Frightening Hallowe'en Nightmares, For Left And Right
Welcome to our annual frightfest! Each year we crank up the special effects soundtrack [Cue: rattling chains, unholy moaning, shrieking harpies in the night, and maniacal organ music in a very minor key....] and present our very own scary stories for both sides of the political aisle. This year's presidential campaign is frightening enough, no matter where you sit on the political spectrum, so we had to get rather outlandish for one of these stories. The other one is bone-chilling for a very different reason: because it's so uncomfortably close to actual fears some voters are now having, to some degree or another. Both should be equally spine-tingling, for their respective audiences, though.
A few notes are in order, before we begin this year's horrorshow. First, to all our student readers, the deadline for entering the Museum Of Political Corruption essay contest (answering the question: "What is political corruption and why should we care?") is fast approaching. First prize (I ever-so-humbly mention) includes getting your essay published in this column, so while you're stuffing your face with candy on Sunday, take some time to put your thoughts down and be sure to mail your entry in by Monday's deadline!
The Jack O'Lanterns were kind of hard to carve this year, so please no comments on how lame they came out. Hey, you try to carve Trump's hair or an F.B.I. badge into a pumpkin and see how you do! Heh. Anyway, for the curious, yes, they are real old-school carved Jack O'Lanterns, and not some computer-created art (if they were, they'd doubtlessly look a lot better, right?).
We're going to present the Republican nightmare first this year, for no particular reason (it's far longer than the Democratic one, I should mention), and the more eagle-eyed among you might notice a certain similarity to two Simpsons Hallowe'en stories, to say nothing of Mulder and Scully's appearance (hey, they're back together again, right?). To such criticism we can only reply with Mark Twain's immortal observation: "Immature humorists borrow. Mature humorists steal." Or, if that's too erudite for you, another cartoon's insight might help: South Park's revelation that "The Simpsons have done everything already!" So there.
One final note, our regular "Friday Talking Points" columns will resume next week, same bat time, same bat channel.
Speaking of bats, let's just get on with the spooky Hallowe'en show. Sit back -- on whichever side of the aisle you like -- and be prepared to be scared right down to your rattling bones!
Republican Nightmare -- Hair Today, Goon Tomorrow
President Donald Trump.
[Cue: Shrieking liberals, gibbering GOP bigwigs, and a flood of desperate and miserable emigrants fleeing towards the Canadian border, with hordes of bats flying over their heads....]
Oh, wait, we seem to have gotten things mixed up. That's next year's horrorshow, not this year's! And it really should be a Democratic nightmare anyway, although it'll probably have plenty of bipartisan appeal. In any case, we apologize for the error. Let's just start over, shall we?
Republican Nightmare -- Hair Today, Goon Tomorrow
The backlash over the CNBC debate grows as the Republican candidates all decide to just completely ignore the Republican National Committee altogether and go their separate way on which debates they'll participate in. The R.N.C. caves immediately, and divorces itself completely from the debate process.
But while all the other candidates believe they can work out some sort of arrangement with Rush Limbaugh to host all the remaining debates, Donald Trump -- behind all their backs -- works out a sweet deal with (of all networks) NBC. He announces that the only debates he'll be participating in will be featured as a new reality show, The Presidential Apprentice. The rules for these "debates" will be obliterated and instead The Donald himself will take the boardroom chair and pass judgment on everyone else. All other candidates will be required to perform demeaning acts for the public's amusement (sample: the candidates have to write, produce, direct, film, and edit their own campaign commercial without any input or advice from paid campaign consultants), while Trump denigrates their efforts. At the end of each show, one candidate will hear Trump's classic "You're fired!" and won't be allowed on any of the subsequent shows. At the end of the season, the winner is declared to be the one person whom Trump will deign to run against.
Meanwhile, in an obscure office deep within the bowels of the J. Edgar Hoover building in Washington, F.B.I. agent Fox Mulder seems obsessed with watching footage of Trump over and over again. Agent Dana Scully seems worried, and asks him why he's so obsessed. "That thing on his head... I know I've seen one of those before somewhere..." Fox mumbles to Scully. "Look at this one clip -- you can actually see the damn thing move on its own!" Scully bends down and disdainfully points out that the clip in question is of Trump exiting his helicopter, so the wind would be a more likely culprit.
Out on the campaign trail, the other Republicans begin by scoffing at Trump's idea, but quickly realize how much the Republican base loves it. Trump's poll numbers shoot up ten points, and (beginning with the candidates on the edge of oblivion anyway) the Republicans start reluctantly announcing they'll agree to the new show's rules, as laid down by Trump. More and more candidates jump on board, until the only holdouts are John Kasich and Jeb Bush. Bush's campaign comes to a disastrous end when Jeb, in the middle of a PBS interview, slumps to the floor and adopts a catatonic fetal crouch, rolling gently back and forth while mumbling: "This can't be happening. Mommy said I was going to win." -- over and over again. Kasich, realizing which way the wind is blowing, hastily drops his objections and joins the cast of The Presidential Apprentice.
All throughout the campaign, and all throughout the show's wildly popular run, Fox Mulder continues to chase the truth -- which, as we all know, is out there. Deep in the borderlands between Mexico and Arizona, he finally realizes what he's up against. Scully gets a frenzied call from Mulder, where he screams: "I should have known it all along -- it's the dreaded toupeecabra!" Mulder's phone immediately goes dead.
The Presidential Apprentice becomes the breakout television hit of the season. The epic "mud-wrestling" episode gets NBC's highest ratings ever (not counting Super Bowls). State after state begins voting overwhelmingly for Trump in their primaries, as all other candidates fade. In the final episode, Trump reveals what everybody had guessed all along, that Ben Carson would be the only candidate allowed to run against him. Carson, however, is no match for Trump's popularity. Trump easily walks away with the nomination and the Republican National Convention is "totally classy... and huge," with gold-colored wallpaper in every room.
Mulder finally stumbles into Scully's house, late at night and overly-disheveled. "Where have you been?" Scully yells at him, "We've been searching for you for months!" Mulder collapses through sheer exhaustion, and after 18 hours of sleep, a shower, and a big cup of coffee, sits down to tell his tale. "It's a vampiric entity -- almost certainly alien in origin -- which sucks all cognitive ability out of a person's brain, leaving only what Freud called the id." Scully, of course, is skeptical.
"Here, take a look at these old photos of Trump," Mulder says, opening a laptop. "These earlier ones, his hair looks.... well, like hair. But at some point, you can see that not only has his hairstyle radically changed, but his skin appears a downright unworldly color."
"That's just a fake tan, everybody knows that," Scully protests.
"No, it isn't. It's a direct result of this creature sending its roots directly into Trump's brain. A chemical reaction takes place which radically changes the levels of beta carotene in his blood. That's why he looks like a pumpkin, all of a sudden." Scully considers the idea, and shrugs. "OK, maybe that's possible."
"I'm telling you, Scully, the man who could be the next president of the United States is actually controlled by an alien overlord. What everyone thinks is his hair is actually the entity in charge of what Trump says and does. The history and myths of this alien influence on human history are long and overwhelming. It is called by many names in many cultures, but the Franco-Mexicans out on the border have the best name for it: the toupeecabra. The hairy, brain-sucking monster stories we all heard as kids were actually true! Don't believe me? Watch this one key piece of footage -- footage that three men died to get to me, out in the desert."
The footage, when slowed down, clearly shows that thing on Trump's head waking up. Glowing red eyes appear deep within the folds of "hair" and blink malevolently several times. At one point the entire thing looks like it's about to eat Trump's head whole.
"My God," Scully responds, shocked.
"Yeah, and unfortunately the Department of Homeland Security is also infiltrated by these beings. I've been on the run for months, and I've got to go now. The next time you see me will be to stop this travesty from happening."
"What are you going to do?" Scully asks, alarmed. "Better if you don't know, Dana," Mulder says, slipping out the doggie-door into the night.
Months pass, and much to Scully's (and a lot of folks') dismay, Trump crushes Hillary Clinton in the general election. After Clinton refused to perform on The Presidential Apprentice -- General Election!, Trump's new idea for a summer show, he instead airs it with Martin O'Malley, Jim Webb, Lincoln Chafee, and a long list of Democratic D-listers such as Harold Ford and (live via prison hookup) Rod Blagojevich. The ratings aren't as good as the Republican show, but it still guarantees Trump a landslide victory.
Scully, watching Trump being inaugurated on television, is horrified to see Mulder slowly make his way towards the podium, in full F.B.I. gear, indistinguishable from the many other federal agents on the security detail. Right when Trump gets to the line in his speech: "As a young boy, I dreamed of being a baseball; but tonight I say, we must move forward, not backward; upward, not forward; and always twirling, twirling, twirling," Mulder lifts his gun and chaos immediately ensues. The camera is knocked out of alignment and points at the ground. Shots ring out.
Fade to black. Roll The X-Files credits, to the familiar but creepy "like that Hallowe'en movie soundtrack" music (or, for our British readers, "like the classic Doctor Who theme music..."). Tune in next year to find out what happened!
Democratic Nightmare -- Too Close For Comfort?
Hillary Clinton continues to dominate the polling, even while Bernie Sanders continues to dominate the campaign trail. Team Clinton has learned from her past mistakes, and this time around her campaign does not ignore caucus states (and, to be honest, every state after Super Tuesday). Her ground game is superb, and she wraps up the nomination fairly easily. Sanders only winds up winning New Hampshire, his home state of Vermont, and Oregon. Hillary triumphantly becomes the Democratic nominee next summer, at the convention.
However, the October Surprise this election cycle is a death-blow to her chances. The F.B.I. (the non-X-Files part of the agency, of course) appears at Hillary's door with an arrest warrant. Hillary is taken into custody and charged with not only having classified information on an unsecured server, but also running several "Nigerian prince" scams, hosting the website "Pantsuit Porn" (with truly and legally obscene matter a-plenty), and aiding and abetting the North Korean hack of Sony Pictures.
Immediately, the only image the voters see of Hillary Clinton is her mugshot. The media quickly track down all the victims of the Nigerian prince scam, several of whom are old ladies who lost their entire retirement funds. Interviews with these victims are soon put on seven-second delays, because of the amount of vicious profanity directed at Clinton. Hollywood, because of the Sony link, turns anti-Clinton in a heartbeat.
With less than a month to go before the election, the Democrats are stymied by state election laws. Clinton cannot even drop out, at this point, because the ballots have been printed and are already going out to early voters. Bernie Sanders begs the Democratic Party to put him on the ballot instead, but there's nothing that can be legally done because the election is so close.
Donald Trump wins the election in the biggest landslide since George Washington. Canada opens its borders to Democratic refugees, who pour in by the millions. Universities across the land become ghost towns. At some point, so many people have left that President Trump decides to construct a wall on our northern border, just to keep people in.
Have a happy Hallowe'en everyone!
-- Chris Weigant
Cross-posted at The Huffington Post
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
Cross-posted at: The Huffington Post
Happy Halloween Chris!
Paula -
Boo!
:-)
Oh, hey, I'd like to publicly thank TheStig for sending me a Trump template for pumpkin-carving. His template was really good, but (I think) far beyond my gourd-carving abilities. I went for a much simpler take on it, but did want to publicly thank him!
-CW
Happy Halloween, everyone.. :D
I have a feeling that the Democrat Nightmare might be.....
(pause with Dr Evil pinky to corner of mouth)
... "too close for comfort"..?? :D
I mean, with the exception of the Nigerian Prince Scam, the FBI pounding on Hillary's door with an arrest warrant and Hillary's Mug Shot plastering the airwaves might actually come true! :D
On the Republican side, I especially like Democrats fleeing to Canada and University's becoming ghost towns. That gives me all sorts of warm fuzzies... :D
Well done, CW... :D
Michale
Don,
That sounds like a worthy movement you have started.
I'm a Canadian and so I'm not able to join. But, if I were an American, I would like to know that some reputable and well-known names were part of your effort before I became a part of it. That's just they way I am, I guess but I just think that having people endorse your site and movement who could lend a lot of public credibility would really help to make the entire movement more effective.
I think that making this movement really effective is all about coalition-building, in other words.
If you don't already know about the former Senator Gary Hart's work and blog, for example, here is a link to just one his pieces that fits nicely with what you and others are trying to accomplish.
http://www.mattersofprinciple.com/?p=1183
It would be great if you could get endorsements from him and others in his position who are fighting the same fight. In any event, good luck with your site!
Your Scary Democrat nightmare might be coming true, CW...
As Benghazi inquiry fades, Clinton still faces legal questions about emails
FBI examines handling of sensitive information during former secretary’s term
At least 671 emails she sent or received now contain classified information
State Department releases latest batch of Democratic presidential hopeful’s emails http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article41972739.html#storylink=cpy
This can't be blamed on Republicans or the VRWC....
This is ALL coming from the FBI...
OBAMA's FBI....
Over *SIX HUNDRED* Classified emails sent and received thru Hillary private insecure bathroom closet email server...
Hillary is toast...
Michale
if we're going to run a republican nightmare, let's do it right:
it turns out that the evidence that hillary clinton has committed crimes is overwhelmingly true, but the vast majority of the american people have become so desensitized after all the past "witch-hunts" that not only is clinton found not guilty, she's elected in a landslide! the day after she's sworn in, impeachment charges are brought. again clinton is found not guilty due to the "reasonable doubt" that the GOP themselves have manufactured through endless series of fruitless and politically charged hearings. each of the next three election cycles follows the same pattern, until finally in 2020 hillary and the democrats win 60 percent majorities in both houses of congress. justices scalia, alito and thomas suffer massive coronaries, and the supreme court is soon overrun with liberal ideologues. In landmark cases, they require each congressional district in the country to contain at least one fully funded abortion center, and rule that obamacare is insufficient to meet the constitutional mandate to "promote the general welfare." their new ruling requires fully socialized medical care, banking and energy industries. In 2022, the people elect President Sanders, and the marginal tax rate on the top 1% of earners goes up to 99.9%. masses of the rich elite, especially those on wall street, are arrested trying to smuggle their wealth out of the country. the tea party gather millions of people in florida and try to secede from the union, leaving themselves surrounded by federal agents, their voting rights revoked by florida's felony voter laws, and every single state a massive liberal majority.
MUHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA! happy halloween!
JL
nypoet22: Love it!
There seems to be a LOT of ironic humor in all this Hillary stuff...
The Left Wingery hysterically castigates and denigrates they concept of "Too big to fail"
And yet, Team Clinton is perpetuating and er... uh... "banking" :D on the concept of "Too big to jail"
Ya gotta love it.. :D
Michale
Hay RD,
Can ya check here if yer not too busy??
http://www.chrisweigant.com/2015/10/28/program-note-53/#comment-65871
Michale
On another front..
National Police Union Calls for Total Tarantino Boycott
https://www.thewrap.com/national-police-union-calls-for-total-tarantino-boycott/
My feelings on boycotts are well known... More often than not, the boycotts themselves hurt the very people that boycotters are allegedly boycotting on behalf of. The South Carolina NAACP boycott is a prime example of this..
The cop boycott against Tarentino seems to be the exception to that general rule..
But, I have to admit that it has caused me pause in my anti-boycott stance...
On the other hand, the circumstances and details of this boycott are considerably different, as economics aren't really the basis for this particular boycott..
But if I am honest (which I usually am :D ) I have to admit it does give me pause...
Michale
Introducing the Democrat Party Candidate for POTUS, Hillary Clinton...
http://www.msnbc.com/sites/msnbc/files/styles/embedded_image/public/hillary_cover.jpg?itok=pLWMdS83
Honestly, I would think ya'all would be EMBARRASSED to have this person as your candidate, representing your Party....
Michale
Introducing the Democrat Party Candidate for POTUS, Hillary Clinton...
http://tinyurl.com/pv9ysbw
Honestly, I would think ya'all would be EMBARRASSED to have this person as your candidate, representing your Party....
Michale
Apologies for the double-tap...
Thought my comment was whisked away to NNL....
Michale
CW-
Thanks for the mention. You are very welcome! Check your mailbox again...heh, heh, second time was the charm! They was given away pumpkins away yesterday I tells ya! Large, quality pumpkins...
Fred Thompson passed away...
Great actor.. Great American...
He will be missed..
Michale
Once again, I have to point out something "funny" about all the predictions of the demise of the Republican Party..
Everyone here and in pundit-land goes on and on about how the GOP is dead, how they will never be relevant, how they will never be able to govern ever again, blaa, blaa, blaa...
Moose poop, I tell you!! Moose poop!!
The Republican Party is in the EXACT same place that the Democrat Party was 50 years ago..
Internal strife bleeding out into the public airwaves.. Mass civil war between forces trying to maintain the Center and forces trying to drag the Party to the fringe... Party member pitted against Party member..
The Democrat Party survived and grew stronger as evidenced by the here and now..
There is no doubt in my mind that the Republican Party will do the same...
All the predictions of the demise and destruction of the Republican Party is nothing but wishful thinking..
Michale
HOLY SLAP MY FACE!!!!
New 'Star Trek' TV Series a Go at CBS All Access
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/star-trek-tv-series-works-828638
Be still, my heart!! :D
Michale
Dorothy Bland: I was caught ‘walking while black.’
http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/latest-columns/20151028-dorothy-bland-i-was-caughtwalking-while-black.ece
This is exactly why I talk ALL claims of racist cops with a HUGE, a GIGANTIC grain of salt....
More often than not, it's a liar with an agenda...
Like this Dorothy Bland rhymes-with-witch....
Michale
http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/the-administration/258689-leaked-dhs-memo-shows-obama-might-circumvent-dapa
Looks like the Democrats are panicking that they haven't minted a bunch of new illegal Democrat voters....
Michale
"I am not a cop hater..."
-Quentin Tarentino
Sorry, asshole.. But your own words and your own father say otherwise...
Yer a waste of skin, jackass...
Live with it..
Michale
In other news...
Intelligence assessments are close to concluding that ISIS terrorists planted a bomb on a Russian airliner that resulted in over 200 deaths, the majority of which were Russian..
This does not bode well for Putin's Syria campaign...
Michale
Putin has never been the kind of leader you think he is, Michale, and this incident is only the beginning ...
I actually mis-typed in my comment..
When I said it does not bode well for Putin's Syria campaign, what I meant was that it doesn't bode well FOR THE US in Putin's Syria campaign..
Russians are a bloodthirsty lot when their people are massacred...
If there is even the most tenuous connection between ISIS and the downed civilian airliner, Putin will likely turn Syria into a parking lot...
Putin has never been the kind of leader you think he is,
I have never claimed that Putin is the good guy..
But it is simply undeniable that Putin is an EFFECTIVE leader and put's our President's "leadership" to shame...
Obama doesn't lead... He dictates..
Obama is a bad leader...
Michale
You think Putin is an effective leader but few nations follow him. Why is that?
You think Putin is an effective leader but few nations follow him. Why is that?
Because he's the bad guy..
But his effectiveness is indisputable...
He annexed The Crimea.. He is dictating to the US in Syria...
Michale
Michale,
I have issues with all of your foreign policy posts as they relate to your praise for the effectiveness of world leaders and your unmasked disdain for anything your own president does on the international stage. If that's not un-American, I don't know what is.
The congressional Republicans are just like you in that they have engaged in the very same behavior over the life of the Obama/Biden administration.
Are there US foreign policies to be rightly and properly criticized? Of course there are. But, that's not what you or the congressional Republicans have been doing for seven years and counting.
It's your very personal animosity towards the president of the United States that is so unbecoming.
[Putin] is dictating to the US in Syria...
But, I thought you said in just the previous comment here that Obama is the one doing the dictating. Which is it?
I have issues with all of your foreign policy posts as they relate to your praise for the effectiveness of world leaders and your unmasked disdain for anything your own president does on the international stage. If that's not un-American, I don't know what is.
Because, with very few exceptions, Obama is a catastrophe on the world stage, foreign policy wise..
As much as I would like to be a USA USA USA!!!/RIGHT OR WRONG kinda guy, I gots to calls em as I sees em...
The congressional Republicans are just like you in that they have engaged in the very same behavior over the life of the Obama/Biden administration.
As opposed to congressional Democrats over the life of the Bush/Cheney Administration??
At least, with the GOP side, there IS logic and facts to support their case...
Are there US foreign policies to be rightly and properly criticized? Of course there are.
For example???
It's your very personal animosity towards the president of the United States that is so unbecoming.
But it never clouds my judgement or my objectivity...
But, I thought you said in just the previous comment here that Obama is the one doing the dictating. Which is it?
Both...
Obama dictates to Americans and our allies and grovels to our enemies...
Michale
Obama dictates to Americans and our allies
Immigration and the Iran Giveaway, for example..
and grovels to our enemies...
The Crimea and Syria and the Iran Giveaway, for example..
Michale
http://www.thirteenhoursmovie.com/
Awesome!! Now we can REALLY find out what happened!!
Michale
Liz,
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/nov/5/obama-pushes-military-frustration-to-highest-level/
This is exactly what I am talking about vis a vis Obama's incompetent leadership..
Obama THINKS he is the smartest person in the room.. He doesn't listen to ANYONE who doesn't think the same way..
Michale
Michale,
From the article you cite:
Mr. Smith said Republican leaders deserve a fair share of the blame for the polarized debate because of what he said was political posturing against nearly every aspect of President Obama’s Middle East policy.
Some of the attacks are so derisive, he said, that they have effectively crippled the prospects for serious national security discussions on Capitol Hill.
“I don’t think [Sen. McCain] falls into this — but there are others, and they criticize everything the administration does. They criticize [the president] for taking out [former Libyan strongman Moammar] Gadhafi and for not taking out [Syrian President Bashar] Assad. There’s just a lot of partisanship on the Republican side that contributes to the discord over the current Syria policy and they deny the fact that they do not have much of an answer themselves for what should be done differently.”
This is precisely why it is impossible for me to discuss with you anything related to US foreign policy. If too many Republicans are automatically and viciously partisan on their rampant and largely misguided criticism of US Middle East policy, then you, my friend, take it to a whole new level.
Your criticism of Obama's execution of foreign policy is not consistent and makes little, if any, sense. It is also devoid of any solutions or more effective policies.
A more reasonable dialogue - between us and between the Obama administration and Congressional critics - would be more productive. But, alas, neither you nor the congressional critics have any intention of resolving the critical issues that complicate US policy in the Middle East.
I am not claiming that Obama is completely at fault..
But it IS Obama's "MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY" mentality that is at the root of all of this problem..
Obama was fond of saying, "That's what elections are for"....
Right up to the time he started LOSING those elections...
I am more than willing to concede that Republicans share responsibility...
MY problem is that Obama and the Democrats REFUSE to acknowledge THEIR responsibility for the mess that is the US foreign policy..
According to the Democrat Party, and MANY if not the vast majority of Weigantians, "everything" is the fault of the Republicans..
Compromise and taking responsibility is a TWO way street..
To date, I have yet to see any meaningful conciliatory gestures from the Left side of the aisle...
Michale
I'd like to hear what you mean when you say that US foreign policy is a "mess" ...
On the contrary, most of Obama's Middle East foreign policy has been about cleaning up the mess left behind by the last administration. And, when it comes to the middle east, that is where we must begin the conversation.
On the contrary, most of Obama's Middle East foreign policy has been about cleaning up the mess left behind by the last administration. And, when it comes to the middle east, that is where we must begin the conversation.
You mean, a stable Iraq??
Because that is what the previous administration left...
Obama entered office with the promise to end 2 wars in the Middle East..
We now have 3 wars there which will outlast Obama's time in office...
THAT is where the conversation needs to begin..
Michale
Iraq hasn't been anywhere close to being stable since early 2003.
You need to accept that reality before we can have a rational discussion about US Middle East policy.
Don't worry, I won't be holding my breath. :(
Hillary is toast..
Clinton Signed NDA Laying Out
Criminal Penalties for Mishandling of Classified Info
Dem presidential candidate and top aides signed NDAs warning against ‘negligent handling’ of classified information
As the nation’s chief diplomat, Hillary Clinton was responsible for ascertaining whether information in her possession was classified and acknowledged that “negligent handling” of that information could jeopardize national security, according to a copy of an agreement she signed upon taking the job.
A day after assuming office as secretary of state, Clinton signed a Sensitive Compartmented Information Nondisclosure Agreement that laid out criminal penalties for “any unauthorized disclosure” of classified information.
http://freebeacon.com/politics/clinton-signed-nda-laying-out-criminal-penalties-for-mishandling-of-classified-info/
The excuse that she didn't know it was classified intel is now completely and utterly moot..
It was her JOB to know... And if she didn't know, it was her JOB to find out BEFORE she sent anything thru her private insecure bathroom closet email server...
Hillary is going to jail....
Michale
Ooop....
Ben Carson admits fabricating West Point scholarship
Carson's campaign on Friday conceded that a central point in his inspirational personal story did not occur as he previously described.
http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/ben-carson-west-point-215598
And Carson is toast as well...
Michale
Iraq hasn't been anywhere close to being stable since early 2003.
The facts to the contrary..
Iraq was VERY stable when Obama took office.
He pulled US forces out of Iraq too early...
These are the facts.. And they are indisputable..
Michale
Compare the stability of Iraq post conflict with the "stability" of Libya post conflict..
You will see what I mean by "stable"...
Michale
The *ONLY* people who think Obama's Foreign Policy is a success is Obama himself, his supporters and our enemies like Russia, China, North Korea and Iran..
Let's ask our allies like Israel and the UK what they think of Obama's foreign policy...
Hell, the UK told Obama to "suck it" when asked to participate in the Syria campaign...
Obama is a disaster of world-wide proportions...
Michale
So, what's your point?
Compare the stability of Iraq post conflict with the "stability" of Libya post conflict..You will see what I mean by "stable"...
So, I repeat, what's your point?
I'm done here - no rational discussion to be had.
My point is that Obama thinks he knows better about military matters than the generals and the admirals..
Obama thinks that leading from behind is a viable and honorable strategy...
And THAT is why the Middle East is the mess it is today...
Michale
Michale,
The Middle East is in a mess today because the US invasion of Iraq opened up a Pandora's box of unintended but dangerously destructive consequences combined with the fact that there are few Middle East leaders who are capable or willing to mitigate against those negative impacts.
The generals and admirals are, more often than not, too quick to advise presidents to lead by the example of American power when, more often than they or you would like to admit, leading by the power of America's example can often be infinitely more effective.
The generals and admirals are, more often than not, too quick to advise presidents to lead by the example of American power when, more often than they or you would like to admit, leading by the power of America's example can often be infinitely more effective.
I would point out that WWII, Desert Storm and a host of other examples would tend to disprove your assertion..
Yes, it would be nice if all the world's leaders were logical and rational and all would strive towards the greater good..
In other words, Obama's world..
The REAL world is much messier and, as such, force is the only option towards the religious fanatics and the psychotic dictators...
Appeasement NEVER works... Peace at ANY cost isn't peace.. It's slavery...
Michale
I would point out that WWII, Desert Storm and a host of other examples would tend to disprove your assertion..Appeasement NEVER works... Peace at ANY cost isn't peace.. It's slavery...
Except that my assertion was not absolute and had nothing, whatsoever, to do with appeasement.
Except that my assertion was not absolute and had nothing, whatsoever, to do with appeasement.
"Let's just agree to disagree.."
-Boris The Animal, MEN IN BLACK III
:D
Like it or not, military force has a place in the real world...
And, more often than not, the military leadership is the group best suited to make the decisions as to when and where...
A GOOD leader will set definite goals and all the military leadership the latitude to determine how best to meet those goals..
Obama's problem with leadership is two-fold..
He can't even make up his mind to set goals and then stick with them once they are set.. Remember, the Syria Red Line??
And he has to micro-manage everything when he is completely ignorant and unqualified to manage ANYTHING..
Michale