COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Obama would trust US security to Turkey. Turkey?



You really have to be pooping me on this one.

Remember how well the US 4th Mechanized Infantry Division performed in the attack on Iraq? Oh that's right, they weren't allowed transit rights over Turkey. Our stalwart lion (Where have I heard that term before?) our so-called ally, Turkey, stabbed us in the ass. (Turks are major ass stabbers in case you didn't know.)

Well our shallow-rooted so called American president is thinking that missile defense should be moved to Turkey from Poland. That is his latest thinking about US missile defense.

You see, the thing is, if a missile defense system is in Poland and we really need to use it, the Poles will allow it. The Turks on the other hand, ass-stabbing knife in hand, may have other ideas if the system is needed against either the Russians or an Islamic neighbor.

The brilliance of our affirmative action, community organizing POTUS becomes clearer with each passing day.

Poland, watch your ass. Obama has your back.

____________________________

U.S. Mulls Alternatives for Missile Shield

By JUDY DEMPSEY and PETER BAKER NY Times
Published: August 28, 2009

BERLIN — The Obama administration has developed possible alternative plans for a missile defense shield that could drop hotly disputed sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, a move that would please Russia and Germany but sour relations with American allies in Eastern Europe.

Administration officials said they hoped to complete their months-long review of the planned antimissile system as early as next month, possibly in time for President Obama to present ideas to President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia at a meeting in New York during the annual opening at the General Assembly of the United Nations.

But they cautioned that no decisions had been made and that all options were still under discussion, including retaining the Polish and Czech sites first selected by President George W. Bush. The Obama review team plans to present a menu of options rather than a single recommendation to a committee of senior national security officials in the coming weeks. Only after that would the matter go to cabinet-rank officials and the president.

Among the alternatives are dropping either the Polish or Czech site, or both sites, and instead building launching pads or radar installations in Turkey or the Balkans, while developing land-based versions of the Aegis SM-3, a ship-based anti-missile system, officials said. The changes, they said, would be intended not to mollify Russia, but to adjust to what they see as an accelerating threat from shorter-range Iranian missiles.

People following the review, including anxious officials in Eastern Europe, said they thought that the administration was preparing to abandon the Polish and Czech sites. “It is clear that Eastern Europe is out of the epicenter of this American administration,” said Piotr Paszkowski, a spokesman for Poland’s foreign minister. “The missile defense system is now under review. The chances that it will be in Poland are 50-50.”

Dmitry O. Rogozin, Russia’s ambassador to NATO, said Moscow anticipated news from Mr. Obama in September. “I hope that Medvedev will take some good result from this bilateral discussion in New York, and maybe in October we will live in a new world in Russian-American relations,” he said.

Administration spokesmen said it was premature to discuss what the review would conclude or when it would be finished. “Our review of our missile defense strategy is ongoing and has not reached completion yet,” said Philip J. Crowley, a State Department spokesman.

The proposed system inherited by Mr. Obama envisioned stationing 10 interceptor missiles in Poland and a sophisticated radar facility in the Czech Republic to defend against potential ballistic missile threats from Iran or other hostile nations. But Russia has long objected to what it sees as a threat in its own backyard and has insisted that the Obama administration abandon the plan as a sign that it is serious about improving relations.

Shifting an anti-missile system out of territory once dominated by Moscow might mollify Russian concerns without jettisoning the missile shield altogether. At the same time, it could set off criticism both at home and in Eastern Europe that Mr. Obama was caving in to Russian pressure.

Polish fears that the United States was having second thoughts were heightened after diplomats learned of a meeting last week in Huntsville, Ala., that included generals who oversee missile defense, including Gen. James E. Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, head of the United States Strategic Command.

“What was revealing about such a high-level gathering was that the speakers did not discuss how and when the missile shield would be deployed in Poland and the Czech Republic,” said Riki Ellison, chairman of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, a Washington-based lobbying group, who attended the meeting.

But administration officials rejected the assertion that a reformulated missile defense system would forsake Eastern European security. “We definitely are not abandoning our commitment to defend our European allies from a missile threat from Iran,” said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the review was not complete. “We are exploring options that will enhance the defense of our European allies.”

The cost of building the complexes in Poland and the Czech Republic could increase to more than $1 billion from $837 million, according to the Government Accountability Office, which published a report this month on preparations to deploy the system.

The cost estimates do not include support at the sites or the development, testing and procurement costs. The overall cost of establishing a modest ballistic missile system in Europe would exceed $4 billion through 2015, according to the G.A.O. report. Even at that, it said, “Congress does not have accurate information on the full investment required for ballistic missile defenses in Europe.”

The Bush administration strongly advocated a missile shield. Mr. Obama has been more skeptical, saying he will proceed only if it is financially and technically feasible. He has also told the Russians that the system would not be needed if they used their leverage to persuade Iran to drop its suspected nuclear weapons programs.

The discussions in Huntsville caused a stir among diplomats in Poland. Eastern European leaders worry that the Obama administration is playing down their security needs even though, they contend, Russia’s war with Georgia last year and increasing tension between Russia and Ukraine show the need for a strong American presence in the region.

“You can see that compared to the former Bush administration, the Obama administration is more interested in Russia, China and of course Afghanistan than Eastern Europe,” said Slawomir Debski, director of the Institute of International Affairs in Warsaw.

In Huntsville, General Cartwright made clear that the administration was focusing on the relevance, adaptability and affordability of any new programs, including missile defense, according to people who were at the meeting.

He also said that the United States had to take into account Russian sensitivities toward the missile shield for Eastern Europe.

Judy Dempsey reported from Berlin, and Peter Baker from Washington. Ellen Barry contributed reporting from Moscow.


47 comments:

  1. "If the political winds change, I'll stand with the muslims."

    Fraud in Chief, USA

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  2. We definitely are not abandoning our commitment to defend our European allies from a missile threat from Iran,” said one official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the review was not complete. “We are exploring options that will enhance the defense of our European allies".

    That begs a question. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

    Why not let our European friends defend themselves?

    If they won't, fuck them.

    If they can't, let them rent.

    We'd be better off with more Aegis missile destroyers instead of land locked static sites where uncertainties abound.

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  3. Turns out Khadhafy may not be welcome at the big place in New Jersey, where he was going to pitch his tent, when he goes to speak at the U.N.

    Maybe he could pitch it in the Rose Garden?

    We got to show these people the respect they deserve.

    Reagan and Shultz had it all wrong, dropping a bomb on his tent. They missed by a few feet.

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  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  5. That, bob, just shows the cost effectiveness of the terrorist program. The Libyans get their Trade Deals done with the UK and the Irgun got the country they wanted. Osama tied the US down in two tar pits, the US spending a Trillion USD and streching its' military to the breaking point.

    Terrorism works.

    F-111s, based in England were not all that effective a deterrent upon terrorists based out of Africa. Missile defense will not deter the Iranians from arming up and should not be funded, by US, to defend the Europeons.

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  6. Missile defense will not deter the Iranians from arming up

    You're right about that.

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  7. WASHINGTON -- According to the Gallup Poll, the Prophet Obama's job approval is now at its lowest since his coronation. It began at 70%. Now it is at 51%. Equally glum, his disapproval rating has climbed from 11% to 42%. So what about his golf game up there at Martha's Vineyard? From all I have been able to ascertain it is mediocre. In other words, Mr. Obama, you are no Dan Quayle.

    A Carrousel of Incompetence

    Nice phrase. Sounds like a zoo back there. We might start to see people bailing out soon. Even Hillary.

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  8. NEW YORK, Aug 28 (Reuters)

    Long an international pariah, Gaddafi has improved his international standing since abandoning a pursuit of nuclear weapons and accepting responsibility for the Lockerbie bombing.

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  9. Band of Obumblers is another good phrase.

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  10. Gadhafi feigned the renunciation of terrorism during the Bush years while pursuing weapons purchases from Iran, chemical warfare stockpiles, and almost certain jihadi underwriting activities. In Italy last week, the stubbornly un-rehabilitated Libyan dictator blamed American “arrogance and disdain” for generating “the terrorism which they now suffer.”

    There's disagreement about what a good fellow he is these days.

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  11. Hey good morning DR...

    there are joos under your bed...

    still being a jackass i see...

    Yep, Dr the Cedarford of the bar...

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  12. He is coming to New York, has his trade deal with the UK. There is no question he has been redeemed, bob.

    There may be dissenters from that decision, but the decision has been made and implemented.
    The Deciders, both here and in the UK have done their deciding, in regards Gaddafi and Libya.

    Those that disapprove of the work product, they're outside looking in.

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  13. Just looking for all the terrorists redeemed by the Western Whirled, wi"o".
    They inhabit the Middle East and Northern Africa, the entire eastern and southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea.

    All share an ancestor in Abraham.

    Some of the Abrahamic terrorists have not yet been forgiven, but they are just strawmen, all the Sponsors of Terror have gotten their hall passes approved.

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  14. Osama and Doc Z are still amongst the unforgiven, but his masters in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have been.

    Notice that even Doc Z has been keeping his head down, lately.

    May just be that the Six Stars are doing their thing, off camera.
    Cetainly hope they are, and that the effort shows positive results, soon.

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  15. Regardless of the effectiveness of missile defense, how could any administration think in terms of depending on and trusting the Turks?

    How could a president be so reckless as to cede the Russians anything in Eastern Europe? They never had any rights to anything after WWII.

    It was a huge error permitting them to occupy one meter outside of their prewar borders.

    Stalin's complicity with Hitler blew up in his face. The Russians did not liberate Eastern Europe, it was one thief boosting the booty from another.

    The United States could have and should have told them to go home. Any number of US generals could have visited Stalin to remind him that we just incinerated two Japanese cities with just two bombers and the United States will not tolerate a Russian military encampment in Eastern Europe.

    They would have left.

    Putin knows he is dealing with a chump or fellow traveler in Obama, probably both.
    ______________

    If the Republicans take back Jersey and Virginia in the November governor's race, the Obama putsch will have been broken.

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  16. Obumble is a chump, a lightweight, a Communist, and, probably, a closet Muslim.

    He's, also, incredibly naive.

    He might, in addition, end up being a one-term President. But, we should be careful what we pray for. It would require 3 more years of an incredibly bad economy to get him replaced.

    That said, it might be worth it.

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  17. DR is dead on the money when he says:

    That, bob, just shows the cost effectiveness of the terrorist program. The Libyans get their Trade Deals done with the UK... Osama tied the US down in two tar pits, the US spending a Trillion USD and streching its' military to the breaking point.

    Terrorism works....

    ...Some of the Abrahamic terrorists have not yet been forgiven, but they are just strawmen, all the Sponsors of Terror have gotten their hall passes approved...

    ...Osama and Doc Z are still amongst the unforgiven, but his masters in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have been.


    I would enjoy seeing the argument to that. (I ignored the Irgun part)

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  18. It would require 3 more years of an incredibly bad economy to get him replaced.

    The deficits and consequences to the dollar will be there Rufus, regardless of the economy.

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  19. The Deficits, largely, are not his fault, Deuce. They were necessary to keep us out of a whopper of a Depression.

    Besides, they're not going to be nearly as big in the out-years as are being hypothesized.

    I worry a lot more about Taxes, Cap n Trade, A "Government" Option in the Health Care Bill, and a fouled up energy policy.

    And, of course, the No 1 Thing being waking up some morning in a, for all practical purposes, Communist Dictatorship.

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  20. Is he buried yet?

    I was wondering about how to pluralize the name Kennedy. I found this:

    Anonymous says:
    June 15, 2007 at 6:38 am

    the rule has always been that the plural form of a noun ending in 'y', whether it's a name or not, will depend on whether there is a vowel or a consonant before the 'y'.

    so, for example, the plural of a word like 'boy' is 'boys' because it's a vowel 'o' before the 'y'. so if it's a vowel before the 'y' then the plural form will always end in 's'.

    a word such as 'city' will change to 'cities' in the plural form because the letter before the 'y' is the consonant'. therefore, if it's a consonant before the 'y' then the plural form will always end in 'ies'.

    it's exactly the same for proper nouns: it's one kennedy and two kennedies. one murphy, two murphies and so on simply because the letter before the final 'y' is a consonant in both cases.

    'kennedys' is quite incorrect but widely seen, even in newspapers and publications that should know better.

    a plural form of a noun never ends in 's, such as "the murphy's are nice people". that's plain wrong. an apostrophe before an 's' indicates a contraction of the name with the verb to be (ie, "murphy is here" becomes "murphy's here") or to show possession: eg, "that's murphy's car".

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  21. I confess to have been consistently inconsistent on the rule. The ruler, having been applied to the back of my hands, to little lasting affect.

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  22. "The Deficits, largely, are not his fault, Deuce. They were necessary to keep us out of a whopper of a Depression."
    ---
    BULLSHIT!
    They were to pay off Wallstreet Buddies.
    Cash for clunkers proved what dollars directed straight to taxpayers could achieve.

    Taxbreaks for all would have stopped this fall, at far lower cost, and w/o paying off the crooks that caused the problem.

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  23. "Besides, they're not going to be nearly as big in the out-years as are being hypothesized. "
    ---
    Yeah, like Romneycare, Medicare, Medicaid, W drugs, and etc.
    ---
    ALL Bankrupt from the gitgo...
    over time.

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  24. A Ponzi scheme is a ponzi scheme, no matter what you call it.
    Socialism never has, and never will work.

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  25. I've neglected everything non-domestic for so long I don'teven know who "Doc Z" DR refers to is.

    Help the hapless!

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  26. Doug, you could be right. However, if you, or I, were suddenly elected POTUS in such a situation we would, almost certainly, have to go with the opinions of the best, and brightest. It would be virtually impossible to resist.

    Also, our system of choice is, "Capitalism." For Capitalism you have to have access to "Capital," which means "Solvent" Banks.

    I, personally, think they did what had to be done.

    I will certainly respect your opinion, however. The fact is, we can, both, yell and kick the table; but, neither of us can "Prove" the Consequences of a Course, Not Taken.

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  27. GOP senator signals fading hopes on health care

    In the Republicans' weekly radio and Internet address on Saturday, Enzi said any health care legislation must lower medical costs for Americans without increasing deficits and the national debt.

    "The bills introduced by congressional Democrats fail to meet these standards," he said.

    Enzi, together with Republican Sens. Charles Grassley of Iowa and Olympia Snowe of Maine, has held talks with Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont. But the chance of a bipartisan breakthrough has diminished in the face of an effective public mobilization by opponents of Democratic proposals.

    "I heard a lot of frustration and anger as I traveled across my home state this last few weeks," said Enzi, who has been targeted by critics for seeking to negotiate on legislation. "People in Wyoming and across the country are anxious about what Washington has in mind. This is big. This is personal. This is one of the most important debates of our lifetime."

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  28. I respect your opinion too, Rufus:
    None could excel it for being
    FOS!

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  29. But, be careful with the Kool Aid, Doug. Medicare isn't "bankrupt." Any more than the U.S. Government is "Bankrupt." Nor, any "Less."

    It's just a Government Program. You, always, lowball the cost in the out-years when proposing a gummint program.

    At the appropriate time they'll just add some money, and/or raise the Medicare Premiums. Same with Soc Sec, Medicaid, and Missile Defense.

    Sound Bytes is just Sound Bytes. They're not for informed people to take literally.

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  30. The best and brightest are crooks and frauds.
    Dollars returned to taxpayers renders immediate, positive results.
    Dead Certain.

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  31. My ass.
    Ponzi is as Ponzi does.
    Just ask DR.
    He's Italian too!

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  32. Why should socialism work here when it's NEVER worked anywhere else?

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  33. All Successful Societies are a little "Socialistic," Doug.

    Income Tax, Social Security, Medicare; These are all "Socialistic" Programs.

    What's the "bridge too far?" Hell if I know. Governing is Hard.

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  34. Pro-choice Kennedy was pro-life in 1971

    A TALE OF 2 TEDDIES

    Democrat believed humans have right
    to be born from moment of conception...

    While many today regard the Democrat as a champion for abortion rights, the senator, who is Catholic, apparently held a staunch pro-life view before the Roe v. Wade decision in 1972.
    In 1971, Tom Dennelly of Great Neck, N.Y., wrote to Kennedy expressing his personal views on abortion.

    Kennedy responded to Dennelly, writing: (note: letter is on PDF format)

    ""While the deep concern of a woman bearing an unwanted child merits consideration and sympathy, it is my personal feeling that the legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized – the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old.
    "On the question of the individual's freedom of choice there are easily available birth-control methods and information which women may employ to prevent or postpone pregnancy. But once life has begun, no matter at what stage of growth, it is my belief that termination should not be decided merely by desire. ...

    "When history looks back to this era it should recognize this generation as one which cared about human beings enough to halt the practice of war, to provide a decent living for every family, and to fulfill its responsibility to its children from the very moment of conception."

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  35. Governing would be easy if Federalism returned, and crooks like RANGLE the supreme tax cheat were not head of ways and means.

    Give me a break!

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  36. I hate to do this to you; but you're kind of rambunctious this morning.

    Define: "Federalism"

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  37. I'm too rambunctious to play fair Rufus, should be in bed.
    Instead...

    Adam Goldstein dies at 36; club owner gained fame as DJ AM

    Goldstein was born in Philadelphia on March 30, 1973. Throughout his early 20s, he struggled with drugs, depression and his weight, which reached 300 pounds in the mid-1990s. In 1997, Goldstein said in interviews that he came close to killing himself. Instead, however, he gave up drugs and alcohol and underwent gastric bypass surgery, resulting in a drastic weight reduction. A longtime Los Angeles resident, he co-owned the Hollywood nightclub LAX and a partnership stake in the Atlantic City, N.J., club Dusk.

    Goldstein's death comes almost a year after he survived a fiery Learjet crash on the runway of a South Carolina airport that claimed the lives of two other passengers and left him covered with second- and third-degree burns. Travis Barker, Goldstein's frequent collaborator and partner in the hip-hop-rock duo TRV$DJAM, also survived the crash.

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  38. Dr Z is Ayman al-Zawahiri. Bin Ladend's number 2.

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  39. Get ready for do-overs in Dallas.

    The NFL will not ask Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to raise the video board in his new stadium so that it won't obstruct high punts, and instead is changing the rule book to allow for re-dos if the football strikes the board.

    After consulting with the competition committee and NFL staff this week, Commissioner Roger Goodell today said the following rule will be in effect for all remaining exhibition, regular-season and postseason games:

    "If a ball in play strikes a video board, guide wire, sky cam or any other object, the ball will be dead immediately, and the down will be replayed at the previous spot.

    "If there is not an on-field ruling that the ball struck an object, the replay assistant is empowered to initiate a booth review, including if the event occurs prior to the two-minute warning. If, prior to the two-minute warning, no booth review is initiated by the replay assistant, a coach's challenge is permitted under the customary procedures for such a challenge."

    The rule also says that, in the event a down is replayed, the game clock will be reset, and all penalties will be disregarded except personal fouls.

    The massive board in the just-opened $1.2-billion stadium hangs 90 feet above the field. In the third quarter of last Friday's exhibition game against Tennessee -- the first football game in the venue -- a punt by the Titans' A.J. Trapasso struck the underside of the gigantic video screen, which stretches from one 20-yard line to the other.

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  40. Thanks, Whit.
    How the F... did I forget Doc Z???
    Simple:
    Age related, accelerated by Rufus's favorite fuel.

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  41. bin Laden is Doc Z's gofor guy.

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  42. Who is this bin Laden you folks are always talking about?

    I do know we've been 'socialist' since we've had the income tax. Just a matter of how much socialist. About 40% for me counting in the Idaho income and property taxes.

    Never go to a close out sale at Wal-mart, it isn't worth it. You might have a heart attack or get agoraphobia. The new superstore opens tomorrow.

    No sales tax on food---wheeee!

    It's gonna kill Albertson's in Idaho.

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  43. Everyone needs a little stab in the ass once in a while, don't ya think?

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