Vote!

by Essam al-Sudani- AFP-Getty

Post at Flopping Aces

How stimulating...

A supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) holds a fake bill with Obama's face at a campaign rally in Fayetteville, North Carolina, October 19, 2008.
REUTERS/Jim Young

Is this the big "we are the change we've been waiting for"?!! At least House Republicans grew a collective spine; along with 11 Democrats, the only bipartisanism was in opposition to President Obama's porkapalooza. But hey, he "won". Who are we to stand in the way of massive, massive chump "change"?

James Simpson at American Thinker:

The only thing that can stimulate the economy right away is tax cuts. The Democrat plan provides paltry cuts and credits that will provide a meager $12 per week to most workers. Whoopee! I'll buy the first round of coffee. You want to stimulate the economy? Put big bucks back in citizens' hands NOW. A tax holiday for a few months, a la the Gohmert plan, would do that, instantly. A permanent across the board tax cut, would do much more.

But Democrats don't want to hear about it, because tax cuts are a Republican idea. Democrats are not interested in stimulating the economy so much as they are interested in securing their majority.

The Era of Transparency Exposed

“transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this Administration”:

The Anti-WarRepublican Movement is Silent

Iranian students tear up a picture of President Obama during an anti-Israel and anti-U.S. rally outside the former U.S. embassy in Tehran.
Morteza Nikoubazl-REUTERS

“We’ve got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we’re not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there.”

-President Obama, Aug 2007

Where are the peace activists? 153 killed in the first week of Obama's watch....and Code Pink says nothing.

Afghanis are furious at the U.S., claiming civilian casualties due to an airstrike. President Obama threatens to escalate the war in Afghanistan with a troop surge. Is this the way he plans to win hearts and minds? Why isn't the peace movement up in arms, demanding immediate withdrawal?

There were 36 recorded cross-border attacks and attempts into Pakistan in 2008; does President Obama wish to continue the trend?

At least 21 people were killed during an air strike in Pakistan under President Barack Obama’s administration, several of which were civilian, including children.

(according to The Long War Journal, twenty-nine of these [2008] attacks took place after Aug. 31. There were only 10 recorded strikes during 2006 and 2007 combined.)

And World Can't Wait appears to be silent and waiting....for change?.....when will they protest "STOP OBAMA WAR CRIMES NOW!"???

His EO's on Guantanamo and Interrogations are meaningless rhetoric on paper.

Meanwhile, they are probably tickled pink that President Obama wants to talk with Iran...who could have nukes before the end of the year.

And this is only after week one. (And only in regards to foreign policy matters).

Obama!

Obama!!

Obama!!!

Obama!!!!

Obama!!!!!

Obama!!!!!!

Senator Orin Hatch's speech honoring President Bush

Senator Orin Hatch, R-UT:

we look to a future from a present shaped by the past. Only by understanding where we have been can we have the ability, perspective, and confidence to act today and plan for tomorrow.

Though a presidency has a beginning and an end, it is simply part of the flow of events in the life of America . Presidents inherit situations they did not create and create situations they leave to their successors. They may get credit for successes they did not produce and escape blame for failures that do not materialize until after they leave office. That is the nature of political life in America .

It's a wonderful speech. Read the whole thing. Expanded post over at Flopping Aces

Congressional approval rating? 21%

The Bush Record PDFs:

• The Record of the Bush Presidency
• Highlights of Accomplishments and Results
• 100 Things Americans May Not Know About the Bush Administration Record

Moral Conundrums

Jan 26, 2009: The moon passes in front of the sun during a solar eclipse over Manila bay.
Romeo Ranoco-Reuters

Do you deal in absolutes?


Do you deal in black and white, or do gray and color influence your moral reasoning?

Does the end ever justify the means?

Test yourself.

Sunday Funnies

More at Flopping Aces

All for the Sake of Appearances and Placating the Base

U.S. President Barack Obama signs an executive order on Executive Branch ethics as news photographers document it at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in the White House complex in Washington, January 21, 2009. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)

Hehehe....what "Base" were you thinking of?

Executive Order Transparency

"However long we are keepers of the public trust, we should never forget that we are here as public servants," Mr. Obama said.
Photo: Doug Mills/The New York Times

Smoke and mirrors, folks!

Fractured Fairy Tales- Rightful Ruler of Baghdad

Closing Club Gitmo in Favor of Camp Rehab the Arab

President Barack Obama signs a series of executive orders, Jan. 22, 2009, pertaining to the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, as retired generals and admirals look on in the Oval Office of the White House. Obama ordered the closure of the camp and banned the use of controversial CIA interrogation techniques. But he left open the question of how his administration will deal with any detainees it concludes are too dangerous to be released.
Joshua Roberts-Bloomberg News

Carol Platt Liebieu:

Well, well. MSNBC tells us that "the world" welcomes news that President Obama will close Guantanamo. As a "citizen of the world," surely this will make the new President's heart beat faster with joy.

For the rest of us, however, it's sobering. Where, exactly, does the new President propose that the collection of terrorists -- an increasing number of whom, the Pentagon disclosed a week ago, are returning to the battlefield --go?

Do we really want jihadists in prisons, mixing with and radicalizing the general prison population, in Kansas and other maximum security jails? And wouldn't the ACLU have a great lawsuit on behalf of armed robbers, for example, if such prisons became a target for terrorists determined to martyr their brothers inside, while taking a few Americans at the same time? Does the Obama administration really think that radical jihadist terrorists are the functional equivalent, say, of the typical maximum security inmate population?

Jack Murtha says he'd house 'em in his district. Murtha opines that "They're no more dangerous in my district than in Guantanamo." Perhaps he might want to let his constituents weigh in on that -- especially if escapes or attacks occur, and if general inmate population recruiting goes well for the terrorists incarcerated there.

Oh, and for those who think that this move will buy America any meaningful "good will" on the part of our enemies, check out the quote from a former detainee in Pakistan appearing in the MSNBC story linked at the top of this post: All prisoners at Guantanamo must be freed. Tells you all you need to know -- but hey, "the world" is pleased with the US. What else do you need?

The world rejoices:

To many around the world, the decision Thursday by Obama to close the reviled prison within a year is welcome news. But it is especially so in countries such as Saudi Arabia, where the detention facility has become a symbol of U.S. injustice toward Muslims and Arabs around the world. At one time, Saudis made up the second largest group of detainees there, and, according to a Saudi human rights lawyer, at least 13 Saudi families were still awaiting freedom for relatives detained at Guantanamo.

a bit strange to hear Saudis speak of "U.S. injustice":

In Saudi Arabia court proceedings routinely fall far short of international standards for fair trial, and take place behind closed doors. Even in capital cases, defendants normally do not have formal representation by a lawyer and are often convicted solely on the basis of confessions obtained under duress, torture or deception.

Official Saudi figures also show that currently there are at least 3,000 political detainees held without charge or trial.

Death penalty
Executions are usually carried out by beheading, sometimes in public.

Curt's post
Mike's post
American Power

The Republican Party Needs an Image Make-Over

If Republicans could have swayed even 30% of the black vote, we would have our first female vice president, today.



The conservative message needs a better delivery system than the one we've had. The Democratic Party has successfully painted Republicans as the party of racists, bigots, and the wealthy class who oppress the poor.

If conservative ideology were better understood, if the Republican Party were more faithful to conservatism, then there's no reason why we should ever lose another election ever again.

More written on my cross-post at Flopping Aces.

They Are the Change They've Been Waiting For

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
-Excerpt from Obama's inaugural speech

Yup.....a new era of responsible citizenship has begun....


Is this the big change and "hope" we've all been waiting for?...."just words"

Dumpster diving into the past for some positive plagiarism- in a good way.

And the era of divisiveness has ended:

Some of Mr. Obama’s supporters booed and taunted Mr. Bush when he emerged from the Capitol to take his place on stage, at one point singing, “Nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, hey, goodbye.” By day’s end, Mr. Bush had landed in Texas, where he defended his presidency and declared that he was “coming home with my head held high.”

Seems the Obamabots failed to get that memo on civility and "coming together" (White House website failed on that as well):

Protesters throw shoes at the White House during a demonstration in Washington. Mike Segar-Reuters

This, however, is a good gesture:

Mr Obama signed an order freezing the salaries of senior White House staff.
Doug Mills/New York Times

I was Wrong About Former President Bush...

He's not the class act right-wingers think he is.


I'm shocked and mortified by the lack of graciousness. President Obama talks of putting the "old Washington ways" of divisive politics behind us; and what does the former president go and do?

Just look!

The Peaceful Transition of Power

President Obama and his wife, Michelle, escorted former President Bush and hiw wife, Laura to their helicopter after the ceremony. Ruth Fremson, NYTimes

Thank you former President Bush!

Congratulations and good luck President Obama!

God bless America!

(A wee-bit more posted at Flopping Aces)

The Long Goodbye.....

President George W. Bush waves from the steps of Air Force One at Waco TSTC airport October 15, 2007. Bush is flying to Rogers, Arkansas for events on the economy before returning to Washington following a weekend at his ranch in Crawford, Texas.
REUTERS

My post up at Flopping Aces

All the Presidents Warriors

Nov. 8, 2007 President Bush looks at the artificial leg of Army PFC Nicholas Clark during a visit to the Center for the Intrepid at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.
Jim Young - Reuters


I posted a collection of accounts of President Bush's meeting with military families of fallen and wounded warriors who support their commander-in-chief.

Final Curtain Act

Ramos and Compean's sentence commuted!

Phew!:

President George W. Bush has commuted the prison sentences of two former Border Patrol guards whose convictions for shooting a Mexican drug dealer ignited debate about illegal immigration.

Bush's act of clemency on Monday for Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean was a victory for Democratic and Republican members of Congress and others who pleaded with the president to pardon the men or at least commute their sentences.

What were you doing.....waiting until the last minute? Don't scare me like that, Mr. President.

Happy MLK Day!

President George W. Bush talks to fourth graders at Pierre Laclede Elementary school in St Louis, Missouri January 5, 2004.
REUTERS/Jason Reed


Education spending went up- way up- since this president took Oval Office (much to the consternation of this center-right blogger)...but are the more "Books not Bombs" liberals happy about his dramatic increase in education-spending and bipartisan attempts at education reform through No Child Left Behind and Reading First Program? Do they hold Ted Kennedy accountable for any of their derision and perceived failures? Noooooo. Senator Kennedy, by the way, as the ranking minority member of the education committee and later chairman, opposed Bush's idea of giving publicly-funded school vouchers for children to attend private schools (and thereby having the same opportunities as Malia and Sasha).


President Bush in good faith has attempted to help all children of all stripes and colors (I'm sure that's what MLK would have wanted, right?); but most especially, his No Child Left Behind and faith-based initiatives were aimed to benefit those underprivileged and impoverished.

I want to make sure I don't leave any liberal behind; although I am hampered here, by a soft bigotry of low expectations regarding the ability of any BDSer to lift the wool from their eyes:

Read more »

Sunday Funnies

Sunday Funnies at Flopping Aces

Also, special edition "Bush Thankathon" Funnies here.

Check Out the Woman with the Biggest Boobs

Aw, go on....click.....you know you want to.

The Mother of All Pork Bills

Paul J. Richards AFP/Getty Images


What's worse than fiscally irresponsible Republicans controlling taxpayer purse strings? Democratic super-majorities in both Houses controlling taxpayer purse strings. And President-Elect Obama is finding that bipartisan agreement is unlikely when it requires both sides to compromise their visions for what is good for the country:

The president-elect's efforts to win over Republicans -- in keeping with a campaign promise to end Washington gridlock -- ignited a backlash within his own party. Obama has dedicated 40% of the package to tax reductions, divided evenly between business and middle-class tax cuts. But Democratic leaders are dissatisfied and want more focus on direct spending, less on tax relief.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) told reporters Wednesday the package needed a single focus: "Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs."

"It must create jobs immediately, and it must contribute to the long-term stability of our economy to continue to create jobs," she said.

Last Thursday, House Democrats proposed an $825 billion stimulus package that is shamefully laden with pork that does not appear to have much to do with job creation for the purposes of economic stimulation:
Read more »

The Nucular Option

President George W. Bush dances in front of the media while he awaits the arrival of presumptive Republican Party presidential nomimee John McCain and his wife Cindy on the North Portico of the White House in Washington, March 5, 2008.
REUTERS/Jason Reed

People dislike Bush for what he did. You guys dislike Obama for who he is. Think about it.- Reader comment


It's true that critics on the left and right have disliked the President on policy issues. But it is not true that liberal Democrats have only been his critics because of "what he did".

Read more »

Darth Cheney Obama

Reality-check may force Obama to turn to "the dark side".

Civilian Casualties in Asymmetric Warfare

An Islamist insurgent holds his machine gun the stadium in Mogadishu, one of the bases vacated by Ethiopian troops January 14, 2009. Insurgents fired mortar bombs at Somalia's presidential palace on Wednesday, underlining fears of more bloodshed a day after Ethiopian troops supporting the government quit bases in Mogadishu. Witnesses said security forces including African Union (AU) peacekeepers guarding the hill-top palace compound in the coastal capital responded with their own volleys of artillery shells, shaking the city for several hours.

REUTERS/Ismail Taxta

In light of the uproar over civilian casualties incurred by the Palestinians in the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, Jeffrey Goldberg is reminded of another conflict between a Democratic power and Islamic militants: The 1993 "Black Hawk Down" incident in which 18 U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers were killed. This was followed by our "disproportionate force" in which a wide estimate of anywhere from 300-1500 Somalians were killed, many purportedly said to be civilian (some of whom were used as human shields and some acting as armed combatants, as well).

Mark Bowden, author of the book Black Hawk Down, provides some of his perspective on civilian deaths in asymmetric warfare:

Read more »

President Bush Hates Black People

White House photo by Eric Draper
President George W. Bush embraces members of the African Children's Choir at the White House in July.

Check out just how much President Bush hates them. It's a long read, but well worth getting the message out and setting the record straight.

The Real Meaning of "Mission Accomplished"

President George W. Bush delivers a speech to crew aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, as the carrier steamed toward San Diego, California on May 1, 2003.
REUTERS/Larry Downing

President Bush speaking at yesterday's final press conference:

Clearly, putting a "mission accomplished" on a (sic) aircraft carrier was a mistake. It sent the wrong message. We were trying to say something differently, but, nevertheless, it conveyed a different message.

I haven't visited the lefty blogs, but I can imagine that this will be seized upon as an admission of guilt/wrong-doing.

Every May 1st, the anniversary of the carrier speech (an excellent speech, btw, that still stands today), I can't help myself but to debunk the spin all over again.

President Bush was gracious enough to express his regrets about the banner, in hindsight; it's a shame that his critics most likely won't extend the same and acknowledge that the purpose of the banner was for something other than what it came to signify.

Here are some keynotes:

Read more »

White House Fact Sheets

President George W. Bush and first lady Laura Bush dance on the Presidential Seal at the Commander-in-Chief Inauguration Ball at the National Building Museum in Washington, January 20, 2005.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

"The Policies of the Bush Administration 2001-2009," a collection of policy fact sheets, is now available on the White House website in PDF format at:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/bushrecord/documents/Policies_of_the_Bush_Administration.pdf

You can also check out the Bush Administration's Legacy Booklet, titled "Highlights of Accomplishments and Results."

The Policies of the Bush Administration fact sheets are also available individually by topic in HTML format:

Protecting America/Global War On Terror: President Bush Has Kept America Safe, Global War on Terror

Freedom Agenda: President Bush's Freedom Agenda Helped Protect The American People

Military Transformation: Transforming Our Armed Forces to Face the Threats of Today and Tomorrow

Veterans: The Bush Administration Has Provided Unprecedented Support for Our Veterans

Defense Against Weapons of Mass Destruction: Defending Against Weapons of Mass Destruction Terrorism

Global Health Initiatives: President Bush's Global Health Initiatives Are Saving Lives Around The World

Tax Relief: President Bush Helped Americans Through Tax Relief

Trade: President Bush Expanded And Enforced Trade Agreements To Open New Markets For American Products

No Child Left Behind: No Child Left Behind Has Raised Expectations and Improved Results

Health Care: President Bush Strengthened America's Health Care System

Medicare: Empowering Medicare Beneficiaries With Affordable Options

Faith-Based and Community Initiatives: President Bush Has Improved How We Address Human Need Through Faith-Based and Community Initiatives

USA Freedom Corps: USA Freedom Corps: Strengthening Service to Meet Community Needs

Energy and Climate Change: Diversifying Our Energy Supply and Confronting Climate Change

Conservation and the Environment: President Bush Has Advanced Cooperative Conservation

Stem Cell Research: Advancing Stem Cell Research In Ethical, Responsible Ways

Judicial Appointments: Judges Who Honor the Constitution

First Lady Laura Bush: Mrs. Laura Bush's Leadership

Hat tip: CJ

Sunday Funnies

More at Flopping Aces

Bush's Third Term?

President George W. Bush greets President-elect Barack Obama as he arrives to the White House in Washington, November 10, 2008.
REUTERS/Jim Bourg

Flopping Aces

Caption This

(L-R) Former President George H.W. Bush, President-elect Barack Obama, President George W. Bush, former President Bill Clinton and former President Jimmy Carter meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington January 7, 2009.

REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Juan Cole Blames Israel for 9/11

It's funny how for lefties, "blowback" is only something that happens when we take violent actions; never: "Hamas is experiencing blowback for launching thousands of rockets into Israel"; not "al-Qaeda is incurring blowback for pissing off the United States".

Juan Cole is one of those academics poisoning the young minds of college students and gullible left-leaning minds.

He now seems fit to hold Israel accountable for bringing on the events of 9/11.
Read more »

More Media Malfeasance

Who is "Mads Gilbert"?

The Burden of Peace is on Hamas and Palestinians

A girl was among the dead in the air strike. About 30 people were inside the house when it was destroyed, neighbors said.
Photo: Mohammed Abed/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images

*IMPORTANT UPDATE* 21:17

Mataharley was suspicious of some possible fauxtography going on with the photo below. American Power confirms this through one of his commenters, reliapundit:

No one is unaffected by the civilian casualities. But it's precisely images like these which are used by Hamas for diabolical propaganda puposes.

~~~

French TV claims photos from 2005 showed damage from Israel's Gaza operation
By Haaretz Service

Tags: France, Gaza, Israel News

French public television network France 2 on Tuesday revealed they had aired photographs that allegedly showed destruction caused by the Israel Air Force during Operation Cast Lead, which were in fact taken during a different incident in 2005, one in which Gaza civilians were killed by an explosion caused by militants in the Strip.

The footage aired on Channel 2 on Tuesday afternoon showed dozens of dead bodies, including Hamas gunmen and citizens, which the channel said were killed by an IAF bombing raid on January 1st. It later came to light that the channel had instead aired footage of the devastation caused after a truck full of explosives blew up in the Jabaliya Refugee Camp.

A news editor at France 2 told Le Figaro Tuesday that they had "made a mistake by airing those pictures, which he said depict events from 2005.

*END UPDATE*

No, I'm not overjoyed by innocent civilian deaths. Especially that of children. I've seen some comments by callous political allies who excuse it in terms of "So what? They're indoctrinated to be future terrorists and America and Israel haters, anyway."

We should never stop caring, even as we support what needs doing: namely in this case, Israel defending itself. And yes, this is a defensive response. It's so odd to argue "disproportionate force" by Israel, when it's obvious that it's not disproportionate enough so long as Hamas is still delivering rocket attacks.



From today's WaPo:

JERUSALEM, Jan. 6 -- Israeli shelling near a U.N.-run school in a Gaza refugee camp Tuesday killed at least 30 people, many of whom had gathered at the school building to flee the ongoing clashes between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters, Palestinian and United Nations officials said.

Read more »

Why Our Military is So Hated Around the World

ENTIRE
entry at Flopping Aces.

Also blogging:
Parrothead Jeff

Mosab Hassan Yousef

Mosab Hassan is the son of a founding member of Hamas. He became the leader of the Islamic Youth Movement, fought Israelis, celebrated homicide bombings, recruited radicals to the movement. Rather than pushing up the daisies, he eventually found himself imprisoned in an Israeli jail. That seemed to have been a turning point in his life.

Today, he resides in San Diego, California; a Christian evangelical convert. It appears that earlier this year, he decided to go public with his conversion, as a means to help Palestinians and the "messed up" situation with the Middle East and Islam. This has put his family back home in a difficult predicament since they are quite famous and respected amongst Muslims.

Mr Yousef said that his father, who has spent more than a decade in Israeli jails for his involvement with Hamas, was in prison when he "got the worst news in his life" - that his son had become a Christian and left Ramallah. "But at the same time he sent me a message of love.

"Everybody is asking him to disown me. You understand if he disowns me he will give terrorists a chance to kill me. "He loves me as a son and he believes that what I've done was something I believed in, but at the same time it's very difficult for him to understand and he won't be able to understand."

Many saw him as heir apparent to his father, who retains great influence both within Hamas and in Palestinian society, winning election to the Palestinian Legislative Council in January 2006 from his prison cell.

But Mr Yousef said that his questioning of Islam and Hamas began early. His father, a pragmatist who has even suggested Hamas would be willing to talk to Israel under certain conditions, would often accept his concerns, such as the targeting of civilians.

Mr Yousef said that his doubts about Islam and Hamas crystallised when he realised not all Hamas leaders were like his father, a moderate who he describes as "open-minded, very humble and honest".

Mr Yousef said that he was appalled by the brutality of the movement, including the suicide bombers seeking glory through jihad.

"Hamas, they are using civilians' lives, they are using children, they are using the suffering of people every day to achieve their goals. And this is what I hate," he said.

It was after a chance encounter nine years ago with a British missionary that Mr Yousef began exploring Christianity.

He found it "exciting", he said, and began secretly studying the Bible, struck by the central tenet "love your enemies".

Nevertheless he does not advocate the "collapse of Islam", but rather for people to acknowledge that after 1,400 years "it's not working any more".

He said: "It's not taking them anywhere. It's making them look ugly."

al-Qaeda has already issued a death sentence on him.

Jonathan Hunt interview:

JONATHAN HUNT: What specific event or events began to change your mind about Islam?

MOSAB HASSAN YOUSEF: When I was 18 years old, and I was arrested by the Israelis and was in an Israeli jail under the Israeli administration, Hamas had control of its members inside the jail and I saw their torture; (they were) torturing people in a very, very bad way.

JONATHAN HUNT: Hamas members torturing other Hamas members?

MOSAB HASSAN YOUSEF: Hamas leaders! Hamas leaders that we see on TV now, and big leaders, responsible for torturing their own members. They didn't torture me, but that was a shock for me, to see them torturing people: putting needles under their nails, burning their bodies. And they killed lots of them.

JONATHAN HUNT: Why were they torturing people?

MOSAB HASSAN YOUSEF: Because they suspected that they had relations with the Israelis and (were) co-operating with the Israeli occupation against Hamas ... So hundreds of people were victims for this, and I was a witness for about a year for this torture. So that was a huge change in my life. I started to open my (eyes), but, the point (is) that I got that there are good Muslims and bad Muslims. Good Muslims, such as my father, and bad Muslims, like those Hamas members in the jail torturing people.
So that was the beginning of opening my eyes wide.

~~~

JONATHAN HUNT: Tell me about Hamas and the way it works. Is Hamas a purely Islamic religious organization as you see it, and that's where, in your eyes, its faults lie, or are there other parts of it which are a problem for you? Or is Hamas a good organization? What is Hamas to you?

MOSAB HASSAN YOUSEF: If we talk about people, there are good people everywhere. Everywhere. I mean, good people that God created.
Do they do their own things? Yes, they do their own things. I know people who support Hamas but they never got involved in terrorist attacks, for example ... They follow Hamas because they love God and they think that Hamas represents God. They don’t have knowledge, they don't know the real God and they never studied Christianity. But Hamas, as representative for Islam, it's a big problem.


The problem is not Hamas, the problem is not people. The root of the problem is Islam itself as an idea, as an idea. And about Hamas as an organization, of course, the Hamas leadership, including my father, they're responsible; they're responsible for all the violence that happened from the organization.

~~~

JONATHAN HUNT: Do you believe that Israel can ever strike a peace deal with Hamas?

MOSAB HASSAN YOUSEF: There is no chance. Is there any chance for fire to co-exist with the water? There is no chance. Hamas can play politics for 10 years, 15 years; but ask any one of Hamas' leaders, 'Okay, what's going to happen after that? Are you just going to live and co-exist with Israel forever?' The answer is going to be no ... unless they want to do something against the Koran. But it's their ideology and they can't just say 'We're not going to do it.' So there is no chance. It's not about Israel, it's not about Hamas: it's about both ideologies. There is no chance.

President-Elect Obama Votes "Absent"

“If someone was sending rockets on my house where my daughters were sleeping at night, I would do everything to stop it, and I would expect Israelis to do the same thing.” – President-elect Barack Obama

President-elect Barack Obama motions for the crowd to be quiet as someone in his group hits onto the 18th green at the Mid Pacific Country Club in Kailua, Hawaii on December 29, 2008.
REUTERS/Hugh Gentry

By way of Chuck Thinks Right, from a CNN poll:

Seventy-six percent of Americans questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey released Wednesday said Obama is a strong and decisive leader

What is so "strong and decisive" about the future leader of the free world who hasn't hesitated to hold press conferences from his president-elect podium for the last month-and-a-half, giving his cerebral pearls of ponderance on the economic challenges ahead, the auto bailout, Iran, etc; yet when a major foreign policy issue looms large just around the corner of his presidency, he now thinks to vote "present" "absent", and is too busy vacationing in Hawaii? For Obama, this amounts to "recharging his batteries"; but for Bush escaping away to Crawford during times of crisis, he is roundly criticized.

Barack "Can't I just finish my waffle" Obama can go back to enjoying his flavored ice before it melts; and contemplate deep thoughts about the next 4 years of decision-making. In 18 days, vacation times over for the president-elect. And it won't be "just words" without consequences he'll have to answer for.

President-elect Barack Obama walks out of Kokonuts Shave Ice with a bowl of shave ice at Hawaii Kai shopping center on December 26, 2008.

REUTERS/Hugh Gentry

Flopping Aces related reads:
Dems blame Obama for stimulus delay
Al Jazeera: Obama’s Gaza silence condemned

Shortest Post in the History of Blogdom

Happy New Year!