Maybe the ethics policy was pushed through "without much forethought" too?
Posted by snark at January 24, 2009 07:00 AMYeah, Steve, this is the one place that "ethics policy" was supposed to be the most important. Fookin' Star Wars money pit needs to go.
Posted by iamcoyote at January 24, 2009 08:12 AMI usually assume that defense appointments are handled directly by military industries; that neither the President nor Congress is involved except ceremoniously. It's been this way our whole lives and longer; at least since the world wars in the first half of last century.
Does Obama have the will to try to change the way our wealth is mainlined directly from the treasury to defense industries? If so, he hasn't mentioned it. He surely knows that we're still stuck in the political loop (Johnson-Nixon-Carter-Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush-Obama) that sustains it. But he doesn't address it. We used to still talk about it back in the late 70s, and even early 80s while Reagan was ascendant; not so much since then.
I was surprised to read somewhere recently that, of all people, Rahm Emanual mentioned that defense spending would be on the table when it was time to figure out how to pay for the current recession.
Posted by NealB at January 24, 2009 10:44 AMDid anyone but me and Rachel Maddow read the fine print on the whole "banning of torture" thing? Obama seems to have left plenty of wiggle room in there to allow America to continue to torture. It just won't be as brazen about it this time around.
And closing Guantanamo and black sites around the world is important, but what about other American hellholes such as Bagram, and the numerous "detention centers" in Iraq in which they are holding thousands and thousands of people, including children, without charges or trial? Not mention of those.
And anybody else notice how Obama continues to moon walk on Iraq? Now he is asking his military commanders to talk amongst themselves about maybe possibly thinking about some sort of "drawdown", so the "withdrawal" word is being phased out.
And what he had to say about Palestine is simply disgusting. He equates Israeli "suffering" with that of the Palestinians, speaks as if the deaths of four Israeli civilians, and nine combat soldiers (four from "friendly fire") is equivalent to the murders of 1400 Palestinians (and counting), the overwhelming majority of whom were civilians, more than one third of whom were children. According to Israel's claims of Hamas members killed, they killed around twice as many Palestinian children as Hamas members. But Obama continues the pretense that Israel was just defending itself against "thousands of Hamas rockets" (despite the fact that there were no Hamas rockets for the 4.5 months before Israel broke the ceasefire), and puts 100% of the onus on Hamas, while pretending it is not the group democratically chosen by the Palestinians as their leaders. The only think he required of Israel was that it withdraw from Gaza, which by that time it had already done.
Not as terrible as Bush does technically qualify as change, of course.
Posted by Shirin at January 24, 2009 12:07 PMFace it Shirin, anything the U.S. Government does is not going to satisfy you... unless it fully apologizes, has complete reparations to Iraqi's and Palestian's, and it dismantles the MIC.
While you want giant steps immediately... many Americans are satisfied with baby steps for now! Slow down, take a deep breath, keep working... because it obviously is having a positive affect.
Obama is in his 4th day of office... nothing will make the bu$h years overturn itself any faster.
Posted by Seven of Six at January 24, 2009 01:23 PMNo, SOS, I am just tired of seeing Obama steadily moon walking on Iraq from "ending the war" and "getting out of Iraq", to "withdrawing combat troops, veeeeeeeeery slowly", to "well, of COURSE we will keep a 'residual force' to - ummmmmm - combat terrorists and any Iranians who look like they are trying to cross the border" to asking his commanders to talk amongst themselves to see if there is a way to maybe kind of sort of begin a "drawdown" of combat forces.
And if, in the face of the 22 days that horrified and outraged most of the world (and that "coincidentally" ended abruptly mere hours before he became President), Obama will not even make a hint of a suggestion that maybe what Israel did was kind of maybe - ummmmmm - not completely justified and correct behaviour, then how is he going to take ISrael to task at any other time? His speech about Israel was like throwing a shovelful of shit into the faces of each and every resident of Gaza.
You know, with that speech he blew away a hell of a lot of the good will and hope his election gained in the Middle East.
How do you think the mother whose experience is described below by Barbara Lubin feels about Obama's version of "change" after hearing what he has had to say so far? How do you think the family in this video feels now? Isn't it interesting that Obama can empathize so strongly with Israelis whose nerves are jangled by mostly-harmless rockets from Gaza (rockets which were reduced virtually to zero during the 4.5 months that Israel observed the ceasefire and only resumed after Israel violated it), but cannot find it in his heart to even mention crimes like the one in the video, or the unspeakable viciousness of the oh, so moral, oh, so ethical Israeli army.
"Out of all the devastation I have seen so far, there is one story in particular that I think the world needs to hear. I met a mother who was at home with her ten children when Israeli soldiers entered the house. The soldiers told her she had to choose five of her children to 'give as a gift to Israel.' As she screamed in horror they repeated the demand and told her she could choose or they would choose for her. Then these soldiers murdered five of her children in front of her. The concept of 'Jewish morality' is truly dead. We can be fascists, terrorists, and Nazis just like everybody else.
It is so terribly fascinating the eagerness with which Americans point out "Israel's right to defend itself" by killing twice as many children as "suspected Hamas members", but find the idea of Palestinians' right to defend themselves against Israel to be utterly beyond their ability to even imagine.
Posted by Shirin at January 24, 2009 01:51 PMOh yes, and while President Obama is so acutely feeling the pain of Israelis who are subjected to mostly-harmless rockets from Gaza (rockets which are a direct result of Israeli government actions against the residents of Gaza), he got his first kills yesterday when three of his missiles hit a house, killing eighteen people, including several children, in a house in Pakistan. Way to go new Commander in Chief!
Now THAT's change we are used to. Plus ca change plus la meme chose.
Posted by Shirin at January 24, 2009 02:09 PM...but find the idea of Palestinians' right to defend themselves against Israel to be utterly beyond their ability to even imagine.
And the hate continues... I don't defend Israel, never have... who's really going to win this argument?
...he got his first kills yesterday when three of his missiles hit a house, killing eighteen people, including several children, in a house in Pakistan. Way to go new Commander in Chief!
The strikes took place on his first full day. I doubt he was even aware of it. It was a policy already in place... a bu$h policy. According to news sources, the military doesn't even need to consult with the President to conduct the mission, it already has prior approval. Maybe he will change it.
So, SOS, by suggesting that the Palestinians have a right to defend themselves, I am continuing the hate. I see.
And am I continuing the hate by pointing out that in 78% of cases, including this most recent one, it is Israel that breaks the ceasefire? And am I continuing the hate by pointing out that Israel is occupying, and illegally confiscating and colonizing Palestinians' land and not vice versa? And am I continuing the hate by pointing out that it is the Palestinians who have made painful concession after painful concession while Israel just grabbed more and more and more and more? And am I continuing the hate by pointing out that Israel has given the finger to every Arab effort at resolving the conflict?
What the hell do you want more from the Palestinians, SOS? What more do they have to give? Or should they just lie down quietly and let Israel bulldoze everything? Should that mother have smiled as she handed five of her children to those murderers, or better yet offered up the additional five as a thank you gift?
Better question, SOS, is what would YOU do if you were in the Palestinians' situation?
Posted by Shirin at January 24, 2009 06:10 PMOh, and SOS, how long are you going to give Commander in Chief Obama a pass on whatever his military does? The WAPO, for one, has a bit of a different take on it than you do:
"Two remote U.S. missile strikes that killed at least 20 people at suspected terrorist hideouts in northwestern Pakistan yesterday [that would be day four of Obama's presidency, not the first full day] offered the first tangible sign of President Obama's commitment to sustained military pressure on the terrorist groups there, even though Pakistanis broadly oppose such unilateral U.S. actions.
"...the White House is routinely briefed about such attacks in advance."
Posted by Shirin at January 24, 2009 07:18 PMSo, SOS, by suggesting that the Palestinians have a right to defend themselves, I am continuing the hate.
Well, are you proposing peace? Doesn't sound like it with your tone... will defending themselves, help matters... sorry to say, I don't think so. I think it will make it worse.
Shirin, I hate what the Israeli's have done. I hate what America's old policy was about. And I abhorr bu$h/cheney/condi for not doing a damn thing to help the Palestinian's in Gaza.
Hopefully that was bu$h's policy and it's over.
I feel the same way about the Palestinian's as I do about the Kurds in Turkey (and in Iran and Iraq), they don't have their own Country. People have a right to their own land. Unfortunately, they have a government who is radical towards the Israeli's and they haven't recognized their right to exist. How long must we go on until the Arab Nation's acknowledge Israel's right to exist? Maybe that's a start...
Better question, SOS, is what would YOU do if you were in the Palestinians' situation?
I don't have an answer to your question, or pretend to... as long as the bullies of the world have the most firepower and the trained folks to use it, it will be a long time before peace will be at hand. And the folks who don't have their own country will continue to go without.
I desire peace. The useless fighting, mindless killing, and the same arguments that continue are not working.
However, no matter what I want... it will not change things... until people come together.
...SOS, how long are you going to give Commander in Chief Obama a pass on whatever his military does?
I'm going to give Obama 2 years and the benefit of doubt before I pass judgement... this is the toughest situation any President has ever encountered in U.S. history. Are there going to be some things I disagree with... of course... will I hold his feet to the fire... you damn straight I will.
My personal thought on the matter is that Obama has to come accross as hawkish within the Intelligence and Military community on Al Qaeda, no matter the first initial negative affects on the Muslim community. But with time, I hope the Muslim community understands his reasoning and targets. I'm sure his tactics will create a more positive outcome in the later stages of his first term. Especially when he can start weeding out the bu$h people who are still the leaders of our military and intelligence community.
Peace and Love to you Shirin
Posted by Seven of Six at January 25, 2009 08:54 AM