Ayers Alright Obama?

Big stink, that doesn't stick; not Teflon but just as effective (affective works in a sense too).

Defenders in the media describe it as finish line scrambling of a campaign reaching for any means out of the relentless quicksand. Cries of "as the Byrd flew, so did McCain" glaringly miss the point though.

Following the recent "townhall" "debate" this typist oddly walked away from it with a sense of optimism; not based upon a performance, but of the words actually spoken by the "anointed one."

Barack Obama possesses a skill in communication no small part developed and honed in admiration of Reverend Wright (spiritual mentor and vocal coach). Not unlike the acoustic pianos touch sensitivity of 1 to infinity, the Senator hits the notes as they should be regardless of whether the human ear picks up on it or not. Like any musician, being off-key happens, but with the audience goodwill and appreciation of skill; the er, um, ahs of improvisation are accepted.

How you write the music down is another story entirely. Political rhetoric, too often what politics is about (all sides mind you) is not reality. It's quick, immediate, and doesn't offer answers or results (how), but dang what a ditty!

The Democrat Left has made a heyday of pointing out the easy and obvious over recent years in example; numbers of dead, the mayhem and destruction inherent in war allows for the effortless application of negative "conclusions" on the war. Like the reflexive emotion hate or anger, it is far simpler to attain than love or respect.

Following the debate, a realization that Obama plays with the sensitivity more appropriate to the many musical keyboards 1 to 7 levels versus 1 to infinity of a real piano. The 1 to 7 may still be indiscernible to the untrained ear, but we're not really talking about music now are we?

The media would appear to prefer the election held today, as with the daily poll reminders of "if held today," but the election has not yet taken place and VDH has an argument containing glimpses of optimism grounded in a "common" sense the media does not posses. The Ayers et al relationship that is taken as "mudslinging" by so many is simply put within the essay. One does not have to agree with it, however it is disingenuous to simply lay at the feet of "changing the subject." It's a subject and a concern to many and not at all frivolous.

From "Not Over Yet" at NRO by Victor Davis Hanson (read the whole thing):

"The Ayers controversy is cited by the in-the-tank media as signs of McCain’s desperation. Perhaps. But amid the tsk-tsking, there are also certain deer-in-the-headlights moments among Obama’s handlers.

Why? There are simply too many ACORNs, Ayers, Khalidis, Pflegers, Wrights, et al. not to suggest a pattern unbecoming of a future President of the United States. Obama’s past statements about his relationship with Ayers (and others) simply cannot be reconciled with the factual circumstances of their long association. McCain must focus on Ayers between 2001–2005. Then in the climate of national worry following 9/11, Ayers was on recent record as lamenting that he had not set off enough bombs, and yet until 2005 still in contact with Obama — about what and why, voters might wish to know."

Follow in its entirety here too...

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“I deserve what you Americans have, but won’t ever become like you to get it.”

Victor Davis Hanson at NRO this morning has some eye-opening and thought provoking words regarding the latest “Pew poll of June 2007.”

The popularity poll consists of what the world thinks of the U.S.:

“No doubt when the Bush administration leaves office, and should a Democratic one replace it, our approval ratings will rise with our present detractors. But they may also decline among our friends who will learn that U.S. open markets, free trade, and reliable military support in times of crisis are now objects of left-wing criticism. Note in this regard that world opinion toward both China and Russia is turning unfavorable. That distrust will only increase as both begin to flex their muscles — the former gobbling up oil contracts from the most murderous regimes, the latter selling the same rogues anything they need to foment unrest.”

After reading the essay, give some serious thought to the final paragraph, not just for the sake of tit for tat, but perhaps just to let them all know that we don’t think so highly of them very often either. Isolationism isn’t the answer, but they wouldn’t care much for the ways of the world without us.

“In that regard, such polls continue to be mostly one-sided. What we need now are new comprehensive surveys of what Americans themselves think of the United Nations, the Islamic world, and Western Europe — so that they can try to square the results with our present foreign policy of aid, friendship, or military assistance to those who apparently don’t want or appreciate what they receive.”

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Yet Another, If We Leave Now and Still Worth Reading

I often get tired of the oft repeated stories, columns or opinion pieces regarding what Iraq would be were we to pack up and leave. This however, is not because I do not wholeheartedly agree with them, but because they are so absolutely realistic that it is rather annoying to have to continuously repeat the obvious to those that are still in the throes of “its Bush’s fault” fits.

This is for those that will not read it and cannot contemplate that the United States, especially under the leadership of President Bush is not a Rightwing, war mongering entity. I pity the previously referred to as it must be an incredibly miserable existence to believe in nothing, but the doom and gloom of theories justifying their self-loathing tendencies; that pity however does not go very deep because like the drug addict, initially they brought it on themselves and just cannot break the habit.

Of particular interest this morning is yet another entry from someone who has learned and applies lessons of history to present day issues; at least the lessons that so many choose to not see as lessons. Of Albright, Baker, Brzezinski, Carter, Clinton and Scowcroft and their “various remedies” prior to September 11, 2001:

“Apparently, Americans are supposed to forget these supposedly brilliant strategists’ dismal records of dealing with Middle East terrorism, Islamic radicalism, and murderous dictators. However, their three decades of bipartisan failure helped bring us to the present post-9/11 world.”

It is interesting not just because my mind has wandered there before and I agree, but it is additionally so as he doesn’t go over the old ground in detail of “millions” massacred. Give Mr. Hanson and his essay a visit here, with “Back to the Future?” at NRO.

As an interesting follow on to Victor Davis Hanson’s latest is Clifford D. May and “Imagining Defeat.” He like Hanson does not dwell on the massacre, but peeks into a world in which U.S. influence no longer plays a very large role due to its not being a nation that sticks to its word and cannot see a mission through to its end.

In the mind of May, the U.S. doesn’t so much depart and “end” the war as so many clamor for, but takes it from the wars opponents perspective being right.

From Clifford D. May, “Imagining Defeat,” at NRO:

“For the sake of argument, imagine that opponents of the war in Iraq are right. Suppose that our military — designed to confront a different enemy, on a different battlefield, in a different era — has met its match. Suppose that the war against al Qaeda in Iraq, as well as against various Iranian-backed Shia militias, can not be won, and that staying on in Iraq can do nothing to protect America’s vital national-security interests.”

“If that’s true, we must prepare for defeat in Afghanistan as well. There is no reason to believe that the strategy being used against us in Iraq will be less effective 1,400 miles further east.”

Continue reading here…

Lastly, and as usual, not leastly, I direct your attention to Snooper over at Take Our Country Back. He has posted today on the latest from Michael Yon. One of the many interesting aspects of a Yon piece isn’t just the usual, “we’re winning;” for me this time it was the utter mind boggling sophistication with which our military is bringing it down on the pathetic ones whose heads have become to large to support.

From Take Back Our Country, Michael Yon’s “Birds Eye View” it’s a real hoot:

“A Tactical Operations Center (TOC) is the headquarters for a unit. Company-level TOCs are the smallest I have seen. A typical infantry company has about a hundred or more soldiers. The commander will normally be a captain. A company-level TOC often consists of a radio and a map, and one person on duty 24/7. It might have a coffee maker, too.”

The rest awaits you here….

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The U.S.’ Decline is Inevitable; So What!

On June 20^th this post, “Who Fires the First Shot?” was in reaction to two articles; one by Tony Blankley, the other by Michael Hirsh. In a sense, both painted a somewhat bleak picture of our options in our efforts at thwarting Islamo-fascists in our midst; the Hirsh piece however was more in line with not doing anything so as not to offend or apparently make matters worse.

Victor Davis Hanson hits the nail on the head this morning as he usually does in covering our continuous bleating, blaming and expectations that there is one option that we haven’t tried that would resolve all the problems; although no one ever offers it, only knocks what we’re doing. The difficulty here is that there is no “one” option is the answer. Hanson’s take and one should agree there are not good options but we have thus far taken a couple of better ones. In part from Victor Davis Hanson:

“Our present policy, however poorly managed in postbellum Iraq, arose as a reaction both to the do-nothingism of past administrations, which, by general consensus, had emboldened al Qaeda to up its ante on 9/11, and the decades of amoral realism that propped up thugs and dictators who ruined their societies but blamed the ensuing mess on Americans and Jews.

After 9/11, we did not, as alleged, invade countries serially, but removed only two fascistic governments, the worst in the Middle East — both with a record of supporting enemies of the United States, and both of whom we had bombed or sent missiles against in the very recent past.

We did not leave after such punitive measures because we felt that the last time we did that, whether in Afghanistan in the 1980s, or Iraq in 1991, or Lebanon, or Somalia, things only got worse — and after 9/11 they might well get much worse. And unlike the bombing of 1998 in the Balkans, both operations in Afghanistan and Iraq were sanctioned by the U.S. Congress, discussed at the U.N., and widely supported by the American people.

Removing the Taliban and Saddam, and promoting constitutional governments in their places, were not the only options after 9/11, but they were good choices — if the desire was to address comprehensively a quarter-century of terrorism that was insidiously escalating both in frequency and vehemence.

If both governments can be stabilized even at this late date, the landscape in the Middle East from Lebanon to the West Bank will be much improved; if not, much worse. For those who wish to give up the struggle in Iraq, go home, and stay clear of the Middle East, a final question: What would Mr. Assad in Syria, al Qaeda in Iraq, President Ahmadinejad in Iran, or Hamas and Hezbollah wish us to do — and why?”

In reading Hanson the mind wandered to a recent essay by Mark Steyn in the most recent issue of National Review, which you’re not allowed to read yet as it’s a paid subscription. The essay in the June 25 issue of National Review, “American Quagmire,” ponders the decline of a nation, based in thoughtful part by the state of the air-travel network and its having to be symbolic of something.

We, in the U.S. just like any nation past, present or future would be remiss if we denied the inevitability of the decline of our nation’s position or power in the world some day. It isn’t however at its dawn just yet so don’t be too pessimistic. Where Steyn ponders others seem to know already because bin Laden is a prophet I guess and we’re without doubt playing right into his hands; it’s always simple as that for the enemy, but never for us.

Many offer our efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere as though they are our Soviet Afghanistan and are evidence of our decline. I disagree as I seem to recall many saying the Soviet’s Afghanistan was their Vietnam; if so they crumbled after theirs and we did not following ours.

The point being poorly made here is that we can fear the decline and not do anything that may hasten its arrival; like run away from Iraq and other places and recede into our shell. Continuing with the diplomatic or sporadic ineffective strikes from “30,000 feet,” that do nothing to actually sway the direction of history except to perhaps allow us to sleep longer and delay the next fanatical attack upon us or the West in general.

In the process of the inevitable we should do everything within our power to bring down those backward cults of death so that when we do finally step down, the world is not left with the Ahmadinejads, Assads, the maniacs et al as the next ascendants. It just cannot be allowed to be and that’s that.

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G-8: A Historians Take

Don't usually just post without comments or take on something, but this from Victor Davis Hanson today on the G-8 Summit is a very worthy read (when is he not).

From its conclusion, Victor Davis Hanson at NRO "G-8 Precipice"

"So the world is at the edge, as the Bush presidency winds down, new directions are promised in Europe, old habits die hard in China and Russia — and all the while the Middle East gets more petromoney and crazier for it."

"Here at home, if we keep paying out petrobribes to unsavory nations, piling up debt to China and Japan, run serial deficits, lose Iraq, and accept stalemate in Afghanistan, surge to 20 million or so illegal immigrants, and suffer another 9/11 attack, then expect the world to become a far more dangerous place, as a poorer, more isolationist America retreats inside an ever thinner, more fragile shell. "

"In contrast, stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan, stop the nuclearization of Iran, cut radically back on imported oil, close the southern border, and end the financial hemorrhaging, and the United States will do just fine, to the great benefit of the world at large."

"But for now hold on, as the Russians get angrier, the jihadists more desperate, Mr. Ahmadinejad closer to Armaggedon, the Chinese more eager to match new power with now old money, Europe more terrified — and the United States ever more baffled by it all."

Go here for where he started....

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