tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post6723473375167181995..comments2024-03-29T01:07:30.224-07:00Comments on Had Enough Therapy?: Obama in SyriaStuart Schneidermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12784043736879991769noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-8284516077906769332016-12-21T01:36:09.928-08:002016-12-21T01:36:09.928-08:00Perhaps the black mark on Bill Clinton's presi...Perhaps the black mark on Bill Clinton's presidency was his 8 years of economic sanctions against Iraq, so even things like Chlorine for water purification was banned from imports.<br /><br />This issue was discussed on 60 minutes in 1996 and State Madeleine Albright was tricked into saying the death of 500,000 children in Iraq (above normal morality rates) was worth it, to keep Saddam's murderous nature contained.<br />http://fair.org/extra/we-think-the-price-is-worth-it/<br />---<br />Lesley Stahl on U.S. sanctions against Iraq: We have heard that a half million children have died. I mean, that’s more children than died in Hiroshima. And, you know, is the price worth it?<br /><br />Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: I think this is a very hard choice, but the price–we think the price is worth it.<br /><br />—60 Minutes (5/12/96)<br /><br />It’s worth noting that on 60 Minutes, Albright made no attempt to deny the figure given by Stahl–a rough rendering of the preliminary estimate in a 1995 U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report that 567,000 Iraqi children under the age of five had died as a result of the sanctions.<br />---<br /><br />This is also why it was difficult for me to argue against GW Bush's 2003 invasion of Iraq. It was obvious to me that his case was flawed and there was ZERO evidence that Iraq had anything to do with 9/11, and of course most of the terrorists were from Saudi Arabia, which could easily be argued as more brutal against human rights as largely secularize Iraq where women went to college at high rates and could become professionals in society. Of course after 8 years of sanctions the VAST majority of professionals, men and women, abandoned their homeland for better options elsewhere. So Iraq experienced a huge braindrain BECAUSE of our sanctions.<br /><br />It does seem like world leadership is a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" sort of proposition. Since you never see the "what if we had done something different", there's no proof if the current bad outcome is still better than the avoided worse income, or the reverse.<br /><br />And Israel is in the same position - with a double-standard of world opinion - anything Israel does to defend itself is criticized while all their humanitarian efforts are ignored. And the Palestinians can extort the world for tens of billions of dollars of "aid" that goes into the pockets of corrupt leaders, and they never have to look in the mirror as the cause of their own people's suffering.<br /><br />And Russia's predicaments are similar, when they defend their interests, and the opposition plays the victim in the world news reports, however much they provoked the response in the first place.<br /><br />It does seem to be an open question what a Trump's presidency will be. We know he loves to say outrageous things, as the "Art of the Deal" requires that you put your rivals at a disadvantage by refusing all previous agreements, and after Trump calms down most of his enemies roll over and play nice. But I'm not sure that works for the President, at least not without actions. So you have to at least admit Trump will follow in Obama's footsteps and expand drone attacks to an ever greater degree, and not worry about colateral damage, not any more than Obama did.<br /><br />But I admit I'm concerned about the U.S. and Trump's affections for Putin. Last week I watched a nearly year old Frontline documentary about Putin, and new reports suggest he's extracted some $85 brillion in personal wealth for his 16 years in service, and he's up for re-election in 2018 still with a high popularity. I can see his goal has to be to find a worthy replacement so he can retire in style, and you can be sure he'll be diversifying his billions outside Russia when he's done.<br />http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/putins-way/<br /><br />If I had to pick a political partner, I'm sure I'd pick Benjamin Netanyahu over Vladamir Putin, although I suppose both have benefited from assissination of political rivals.Ares Olympushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09726811306826601686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-64807898800988243242016-12-20T09:58:42.387-08:002016-12-20T09:58:42.387-08:00> True enough, Obama kept us out of war. It wil...> True enough, Obama kept us out of war. It will not be a consolation to the people of Aleppo, the people of Syria, the people of Iraq or the people of Europe.<br /><br />Obama was elected to safeguard the people and interests of the United States, not Syria, Iraq, or Europe. This is a rare case in which I think Obama acted (or declined to act) correctly.<br /><br />You may argue that, like the UK after Neville Chamberlain and Poland, the US will pay a larger price down the road. In my opinion, that remains to be seen.art.the.nerdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15217116501544593071noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-27423911403136506042016-12-20T05:40:45.087-08:002016-12-20T05:40:45.087-08:00"I do not believe Obama's approval number..."I do not believe Obama's approval numbers..."<br /><br />Obama's approval numbers are brought to you by the same people whose polls showed a 0.95 probability of Clinton winning the general election and an unemployment rate < 5%.Trigger Warningnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8078379512095504946.post-52130383736674987882016-12-19T12:21:56.660-08:002016-12-19T12:21:56.660-08:00It won't be a consolation to the Russian Ambas...It won't be a consolation to the Russian Ambassador to Turkey. He was assassinated today. Assassinations in that sector of the world have a way of getting out of hand, leading to other dark happenings.<br /><br />Obama showed his true colors in Syria. He showed them for his own feckless foreign policy, which provided a vivid contrast to the political savagery he reserves for his domestic opposition. He is much more calculated, ruthless and cruel toward Republicans than he is with anyone else in the world. Follow his choices, not his words, and you will find the truth. And the truth hurts.<br /><br />Obama's choices in Syria emboldened our enemies. There is no other way around it. He is an incompetent world leader. His "red line" means nothing.<br /><br />I do not believe Obama's approval numbers. People are still cowed when asked about their feelings for our nation's first black president. Better to go along and get along outwardly, and keep your opinions to yourself. The November 8 results were a resounding stick in the eye to Obama's politics, results and legacy. The slaughter of 6 Dallas police officers are tied to Obama's brand of identity politics, and instructive as to what happens when it gets out of hand. I continue to believe Dallas was the single incident that had the greatest impact on the outcome of the election.Ignatius Acton Chesterton OCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18222603717128565302noreply@blogger.com