messaging.

~Senator Jon Kyle edits the Congressional record to delete his factually-impaired, dishonest comment about Planned Parenthood’s abortion services during the budget debate.

~Many believe that Sen. John Ensign’s resignation was likely an attempt to preempt unsavory details about his affair and payoff coming to light during a Senate ethics investigation. However, the ethics committee issued a rare statement saying that the resignation notwithstanding, the investigation would continue.

~What is it with Fox News and claiming there is a war against various Christian holidays? We’ve moved from the nonexistent War on Christmas to the nonexistent War on Easter. The best part is how Hannity and friends bemoan the lack of civility, restraint and respect shown to the followers of Christianity. Uh, hello? This is the same channel that has turned demonizing Islam and ALL of its adherents into a full time sport.

~It’s official- only 1 in 6 Americans are interested in the upcoming royal wedding of Wills and Kate. Yup, there’s an app for that.

~The 2012 crop of GOP candidates really isn’t all that much to write home about.

~If Trump is going to run for POTUS he better grow some thicker skin. He seems more concerned with defending his fragile ego than putting forth a plan for how to move the U.S. forward. This is sort of embarrassing:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znY_b_rcK_g]

~Obama and the G word: another campaign promise broken.

~The origins of the birther movement. And it just won’t die.

~Christians remain fearful in Iraq.

~One of Obama’s biggest mistakes with the Bradley Manning mess- and the list is growing every day-was insisting on the resignation of State Dept. spokesman P.J. Crowley. He was the only person in the administration who was espousing the principles that Obama claimed to hold and quite frankly, he’s been vindicated as Salon points out. Mistake number two was Secretary Clinton accepting the resignation.

~What a surprise. The GOP is trying to stall the repeal of DADT. Why are they playing politics with our national security?

~Glenn Beck is going out with a bang, claiming that some conspiracy involving Obama, socialists, George Soros, Samantha Power, William Ayers and the Tides Foundation will be willing to….kill 25 million Americans? One word: Haldol.

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War Hawks and Neocons

By on 23 April 2011

Security forces in Syria met thousands of demonstrators with fusillades of live ammunition after noon prayers on Friday, killing at least 81 people in the bloodiest day of the five-week-old Syrian uprising, according to protesters, witnesses and accounts on social networking sites. – Security Forces Kill Dozens in Uprisings Around Syria

We will never be rid of the curse.

The Washington Post’s shameful op-ed eviscerating Pres. Obama over “inaction” in Syria isn’t worth reading, but it goes nicely with John McCain playing president in Libya.

Welcome to another edition of America’s amateur foreign policy hour.

Having Sen. McCain say in Libya that “for the United States to withdraw our unique offensive capabilities at this time would send the wrong signal” is not only inappropriate, but reenforces the notion of an empire nation, which is the biggest reason our country hangs in continual economic limbo, something conservatives never consider when thinking of national security that must include our economic health.

The BBC is reporting that NATO has utilized armed Predator drones, with Pres. Obama approving the action earlier, which now have struck inside Libya for the first time. Unarmed drones have been used for intelligence and reconnaissance missions.

Pres. Obama could not have approved the use of anything that is a worse symbol of American imperialism than a hell fire missile coming from a Predator. This type of action has already proved counterproductive in Pakistan, but then U.S. policy has been in a perpetual state of chaos for over 10 years.

As an aside, I don’t watch Chris Matthews much anymore, but took a moment yesterday to do so only to hear him trip over himself opining that Predator drones might signify a way out of Libya, something that made him sound so incredibly ignorant I wanted to immediately turn off the TV, but curiosity stopped me, because I wanted to see how he was going to get out of this mess. As he interviewed Richard Engel, he asked the significance of the armed drones being utilized instead of an AC-130, with Engel saying the armed drones were like “a kite” in comparison, something Matthews didn’t know. What’s worse is that he didn’t bother to find out before he went on the air or do any homework on the matter, at least none that was evident. It’s no wonder people are stupid on foreign policy with the likes of Chris Matthews dispensing opinions that armed drone attacks might be the end, instead of simply positing questions and letting the experts tell you what is and is not true.

It seems to me the American people have to get reacquainted with a new thought, which war hawks and neocons are not going to like and neither are humanitarians.

Our standard for bombing or becoming militarily involved in another country that has not attacked us must have at its core that a clear and present danger to the United States must exist.

Unless genocide or ethnic cleansing are happening we stay out, with the ugly reality in geopolitics that you also need proof that it is. We shouldn’t bomb countries before something has happened, preemptively involving ourselves in something that is only a threat.

It’s horrific to read and hear about the carnage erupting throughout the Middle East, but we simply cannot be involved in every skirmish, no matter how gut wrenching the reports. The founding of our own American freedom came through a lot of bloodshed and chaos, with the result of fighting for your own country part of what rebuilds a nation’s character. New American discipline needs to be instilled in our leaders to engage with the world community to bring thugs to justice, without everyone expecting U.S. military involvement for which taxpayers are on the hook.

I’d start with George W. Bush for Iraq, but then I’m a liberal, not one of the mealy-mouthed Democratic elite.

Released last night, Pres. Obama’s statement on Syria:

The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms the use of force by the Syrian government against demonstrators. This outrageous use of violence to quell protests must come to an end now. We regret the loss of life and our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of the victims, and with the Syrian people in this challenging time.

The Syrian Government’s moves yesterday to repeal Syria’s decades-old Emergency Law and allow for peaceful demonstrations were not serious given the continued violent repression against protesters today. Over the course of two months since protests in Syria began, the United States has repeatedly encouraged President Assad and the Syrian Government to implement meaningful reforms, but they refuse to respect the rights of the Syrian people or be responsive to their aspirations. The Syrian people have called for the freedoms that all individuals around the world should enjoy: freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and the ability to freely choose their leaders. President Assad and the Syrian authorities have repeatedly rejected their calls and chosen the path of repression. They have placed their personal interests ahead of the interests of the Syrian people, resorting to the use of force and outrageous human rights abuses to compound the already oppressive security measures in place before these demonstrations erupted. Instead of listening to their own people, President Assad is blaming outsiders while seeking Iranian assistance in repressing Syria’s citizens through the same brutal tactics that have been used by his Iranian allies. We call on President Assad to change course now, and heed the calls of his own people.

We strongly oppose the Syrian government’s treatment of its citizens and we continue to oppose its continued destabilizing behavior more generally, including support for terrorism and terrorist groups. The United States will continue to stand up for democracy and the universal rights that all human beings deserve, in Syria and around the world.

This is why there is The Hague.

The president of Yemen Ali Abdullah Saleh has reportedly offered to resign in exchange for immunity.

I used to say about George W. Bush and the neocons that if they’d been around during the Cuban Missile Crisis we’d have wasted Cuba. But after Libya, I’m not so sure if Barack Obama doesn’t deserve his own sub-category, even as Sec. Clinton has already said we will not become engaged in Syria. The inconvenient geography of Syria renders it absolutely impossible, making a mockery out of the “humanitarian” angle of Libya, which never should have been uttered, let alone engaged militarily.

The problem with all of this is that Pres. Obama’s foreign policy makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why Libya and not Syria? It’s not about “inaction” in Syria as much as it is irreconcilable stupidity for going into Libya, a decision that looks like the height of hypocrisy when reading, watching or hearing about the carnage in Bahrain.

Pres. Obama doesn’t have a Middle East strategy, policy or anything resembling a foreign policy road map, which is now nakedly exposed.

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Catching Up with the Right

By on 03 April 2011

TM NOTE: Well, this was supposed to be up hours ago, but a little life interruptus impeded my best intentions. So, finally, here you go…

Tired of being on the receiving end of damaging stories developed by liberal groups such as Media Matters and the Center for American Progress, conservatives are looking to launch their own opposition research army to dig up dirt on the left. In the last year, a mix of big-money Republican-allied independent groups, tea party non-profits, guerilla videographers, and some scrappy bloggers and talk show hosts has created a raft of fledgling investigative research and reporting efforts to uncover and publicize alleged corruption, flip-flops and plain-old gaffes by Democrats and their allies headed into the 2012 elections. – Right seeks edge in opposition wars

The story above in Politico is worth a read, because that’s what Jim Messina & company will face in 2012 that they didn’t in 2008; that and a demoralized progressive base and disaffected Democrats who simply will not come out for Obama this time. …and before we go any further, the Ari Berman piece about Messina evidently exploded heads over at camp Obama. So Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times does a push back profile, with Ben Smith calling it “the Messina wars.” Smith has a hilarious warning:

This is a moment for some of the media and Democratic infrastructure to pick sides, stake out positions: Do you want the authorized leaks or the unauthorized ones. (I’ll take both, please!) Do you want an appointment in the second term or a regular spot on the Ed Show?

Considering Mr. Schultz’s performance last week on Libya, I’m not sure anyone should want a “regular spot” on his show.

Now onward and rightward ho we go…

Pastor Terry Jones leads with crazy.

“It is definitely a consideration to stage a trial on the life of Mohammed in the future,” he said in interview on Saturday. – UK Telegraph

Just how Jones plans to put Mohammed on trial is a head-scratcher, but this fanatical religious nut job has now captured the world’s attention, so it’s unlikely he’s going to stop at inciting violence around the world.

Mitt Romney goes after Pres. Obama’s foreign policy in Las Vegas by completing a back shot off of Sec. Hillary Clinton:

Romney said Obama hasn’t been tough enough on Iran and its suspected nuclear weapons program. And he said he was surprised Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Syrian President Bashar Assad “a reformer” even as he puts down protests. “Obama is either unwilling or incapable of dealing with this,” Romney said, speaking about Iran and turmoil in the region at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s winter meeting. “Israel’s very existence may be at stake.”

In the most recent South Carolina polling for 2012, Sarah Palin was nowhere in sight and Mitt Romney finished fourth, behind Michele Bachmann.

Huckabee, who has shown no signs of mounting a repeat presidential bid in the state, nevertheless won the vote with 23 percent of the 152 ballots cast, local GOP officials told CNN. He was followed by former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who captured 11 percent of the vote. Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann finished third with 10 percent.

Fox News channel’s Bill Sammon’s “cruise ship confession” was really something to watch unfold this past week. As always, Jon Stewart is at his best here unwinding it.

Roger Ailes and his network hacks have always preened that their “news” shows are unbiased, non-ideological and straight news. Bret Baier emphatically defended this stance with Jon Stewart this week, which after the Sammon confessional made the Fox News anchor look like an ass.

Mr. Sammon made Stewart’s job easy, because when the Washington managing editor and a vice president of Fox News, the biggest and most successful network on cable, is found lying it makes a mockery of any “news” title and turns any anchor’s performance into a charade.

Politics is money. It’s marketing. It’s the Roger Ailes playbook. He gave Huckabee a show, spotlighted John Kasich, not to mention built a home studio for Sarah Palin, with Ailes’s latest gimmick giving Donald Trump a “Mornings with Trump” Fox segment, with Trump duh, winning.

Now the RNC wants to take a page from Roger Ailes through monetizing the presidential debate season.

From The Hill:

The Republican National Committee is considering sanctioning a series of monthly presidential candidate debates beginning in August that would be paired with committee fundraisers, a party official confirmed to The Ballot Box.

The RNC is in the process of soliciting input from its members on what form the events will take. One proposal is that candidates would attend RNC fundraisers that would coincide with the sanctioned debates. The forums would run through the start of the primary season in February 2012.

The money raised would go to the RNC’s Presidential Trust. [...]

It’s quite a concept. One that Roger Ailes, the Fox News channel and Republican moneymaker, marketing and media mogul, would approve.

And the Right has finally decided who the devil is. It’s Planned Parenthood.

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Rationalizing Libya

By on 27 March 2011

“It was not — it was not a vital national interest to the United States, but it was an interest and it was an interest for all of the reasons Secretary Clinton talked about. The engagement of the Arabs, the engagement of the Europeans, the general humanitarian question that was at stake”… Defense Secretary: Libya Did Not Pose Threat to U.S., Was Not ‘Vital National Interest’ to Intervene

Pres. Obama letting emotions be his guide is how we got into Libya. It’s also the leading reasoning behind others who back him.

Juan Cole has a post up today “unabashedly cheering the liberation movement on”, applauding Pres. Obama’s interventionism into Libya, his war of choice. As much as I respect Juan Cole, his arguments are unpersuasive, as he cherry picks his way through rationalizing the President’s actions.

The United Nations Security Council authorization for UN member states to intervene to forestall this massacre thus pitched the question. If the Left opposed intervention, it de facto acquiesced in Qaddafi’s destruction of a movement embodying the aspirations of most of Libya’s workers and poor, along with large numbers of white collar middle class people. Qaddafi would have reestablished himself, with the liberation movement squashed like a bug and the country put back under secret police rule. The implications of a resurgent, angry and wounded Mad Dog, his coffers filled with oil billions, for the democracy movements on either side of Libya, in Egypt and Tunisia, could well have been pernicious. [...]

Among reasons given by critics for rejecting the intervention are:

1. Absolute pacifism (the use of force is always wrong)

2. Absolute anti-imperialism (all interventions in world affairs by outsiders are wrong).

3. Anti-military pragmatism: a belief that no social problems can ever usefully be resolved by use of military force.

For a man who has called Afghanistan another Vietnam, while never understanding the human rights as women’s rights argument, it’s astounding Cole is ignoring a major element on Libya. One that has convinced me that we’ve done what we can in Afghanistan and while we’ll continue to aid them, our military must disengage.

There is absolutely nothing about Libya that is in American’s geopolitical interests.

Cole’s flippant refusal to consider the Sudan because military intervention would have required more effort than Libya is to say that preventing genocide can only be done if it’s easy. Genocide often happens in out of the reach places where the perpetrators think they can get away with it, as they did in Rwanda.

The other very real issue is focus and what taking our eye off of the geopolitical ball can mean. Distractions are dangerous and that’s exactly what Libya is.

From Steve Clemons, who is correct on Libya and has the most cogent analysis of anyone:

However, the nation of real rather than imagined national security consequence to the U.S. in the region is Egypt. Richard Haass of the Council on Foreign Relations and others — including myself — are worried about the ‘bandwidth’ of the White House to deal with multiple major challenges at the same time. Libya will soon be NATO protectorate and focus of significant attention — adding some ‘stretch marks’ to the stress NATO members are already feeling on Afghanistan.

But what of Egypt which is going through extraordinary changes in turbo time? Senior officials in the Department of State tell me “we are on it.” And I believe they are in the sense of working with Egyptian authorities to offer counsel on strategies to transform the Constitution and set the terms for significantly broader political stakeholding in the country — but there is no doubt that the system that President Obama has established for exhaustively internally inclusive national security decision making has less space for Egypt today than Libya.

Meanwhile, Sec. Clinton said today that the U.S. would not intervene in Syria.

Clinton said the elements that led to intervention in Libya — international condemnation, an Arab League call for action, a United Nations Security Council resolution — are “not going to happen” with Syria, in part because members of the U.S. Congress from both parties say they believe Assad is “a reformer.”

Leaving aside for now the absurd notion that Pres. Assad is a “reformer,” I cannot find any through line from the Administration on why Libya and not Syria.

Sen. Joe Lieberman did and it reveals the problem in Juan Cole’s analysis, which opens up a whole can of worms. Via Reuters:

Senator Joseph Lieberman, an independent, suggested the United States and other countries could intervene militarily in Syria if President Bashar al-Assad, who came to power after the 2000 death of his father, Hafez, attacked protesters with greater ferocity.

“There’s a precedent now that the world community has said in Libya, and it’s the right one, ‘we’re not going to stand by and allow this Assad to slaughter his people like his father did years ago,’” Lieberman told the “Fox News Sunday” program.

Of course we feel for the poor and workers of Libya. If Gadhafi had been allowed to clash with protesting Libyan civilians it would have been gut wrenching to watch.

But what about human rights violations in China? In North Korea?

If the U.S. is spread any thinner our national security interests will become vulnerable, our interests unprotected, because we will now be embroiled in Libya, along with Afghanistan and Iraq. While Egypt, which is much more critical to American interests than Libya, will not get the attention it warrants.

It’s being reported that NATO will indeed take on duties beyond the no-fly zone, arms embargo, but also protecting civilians. But NATO’s “Needs America To Operate” history means we won’t be completely hands off, because this mission is not over. Never mind we still do not know the ultimate intent, which Obama states is “Gadhafi must go,” while admitting he has no intention of forcing the issue.

The entire endeavor has been fraught with inconsistensies from the start.

Juan Cole is understandably emotional about Libya, which is how Pres. Obama got dragged into this war of choice in the first place.

There are many tensions breaking open and what’s required right now is clear, tough-eyed realism. Bleeding hearts will compromise American interests and get us embroiled while our adversaries plot.

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The Sunday Early Bird News Round-Up

By on 27 March 2011

Good morning early birds and welcome to Sunday!

On this day in history, March 27, 1513, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon set his eyes on what is today known as Florida.

I’ve rounded up some links so you don’t have to:

~Coalition airstrikes against Gaddafi on Saturday provide enough cover for the rebels to retake the city of Ajdabiya in the East.

~A quarter of a million people take to the streets in London to protest the government’s draconian “austerity” measures. Just as in the U.S., the British banking system received billions in bailouts and now the people made to suffer are the usual suspects- the middle and lower classes.

~Protests in Syria turned violent after government forces gunned down dozens of unarmed protesters.

~You would think that the cable news media could walk and chew gum at the same time given it’s a 24 hour news cycle which gives them more than enough time to cover more than one or two stories non-stop. For example, one would think they could cover the military action in Libya and the ongoing crisis in Japan. If you thought that, you would be wrong. Since the initiation of military action in Libya, coverage of the continued problems with the Fukushima nuclear complex in Japan has slipped off noticeably. Luckily print/web media is still covering the crisis.

~This seems to becoming more and more of a frequent occurrence- NATO air strikes kill more civilians, including children.

~On a similar note if you haven’t seen the documentary, The Pat Tillman Story by Amir Bar-Lev, go run out and rent it. There have been several documentaries about his death, but this one is the best by far- I know it’s been available on DVD for some time now but I just watched it last night and it was incredible- and enraging. It’s all the more relevant given what has gone on in Afghanistan since Tillman died- it’s incredible to see just how many of the top brass involved in the cover-up failed upwards and not only were not held accountable, but got promotions. Of course, the people doing the promoting (in the Bush administration) seemed to also be involved in the cover-up.

~Hamas announced that Gaza militants had agreed to stop launching rockets into Israel if Israel would stop launching strikes against targets in Gaza in return. That seems unlikely. Tensions are rising daily and I can’t help but have the feeling that we are about to see the Second Act of Operation Cast Lead. I hope I am wrong.

~In today’s NYT Thomas Friedman tries to put a positive spin on the outcome of the Iraq War which he supported and argued for in 2002 and 2003 and argues, unconvincingly in my view, that the wonderful democracy that flourished there bodes well for the Arab Spring.

~While polls show that more and more Americans are supporting equality for gays and lesbians on a variety of fronts, it looks like the all of the likely GOP hopefuls are decidedly anti-gay. So, who is outside the mainstream now?

~What is it about some small government conservatives loving big government in our bedrooms?

~European countries seem to be getting fed up with the United States’ primary role in the Mideast Peace process (or lack thereof). They want the United Nations to take over the peace negotiations and I can’t help but wonder if this is related to a) Angela Merkel’s extraordinary phone call with Bibi Netanyahu where her aides described her as being “furious” with him, b) the revelations in the Palestine Papers, which received much, much more coverage in Europe and other parts of the world than they did in the U.S. and c) the U.S. being the only country to veto the Security Council resolution condemning settlement expansion? Here’s the thing, the U.S. won’t hand over its leading role in “mediating” negotiations and coming up with a solution because Israel wants us in that position- in fact, Bibi doesn’t want anything to do with the Quartet. I’ve believed for a long time that the international community needs to play a larger role in all of this because it’s clear that due to domestic political considerations, the U.S. is incapable of being an objective, honest broker, which is what is necessary if the conflict is ever to end.

~Is this NJ nuclear reactor an accident waiting to happen?

~Glenn Beck has a new documentary (*yawn*) which I guess came out some time in February 2011 and guess what it’s about? **spoiler alert** Basically, the world is ending and those evil Muslims, socialists and atheists are responsible. It seems to focus a lot on Iran getting a nuclear weapon in the next 10 minutes and it contains a lot of commentary from people who have made a career out of fear-mongering and being a little bit crazy. Media Matters has some good information on Beck’s chosen “experts.” Sorry if I ruined it for you. Here’s a little taste:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4NVBVG5--c]

~War-monger John Bolton has a swell idea- war with Iran. And soon. This is nothing new of course because I don’t think Bolton could name a single country in the Mideast region (other than Israel) that he doesn’t want to bomb. I’ve noticed something about neoconservatives- they seem to treat U.S. troops like expendable chess pieces on board which they control. If we end up in another war I think it will be time for a draft. Or how about a war tax since all this sh*t costs money? I think we’ve become an entitled, lazy nation that expects only about 2% of the population to sacrifice anything when it comes to war and thus it’s much easier to support something when most of us have no skin in the game. Remember back in the old days when our leaders demanded sacrifice from ALL Americans, not just service members and their families? Women worked in the factories and joined WAVES, certain food items and products were prohibited because they were needed for the war effort, people bought war bonds and people signed up for service in droves. These days what do our leaders ask us to do in a time of national crisis and war? They ask us to go shopping. Who doesn’t like shopping?

~Hey, it’s almost tax time, how much do you owe in federal income tax? If it’s more than $1 you owe more than Bank of America does. It’s called failing upwards. Where is the MSM (television, preferably) on this? The hypocrisy of the small government, budget-cutting, anti-tax crowd is unbelievable- Middle America is being the only one asked to sacrifice economically while the nations largest corporations (not just in banking) not only pay ZERO federal income tax, but receive BILLIONS- yes, billions- in tax relief while they use offshore accounts to dodge tax federal tax laws. Now there’s a loophole the size of the Grand Canyon that needs fixing. But nowhere in this budget debate is any of this being discussed. Now, not all corporations pay no taxes of course, but the idea that we actually have a truly free market system with all these corporate subsidies is a myth- and that’s without even bringing up the issue of bailouts.

~Yemen’s long-time President is possibly stepping down sooner rather than later.

~Over at Foreign Policy there is an interesting and somewhat critical commentary about Angela Merkel’s economic and foreign policy leadership.

~Whether one agrees or disagrees with military intervention in Libya there is no denying that very real and very important questions are being raised about its foreign policy implications. For example, this commentary asks why, if the intervention in Libya is based primarily on humanitarian grounds, the world and UN have largely ignored the growing violence and murder of large numbers of civilians in Côte d’Ivoire by the ruthless Laurent Gbagbo.

~Speaking of questions being raised about the foreign policy implications of military intervention in Libya, here Mark Sheetz arguing that Europe (and in particular France) alone should have handled this one. Agree or disagree, he raises some interesting questions.

~Careful what you wish for Floridians, you just might get it. Howie Klein of Down with Tyranny has a great post up about how Florida Governor Rick Scott has a plan to make Florida one of the states most hostile to public workers/unions, the poor and pretty much every living thing except large corporations. And given what’s been happening in Wisconsin, that’s quite an achievement!

~Speaking of Wisconsin and union-hating political leaders, Governor Walker has decided that following court orders is for lesser humans and the GOP is going to go ahead and ram the anti-union bill into effect. So much for being a law and order Republican. I keep wondering when middle America, including conservatives, are going to wake up and smell the hypocrisy. When ever you hear the Tea Party crowd talk about a) transparency, b) small government, c) cutting spending and d) the importance of the Constitution and the Rule of Law, be sure you read the fine print because there is a long list of self-serving exceptions to all of the above.

~Does the treatment of Pfc. Bradley Manning raise the possibility that despite Barack Obama’s executive order prohibiting torture, it is still being used at the discretion of the DoD/CIA? Why has the MSM not asked hard questions about this, particularly given the fact that Obama’s executive order has exceptions that have been interpreted to mean that torture is permissible in certain circumstances. Also, given the firing resignation of State Dept. spokesman PJ Crowley several weeks ago, you would think the MSM would connect some of the dots. I guess that’s just to much to ask of David Gregory, John King and others.

Baby Cheetah:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnXRyO84TH4]

~On Monday Der Spiegel published shocking photos of US troops posing by dead Afghan civilians whom they had killed. The photos are graphic and horrible. The US soldiers involved are on trial for murder (one of them just sentenced to 24 years) but I am wondering, did I miss something or has the US media largely ignored this story (there were a few reports including the AP) and if so, are they doing so at the request of the US government?

~Thank goodness for Nicholas Kristof, who in today’s NYT is bringing more attention to the horrific story of the Egyptian women who were subjected to torture and a “virginity test” by the very same Egyptian military that the U.S. has been lauding for being so restrained and professional.

~It’s looking more and more likely like there will be a government shutdown.

~Kathleen Parker has an interesting piece in the WaPo about Nikki Haley and internal South Carolina politics.

~Dana Milbank mocks a Haley Barbour presidential run.

~Defense Secretary Gates said in a pre-taped interview (to air today on Face the Nation) that Gadhafi may be moving dead bodies in an attempt to claim that coalition air strikes have killed lots of civilians.

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Peter Beinert’s Right, It’s The End Of An Empire

By on 25 March 2011

Some commentators love the Libya war; others hate it. But most agree that it’s profoundly unnatural that we were pushed into it by… France. Welcome to the post-American world. In the age we’re entering, most of the time, the choice will no longer be between humanitarian interventions controlled by the United States and humanitarian interventions where other nations take the lead. The choice will be between humanitarian interventions where other nations take the lead and no humanitarian interventions at all. – Peter Beinert

Pres. Obama is walking away from what Pres. Bill Clinton believed about the U.S. in foreign affairs. That we are the indispensable nation. In the year of the Arab Spring, that’s simply so ’90s.

This is what’s causing Republican heads to explode, with GOP presidential wannabes seeing this as their opening.

Rarely agreeing with Mr. Beinert, what he writes about today is the most important aspect of what’s going on over Libya, as Arab uprisings continue to spread and unwind.

He also has the most classic analysis of Gates since he uttered his own “on the fly” description of Obama’s war of choice in Libya.

I don’t know what it took to convince an obviously reluctant Robert Gates to permit American involvement in the Libyan no-fly zone, but it’s a reasonable bet that had Barack Obama not been able to promise that it would be a mostly European affair, Gates would now be a military analyst on Fox News. It’s not the 1990s anymore. The American public’s appetite for humanitarian war has always been meager. And now the American government’s capacity for waging it is meager, too.

Old school Republicans like Haley Barbour, Mitt Romney and to a lesser degree Newt Gingrich, as well as Sarah Palin, who simply doesn’t have the depth of foreign policy knowledge or study to do anything but parrot neoconservative ideology, are all caterwauling about Pres. Obama’s alleged lack of leadership. The problem with Newt’s fumbling analysis is that it reveals he’s absolutely paralyzed with fear at being humiliated in his quest for the Republican nomination, which seems baked into the plot. With Romney willing to say whatever it takes to nab the nomination this time around. The others simply refuse Obama’s premise.

Obama’s incoherence on Libya, especially Pres. Obama’s arrogant slight of Congress, is unquestionable. Sending Sec. Clinton out to do his job hardly puts to rest the argument that the women guided him into Libya, in fact it reinforces it. No doubt he’ll be center stage whenever this ill fated foreign policy misadventure concludes, taking credit, of course.

But Pres. Obama is attempting to transition the United States into a more humble foreign policy based on practicalities, not the least of which is our terrifying fiscal insolvency, even if Obama’s own mathematical solutions are as bad as Republican.

As impossibly scatterbrained as the Obama administration’s foreign policy is, looking at Republicans and their regurgitation of 20th century national security talking points that long outlived reality, is enough to scare anyone to death. Not only are they clueless about the emerging Arab world, but these fiscal numbskulls can’t even swallow that our means of making war can’t ever be again to deploy tens of thousands of troops. Modern warfare nimbleness hasn’t cracked their thick skulls yet.

But then Pres. Obama’s own stubbornness on Afghanistan is just as bad.

Beinert’s analysis of Europe is also noteworthy, as it’s the bookend change to what’s exploding in Arab nations. Part of it is due to Europe’s own experiences of war on their own soil, something America hasn’t faced. We still see bombs as flowers to people in countries we are invading to “save” for freedom, while European nations focus on the human carnage war making manifests.

Jeffersonianism has landed in Washington, which is why Obama’s taking such a hit politically.

Which leads us back to Beinert: Jeffersonians, to borrow Walter Russell Mead’s phrase, believe that preserving America’s economic and political solvency requires reining in American empire.

Ah, but countries have egos. The Republicans want to continue feeding ours, while Pres. Obama is trying to starve it.

If Pres. Obama wasn’t delivering confusion and chaos through his clumsy transition to America sharing the world’s stage with France and the rest of Europe, instead of making the case directly, which is a good one, the American people just might buy it.

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