Friday, May 22, 2009
Obama Blames Bush
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While insisting "we need to focus on the future," President Obama devoted much of his speech on terrorist detainees today to denouncing the policies of President Bush's administration.
He faulted everyone in Washington for "pointing fingers at one another," yet pointed his own finger frequently, and critically, at the Bush administration. Obama said America's problems won't be solved "unless we solve them together"-- in a divisive and partisan speech certain to alienate Republicans and conservatives...
[He referred to the Bush administration, all with negative connotation, 28 times in the course of his speech. Good thing it was all forward looking non-fingerpointing.
Seriously, he can (and has, again and again) so blatantly say one thing while doing another because the MSM covers for him by reporting only the points he wants conveyed and never his glaring contradictions.]
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McConnell rips Obama's 'flowery' security speech
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Speaking to a Senate press conference, McConnell (Ky.) suggested Obama was ignoring the Bush administration’s success in preventing a repeat of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and was dangerously close to putting his overseas popularity over America’s security...
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Cheney vs. Obama: A Mismatch
I've read both speeches.
Obama's is the speech of a young senator who was once a part-time law professor--platitudinous and preachy, vague and pseudo-thoughtful in an abstract kind of way. This sentence was revealing: "On the other hand, I recently opposed the release of certain photographs that were taken of detainees by U.S. personnel between 2002 and 2004."
"Opposed the release"? Doesn't he mean "decided not to permit the release"? He's president. He's not just a guy participating in a debate. But he's more comfortable as a debater, not as someone who takes responsibility for decisions.
Cheney's is the speech of a grownup, of a chief executive, of a statesman. He's sober, realistic and concrete, stands up for his country and its public officials, and has an acute awareness of the consequences of the choices one makes as a public official and a willingness to take responsibility for those choices...
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RAW DATA:
Former Vice President Dick Cheney delivered a speech at the American Enterprise Institute addressing the critical issues of national security and providing a blueprint for keeping American safe in the future.
SPECIAL PREVIEW. The Gitmo Myth and the Torture Canard
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Attorney General Eric Holder announced that, far from being “the Bermuda Triangle of human rights” that Human Rights Watch’s Wendy Patten had dubbed it, Gitmo was in full compliance with the humane-treatment provisions of the Geneva Convention.
Meanwhile, the military commissions, which Human Rights Watch and others groups had denounced as a travesty of justice, were only being suspended for 120 days, pending a review—and, indeed, following that review, will be reinstated almost exactly as they were before.
If one adds to this mix:
• the twelve separate inquiries into the abuses alleged by critics and former detainees at Gitmo that found no evidence of those abuses taking place;
• the revelation during the release earlier this year of the so-called “torture memos” that waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques had been applied to exactly three suspects in the course of eight years and had never been standard operating practice at Gitmo;
• the evaluation by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point that 73 percent of Gitmo detainees were “a demonstrated threat” to Americans;
• and, finally, the fact that the detention facility was created in the wake of a declaration by Congress in September 2001 that “all necessary and appropriate force” should be used “against those nations, organizations, or persons” [emphasis added] responsible for the attacks of September 11;
—one may be permitted to wonder why, exactly, the pressure to close the prison facility has been so intense and long-lasting--
The standard argument is that the public shift in attitude toward Gitmo was gradual, and reflected a growing disillusionment with the war on terror .
What this account and others like it fail to take into consideration are the aggressive and unending efforts of a cadre of lawyers, activists, left-leaning Democrats in Congress, and civil libertarians against the facility, its purpose, its goal, and its existence... [snip]
The enemies of Bush and Gitmo have succeeded brilliantly.
But in so doing, they have done grave violence to the truth about the Guantánamo Bay facility, have aided in the release of prisoners who have since committed acts of terrorism outside the United States, and may yet succeed in having Barack Obama’s government release young men with terrifying ambitions for murder and mass destruction onto the soil of the United States.
[Long, Highly Recommended > ]
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NBC's 'Today': Not Fair to Pit Deeply Disliked Cheney Against Popular Obama
"Today" reporter Chuck Todd on Thursday spun the dueling speeches of President Barack Obama and former Vice President Dick Cheney as not "a fair fight." Speaking of the two May 21 addresses on the subject of terrorism, the NBC correspondent proclaimed,
"Our latest poll indicates it's the most popular member of the Democratic Party facing off against one of the most unpopular members of the Republican Party." [?]
In a follow-up interview with Republican strategist Nicolle Wallace and Democratic strategist Bob Shrum, host Matt Lauer asserted that with regards to issues like closing Guantanamo Bay and the use of enhanced interrogation, "this debate has been settled."
[No debate - where have I heard that before?
Listen, if you didn't do so above, do yourself a favor and read the below - it's long, but ask yourself if it makes sense, and if so, what that says about its opposition...
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Favorable opinion of Dick Cheney on the rise
[HT:Ldot: Hearing someone speaking truth to blather focuses the mind.]
(CNN) — The same day Dick Cheney delivered a major speech on the battle against terrorism, a new national poll suggests that favorable opinions of the former vice president are on the rise.
In the past two months the former vice president has become a frequent critic of the new Administration in numerous national media interviews.
The survey’s release came just a few hours before Cheney spoke out Thursday on the war against terror during a speech at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington based think tank.
The former vice president defended the Bush Administration’s handling of the war on terror and challenged the Obama Administration’s attempt to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
[This before yesterday's speech is noteworthy, given the overwhelmingly positive reception of it. Citizens know our enemies haven't gone away and we're only at the beginning of the long war - only made longer by half measures and appeasements.]
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How the Old Media Creates a False Attack
The newest false meme invented by the Old Media is this claim that ex-presidents and ex-vice presidents have some sort of "tradition of silence" where it concerns commenting on those that take residence in the White House after they leave. The reason the Old Media is pushing this false claim is because Dick Cheney has been commenting on Obama's security mistakes and the Old Media wants to scold Cheney for his efforts to get the truth to the people. [snip]
Can you remember any report by any Old Media outlet that excoriated Al Gore for his constant, wild-eyed, screaming fits against the Bush administration for the last 8 years?
Where was the Old Media tsk tsking Gore for, say, his 2004 appearance where he screamed at the top of his lungs that Bush "betrayed this country," and that "he played on our fears"? (Audio here)
Why is Cheney a big meanie as far as the media is concerned for commenting on Obama, yet Al Gore was never reproached even once for attacking Bush and Cheney?
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New York Terror Suspects Wanted to 'Commit Jihad' in Synagogue Bomb Plot
Four men sought to wage a holy war against America when they plotted to bomb two New York City synagogues and shoot down military planes in upstate New York — and they were dismayed that a better target had already been hit, authorities said Thursday.
Accused terrorists James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen of Newburgh, N.Y., were disappointed that the World Trade Center was no longer around to attack ...
[G.W.O.T.]
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Oh, and Incidentally . . .
You gotta’ love the New York Times and its hyper-politically correct sensitivities about revealing the ethnic or religious backgrounds of criminal suspects. Thus we have today’s front-pager: “4 Accused of Bombing Plot at Bronx Synagogues.”
Who were these four, I wondered? Could they be Chrysler shareholders upset that they are getting stiffed in bailout proceedings? ACLU lawyers mad that President Obama has refused to release interrogation photos? Possibly Greenwich hedge-fund managers furious about plans to regulate their industries? Or maybe just random nuts who like to set off bombs for the fun of it?
Nope. It turns out–get ready for it–the suspects were… Muslims. The reveal didn’t occur until after the jump:Law enforcement officials identified the four men arrested as James Cromitie, David Williams, Onta Williams and Laguerre Payen, all of Newburgh. Some of the men were of Arabic descent, and one is of Haitian descent, according to law enforcement officials. At least three were United States citizens, according to officials. They are all Muslim, a law enforcement official said.
Of course if the Times front-page headline had screamed, “American Muslims Plot to Bomb NYC Synagogues,” it might have given its readers the wrong idea. It might even have convinced some that there really is a war of terror and we really are under siege. But that can’t possibly be true. Everyone on the Upper West Side knows such claims are merely the product of Dick Cheney’s sick imagination...
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1 in 7 freed Gitmo detainees go back to terrorism: Pentagon report
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[HT:BS; This should prove to anyone with a mind open enough to grasp it that basing national security decisions on other nation's perceptions of our actions is suicide.]
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House rejects probe into Pelosi CIA claims
House Democrats on Thursday defeated a Republican push to investigate House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's claims that the CIA misled her in 2002 about whether waterboarding had been used against terrorism suspects.
The House voted 252-172 to block the measure that would have created a bipartisan congressional panel...
[Excuse me, the charge is that our Central Intelligence Agency lied to our duly elected representatives. Forget it being a felony, if true we've a powerful rogue agency operating without civilian supervision - how can we not investigate such an allegation coming from the Speaker of the House of Representative?
Isn't this the same bunch that was trying to bring anyone and everyone associated with the Bush administration up on charges for something (anything)?
When are we allowed to become insulted by these folk's conduct? Ever?]
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Face of Defense: Maintainer’s Idea Earns Big Bucks
Air Force Staff Sgt. Jerome Latham, an engine craftsman with the 35th Maintenance Squadron, suggested a technical order change that resulted in validated, tangible savings and was approved for implementation throughout the Air Force.
Latham's idea involved extending the divergent flap wear limit on the exhaust nozzle of the F110-GE-129 aircraft engine.
"We do regular inspections, and these parts were supposed to be replaced," he said. "The wear limits were minimal, and we were throwing them away all the time ... There was a lot of paperwork that needed to be submitted, but I knew I had the evidence," Latham said. "It was a long process, but it paid off in the end."
Latham was notified recently that his idea was approved and his suggestion would be added to the new technical order. Air Force Col. Robert Craig, 35th Fighter Wing vice commander, presented Latham with the $10,000 check in his work center.READ MORE
Memorial Day
Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 25 in 2009). Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near the day of reunification after the civil war), it was expanded after World War I to include American casualties of any war or military action.
Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each gravesite at National Cemeteries. Many Americans also use Memorial Day to honor other family members who have died.
Members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars take donations[2] for poppies in the days leading up to Memorial Day; the poppy's significance to Memorial Day is the result of the John McCrae poem "In Flanders Fields."
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)
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