Obama's lack of military understanding

There are many things that bother me about the way the left regards those who serve in the Military. Of late, I am most troubled by the view that those who have served in Iraq are victims. In fact, President Obama's speech at Camp Lejeune, where he announced our exodus from Iraq, was riddled with Victimized Soldier references:

You make up a fraction of the American population, but in an age when so many people and institutions have acted irresponsibly, you did the opposite – you volunteered to bear the heaviest burden. And for you and for your families, the war does not end when you come home. It lives on in memories of your fellow soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who gave their lives. It endures in the wound that is slow to heal, the disability that isn’t going away, the dream that wakes you at night, or the stiffening in your spine when a car backfires down the street.

You and your families have done your duty – now a grateful nation must do ours. That is why I am increasing the number of soldiers and Marines, so that we lessen the burden on those who are serving. And that is why I have committed to expanding our system of veterans health care to serve more patients, and to provide better care in more places. We will continue building new wounded warrior facilities across America, and invest in new ways of identifying and treating the signature wounds of this war: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, as well as other combat injuries.

We also know that service does not end with the person wearing the uniform. In her visits with military families across the country, my wife Michelle has learned firsthand about the unique burden that your families endure every day. I want you to know this: military families are a top priority for Michelle and me, and they will be a top priority for my administration. We’ll raise military pay, and continue providing quality child-care, job-training for spouses, and expanded counseling and outreach to families that have known the separation and stress of war. We will also heed the lesson of history – that those who fight in battle can form the backbone of our middle class – by implementing a 21st century GI Bill to help our veterans live their dreams.

A big mistake made by those on the left is assuming Soldiers think like civilians. They don't, and they won't. A Soldier sacrifices for a cause greater than themselves, and they do so willingly. It would be disingenuous to state Soldiers don't suffer. They do - mentally and physically. They miss their spouses, their children just like anyone. What they don't want is sympathy for this, they don't need sympathy. The appropriate response to what a Soldier does is to honor their service, honor their sacrifices.

Military members through the ages have been affected by war. For most, a victory celebration from their home country is what offers comfort. The best counseling comes in the form of conversations with other Soldiers, because other Soldiers get it. Soldiers speak in terms of Duty, Honor and Country, not "poor you, poor me".

Soldiers will honor the Commander in Chief out of unquestionable obligation. In return, the President has an obligation to understand he is addressing warriors, and as such, he must speak their language. The President must triumphantly praise the job our Military has done, and he must honor the sacrifices of those who serve. There is no place for sanctimonious pity when you are leading Soldiers.

Back from Vermont - MSM sees the future

Wow. This is impressive journalism. A whole piece on President Obama's address to the congress set to air...tonight. That's right, folks. The piece talks about a speech hours before it airs, to include describing the entire scene. Did they get an advance copy or something? Has Dear Leader managed to invent a time machine in his wondrous first month in office?

This is really over the top - even for the MSM. Pravda has nothing on us.

h/t LGF

Gregg withdraws name

Sen. Gregg stated, “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle.

“However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy"

The question now is just how bad will this get

Damn. The Senate passed the largest spending bill in history. The Dow dropped 8,0000 points.

The vote was 61-37, with the Turn Coat Republicans *spit* voting for this piece of garbage. Nothing good will come of this. Nothing.

The Press Conference that Refused to End

Tonight we were blessed with the complex oratory skills of our President. I watched the whole thing, beginning to end, and feel that I am deserving of some type of award for valor. I'm sure the rest of you who did the same feel the same.

The President has mastered the art of "If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with BS" communication methods. Funny thing is, I think Obama was just as baffled with his answers as the rest of us. In the few coherent and understandable sentences spoken, Obama called out his dissenters and does all he can to shut them down a la Chicago politics. He tries to convince us FDR's policies were just groovy, historians got it all wrong, you see. He noted "people need to break out of their ideological rigidity". He means me, to which I say MY ideological rigidity will go with me to my grave, thank you kindly.

In one of his ramblings, he made overtures about Pakistan. Hold on to your hats, folks, that will be a ride like we've not seen with this guy at the helm.

Then there were the questions - Andrea Mitchell, professional reporter, asks the President's opinion on A-Rod's drug use. This is useful? Another professional journalist from CNN wanted to know when he could take pictures of Soldier's coffins. HuffPo (!) wants to know when we are going to throw the book at President Bush. Obama says no one is above the law, unless and of course you are a tax evading member of his cabinet.

I am stunned at how much this man doesn't know, doesn't get, and beyond that, how often he rambled on and on and on saying absolutely nothing. He contradicted himself repeatedly and displayed his incredible narcissism. That coupled with his complete lack of qualifications for the position he holds is a sight to behold. He blamed Bush as often as possible (but then blamed Fannie and Freddie, he forgot that was a Dem thing?). It was a pathetic display that ended quite bizarrely and abruptly - maybe he didn't want to miss 24, but he should still work on that a bit.

Obama: Mad Dash to the Bottom

I've been working on my Obama screw up list, but every time I get ready to post, a whole new debacle raises it's hand! So, I've been toying with some other ideas to track the list. While I sort through that, I'd like to offer a round up of headlines summarizing President Obama's less than stellar start.

From the New York Times (yes, I'm serious!): Slumdogs Unite!

From the NY Daily News: Stumbling out the gate: Barack Obama flubs his first big test

From The Boston Globe: Three weeks in, and no one has Obama's back

From the Washington Times - CBO: Obama stimulus harmful over the long haul

Change!

Proud to be an unpatriot...

From Michelle Malkin.

Mark Steyn - Right again!

Maybe it's time for President Obama to come out and give one of his big hopey-changey speeches. It's been a few weeks now, and I kinda miss them. You know – "We are the change we've been waiting for." "We have nothing to hope for but hope itself." "Ask not what your hope can change for you, ask what you can hope for your change." Etc.

But I wonder if the old songs from last month's hit parade would play as well today. On Wednesday, Salon headlined a story on Obama: "The New Great Communicator … Isn't." Oh, dear. It's early days yet, but the gulf between the rhetoric and the reality, between the audacity of hope and the reality of pork, yawns ever wider. Right now, it's the Obama mythology that urgently needs some stimulus. Some of us never expected him to walk on water. But we didn't think he'd be all at sea taking on quite so much of it after a mere two weeks.

Read the whole thing, excerpts don't do it justice.

Hopefully everyone is contacting their Senators telling them a yes vote on this spending bill will not be met with a raucous applause, and no, I don't care that The One is screaming at the top of his lungs pass this NOW or WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!!!! Republicans for reals, and Republican Lites - it's time for the big F word - filibuster! Democrats, you are so welcome in our tent of saying not only no, but heck no!

Stay tuned, I'm compiling a list of broken promises, mistakes, SNAFUs and other examples of how this administration is proving they are not up for the job later today.

Charges dropped against USS Cole bombing suspect

a consequence of The One's executive order. We'll be needing white flags instead of unicorns in short order.

2 Weeks and he's tired of being in the White House

Two weeks. TWO WEEKS!

With little notice, the president and first lady Michelle Obama bolted the gated compound of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. in their tank of a limousine on Tuesday. They ended up at a Washington public school, greeted by children who could not care less about the collapse of a Cabinet secretary nomination.

"We were just tired of being in the White House," the president candidly told the gleeful second-graders at Capital City Public Charter School.

Frankly, we are tired of you being in the White House, too. This has been a mad dash to the bottom, what with the tax evading cabinet members and "Unclench your fist" being the sum total of our foreign policy. We don't even have to touch the "stimulus package" that is heading us right to Smoot-Hawley part deux. For the love of Pete, India told President Obama to pound sand!

Though part of me would love to acknowledge this as President Obama's two week notice, that leaves us with Biden in Charge. After that? Pelosi. After her? An ex-klan member. Good job, Dems, good job. This whole thing is FUBAR.

Change!

Communism - Coming to a house near you!

I am dumbfounded. President Obama sends out his first political email and guess what it's for? Organizing "House Meetings" to discuss the Porkapalooza plan. He isn't even TRYING to hide the communist overtures with this one!

For those that don't know, a "House Meeting" is a term used to describe organizational meetings and was the building block for the farmworker movement (UFW). They used house meetings to strong arm the union in, at to organize boycotts. This is a socialist term at the least, and to be honest, it's heavy on the communist innuendo.

Next up will be block captains. This is how governments get undermined - "grassroots" is one thing, having citizens rise up and declare policy over the elected officials is another.

I wish I had some quip comment to make here, but I just don't. I'm gobsmacked. We should not take this lightly, folks. Happy Monday.

Obama has been in discussions with Iran for MONTHS?

Months? WTF? It makes me angry to think he would allow his narcissism to put us in danger like this. More importantly, his narcissism coupled with his stupidity is going to end in a lot of people getting hurt.