Micromanaging Government Without The Head For It

We elected a President, twice, who had questionable educational credentials, no managerial experience and no military experience.  We are now seeing the end result of electing someone we'd like have a beer with rather than one with competence.

This morning's headlines tell us of IS beheading another American.  Will there be outrage?  Will it step our military strategy?  I doubt it.

We've listened to clips all week of an MIT economist chuckling about how stupid the American voter is.  That they deliberately wrote an incomprehensible health care bill in order to get it through Congress.  Will the newly elected Republicans do better?  I hope so but even if they try their hands are tied for two more years because I see no indication that the Democrats are going to fall out of lockstep.

Actually, Gruber is right only to a degree.  We're not stupid. But we are inattentive.  There is good reason because with our floundering economy we're too busy trying to hang on to what we have.  Therefore the Democrat Senate acts with impunity at the President's direction.  Well, holding back bills so the Democrats didn't have to have a vote on their record didn't work.  The problem is, even though they've mostly been replaced, the President hasn't.

I hope this is the last time we elect a President and commander-in-chief because of his race or his like ability. We need to look more closely at their flaws. Their lack of experience.  Their egos.  Yes, their egos.  All politicians have them but Obama's far exceeds the norm.

It's no comfort that he clings to doing only that with which he's comfortable.  Demanding. Doubting his closest advisers and taking the opposite direction from their recommendations.  Because he's right.

I once supported this man.  I felt he represented the best and the brightest of his positively emerging race and he would lead us well.  I was wrong.  I didn't look closely enough.  I wanted to believe.  But only once. His race has nothing to do with my current level of disrespect. It has everything to do with his attitude because he has nothing with which to back it up.

He gives so much misinformation it's mind boggling.  But he's so smart?  Actually, no, he isn't.  If he was he'd know the public is fed up with his policies and their false promises. He'd know how other world leaders feel about him.  He's the guy who likes selfies at solemn occasions. He'd know his military expertise is nil. He'd know his economic policies are at a stalemate. He'd know his health care plan is worse than bad.  It was a lie.

Too many of us lost our head over this man too often.  Now others are paying the price in a horrific way. The next go round may we have the wisdom to elect someone who is secure enough in his or her own right to delegate and trust in those chosen to serve while we still have some remnants of a government designed to be for the people and by the people.

We have that obligation ourselves. Let's not lose our collective head again.

Leadership Tempered?

So both houses of Congress have retained their leadership.  Wow.  I'm not surprised about the Republicans but I am with the Democrats.

It is good to know Harry Reid wasn't re-elected unanimously. Some actually wanted some fresher, younger faces.  As a paean they promoted Elizabeth Warren to a minor leadership role.  Ms. Warren is 65.  Some youth movement. Actually, it has nothing to do with youth but rather her current popularity, especially with the far left who feel shortchanged by Obama.

Actually I don't think age is the problem.  It's attitude and we all know what both Pelosi and Reid have been when they were the majority leaders. For the most part nasty. And in Ms. Pelosi's case sometimes appearing to be from a different reality.

On the Republican side Mr. Boehner has often seemed ineffectual but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt that there was good reason.  After all, he had the Tea Party group to hold in line.  As for McConnell, who knows.  Perhaps he was so  low key because he knew that as long as the Democrats had the upper hand there was no use being belligerent and in turn appear to be whining.  Nor would he go along with the shutting down of the government a la Ted Cruz.  It gained nothing but anger, angst and ridicule.

So now we go forward. Same leadership, reversed roles. I'm going to be cautiously optimistic that both houses will function better. At least until we get about three months into 2015 when a new assessment of that function will be more appropriate.

What worries me most is the President. I fear he will continue to run amok and make good Congressional intentions, if there are any, more difficult to achieve.  The problem is you never know what he's going to do or when.  So many things are hanging fire it's disturbing.

On the foreign policy side we're looking at decisions that could prove disastrous.  Consider Russia's emboldened pursuit of Ukraine and it's increased harassment of the west with it's air power.  Consider the now combined efforts of the Nursa Front and IS against the Kurds and the suggestion of the not dead Baghdadi to extend efforts into Saudi.  Consider climate control that will effect us immediately and the Chinese probably never.

Domestically there is still the Keystone pipeline which Obama desperately does not want. The immigration amnesty issue.  Ferguson. Tweaks to Obamacare and the largest worry to those not touched by the others, the economy.

Did I say I was cautiously optimistic?  Don't ask me why!

There Are Always Consequences

The Presiden'ts "speech" is now in the history books.  The critics are out in full force and unfortunately they seem to be outnumbering the supporters.  It's a bad news situation no matter how you look at it.

First we have a President at odds with his own words.  He presented a plan of sorts with so many holes in it you can't blame Congress for being reluctant to open the check book or voice support.  On the other hand, if they don't the world as we know it will disintegrate before our eyes.

There comes a time when war is necessary.  To worry about legacy above need is pathetic and foolhardy.  The time to worry about legacy should have been before the country was diminished in the eyes of the world by arrogant and dismissive actions toward our allies. They owe us nothing.  Why put their own in harms way when they have good reason to doubt we have their back?

The turmoil in our politics here at home adds to the image of weak leadership.  We want, now, for the world to follow our lead.  What lead?  We want the easy part.  The air strikes.  We want everyone else to commit to the hard part.  Boots on the ground.  Even though the threat is at their door, why would they want to follow a "leader" who is less than committed in the first place?

Now it will be politics as usual.  The parsing of words.  Struggling with who has the authority to do what. Heaven forbid anything interfere with mid term campaigning!

In the meantime ISIL or whatever - I think now the Islamic State is most accurate - continues on it's determined pursuit of followers, territory and mayhem.  The longer we wait or nibble around the edges, the worse it will get.  What happens when the British aid worker loses his head?  Or one of the Turkish diplomats the "State" holds?

Israel is always reminding the world to remember the holocaust and vow never again.  They show their determination daily in their fight with Hamas.  Expand on that while remembering Hamas is cut from the same cloth as the State.  How did it start?  With the world dismissing a seemingly insignificant little bully of a man with huge ambition.

How is this starting? With the world dismissing what they suppose is little more than a collection of malcontents in rag tag armies bent on mischief?  Some mischief.

The situation gives new meaning to the saying, "Move it or lose it".  It's time to move it!

The Speech - Now What?

I listened to the President's speech and was left wondering, now what?  It proved to be pretty much what I expected.  A lot of flourish with little detail.

In the President's defense, there is only so much he could tell.  For instance, the question that arose about what would happen when and if a fighter pilot is shot down over Syria or in ISIS territory.  How would we get him out before he suffered the same fate or worse than our two journalists? I'd like to think the top brass have a handle on that though it's a tough one.

What really worries me is the time line.  I know it can't be an exact, but by the time we get the troops in Iraq re-trained and the Free Syrian Army up to snuff so that there will be "boots on the ground"to help the Kurds ISIS will have had ample time to do far more damage than already done.

An aside on the Free Syrian Army that the President so blithely called inadequet because they are no more than pharmicists and technicians, I'd like to remind him it's the same stuff from which our reserves and National Guard are made and they've done an exemplary job!

What he presented is a piece meal strategy at best in a war that can't be won that way.  Every time we stall or drag our feet, Iran continues toward it's nuclear goal and ISIS towards it's goal of literally slaughtereing all who do not agree with them.

Telling us how great our economy is and how great we are does nothing toward warding off more of the jihadist aggressiveness what's more destroying them.

My feeling is he said what was written for him to say in an effort to get the country behind increased military involvement into which he has been forced.  It's not so much that we are tired of war as they constantly tell us, but that he is.  He doesn't want to deal with anything that doesn't fit into his 21st century vision for the world.  For the world, not of the world.  Because he cannot.  The world is far different than he would have it and he has trouble with that concept. His way to deal with it is to ignore it.

Unfortunately ignoring reality doesn't change it.  One can hope he gets a coalition that's willing to fight.  So far no one else, other than the Kurds, are willing to help the boots on the ground movement.  Going to the UN Security Council will do nothing but make public the ridicule and wrath of Russia and China.

What I see in all this is a struggle within himself as to whether he must follow the counsel of his advisors or continue to follow his own.  If past history is any indication he'll follow his own.  Our enemies will continue on their current paths.  Nothing will change to a meaningful degree while this President is in office short of an actual attack within the borders of the United States.

By the time a new President takes office, the world problem will be far worse than it is today.  Obama will walk away from it probably still blaming Bush.  I wonder if the new President will blame Obama six years into his/her presidency.

Unfortunately a belated blame game does no good other than to divide. Facing the issue and acting on  it in a timely manner is what is needed. The speech was nice. Unless he follows through in that timely manner, it will all have been for naught.

As a footnote, might I add Congress would do well to quit playing politics with it and also do what is required of them in the same timely manner.  Elections be damned.

It's Time For Multitasking

They say women are better at multitasking than men.  In looking at how the President handles issues I can see how that conclusion has been drawn.

I can be proven wrong if his speech Wednesday night will outline more than a linear strategy for dealing with ISIS. I expect however, for him to lay the bulk of the burden on others.

In some respects he should.  Europe, Britain in particular, have more active radicals in their country than do we.  Note I said active.  France has a larger Muslim population than even Britain.  They both have a great deal at stake.

So do the other Middle Eastern countries including Saudi, the Emirates and Jordan.  Even Pakistan and India where the radicals have been gaining a foothold.  Ideally they should all share the responsibility. Israel too is in the mix.

The President has promised no boots on the ground.  This can be achieved by properly arming those who would provide those boots, namely the Kurds, but will we?  Can others fill the need if we don't?  Will they?

It's hard to fight a war without an action being identified as such.  It will be interesting to hear just what the President will call it. I wonder what the families of the beheaded journalists would call it. No matter, it is a war. It needs to be fought like one. All the fancy words in the world can't change the reality of it.

What worries me is how he tends to try to shape events to suit his idealistic vision rather than the actuality of it.  He did it by withdrawing everything from Iraq leaving them hanging.  We're about to do it in Afghanistan.  He did it in Benghazi with a ridiculous tale both he and Hillary should be ashamed of rather than trying to perpetuate.

Because of his previous behavior I don't expect his about to be announced strategy to be sufficient.  Especially when he's talking about a three year plan!  This isn't some leisurely chess game where hours can be taken between moves.

I'll wait and see though.  There's nothing else to do.  I'm wagering he'll do little if anything before the midterms then will drag his feet on anything he's laid out. It's the nature of the beast.  Boy, I would really be glad for this to be a misjudgement on my part!

Credit Where Credit Is Due

Finally, the President stepped to the fore and did the right thing.  In two actions actually.  Dropping relief supplies to the stranded Christians and striking the ISIS forces.

I could be snarky about a lot of this, but I'll leave it at he finally did something constructive.  I could add a lot of other things he could and should be doing in the region and Ukraine but I'll let that too rest.

 It's the week end. The weather is hot and getting hotter.  Gaza has rampted up it's assault on Israel once again.  Putin is being Putin and Obama is off on vacation.

Next week will provide plenty of grist for the mill. 

Will Obama Do The Right Thing?

Whether or not Obama should take action to help 40,000 refugees from the horrors of ISIS should be a no brainer.  He should. For once he should be decisive and immediate.  Babies are already dying.  The elderly will soon follow and then every one else.  They are dying from thirst in 100+ degree days - and hunger. All for being other than radical Islamists.

The question is, will he?  I doubt it.  He'll ponder it to death.

From what military experts have been saying, in order to deliver humanitarian relief to these religious refugees, the first action must be eliminating the ISIS troops closest to their location.  Otherwise any humanitarian drop would likely be futile, with ISIS getting there first then killing any survivors anyway, photographing the carnage and posting it to You Tube.

We have some logistical problems, however.  With everyone in the region mad at us or discounting us, we have no place from which to launch a attack in a timely matter.  We're talking about days and hours.  Not weeks or months. Is there a way?  Of course their is. But we need to move on it NOW.

Where is the rest of the world?  Who knows.  With Hamas promising to resume their attacks on Israel if all their demands aren't meant and Russia ramping up their own sanctions against us, the rest of the world seems to be cowering with their tails between their legs.  Right there with us.

Once we would have taken the lead and the others would follow, but there is no leadership from any one any more.  It need not even be boots on the ground but rather air strikes. Take them out, drop the relief supplies then turn tail and run if that's what we're wont to do.  But do it!

For once in your Presidency do the right thing.  Do something other than entertain dictators and human rights violators in celebration at the White House!  Don't dither.  There isn't the time.

And don't use us as the reason to take no action.  We're tired of war.  We have no stomach for it.  Well, that wouldn't necessarily be true if the recent wars in which we have been engaged had been fought to win.  Not disengage leaving behind unhinged masses of haters of all others but themselves.

It's a sorry state in which the world finds itself. It's an even sorrier state in which the world finds our  President and his lack of leadership.  That's what I have no stomach for.

Symbolism At Its Worst

What's the point?  I admit I didn't expect Obama to sign up for the ACA and he didn't disappoint me though he'd have you believe otherwise. He did tell us he was going to do so knowing full well he wasn't.  Just what did he sign up for?

He didn't go through the long wait, his staffers did.  And you can be sure none of his sensitive information was shared with the site anyway.  But what did they actually do?  Other than log on to the site?  So why the charade?

He gets his health care through the military as commander in chief.  He will continue to do so.

The gesture was an empty one which has become the norm with this President.  In fact the whole law is an empty gesture at this point since he has changed it so many times.

What's the point of passing legislation, even bad legislation with the support of only one party, if the President can continually change it on a whim without consulting Congress?  When is it no longer the law that was passed therefore null and void? With all the exemptions and delays and tweaks does any one know what exactly it says anymore? I'll bet even the "Secretary" doesn't - if she ever did. The law suits will be coming.  Bet on it.

To me this is about as low as it can go.  This is the President's signature legislation and he won't even be enrolled in it.  Why?  Could he not drop the military coverage for the one of his own creation?  He can do what he wants - he has already shown that so my guess is he could. It's just another obfuscation.

I think it's an unconscionable slap in the face of every American citizen who is being forced to make changes they neither need nor want while he goes blithly on his way untouched by it. 

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!

Obama Is No Jean-Luc Picard

Remember when on Star Trek Jean-Luc Picard would say, "Make it so" and the very competent 'Number One' would do just that?  I find myself wondering why our President couldn't do more to align himself with Picard. Well, for one thing he doesn't have competent 'Number Ones' and he doesn't hold anyone, including himself, responsible.  He just blames others.

As such, he gives the order and no one makes it so.  Especially with Obamacare as more and more faults are being found.  The lesson, of course, is read the legislation before passing it.

It goes further, however, and that takes us back to foreign policy.  Nothing in ours is concrete. If we even have something that is called policy.  Take the promise of having our troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014 being negotiated into a broken promise.

We have the National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, at odds with Secretary of State John Kerry as to whether we back Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood or the Military who is on track to having elections and a new constitution rather than an entrenched Islamic regime.  Side with Kerry on this one.  One wonders where the President is.  Probably with Rice.  The wrong side as usual.

Then there is Syria. By partnering with Assad and Russia over the supposed destruction of WMDs, if anyone will take them, we have left the Syrian people exposed to systematic slaughter.  The cause, of course, is Assad who is practically guaranteed to stay in power and continues to be a strong ally of Iran, an even bigger nemesis. Plus, if they need WMDs again, North Korea stands ready to help them out from their ample supply.

Stay tuned to Syria.  The al Qaeda rebels have brought in their own mercenary to run the show, a well known Chechan terrorist who was looking for a new gig.  We fear him.  The Russians fear him.  Assad fears him.  And the time when we could have intervened to help the 'good' rebels has long since passed.  Nothing good can come of this.  Now everybody's lives will be at stake! What lengths will Assad go to in order to remain in power?

Back to Iran.  Some have been suggesting that sanctions should not be tightened while negotiations are pending. Every minute of every day the Iranians continue their march toward weapons grade enrichment.  There is nothing in their past history with us nor the rest of the world that suggests they will stop that march or dismantle or destroy anything already at hand.

No one trusts them.  Why are we so willing? I don't believe one phone call between historically adversarial leaders should carry that much weight.  What can I say other than Vive la France!

Come to think of it Jean-Luc Picard was French!

I Liked Oprah Better Before She Got Political

There was a time when millions of women wanted to be the BFF of Oprah Winfrey.  She was successful beyond belief, had the same great looking beau for years and despite all she seemed down to earth, real.  One of the girls.

She was never political until Barack Obama ran for President. I can understand why she changed.  Lots of us did.  We wanted so much to believe in this young man, for him to succeed, to bring the country together.
Race wasn't a factor to enough of us who did not share his to make him the resounding winner.

But what happened to Oprah?  Is it because she gave up her daily gig to promote her own TV network and has found it wanting?  Is it because her last movie, The Butler, has been a box office bust?  I don't know, but suddenly she is on a racist kick.

Okay, maybe she believes the President has so many detractors because of his race.  To be sure there are  people of that persuasion.  But they are not the cause of his problems and by suggesting so on foreign soil is a disservice to both herself, the country and the President.

The President's problems are of his own making.  Attitude, personality traits, management style,  inexperience and unpopular policies are contributing factors. It's disingenuous for her to suggest it's all due to his race.

What makes it even worse she blames that attitude on aging whites and goes on to say the problem of racism won't be over until we all die!  Well, Oprah, I'm in no hurry to oblige you.

I also don't think my generation is the problem as much as the behavior of the younger set in places like Chicago where the whole city lives in fear of the racial gangs.

You don't hear those like Alan West, or Ben Carson or Herman Cain harping on race as the cause of their successes or failures.  They talk about policy and that's where the discussion should be.

Look at yourself and what you accomplished regardless of your race.  Are you now going to blame the lack of success of your network on race?  Please.  Don't.

Look at the President you defend.  He had a questionable educational background by his own hand in not releasing his transcripts.  His mother was an avowed communist.  His preacher was one you chose not to be affiliated with. Many of his associates had less than stellar backgrounds when it came to patriotism. His work experience was no more than being, for a short time at that, a community organizer.  He came to office on a wave of hope. He ran into trouble because he cared more about furthering his ideology rather than the country.  People finally noticed as it began to affect them personally.

Had he been white with that background he'd never have become President. That his agenda is in trouble has nothing to do with the fact that he isn't white.

The country has forgiven him more than deserved.  To accuse that same country of racism in the beholding of his problems is just not true.  There was a time I thought Oprah was above brandishing the race card under false pretenses.  I guess I was wrong.

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.

Education Does Not Equate With Smart Or Savvy

I have friends with nothing more than a high school education, if that, who I would much rather see in Washington than those who are there now.

It's because they have something too many of our politicians do not.  Common sense.  Maybe it's because they haven't been pampered throughout their lives, have worked hard to live their lives and know how to think.

Let's look at the Ted Cruz situation one more time.  I'll give him an "A" for tenacity and an "F" for common sense and thinking things through.  It's why I doubt I could support him or those who followed him in lock step for higher office.

You often hear Obama supporters praise his intelligence and insight. Here's one from his top advisor who has unprecedented privileges.  Is it because of statements like this feeding an insatiable ego?

From Valerie Jarrett,  she of questionable ethics herself,  in an article by John Fund, "I think Barack knew that he had God-given talents that were extraordinary.  He knows how smart he is...He knows how perceptive he is.  He knows what a good reader of people he is.  And he knows that he has the ability - the extraordinary, uncanny ability - to take a thousand different perspectives, digest them and make sense of them, and I think that he has never really been challenged intellectually...So what I sensed in him was not just a restless spirit but somebody with such extraordinary talents that had to be really taxed in order for him to be happy...He's been bored to death his whole life.  He's just too talented to do what ordinary people do." 

Wow.  Give him a cape, a crown and a scepter and he's good to go sit at the helm of all we mere mortals. Well, we did indeed put him there, twice.  You have no idea how close I was to losing my breakfast when I read this.  But I understand he thrives on this illusion.  What would he be without it?

His attitude, while perhaps not in as lofty terms, is held by many of his underlings in government.  They alone know.

So.  A lot of people have extraordinary talent, are smart and perceptive.  Many try to put it to good use. If he reads people well he obviously has no respect for what they think. His digestion of thousands of perspectives paralyzes him as shown by his actions toward Syria and now Iran to name two.

If he's never been challenged intellectually it's because he hasn't wanted to be, not because there was no opportunity. He's bored?  I would be too if all I did was play on someone elses money instead of doing some productive work to benefit those who put him in the position to  do so many things other than what he's doing. Is it because he's chosen to isolate himself from reality and doesn't know what to do when faced with it?

If he's too talented  and bored to do what ordinary people do, perhaps he shouldn't be President.  All that God-given ability, if he's so smart, shouldn't be wasted.  We should have peace, prosperity, secure borders, a strong private sector and fuel independence.  Surely all that talent, properly directed could have achieved this.

The Democrats say the ACA debacle is by design by our extremely clever and talented leader because the goal all along has been for single payer health care.  Why would someone so able accept a watered down version when he had the votes to push through anything he wanted? And why does that bill have 1,563 "The Secretary shall determine" in it leaving Sebelius to rewrite the bill as she so chose making much of what the President touted a lie after the fact?  How perceptive is that? Just bored perhaps. Dare we share some of his unhappiness at this point?

No.  He and so many like him are not as smart nor nearly as clever as they think.  They may have more book learnin' than the average citizen but they're no where nearly as smart. I hope.  Time will tell if we're savvy enough to not only sense what's wrong but to do something about it.

A Fundamentally Transformed America - Is This What We Want?

Obama promised he would fundamentally transform America.  He has succeeded beyond my wildest nightmares and I fear the worst is yet to come.

While our domestic issues continue in chaos, our  members of Congress hardly speak to one another and the followers of the individual parties become insulting and vile when commenting on opposing points of view.  What happened to the once proud, civilized, accomplished American?

What's even worse is how the rest of the world sees us. At first they seemed puzzled that we re-elected this President.  They don't seem to comprehend our class envy or the demand for purist ideology that we seem to demand.  Where did it come from?

They also don't understand why America's resolve on the international stage has become a state of appeasement.  It started shortly after Obama was elected.  We all know and debate the "apology" tour.  Do we remember that to appease the Russians he withdrew ballistic missile defense sites from both the Poles and Czechs?

We've essentially deserted Iraq.  We've backed the wrong side of nearly every revolution in the region from Iraq to Egypt, twice, to Libya and Syria.  Our allies are dropping us like flies. Why?  Because we've given Assad a pass to please Russia.  The chance that all his chemical weapons will be destroyed is remote.  There's too much chaos.  In return for lip service that our President desperately wanted to believe, Assad gets to continue slaughtering his people.  With the stressed circumstances of bordering countries trying to help those who flee Syria, don't be surprised to see skirmishes beyond Syrian borders begin to break out.

One of the few remaining allies that have strength beyond mere survival has finally told us to go pound sand.  Saudi Arabia, while not the perfect ally, but  then none are, was never-the-less a strong one.  They have become so disgusted with Obama's wavering as foreign policy they've decided to partner with the French and Jordanians in helping the Syrian rebels. Plus we're playing footsies with Iran and getting periously close to allowing them to continue enriching uranium. The Saudis aren't too happy bout that either and will no doubt seek to so arm themselves.

Pair that with the NSA follies where conversations not just of security agencies of other countries have been tapped, but right up to and including the leaders themselves.  Like Germany's Merkel.  She is not happy and she is but one.

Some of us who should have known better turned a blind eye to Obama's socialistic tendencies when he was running for President. His lack of experience and his ego.  We're paying for it now.  What is hard to understand is why he seems to be taking such delight in the suffering going on in his own country.  What drives him?  Or is he even driven? Or  is he so completely detached and this leadership stuff is left to be the work of fools?  Well, witht the ACA fools we've got.

No man may be an island unto himself but in his case I wish he were.  Instead he's turning our country into one - one no one wants to come to except for nefarious reasons. What will become of us?  Our former allies will form other alliances knowing we can no longer be counted upon, nor trusted.  How will we sustain ourselves when there is nothing more to tax and no one cares enough to come to our aid without extracting a huge price?  With nothing to pay the price no one will be there.

Oh, don't be so doomsdayish you might be saying.  Well, did you really expect to see the country in the state it is now when you voted for him? Bush can only be blamed for so much.  The Republicans can only be blamed for so much, the same with the media.

Somewhere along the line, the President will have to pay the piper whether he wants to or not because in time his followers will no longer be willing to take the fall that should be his.

Buying Time But Little Else

I get a kick out of the fact that everyone is hailing huge success because the Republicans are offering the President a short term increase in the debt ceiling, which he might sign (or might not), in return hoping to get more time to discuss spending and the debt.

I for one am not clapping and cheering.  This could have been done in a timely manner if Ted Cruz hadn't gotten on his quixotic campaign to defund Obamacare.  By the way, where is he?  Has anyone seen him lately?

So what are we gaining other than six weeks to catch our collective breaths before we go through it again?

To make any progress a few things need to happen.  The President has to understand that in his role as leader he is expected to do just that to get the sides to come to an agreement even if not perfect.

Harry Reid has to bring legislation submitted by the House to a vote.  We need names on record as to what they vote for and against.  It's the only way we can hold individual Senators responsible.  I see Mr. Reid is planning to run again.  The people of Nevada will have to decide whether they want to continue with an obstructionist or opt for someone who might actually care about the country.

The Republicans have to control the Tea Party mavericks.  They aren't about to change themselves.  They obviously don't have the intellect to know which battles they can win and which they cannot, not to mention which ones they should even challenge. In their way they are as bad as Reid and the President.

And the President.  You all know how I like to rag on him.  A lot of this could have been avoided if he had talked with both sides and told them to get their act together rather than preaching to his select audiences and disparaging Republicans. That does not make for cooperation.  I'd rather see him win his battles with well thought out suggestions, a willingness to admit he isn't always right and compromises accepted with grace.

I realize why he's doing it the way he does.  He wants so much to regain the House in 2014 but even as bad as the Republicans are it's anything but sure. I also don't think he has a clue as to how to lead.  He's never had to do it and I don't see that he has an appetite for learning be it domestic policy or foreign.  His way is to threaten and punish and he does that well from the little old couple in the corner house to the small business man to the military and the media.

It's no way to run a country.  Any country.  But especially the United States of America.  If government doesn't soon change it's ways we'll become merely the States of America.  United will be a word as foreign to us as civility.

A Few Thoughts On The Stalemate

Obamacare.  How many people realize the bill being fought over is not the one passed by the Democratic House and Senate?  This is thanks to Presidential meddling where he took it upon himself to grant waivers without Congressional approval.

This smacks of dictatorship and in my opinion should negate the law.  It isn't how we make nor amend them.  I don't buy that executive privilege gives that right.

That being said and since no one else is saying it I'll move on.  The Tea Party Republicans, as any sane person will agree, had no chance of winning the defunding issue nor should it.  One doesn't defund to fix.  You either repeal or repair.  The issue shouldn't be tied to the CR but then we shouldn't be having CR's in the first place.

Though too late at this point because of ego and pride on both sides, this might have been a reasonable fix for the mess that didn't have to be.  The President could quit giving speeches and actually sit down with the Republicans.  Let's say Boehner for the sake of discussion.  "I will admit over reach in giving the waivers to Congressional members and staff. I will rescind all waivers I have given in return for the CR." Boehner accepts and promises to get it past his obstructionists by showing some leadership himself. Obama tells Harry Reid to get it done.

For now even forget the tax on medical devices.  That can be done in Congress in time. So can everything else that needs fixed and a lot does.

What they seem to forget is at the moment they don't have the votes and unless they win in 2014 they won't. Obamacare is the law.  If it's as bad as we're to believe it will collapse from within.  If it can be fixed, give fixing it in incrementals a chance.

We're stuck with the bunch we have now but we won't be forever.  The lesson we should take from this is to make our voices heard more quickly when something displeases us.  Waiting until Washington  takes the rumblings and makes them it's own defeats all of us.

Mr. President, Stop Beating The Drums Of War

I cannot believe that the President is already taking credit for something he had nothing to do with other than to not forbid John Kerry to talk with Russia.  That the threat of force has brought about this impasse with Syria.

Come on. He was no where near getting Congressional approval for credible force nor was the force he proposed exactly credible. A pinprick?  Unbelievably small?

That Putin grabbed onto a flip statement by Kerry and parlayed it into a framework for action is all we've gotten and all we're likely to get. Advantage Putin.  Advantage Syria.

We have no idea what  discussions Putin has had with Syria nor what they agreed to.  We do know Syria's civil war continues as well as the game of hide and seek with chemical weapons.

We know military action will be off the table in any U.N. Resolution as well as our arming of the rebels.  Putin will see to that.  So what is it we really have?  A frame work.  For what?

So why, oh why, are you trying to convince Iran that diplomacy paired with the threat of force will make them give up their nuclear program.  Especially since Putin is already in arms talk with them.

You undercut your own Secretary of State with your dithering.  You have completely demoralized the Free Syrian Army who desperately need weapons and our own military is exhausted with trying to keep up with your will we or won't we.  Congress is skeptical at best and the American people have probably tuned you out.

It is unbelievably unbecoming for you to be taking credit for what little has been accomplished.  If indeed anything has.  I'd think you'd have the good graces to keep your mouth shut or if you have to talk, give Kerry an "A" for effort! To you I give an "F" for false  and probably foolish bravado.

Not long ago when asked if you could change your approval rating with a speech you said you were good, but not that good.  Then you added you were still, pretty good.

No sir.  Sorry. You are not.

Government As Soap Opera - When Will The Other Shoe Fall?

The deal that has been made with Syria is so rife with "what ifs" I can't begin to count them.  On that issue I'll say little today other than it was far too easy and the one player who basically has been seldom heard is Syria itself.  As I watch the next episode unfold it will be to see who double crosses who and when.

Meanwhile back at the White House Obama is getting ready to go to Asia.  The pivot that he's been hyping off and on.  Shifting our attention to the next area of the world in which to impose ourselves.  That's a secondary story line. Do you feel the resentment building?  I do.  Especially in those predominantly Muslim countries.

While the cat is away the mice in Congress will parallel it with the upcoming battle for one more continuing resolution to fund the government.  It is like a soap isn't it?  Thirty years running you have the same main characters unless they die from old age and the same story lines.  It's amazing.

Back to the drama.  I'd like to see a change in the story line but fear I won't.  It isn't the time for the Republicans to remain being stupid but I fear they will.  The issue is defunding Obamacare or shut down the government.  Please.  Don't do this.  Get creative.  Yes, Obamacare is a mess. And the President should have learned from the Syria debacle he really needs Congress with him.  But he doesn't learn either.  The problem here is no foreign entity can bail him out of this one. No one will bail us out either if the government shuts down.

The military will be left without pay.  We seniors will be left without our social security checks and the poor without welfare and food stamps. That doesn't even scratch the surface of the total impact it would have on the country.  Remember, the bigger the government, the bigger the impact and we have a doozy.

The President, if he could be realistic for a brief moment, should delay implementation of the entire bill until it's sorted out.  He won't.  Harry Reid and the Democratic obstructionists like Chris van Hollen should resign.  The Tea Party purists should also resign.  Of course they won't.  It's the formula. Same story, 200th episode!

Shutting down the government won't solve anything but will succeed in making the people even more angry than they already are.  Maybe we need to contact our congressional delegations with the verve we did in opposing a military strike in Syria.  This time tell them to grow up, work together and get this budget mess straightened out.

While they're at it they should consider changing a few rules about how they do business.  It is flat out wrong when one individual be it John Boehner, Harry Reid or Barack Obama can prevent legislation from being debated or moved forward or enforced on personal whim.

If they find dictatorship so attractive I'm sure Syria or Russia would indulge them.

Gamesmanship Versus Fair Play - There Is A Big Difference

We have a problem in this country which I don't think the founding fathers anticipated. The President as renegade.  It is what happens when the President is accountable to no one and when he chooses to flout the law there is no recourse.

It seems to be emerging as common practice with Obamacare.  The latest has Congress complicit right along with him.  Just when I thought Congress may finally be getting it, they prove me wrong once again.  You see Obamacare was written so that Congress would have to buy into it just as the rest of us. Lots of us have been calling for that for a very long time - you pass it, it applies to you as well as the rest of us.  No matter what the content.

Some of the worry about Obamacare is the cost.  How it's going to be unaffordable for many or their premiums will increase dramatically rather than decrease.  Congress would have to give up their Cadillac plans and participate side by side with us.

But if you can imagine, they are whining that they can't afford the premiums and need an exemption.  Not only they themselves but also their better paid staffers.  Consider the Congressional salary of $174,000.  And many staffers making $100,000 +/-.  Also bear in mind that this is written into the law the President signed.  But of course we know no one had read it.

So rather than telling them to learn how to budget, he promises to fix it.  And he did. He made arrangements for  the Office of Personnel Management to write regulations allowing for the financial relief for members of Congress and their staffers - all government employees.

This type of shenanigan requires passage by Congress.  Obama didn't fear the Republicans would object but rather that they'd want to add more.  Of course he is right.  Republicans want that sweetener just as much as the Democrats.

Laws are becoming what they are at the pleasure of the President, not because Congress passed them and he signed them. Strange bedfellows they may be but bedfellows never-the-less. This goes way beyond class warfare.  This is a war between those in politics and the people.

I can't help but  think even those politicians I look on with a smidgen of hope aren't doing anything for my benefit.  Even though the reason may not be readily apparent, be sure it's for them.  I'd guess re-election so the game can continue.

Do they even know their approval rating is 14%.  If they know it, do they care?  More importantly how many of us know it and even more, do we care?  I don't care that it is so low, but I really care about why!