Does Anyone Have A Clue?

As the Obamacare debacle continues, so does the one in Afghanistan.  Unless you've been living in a cave, lucky you, you know that President Karzai is dragging his feet over signing an agreement that will protect our soldiers from Afghan prosecution should we leave a contingent behind and they run afoul of Afghan law.

In return, of course, we give more than we get.  They want to tie our hands even more than they already have thus making it easier for our soldiers to err.  As usual it's a bad deal at best.

In our infinite wisdom, however, we've decided to give the Afghan security forces much needed helicopters.  Note I said give.  At a time when our country could sorely use the revenue from selling them, but then the Afghans have privatized the aid we've given them so they have no money.  Perhaps that's not all bad.  At least our people will build them.  What?  No?  We're buying them from the Russians?  We're buying Russian helicopters to give to the Afghans because they are superior to ours.

Well, open the door and come right in.  Those helicopters are going to have to be maintained.  That means Russians will send their techs giving them a new foothold in the country.  What are we thinking?  We know Russia is trying to get a strangle hold on the Mideast.  They already have it in Syria.  We know they are friends with Iran and now they will have carte blanche in Afghanistan.

And speaking of Iran, Karzai has agreed on a "cooperation pact" with them. It is to entail long term political security, economic and cultural cooperation and regional peace security.  Who better than the Russian backed Iranians?

Our Secretary of Defense tried to allay fears by promising to beef up security measures in non-complicit nations and it was of course considered a threat. A state of mistrust promulgated by Israel, Iran's arch enemy.

Let's ice the cake.  It has also been reported that prosecutions for crimes against women has slowed to a crawl, not that it ever really got going.

Dogwalk's solution?  Pull all our military out!  Let the Russians sell their copters directly to Karzai.  If he can't afford them perhaps Iran will lend him the money since they are doing better now that their sanctions have been eased.

Of course, now that Mr. Putin has dissolved state media in Russia it may take some time for how this all works out to reach us.  Not that it matters.  The President wants no part of it because a speech to a captive audience can't fix it.

That's the way things are now.  I understand that.  But please, Mr. President, do the right thing and bring all our personnel home.  If you don't they'll be sitting ducks.  I'm willing to wager the boys from Duck Dynasty would even give you some tips on how to call them home.  It makes no less sense than any other part of our foreign policy!

Naivete Rules, Or Is It Really Stupidity?

Let's see where we are today.  Obama has begun a campaign to resell the ACA while still not admitting that the botched roll out is the least of it's problems.  The problem is the law itself and how he continually flouts the Constitution by imposing his own adjustments.  The roll out is but a mere example of incompetence across the board.

 Then there is the fact that the TSA is now searching parked cars at airports supposedly looking for bombs and such.  Of course you don't know about this until you find a note stuck under your windshield wiper telling you this has been done.

Don't you love the police state this administrations is creating?  Apparently so.

Let's return to the Middle East.  They should not be forgotten amid all the domestic turmoil.  We know the administration has negotiated a deal with Iran regarding their nuclear program.  We've eased the sanctions.  Countries it took years to get to comply have rushed back in giving immediate relief to Iran's financial burdens and making reimposition nearly impossible.

We are allowing them to continue enriching uranium though at a lower grade than before.  They've told us in no uncertain terms they will never give up their enrichment program so I don't see that we're being particularly magnanimous.

They also have not retracted any of the rhetoric that makes clear how they feel about the West, especially the U.S., and Israel.  Knowing that we're taking the word of a country who cares little about keeping it but never-the-less we can say we've negotiated.  Right up until it behooves them to put together that bomb.  They'll have all the necessary ingredients just like the North Koreans did and one day there will be a big boom and we'll find they've tested their very first nuke.

No, no.  We'll have strict verification criteria.  Okay.  Then why is the White House looking for ways to allow Iran to keep enriching officially?  Oh, it will be for domestic use only.  Any one who has been following this knows that the current deal has allowed for everything to stop just below weapons grade but at a point where it can be quickly upgraded.

I personally think they have already have the 20% goal, maybe even an actual bomb, and have it safely stashed away therefore entering into these negotiations with absolutely nothing to fear.  That may be a stretch but then maybe not.

The question that begs to be answered, however, is if the Iranians do not have the right to enrich why are we trying to make it easy for them to do so anyway?  For the life of me I have no idea what we're trying to accomplish in that region of the world.

Neither does anyone else and that's why business continues as usual.  Now we're supposedly turning our focus to Asia as China rattles its sabers over territory disputed with Japan. Are we going to negotiate that too and cave in to Chinese demands?  Probably.

If I were the other countries in that region and saw us coming I'd turn tail and run as fast as I could away from the "n" word.  The "n" word?  Negotiation.

Ground Kerry Before More Harm Is Done

The debacle that is Obamacare is bringing a point home that has long been needed.  This administration is less than truthful on top of being inept.

The reasons are many for both.  One, they're trying to push an agenda by the American people knowing if it were transparent the people would rebel. To wit Obamacare.

To do so they've allowed people with questionable expertise in any aspect of health care craft the bill.  If they've done it on purpose to move the country toward single payer system they should all be thrown out of office.  It's not for them to decide; it's for us to decide.  If they've done it because they're inept the same holds true.

So, before things get any worse, it's time to ground John Kerry.  We're seeing now what the world already knows on an international scale.  This administration is weak and inept. It's foreign policy staggers like a drunken sailor.

Now, however, they are so in need of a victory they are willing to sacrifice a tenuous calm, with several exceptions at that, in an entire region of the world on the false pretense the Iranians would keep their word on anything. The rest of the world and previous administrations can't all be wrong when saying Iran cannot be trusted. We do know Obama is not all knowing and his word also cannot be trusted.

What about his success in Syria?  Ah, yes.  The death toll is now over 250,000.  The civil war continues having passed the 2 1/2 year mark.

But the weapons of mass destruction are being destroyed. So? People are still dying.  Are you aware of Assad's latest tactic?  Starvation. Systematic, slow, agonizing starvation. Loyalist troops are not only not letting aid into civilian and rebel strongholds, which in many cases are one and the same, but they are not allowing food  in either. Is there a worse way to die?

One soldier was heard telling a young boy begging to take a bag of pita bread through a government check point, "...there are those bigger than me and you who make the rules and they're watching you right now."

While the administration basks in the fact they didn't have to used military force to rid the Syrians of their poison gas, what are they doing for those who are starving?

Have you read or heard anything about this in our media?  Neither have I.  This came from the Financial Times  which covers international news far better than our media.

Be skeptical when the administration says negotiations with Iran need be given a chance. If you look at the situation in Syria, you'll see they are inept at that too.

This is no time for glory seeking to save a Presidential or a Secretary of State's legacy. Tighten the sanctions until the Iranians cry uncle and not before.  And hope those who once believed in our strength and loyalty will have it within them to give us another chance when we shed this administration.

But don't bet on it.

Obama Has The Sadim Touch

What is the Sadim Touch?  The opposite of the Midas Touch. Where everything that is touched is turned into a mess.

In some respects perhaps we should be glad Obama has turned out to be a bystander President rather than a leader.  Everything he touches is either a pending disaster or an unmitigated mess.

Consider Fast and Furious, the IRS scandal, Benghazi, the NSA, violating reporter's privacy,  and now the ACA. Not just the roll out, but the consequences of poorly written and unread legislation  paired with too many "the Secretary shall"s. These are but a few of the unmitigated messes.

The pending disasters are more far reaching in that they are global.  Syria, where Assad gave up his chemical weapons in order to be able to continue slaughtering his people. Since Assad didn't really need them it was no punishment. Not following through on arming the once good guys thus allowing the extremists to gain a foothold.

Cutting off aid to Egypt because of the misguided assumption that because Morsi was duly elected he should remain in office no matter the increasingly dictatorial stance he was taking.

Libya.  What more needs to be said.  Over a year later no arrests for the consulate attack while the press has had a multitude of interviews with those involved.

And now he's about to ease sanctions on Iran with nothing in return.  No freeze on enrichment.  No dismantling of centrifuges.  Leaving everything in place for Iran's nuclear program to continue. Something that has been going on since June, actually.

So what happens now? No one has considered any of the U.S. actions in the middle east to be wise.  Essentially everyone will fend for themselves.  The Taliban in Pakistan has elected the man who threatened school girl Malala as their new leader. Iran will get its nuke.  Pakistan has agreed to sell nukes to Saudi Arabia. Saudi will continue arming the rebels in Syria.  Russia may provide the nuke for Syria if deemed  advantageous.  Jordan will probably fall,  Hamas and Hezbollah will be strengthened.  Iraq will lose out to Iran as will Afghanistan to the Taliban. Al Qaeda will continue to run rampant and spread across Somalia, the Sudan and throughout the weaker African states.

Then there is Israel. With friends like us they don't need enemies! Whatever they choose to do be sure we will not be forewarned.  We have opposed them, besmirched them and finally betrayed them.

All because Obama needed to divert attention from the ACA in an attempt to save his administration from total collapse.  What a trade off. Every mid eastern expert in the world takes exception to our policies if thats what you want to call them.  Peace in our time?  Not by this President's hand.

Unless the negotiations in Geneva come to a total stand still you'll hear the other shoe we've been waiting for - drop.

Leading From Behind - Fear Or Apathy?

I believe the United States can intervene in international conflicts without putting boots on the ground. Or handing out gobs of money to people who hate us.  Yes, that's a strong term but applicable.

After four and a half years I'm wondering why the President chooses not to do so.  It does Hillary's chances for the Presidency no good that this is the path he's chosen, for the consequences have been on her watch too.  Being a good soldier only goes so far.  It should end when the policy is obviously detrimental to the country.  Choosing to remain in office to me is a sign that one is in agreement with that policy.  Ambition should not trump country.

It has often been said we don't intervene because the winner of the conflict could be an unknown quantity.  So now we have the Muslim Brotherhood ruling Egypt in place of  an imperfect ally but an ally never-the-less.  We pour money and weapons into that country on top of the 18 billion Qatar has already poured in with 3 more billion coming.

Libya is still in shambles and Benghazi still unsolved.  Silence from the White House.  Why?

We know al Qaeda has spread into Mali with some success.  We've let the French handle that one.  Are their national interests in the region so much greater than ours?

The Syrian rebels too have asked for our help.  Nothing. Here come the Islamic radicals. The Islamic State in Iraq and Jabhat al-Nursa have now joined forces with those rebels to push Assad from power.  That leaves the rebels, who have no strong leadership or western support, at the mercy of the radicals.  We know how those situations turn out. It's no matter a question as to whether or not we'll approve.

We can shell out money for fancy White House concerts on what seems a weekly basis, continue to fund hundreds of redundant programs and refuse to examine each individual department's budget to cut out the waste and satisfy the sequester, yet what we cut is our  military, our fleet in the Mediterranean and fund weaponry for our enemies to use against one of the two allies we have left.  And they're iffy! Israel doesn't trust us and Jordan is at risk.

What I don't understand is why this is happening.  Rand Paul and his father before him have been accused of being isolationists, but isn't that what this President is?  At least the younger Paul believes the military should be strong even if seldom used.  This President wants to gut the military and our arsenal, make it easier for illegals to have a path to citizenship than it is to vote and deprive kids from visiting the White House. Why?

Frankly, the man scares me. Slowly and methodically he is changing the country.  I still can't believe we want to go where we're being taken.  Sure, there will be another election but people who tell me they vote for the candidate rather than the party are doing a disservice if they vote for one because there is no other.

Without a 'none of the above' on the ticket, no vote if done in enough numbers could speak volumes.  State that neither candidate is acceptable.

All the what ifs may be for naught however.  Between North Korea and the Islamic radicals we may be entrenched in conflicts currently beyond our comprehension. It doesn't have to be.  Why is it even possible?

The Purple Finger Of Fate

The Arab Spring is evolving into the unexpected as winter approaches. Back when the Muslim Brotherhood raised it's head in Egypt, some like Sean Hannity, worried about what would happen if they took over the countries as elections were held.  Others, far more actually, assured us they were too unorganized to be of any consequence.

Well, strange things have been happening.  The Islamists are winning.  Of course, being Islamist countries some form of Islamism is going to win.  What's happening, though, is that the secular opposition is losing.  This has the potential of being dangerous.  Especially if there is a return to strict Shariah law.  Women's rights will be decimated.  Degrees of repression and radicalism will be the order of the day.  Yet this is what the people are voting for.

Why?  It's worth thinking about because we're going to have to deal with transforming governments for some time to come.  Consider just two of the countries, Egypt and Libya.  Both secular, both considered friends of the U.S.  Yet both were ruled by the most cruel and repressive of leaders.  What has secularism done for them?  Look, too, at Iran and Syria where the monsters are still in place.

So what do you do when suddenly free to choose what type of government you want?  You go back to your roots.  Islamism.  Not thinking about how restrictive and repressive it is by nature and in the end nothing will have been gained.

I think we're about to see a classic example of unintended consequences.  The struggle for freedom and economic stability may be lost as quickly as the current despots were run from power.  It's a frightening scenario.

It will be a time when diplomacy will require untold amounts of patience and prudence.  How long will it take for the Muslim world to recognize the answers lay in a moderate middle is any ones guess.  Meanwhile, all we can do is watch and wait.  It's likely not to be to be pretty.

The Enemy Within

If anyone still thinks the war against al Qaeda and the Taliban is winnable, think again. At least that part of it being fought within the borders of Afghanistan.

President Hamid Karzai seems to be making a career of bashing the West in it's efforts to save his sorry excuse of an administration. He's at it again, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal, with a threat that is particularly mind boggling. First he's running around telling the tribal leaders of Kandahar, where a major offensive is planned, that there won't be an operation unless they are happy about it. Happy about it? Kandahar is the birthplace and spiritual center of the Taliban! They're going to welcome a full fledged offensive with open arms?

Then there is the usual whining about the number of civilian deaths and the outrage he feels about the West objecting to his attempt to take over the elections commission. What a sweetheart of a guy. And to think he had an opponent we could have backed that would actually have supported us! Oh well, it's the Obama way to back the wrong party. It's happening here. It happened in Iran. It happened in Honduras. Is there a pattern forming?

This is all pretty much business as usual for Karzai. He must realize his rantings are beginning to be greeted with a, "ho hum, there he goes again" attitude. He's added a new wrinkle. He's said if the efforts by the West to "undermine" him aren't stopped "he, himself, would be compelled to join the other side", the Taliban, if his Parliament didn't back his actions.

You know, Obama wants to cut our nuclear arms supply to reach his goal of a nuclear free world. Never mind the rush to have nucs is escalating like topsy in the Middle East, beginning with Iran. Never-the-less, here's another politically incorrect Dogwalk solution. Drop the surplus Obama thinks he has on Afghanistan and put the whole bloody region out of it's - and our - misery!

It makes no less sense than the rest of his foreign policy. If you can call it that.

It's About The Power, Not The People

Everyone who knows about our problems with Iran knows that newly re-elected President Ahmadinejad does not rule the country. He is but the puppet of the 12 man Guardian Council and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. One would suppose that this august group listened to Obama's speech in Cairo. One would also suppose they rejected his outreach outright! While many may still be in awe of our new President, as is the media, our adversaries are not. This weekend's election seems to me to be a resounding rejection of all things western, especially the United States.

It has forced Obama to turn the other cheek only to get it slapped by our questionable ally, Israel. He must be stinging this morning as he tries to convince the AMA his health plan is a good one. Well, he does have two cheeks left.

In an effort to spin some positive news it is reported that Netanyahu's statement that he'd support a Palestinian state is a positive step. It's spin. Netanyahu put such harsh conditions on the possibility of it happening, it is as remote as a woman getting hold of the one for the family television! For starters he will not halt the expansion of the illegal settlements, wants to forbid the Palestinians a military and control of their air space. Right.

If you wonder why the Palestinians are so bitter, study the map above to see how the Israeli's have grabbed off territory since the original Partition in 1947.

None of this has anything to do with the Holocaust, though everything is couched in that excuse. This is about power and territory. Netanyahu is betting the Obama administration will roll over and play dead or get so mired in the muck it will be as ineffectual as past administrations.

I expect he is correct. There's not much we can do about the situation in Iran other than wait and watch. There isn't much we can do in Israel but wait and watch. We don't seem to have the stomach for meaningful sanctions nor the cutting off of funds. In our case war is not an option. We'd not fight the Israelis under any circumstance and we haven't the manpower available to go full bore against Iran.

That leaves open the worst possible scenario. They'll go against one another. That would be a holocaust that would make the one the Jew's suffered pale in comparison! Something akin to Hades in the Holy Land.