A Changing World: Barack Obama, 2013-2017

[Silver Soul]

Well, Obama nominates Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense much to Republicans' dismay.

Also, the Tea Party gets a new low approval rating from 3 of 10 Americans from the Rasmussen poll which is conservative leaning by the way.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...p_ref=politics

[BigLutz]

Well, Obama nominates Senator Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense much to Republicans' dismay.

Meh, he may be a Israel hater but there are bigger battles to fight with the debt ceiling and those nuts advocating for the $1 Trillion Dollar coin.

Should be interesting to see how Democrats hold their nose for this pick, especially since he opposes ALL abortions even in cases of rape.

But hey, on the bright side atleast Iran is happy about it

[ccangelopearl1362]

Ah, Operation Iraqi Freedom. I believe that exactly 10 years will have passed since that initial venture into the Islamic Community by President George Walker Bush. I wanted to stay alert for any new threads that surfaced as a result of the war. I believed that the Kurds of Iraq would remain at their strongest within its governmental framework, and even today, I’m still uncertain about their prospects. Then again, they might not even have to hold an official vote to secede from Iraq to give their compatriots in Turkey, Syria, and Iran the idea to dismember those countries by building a Republic of Kurdistan. We could have intervened militarily to topple Saddam Hussein and Bashar Al-Assad and systematically encouraged modernization movements – including criticism of Muhammad – inside Iran and along the Arabian Peninsula, and the trends coursing throughout the Middle East and the rest of Islam would have been much farther along already by now. I’m certain that Senators Harry Reid and Chuck Hagel will need to keep those and other trends in mind as Inauguration Day 2013 approaches.:

Daily Caller: Mickey Kaus: Hagel’s Mideast blunder – not on Israel
National Journal: Michael Hirsh: What Obama’s Senate Mafia Means for America

It was Hagel who called now-former General David Petraeus’ surge America’s “most dangerous foreign policy blunder since Vietnam” at the Cable News Network, and he’s been one of the Obama administration’s main foreign policy experts. Hagel recommended Joe Biden as President Barack Obama’s running mate back in 2008, and together with Senator John Kerry, they’ve been acting as a trio of mentors for America’s 44th President, from realpolitik with China to new military and diplomatic arrangements with various emerging nations, such as India and Brazil. One amusing incident involved a dinner with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss rampant corruption, ending with a walkout by Biden, so it looks like the United States and India will have more room on which to cooperate, as they should, especially if Afghanistan and Pakistan end up imploding in the next few years. For my part, everybody in the nation’s capital, from lawmakers to journalists, has been jumping on these nominations, leaving the Senate as a battleground. The President must have known about other groupings he’s been organizing, so to speak, so these nominations tell me that his main base has lost faith in any ability to govern this country, guard freedom, individuality, and modernization, and manage the global market. As a result, his associates are looking for and working with individuals and groups most likely to damage or slow down the agents of modernity, whether real or imaginary, and also fighting its other opponents as they pursue their own goals and agendas. Inside this country, ethnic collectivists, environmental radicals, and labor unions are antagonizing neoconservatives, Tea Partiers, evangelical Christians, and corporate executives… all without any other options, which could cue other Senate Republicans more sympathetic to the groups in that second category to find measures to contain the groups in that first one – and Senate Democrats to start pulling away as quickly, if also quietly, as they can.:

Fox News Channel: Sen. Sessions: Withhold Debt-Ceiling Increase Until Senate Passes Budget Plan

Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions wants a level debt ceiling until a budget plan is in effect from Congress, but only the House of Representatives has had a budget. At this point, I’m betting on concerns about backlash once the Democrats’ main factions conclude that this economic and technological transition will nullify their shared livelihood, their vision of a just American public. While Senator Sessions and his constituents could seek restrictions on funds for the debt ceiling, the likes of the International Longshoremen’s Association could mobilize against Senator Reid, Vice-President Biden, and so on, if to no avail, so that the Senate will invariably stay mired in its gridlock until the voters figure out how to transition to a societal, nay, socioeconomic model anchored on flows of information through the Internet and energy through new advancements all over the place. It may be all that Congress and certain rather large companies can do to secure their own investments and property as firmly as they can.:

US News and World Report: Lauren Fox: Fiscal Cliff Bill Loaded with Pork
Roll Call: Boehner Coup Attempt Larger Than First Thought

Wow, indeed. That bill designating relief for the areas affected by Hurricane Sandy wasn’t the only one with pork surrounding it, and to think that House Majority Leader Eric Cantor may very well have timed his withdrawal of the thing to occur right in the middle of Congress’ fiscal cliff negotiation effort, if he really was the one behind it. One could wish that one were making up the inclusion of rum producers in tax breaks for that fiscal cliff deal, and Diageo and Bacardi ended up securing $480 million in aid for this endeavor. Electric vehicles and motorsport race tracks were also included in the final payout, with up to $2,500 in total tax credits for people who buy these vehicles and a yearly deduction of at least $40 billion for race tracks, bleachers, and concession stands. On Capitol Hill, Congresspersons Justin Amash, Mick Mulvaney, and Raul Labrador attempted to unseat Speaker John Boehner, talking with their friends and colleagues to get a total of 25 House members to vote against Boehner’s House leadership. Oddly, two potential House Republicans who could have been expected to support this attempted coup, Cantor and Texas Congressman Jeb Hensarling, chose to reject the offers from the plotters. A different attempt to unseat Boehner originated from former Congressperson Jeff Landry, and lawmakers opposing this idea wanted someone more plausible and discussions away from live television. At this point, I find myself unable to muster enough energy to criticize one faction or the other here, but I’ll accept recommendations from anyone with ideas about the Republican leadership in the House of Representatives.

[Silver Soul]

Meh, he may be a Israel hater but there are bigger battles to fight with the debt ceiling and those nuts advocating for the $1 Trillion Dollar coin.

Should be interesting to see how Democrats hold their nose for this pick, especially since he opposes ALL abortions even in cases of rape.

But hey, on the bright side atleast Iran is happy about it

For what we agree on, he's no Rumsfeld.

[ccangelopearl1362]

If Senator Chuck Hagel could simultaneously made groups with opposite views unhappy, then at this point, intentional provocations via Cabinet nominations could be all that the Obama administration will have concluded itself capable of undertaking until Congress approves somebody more amenable to assisting in the management of this planet’s cultural implosions, thereby pulling them – and the Democratic and Republican Parties – toward this century’s energy revolution. Energy fields in North America and near Australia would be significant enough, but if trends in Israel are anything to go by, the Middle East could be up for a major shift in ground rules.:

Haaretz: Australian firm might compete with partners at Leviathan
Forbes: William Pentland: America’s Other Energy Revolution and Why It Matters

Thank Yahweh for including two gas fields running into trillions of cubic feet in His package of blessings for the descendants of Isaac, and please alert Congress – and the rest of the American government – as quickly as possible. The larger of these fields may be up for production as early as 2017, and the Anglosphere’s energy connections with Israel might be even speedier as Vice-President Joe Biden, Secretary of State John Kerry, and Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel look for modernization in this country’s market system, should such outcomes prevail. Even though pipelines in the Sinai Peninsula were sabotaged, Woodside, the main Australian company behind this move, is forging ahead with plans to sell its own share of natural gas, presumably liquefied. I’d imagine that if former Vice-President Al Gore really saw this coming, then the opposite of the foundational premise behind his campaign these past several years would be occurring, so he’d want to find the most visible anti-American energy enterprise anywhere – as he perceived –and arrange a deal sticking them with a lousy television network while leaving it with less and less money to spend on certain projects. If that wasn’t enough, energy distribution itself is filtering into the general public in the form of microturbines, which “provide high electrical efficiency compared with traditional gas turbines in the same size class”, making centralized thermal power plants just about obsolete.:



I can hear the new howls of despondent rage from the likes of the Sierra Club, and this could be just the beginning. As other viable technological advancements start streaming out into public knowledge, certain Democratic and Republican visionaries could devise their own strategies to maneuver the American federal government closer to this societal trend, working with activists and officials at local levels. The Muslim Brotherhood and the House of Thani could concentrate as much power around themselves as possible, but they’d be useless against this global energy web, leaving them vulnerable against Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Islamic Liberation Party, and the Salafis on one side and China and the other Sharia sheikhdoms – presumably starting with the United Arab Emirates – on another. Shiism and Iran are inextricably tied together, so once that country goes, so does that branch of the Islamic Community. The realizations at the Guidance Office will be all too grim from this point forward.:

Gatestone Institute: Irfan Al-Alawi: The Nour Party – Egyptian Wahhabis Exploiting the ‘Salafi’ Mask
Hudson Institute: Center on Islam, Democracy, and the Future of the Muslim World: Eric Trager: Egypt’s Looming Competitive Theocracy

The Nour Party has been the main group goading the Muslim Brotherhood into proving its Sharia credentials more thoroughly, and as per demands out of its financiers, whoever they are, it’s calling for wealth transfers from non-Muslims and concealment of the statues of Egypt’s past pharaohs. It’s also instituting regulations involving family or inheritance matters, long a subject of debate in even other Muslim countries, such as Morocco. Speculation runs as to the origin of the Nour Party’s support base, ranging from Saudi Arabia itself to secretive deals with Egypt’s military commanders, but nostalgia for an idealized society appears to be a common thread. The Muslim Brotherhood, on the other hand, accepts political participation as a method to persuade Egyptians that a Sharia regime will be the only option to defend Egypt from outsiders. As an organization, it uses internal promotions to maintain some semblance of unity and maintains a nationwide hierarchy embodied in… the Guidance Office, led, of course, by Supreme Guide Mohammed Badie. It can transmit orders to regional, divisional, and local leaders about any issue, whether it’s social management or another round of pro-MB demonstrations. The Salafis, are much more decentralized, following their own schools and sheikhs, such as those loyal to Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya. That terror group operates its own social service network along the areas south of Cairo, lending its strength to the Nour Party. They could appeal to younger voters more directly, thereby outlasting whatever prerogatives the Muslim Brotherhood set up for itself in the course of Islamizing Egypt in its own image, beyond anything President Barack Obama or Senators John Kerry and Chuck Hagel could control. As President Muhammad Morsi moves forward with his agenda, he could have a new headache to handle from something far more basic to environmental concerns.:

International Islamic News Agency: Arab states told to avert water crisis

Between energy expansion and food escalation, Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Sultan Al-Saud and his compatriots appear to be facing a bit of a squeeze for their region. According to him, about half the total water in the Arabian Peninsula is groundwater because there are no major rivers toward which the people can congregate. A comprehensive water extraction and purification system may not develop with enough time, given the turmoil in the countries intersecting with the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and the Persian Gulf, so Saudi Arabia would only be one of the countries with the worst consequences from any water shortage. The Obama administration and Congress can’t act quickly enough in coordinating with the rest of the Anglosphere, Israel, India, and any other countries in agreement with this country’s existential mission to keep the trade routes through the Mediterranean Sea and the rest of the Middle East open in the coming years.

[Snorunt conservationist]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20961651

Dear Obama administration: **** OFF.

I mean I know the man is a freedom-hating demagogue but that doesn't give his administration the right to lecture us on wishing to actually define our own political agenda.

[Silver Soul]

So Mike Huckabee is complaining about Obama for lack of diversity in his Cabinet. Yeah, like he should be the one to talk...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...p_ref=politics

[BigLutz]

So Mike Huckabee is complaining about Obama for lack of diversity in his Cabinet. Yeah, like he should be the one to talk...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...p_ref=politics

Gotta go with what Bloomberg said today.

"President Barack Obama suffers from Groucho Marx syndrome: He favors those in the club he doesn’t belong to. Otherwise how to explain why he is fighting for Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense but didn’t for Susan Rice to be secretary of state?

At the rate he is going, Obama is going to have a Cabinet that looks more like the Augusta National Golf Club than America. The four top Cabinet posts will probably go to white men: John Kerry at State; Jack Lew at Treasury; Hagel; and the replacement for Attorney General Eric Holder at Justice — the short list of which consists of, you guessed it, men.

Obama to Mitt Romney: Could you please send me your binders full of women?"

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...-of-women.html

[Silver Soul]

Gotta go with what Bloomberg said today.

"President Barack Obama suffers from Groucho Marx syndrome: He favors those in the club he doesn’t belong to. Otherwise how to explain why he is fighting for Chuck Hagel to be secretary of defense but didn’t for Susan Rice to be secretary of state?

At the rate he is going, Obama is going to have a Cabinet that looks more like the Augusta National Golf Club than America. The four top Cabinet posts will probably go to white men: John Kerry at State; Jack Lew at Treasury; Hagel; and the replacement for Attorney General Eric Holder at Justice — the short list of which consists of, you guessed it, men.

Obama to Mitt Romney: Could you please send me your binders full of women?"

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-0...-of-women.html

If you guys truly care about diversity in the Cabinet, we could have gotten Susan Rice instead of John Kerry as Secretary of State but you'll be angry about it anyways. Obama is savvy about that he can't please the Republicans in ANYTHING he does so he may have chose Hagel as Secretary of Defense to troll the party due to his criticism of Israel.

And another thing, the last thing a Republican should be complaining is about lack of diversity because the Republicans did vote for Santorum in the 2012 GOP primaries. Also, Arkansas Republican Rep. Tom Cotton said that women in infantry roles could impair mission because of their "nature".

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2439468.html

[BigLutz]

If you guys truly care about diversity in the Cabinet, we could have gotten Susan Rice instead of John Kerry as Secretary of State but you'll be angry about it anyways. Obama is savvy about that he can't please the Republicans in ANYTHING he does so he may have chose Hagel as Secretary of Defense to troll the party due to his criticism of Israel.

I believe it was the Democrats criticism of Susan Rice that ended up sinking her, specifically when it started to come out about her Keystone Pipeline investments, whispers of her 'undiplomatic temperament', and her sympathy with African dictators. At the end of the day she screwed herself badly on Libya, especially after talking to the Senators, but that isn't enough to draw disaffected Democrats over during a messy confrontation, when you start to pile on her other problems then you start to get some Democrats to jump ship.

Besides as we have seen with Lew and Hagel, Obama does not really care about getting a bipartisan agreement on his choices.

And another thing, the last thing a Republican should be complaining is about lack of diversity because the Republicans did vote for Santorum in the 2012 GOP primaries. Also, Arkansas Republican Rep. Tom Cotton said that women in infantry roles could impair mission because of their "nature".

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2439468.html

And neither of those are the President? You are scraping the bottom to defend Obama arntcha?

[Silver Soul]

I believe it was the Democrats criticism of Susan Rice that ended up sinking her, specifically when it started to come out about her Keystone Pipeline investments, whispers of her 'undiplomatic temperament', and her sympathy with African dictators. At the end of the day she screwed herself badly on Libya, especially after talking to the Senators, but that isn't enough to draw disaffected Democrats over during a messy confrontation, when you start to pile on her other problems then you start to get some Democrats to jump ship.

Besides as we have seen with Lew and Hagel, Obama does not really care about getting a bipartisan agreement on his choices.

It's one thing to discuss about the cons of Obama's choices but diversity isn't one of them. It's like choosing the less-experienced Sarah Palin for vice presidential pick over someone more suitable just for her gender.

And neither of those are the President? You are scraping the bottom to defend Obama arntcha?

One of them which was the Presidential candidate not too long ago so... just pointing out the hypocrisy.

[BigLutz]

It's one thing to discuss about the cons of Obama's choices but diversity isn't one of them. It's like choosing the less-experienced Sarah Palin for vice presidential pick over someone more suitable just for her gender.

Democrats like Charles Rangel and the media will disagree with you. But then again the Obama Presidency has been called a Boys Club for over a year now.

http://swampland.time.com/2011/09/21...woman-problem/

One of them which was the Presidential candidate not too long ago so... just pointing out the hypocrisy.

Presidential Candidate =/= President

And I have yet to see you respond to the criticism from the left on Obama's woman problem.

[Silver Soul]

Democrats like Charles Rangel and the media will disagree with you. But then again the Obama Presidency has been called a Boys Club for over a year now.

http://swampland.time.com/2011/09/21...woman-problem/

It's not his fault the coalition of McCain, Graham, and Libermann sabotaged Rice into running for the nomination. The cabinet hasn't finished filling up yet and I thought we should be picking the best people for the job, not just their gender especially in hard times.

Presidential Candidate =/= President

And I have yet to see you respond to the criticism from the left on Obama's woman problem.

He already appointed TWO women into the Supreme Court! Geez, Obama hasn't even finished filling in his cabinet and you all are already complaining? Since when you Republicans are for affirmative action anyway? I guess it's because of a certain nominee who had the lowest percentage of Latino voters last election.

[BigLutz]

It's not his fault the coalition of McCain, Graham, and Libermann sabotaged Rice into running for the nomination.

It has been what? Two posts on my part, and you are repeating the same lies? Seriously do you read what I say, or do I need to start posting links to back up on what sunk Rice?

he cabinet hasn't finished filling up yet and I thought we should be picking the best people for the job, not just their gender especially in hard times.

I am all for that but...

A: Democrats decided that women in the work place was a massive deal ever since the "Binders full of Women" comment, now Obama needs to live up to it.

B: Obama's White House has been ran in a way that would be consider a hostile workplace.

He already appointed TWO women into the Supreme Court! Geez, Obama hasn't even finished filling in his cabinet and you all are already complaining? Since when you Republicans are for affirmative action anyway? I guess it's because of a certain nominee who had the lowest percentage of Latino voters last election.

Republicans became the party of Affirmative Action when Democrats, and I believe that included you, decided that Romney talking about staffing his Governorship and Future Presidency with women was something of ridicule.

[Silver Soul]

It has been what? Two posts on my part, and you are repeating the same lies? Seriously do you read what I say, or do I need to start posting links to back up on what sunk Rice?


I am all for that but...

A: Democrats decided that women in the work place was a massive deal ever since the "Binders full of Women" comment, now Obama needs to live up to it.

B: Obama's White House has been ran in a way that would be consider a hostile workplace.


Republicans became the party of Affirmative Action when Democrats, and I believe that included you, decided that Romney talking about staffing his Governorship and Future Presidency with women was something of ridicule.

Last I checked, the President didn't support bills for required transvaginal ultrasound tests or banning abortions with no exemptions including rape and incest.

[BigLutz]

Last I checked, the President didn't support bills for required transvaginal ultrasound tests or banning abortions with no exemptions including rape and incest.

And so that suddenly absolves Obama from having a hostile workplace, or ridiculing Romney on hiring women when he has his own problem doing so? Seriously can't we have a debate with out these red herrings?

[ccangelopearl1362]

Maybe the Equestrian Principality will be able to offer a few pointers on femaleness as a deeper principle, and I would find any remaining concerns or doubts about my overall view dispelled. Less than 10 days from President Barack Hussein Obama’s second inauguration, my mind is alert for any new shifts worldwide, and I can’t thank the sources from which I drew my inspiration for that shift in October-November 2011 enough. Even now, one of those sources of inspiration could be positioned to welcome some new friends bringing her country into this century.:

Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network: United States Congress: Congressional Gold Medal Ceremony for Aung San Suu Kyi
Irrawaddy: Myint Thin: Japan and the Peace Process in Burma

House Speaker John Boehner gave the introduction to that ceremony on September 19, 2012, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senators John McCain and Dianne Feinstein each spoke highly of Aung San Suu Kyi’s commitment to Burmese freedom. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former First Lady Laura Bush were also among the attendees, recalling their respective husbands’ activities toward that Southeast Asian country. It was McConnell in particular who has a personal connection in all this, having called for recognition of Burmese independence for the past two decades. After that time of idealism, peaceful resistance, and civil obedience, Ms. Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy are looking ahead, and other countries are charging in. Indeed, Japan has already dispatched relief supplies to reconcile ethnic minorities inside Burma, such as the Karens and the Kachins, with its former military regime, building on efforts in place on the part of the Nippon Foundation. It once provided assistance for leprosy and other health projects, and this past October, Burmese officials, presumably with the approval of new President Thein Sein, signed a memorandum of understanding allowing that direct delivery, which could open the way for other non-Burmese entities, such as American companies, to follow with their own arrangements. Bipartisanship in defense of freedom, harmony, individuality, and modernization will always be welcome, and hopefully, the methods will remain comprehensive and thorough.:

US News and World Report: Paul Shinkman: You’ve Never Seen a Defense Budget Like This
National Review: John O’Sullivan: How to Listen to the Radio

The pivot to Asia and the emergence of cyberwarfare, especially with Iran, has the American government scrambling to assess its military capabilities, but at this point, to my mind, Chinese nationalism could necessitate a bit of consistency, both in national defense and in health care modernization. There’s a new strategic report from the Defense Department calling for production of new computer systems in air and sea scenarios, long-range stealth planes, ships and submarines, and ICBM-intercepting lasers. I could also think of electromagnetic shields in case any weakened countries start to implode, or certain Chinese officials leap ahead of popular discontent, expressing fury that their country is once again encircled and could even see a sort of final showdown. Millions of people elsewhere across the planet could be drawn to radio and high-technology media platforms to access the debates surrounding the United States’ existential mission, with oversight from the Broadcasting Board of Governors, gradually developing their own opinions and inching toward more active participation in authoritarian countries. Incredibly, something weird has happened at Radio Free Europe, courtesy of one Steven Korn. Mikhail Gorbachev was among the Russian activists staunchly opposed to a recent decision to fire several dozen journalists in favor of more “normal” reports out of Moscow – also back in September. One might think that American media networks would have been all over this, but it ended up restricted until Judy Bachrach from the World Affairs Journal picked it up. For whatever this is worth, Korn is now out, and Bachrach is still attempting to record the fallout as dutifully as she can. As I recall my past efforts to track any confrontations between Russian President Vladimir Putin on one side, the Islamic Liberation Party on another, and various corrupt Russian officials on still another, I feel as though I’m staring at a cloud of smoke blanketing that massive country, or at least its capital and all surrounding areas. Russia and China could move against each other for greater control within Eurasia, and America, India, Japan, Australia, and their other allies all along the Indian and Pacific Oceans would need to move in to contain the fallout as much as possible, through either constant upgrades to their military networks, presumably for defense, or, even better, emphases on our common principles.

[7 tyranitars]

Meh, he may be a Israel hater but there are bigger battles to fight with the debt ceiling and those nuts advocating for the $1 Trillion Dollar coin.

Should be interesting to see how Democrats hold their nose for this pick, especially since he opposes ALL abortions even in cases of rape.

But hey, on the bright side atleast Iran is happy about it

Yeah bu he will be secretary of defence, rather then secretary of abortions.

[BigLutz]

Yeah bu he will be secretary of defence, rather then secretary of abortions.

Problem is that Democrats spent the last year destroying anyone who dare question banning abortion. If they did not believe those people had the mental capacity to hold office, why support this guy?

[7 tyranitars]

Problem is that Democrats spent the last year destroying anyone who dare question banning abortion. If they did not believe those people had the mental capacity to hold office, why support this guy?

Some of them basicly destroyed themselves on that though. I remember 2 of them saying that a women doesn't get pregnant from rape..