Posts Tagged ‘obama’

Bob Maistros

So Bono suggests in the New York Times that America needs a “rebranding,” and that Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize is part of that process.

The Irish rock star cum diplomat points to The Peacemaker’s recent speech to the United Nations, in which he promised to “set our sights on the eradication of extreme poverty in our time.”  (Suggesting that the good Rev. Wright skipped over Matthew 26:11, Mark 14:7 and John 12:8 in those 20 years of innocent expositions of the Scriptures with the First-Family-to-Be in attendance.)

And we care what this guy says...why?

The singer added that the president’s words on poverty, “alongside the administration’s approach to fighting nuclear proliferation and climate change, improving relations in the Middle East and, by the way, creating jobs and providing health care at home, are rebranding in action.”

And maintains, “The Nobel Peace Prize is the rest of the world saying, “Don’t blow it.”  Read the rest of this entry »

Paul Ibrahim

While still in campaign mode prior the presidential election, Barack Obama’s teleprompter squandered no opportunity in sternly reminding us: George W. Bush has ruined America’s relations with every country, province and hamlet in the world – but worry not, the Citizen of the World is here to “repair” America’s oh-so-shattered international image.

A furious reparation operation was thus launched immediately upon Obama’s inauguration. It began with his opposition to free trade agreements with friendly Colombia, South Korea, and Panama. He thoroughly upset the Chinese by slapping high tariffs on their tires, and the Canadians by prohibiting Air Canada’s charter fleet from flying

Repairing Relations.

their NHL teams between U.S. cities – leading to promises of retribution from both countries. His signing of a “Buy American” clause has been methodically vilified by Brazil, Canada, China, Japan, Australia, India, Singapore, France, and the European Union, among others, some of whom have been compelled to trigger retaliatory measures.

Yes, an international trade war brought to you so swiftly and so single-handedly by the Citizen of the World himself. Read the rest of this entry »

Gregory D. Lee

President Obama has said that the only option about his new Afghanistan strategy that he will not consider is withdrawing troops from the war-torn country. But after weeks of deliberating Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s recommendation to increase troop funding by as many as 40,000 troops, the president still hasn’t made up his mind whether to honor the general’s request.

Got my reputation to think about.

This should be the easiest decision any president makes. If your commander on the ground assesses the situation as ordered, and concludes he needs thousands of more troops to complete the mission, then give him what he needs. Why would he hesitate?

Anything less will either prolong the conflict or even lose the war. At the least, it will further deteriorate troop morale. Instead of making a decision, the White House floats excuses why troop increases might not occur.

Then he wins the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Mark Watson

For the past 18 years every time the Dalai Lama visited the United States he has met with the sitting president.

The Nobel Peace Prize honoree’s 18-year streak of meeting with the president during American visits has abruptly come to an end as President Obama has refused to meet with him during the Dalai Lama’s visit to Washington this week.

Snubbed.

Early in his administration, Obama was caught bowing in deference to Saudi King Abdullah as he greeted him at the opening of the G20 meeting in London. Perhaps his refusal to meet with the

Tibetan spiritual leader is his symbolic bow to this country’s biggest holder of U.S. debt, China.

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Jamie Weinstein

A friend of mine best summed up the news that President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on his Facebook status, saying he “will be impressed (if not surprised) when Obama wins the Heisman Trophy and the Oscar for Best Actor.”

Obama's next award?

You are not a serious person if you believe deep down that Barack Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize at this point in his presidency, much less 11 days after assuming office when nominations for the prize were due. You are either a fool (read members of the Nobel Committee) or so enraptured with Barack Obama that even after nine months in office you cannot see reality. Even one White House aide who was contacted for comment by ABC thought it was a joke. “It’s not April 1, is it?,” the aide quipped in apparent disbelief.  Read the rest of this entry »

Bob Maistros

As a continuing service to those confused as to why a president in his first nine months in office was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, herewith the transcript of the committee’s citation, along with a translation.

Can I get an autograph?

“The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided that the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 is to be awarded to President Barack Obama for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”

Translation:  “As a group of internationalists totally opposed to U.S. world leadership and interests, we’re patting Obama on the back and giving him a big PR boost for being one of us.”

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Mark Watson

When George Stephanopoulos recently challenged President Obama on his campaign’s no-tax pledge, he was dismissed: “George, the fact that you looked up Merriam’s Dictionary the definition of tax increase, indicates to me that you’re stretching a little bit right now.  Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to the dictionary to check on the definition.”

Is is?

Obama did not bother to provide his definition of tax increases. One wonders if the president recently read the following passage from Lewis Carroll:

“ ‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.’”

Didn’t another president have trouble with the definition of a simple word? “It depends what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Lawrence J. Haas

I had to smile! I came into the office this morning and my assistant had put this week’s issue of Newsweek right in the middle of my desk.  And what’s the cover story? “After Iran Gets The Bomb.”

Yes, after. I guess America’s media is accepting reality, even if its new president isn’t there yet. Frankly, I don’t know how Obama and his team say what they do about our nuclear program with a straight face.

America wants me to take them seriously? Ha!

If they and their European lackeys were serious about stopping us from developing nuclear weapons, why would they give us a few weeks before sending inspectors to our “secret” enrichment site near Qom? Don’t they know we’ll have that place, as Americans say, “clean as a whistle” by then?

Funny, but it’s the French president who’s talking tougher about our nuclear program than Obama. Even I know that it’s not every day that an American leader makes a French leader look tough by comparison.

But, really, American, European – what’s the difference? I mean, as a New York Jew (my favorite kind!) would say, “who’s kiddin’ who?” We all know what this is about and where it’s going.  Read the rest of this entry »

Mark Watson

President Obama engaged in political mitigation Wednesday afternoon as he held a hastily called strategy session on Afghanistan. His entire national security phalanx participated in the session including Vice President Joseph Biden, Defense Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Gen. David Petraeus, CIA chief Leon Panetta, Gen. Stanley McChrystal and others.

The teleprompter is broken

On CBS’ 60 Minutes program on Sunday, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, inadvertently pricked the president’s political thumb when he told David Martin he has talked with the president once since taking command of U. S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

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Bob Maistros

Ho, hum.  Another week, another Obama controversy.

This time it’s the hullaballoo over whether it’s a distraction for the president of the United States to go abroad shilling for a city’s Olympic bid – even if it is his adopted hometown’s – in the midst of such minor inconveniences as near-double-digit unemployment, an Iranian nuclear crisis and the rapid cratering of his health care reform proposal on Capitol Hill.

Opening ceremonies.

It’s obvious to me that the assorted talking heads tut-tutting our president’s involvement are missing some important points.  Like the fact that O’s home is located just a few blocks from the proposed Olympic Stadium site.  So not only is it a matter of neighborhood pride, it turns out that with the place vacant for a while the fam squats in public housing in Washington, Barack and Michelle have an opportunity to pick up a little extra rental scratch they hadn’t even anticipated when they closed the little land deal together with Tony and Rita.

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