Do You Miss Me Yet?
© David Burton 2010
Do You Miss Me Yet?
© David Burton 2010 |
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In honor of the 43rd US PRESIDENT Loyal partner to the State of Israel Mr. George W. Bush For his visit to Jerusalem, May 2008 For showing friendship and solidarity to the Jewish communities and organization that support Jerusalem "In a far-reaching restatement of goals for the nation’s space agency, NASA administrator Charles Bolden says President Obama has ordered him to pursue three new objectives: to 're-inspire children' to study science and math, to 'expand our international relationships,' and to 'reach out to the Muslim world.' Of those three goals, Bolden said in a recent interview with al-Jazeera, the mission to reach out to Muslims is' perhaps foremost,' because it will help Islamic nations 'feel good' about their scientific accomplishments." [Emphasis mine] (Ref. 4) President Obama can't really be serious, can he? He actually told his NASA administrator that the foremost mission of NASA was to reach out to the Muslim world? Give me a break! Better yet, give me back President Bush! Despite fierce Democratic opposition to continuing the war in Iraq, President Bush persevered with a surge strategy that President Obama and the Democrats now realize “is succeeding, that a reasonably functional democracy is emerging and that there is no great peril in maintaining a military presence there.” Because of their hatred of President Bush, the Democrats were hoping for an American defeat in Iraq. Now, President Obama is in charge of the war in Afghanistan, “Rooting for your country’s defeat is ignoble. And when it comes your turn to take responsibility, it can be self-defeating.” (Ref. 5) President Bush’s foreign policy may have been unpopular with liberals, but the world understood it, and we were respected, if not loved, for it, even if parts of the world did not agree with it. Let’s not lose sight of the following facts. Sadam Hussein is gone and the world is better off as a result. George Bush is responsible for this. Al Qaeda has been driven out of its sanctuaries in Afghanistan and Osama bin Ladin and other top Al Qaeda leaders are either hiding in caves along the Afghan-Pakistani border or are being hunted down and killed. We can thank George Bush for this. There have been no 9-11 attacks on U.S. soil since September 11, 2001. We can also thank George Bush for this. The Taliban, who are Afghan Muslim fundamentalists and not Jihadist terrorists like Al-Qaeda, were driven from power in Afghanistan and the Afghan people have been given the opportunity to decide what form of governance they want to live under. Whether that is a liberal democratic regime or a theocratic one, like the Taliban, is up to them – but at least we have given them the opportunity to choose. George Bush is responsible for this. It’s now up to Barack Obama to see the war in Afghanistan through to its conclusion. Under president Obama, our foreign policy is a failure and there is a total lack of respect for it. “Here is one immutable fact of Barack Obama’s foreign policy agenda as it relates to Iran: It’s over.” (Ref. 6) Obama cannot face reality. He continues to persist in the delusion that “the current Iranian regime could be a negotiation partner, despite what has already happened in that country.” He continues to irrationally cling to the hope that he can talk Mahmoud Ahmajinedad into halting Iran’s nuclear program. The Obama Democrats regarded President Bush’s Iran policy as absurd and rigid. Instead, Obama extended his hand and now the Iranian regime is providing fresh evidence of the absurdity of the Obama approach. Similarly, “his long-range strategy of propitiating America’s enemies has been undercut by North Korea’s Missile launches” (Ref. 7) and utter belligerency. President Obama naively believed that the charisma that won him the presidential election in 2008 could also succeed in charming the Muslim world and the world’s despots. The so-far failed Middle-East peace initiatives along with the actions of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong-Il have shown the fallacy in Obama’s beliefs. He has yet to show that he understands that his policies are not working. “In guiding the nation in a dangerous world, it’s vital to adjust to face hard realities and adjust to unexpected events.” (Ref. 7) In the war on terrorism, we can compare the differences in approaches between Bush and Obama. For many of us, the Bush approach is the one that is preferred when American lives are at stake. For Liberals, American lives are less important than Political Correctness and abstract idealism. THE REAL QUESTION: Do you feel more secure today under President Obama than you did under President Bush? Interrogation - In 2002, Bush declared that the Geneva Conventions didn’t apply to the stateless, "unlawful enemy combatants" of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Bush signed an executive order in 2007 allowing the CIA to continue using some harsh tactics in interrogating Islamic terrorists. On his first day in office, Obama revoked Bush’s executive order and limited interrogation tactics. (Ref. 8) Rendition and CIA Black Sites - Beginning in 2002, the Bush administration expanded what’s known as extraordinary rendition. Through the program, CIA agents captured and transported terrorism suspects to countries such as Egypt and Afghanistan for interrogation. During the same period, the CIA also operated its own secret prisons, or "black sites," abroad. On his first day in office, Obama issued an executive order to close the CIA prisons. But, the agency still has permission to detain prisoners on a "short-term, transitory basis." In August, Obama’s interrogation task force announced that renditions could continue. The Obama administration has also limited attempts at accountability for past renditions. (Ref. 8) Detention - Bush suspended habeas corpus rights for prisoners deemed unlawful enemy combatants. Obama issued an executive order on his first day in office mandating the closure of Guantanamo by Jan. 22, 2010, but the administration has not made it happen. In ongoing lawsuits, the Obama administration has upheld the government’s right to hold Guantanamo prisoners indefinitely. Beyond Guantanamo, the Obama administration has maintained the Bush administration’s position of preventive detention, contending that habeas rights do not extend to prisoners held at facilities such as Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, even those detained outside Afghanistan. (Ref. 8) Military Commissions - In a 2001 executive order, Bush wrote that prisoners eligible for trial would be tried in military commissions rather than in U.S. courts, which allowed for greater application of secrecy and looser rules about admissible evidence. Obama’s detention task force issued a preliminary report stating they would continue to be used when evidence in a case did not meet the standards of criminal court. (Ref. 8) Secrecy - Bush initiated a policy that discouraged granting Freedom of Information Act requests. He also expanded the classification of documents and invoked the "state secrets" rule in court. Obama reversed the Bush-era FOIA rules, and declassified some previously secret legal memos. However, the Obama administration has continued to keep some documents secret, including photos of prisoner abuse. The Obama administration is likely withholding documents related to CIA interrogations and has also continued to invoke the "state secrets" rule in court. (Ref. 8) Warrantless Wiretapping and Surveillance - After Sept. 11, 2001, Bush authorized the creation of a program allowing intelligence agencies to intercept some phone calls into and out of the United States without a warrant. In 2008, Congress legalized the effort, expanding the National Security Agency’s ability to investigate individuals believed to be overseas. As a senator, Obama supported the 2008 legislative amendments. In lawsuits related to the surveillance program, the Obama administration has upheld the Bush administration’s "state secrets" stance, making it difficult to learn the true extent of the program. (Ref. 8) So, when push came to shove, did Obama really reverse the policies employed by President Bush in the war on terrorism or did he come to understand that Bush and Cheney were right and has he continued to utilize those same policies? You tell me. One last thing - let’s not forget that the No Child Left Behind program was started under president Bush and not under President Obama. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- References:
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| 30 July 2010 {Article 90; Politics_17} |