President Obama PLANNED Russia-Syria Situation?

[LikelyToBreak]

Aroura33 wrote in part:

But personally I am now fully aware that the American people get the shit end of the stick on most issues no matter who we elect. American politics have become soooo conservative that any actual liberal has no chance in hell of presidential election.

Pretty much sums up my opinion on this.  I didn't think Obama would make any real difference in how things were in America.  But, I hoped I was wrong.  Sometimes it really sucks to be right.  

And no, Obama isn't smart enough to have thought all of this out ahead of time.  He is just reacting as most of us would in his shoes.  I still think a lot of what he is reacting to are the lobbyists like AIPAC and others.

[Shiranu]

I buy the article. Obama is a player. I never saw him otherwise. I don't however, give Kerry that much credit- he doesn't move without a hand guiding him. As to the clever wow stuff, I don't know. But never buy Obama as dumb. He is anything but.

No one is saying he is dumb, just saying I don't believe that this is the one exception where he wasn't a Republican. And I don't think he is Sherlock Holmes & Julius Caeser combined to be able to have played this "chess game" with this as his end game.

Given his history of being a Republican in practice, it just feels very convenient to say, "Oh yeah, this was his endgame all along!" and not, "This is just what Obama is.".

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Given his history of being a Republican in practice, it just feels very convenient to say, "Oh yeah, this was his endgame all along!" and not, "This is just what Obama is.".

That's SOP among Obama supporters.  Instead of saying "he didn't give us what we want so therefore we will criticize him" they say "hooray the glass is 1/10 full and this is what Obama intended the whole time."

If there was an "R" instead of a "D" after Obama's name, he wouldn't be getting praise for those now praising him.  Remember S-CHIP and Prescription Drug Coverage for Seniors?  Do those cheering Obamacare also cheer those?  Exactly.

[SGOS]

Obama came out of this looking like the weaker party, not the Republicans.

I'm surprised he misread America's lack of interest in another war, and then equally surprised that he should disregard polls that reflect it.

I don't think this issue redefines him as especially weak.  He has been a weak president from the start.  His skills are in oratory, not in policy.  His legacy will not be that of a strong president, and he won't leave much behind that will be of great value.

Obama's top 50 accomplishments

50 Top Accomplishments?  I quickly realized this list was pure political spin and stopped reading after the first 10.  Some of these could also pass as his biggest failures.  Others are questionable.  Some were just things that happened.    

1 Healthcare - A tongue in cheek response to Hillary Care by Republicans, and it's still pathetic 20 years later.
2 Stimulus - One would think America is doing well.
3 Wall Street Reform - Kidding right?  At least George Bush sent Martha Stewart to jail.
4 Ended Iraq war - (and transferred the Military to Afghanistan).
5 Afghanistan - The Afghan people will finally be free!
6 Osama bin Laden.  1 point for not interfering with the Seals.
7 US auto industry - Detroit is a wealthy city again.
8 Recapitalized banks - Yay!  Obama's top treasury advisers saved their cronies.
9 Don't Ask Don't Tell - Figured out it was discriminatory after vacillating for 5 years.
10 Toppled Gaddafi - Some Republicans say George Bush started the Arab Spring.

[josephpalazzo]

I'm surprised he misread America's lack of interest in another war, and then equally surprised that he should disregard polls that reflect it.

I don't think this issue redefines him as especially weak.  He has been a weak president from the start.  His skills are in oratory, not in policy.  His legacy will not be that of a strong president, and he won't leave much behind that will be of great value.

Obama's top 50 accomplishments

50 Top Accomplishments?  I quickly realized this list was pure political spin and stopped reading after the first 10.  Some of these could also pass as his biggest failures.  Others are questionable.  Some were just things that happened.    

1 Healthcare - A tongue in cheek response to Hillary Care by Republicans, and it's still pathetic 20 years later.

Not really. It was Newt Gingrich who first proposed it as against Hillary's plan. Then Romney instituted it in Massachussetts when he was governor. Then it became the ACA under Obama.

2 Stimulus - One would think America is doing well.

The last Great Depression lasted 16 years, from 1929-45. This one lasts a mere two years. It would have lasted even shorter hadn't the GOP obstruct Obama and twarted his plan to get a second stimulus.

3 Wall Street Reform - Kidding right?  At least George Bush sent Martha Stewart to jail.

You're mixing apples with oranges. The reform is to regulate financial institutes when they delve into high risk investment like derivatives, which I'm sure you understand that market fully.

4 Ended Iraq war - (and transferred the Military to Afghanistan).

Why is it so hard to give Obama the credit of ending the war in Iraq? Are you that much of a racist?

5 Afghanistan - The Afghan people will finally be free!

Are you suggesting that we stay there indefinitely?

6 Osama bin Laden.  1 point for not interfering with the Seals.

Another racist comment: A black guy can never, ever do anything right!!!

7 US auto industry - Detroit is a wealthy city again.

 The decline of Detroit started in the 1960's. As usual from a  racist, Obama is guilty of that too.

8 Recapitalized banks - Yay!  Obama's top treasury advisers saved their cronies.

So according to your racist logic, letting the banks failed, putting the economy into the tank, and let the unemployment soared to 30% would be the right solution. Great thinking.

9 Don't Ask Don't Tell - Figured out it was discriminatory after vacillating for 5 years.

So what no other president has ever done is still not enough to give him credit. Your racism is
 beyond salvation.

10 Toppled Gaddafi - Some Republicans say George Bush started the Arab Spring.

There might be some truth into that, but you wrote that just to demean the black guy in the oval office.

[SGOS]

Are you that much of a racist?

Another racist comment:

So according to your racist logic....

Your racism is  beyond salvation.

There might be some truth into that, but you wrote that just to demean the black guy in the oval office.

Bullshit.  Go find a statement from me anywhere in this forum where I ever demeaned a person because he was black.

[billhilly]

Are you that much of a racist?

Another racist comment:

So according to your racist logic....

Your racism is  beyond salvation.

There might be some truth into that, but you wrote that just to demean the black guy in the oval office.

Gettin pretty hard to defend your guy on the merits eh?

[josephpalazzo]

Are you that much of a racist?

Another racist comment:

So according to your racist logic....

Your racism is  beyond salvation.

There might be some truth into that, but you wrote that just to demean the black guy in the oval office.

Bullshit.  Go find a statement from me anywhere in this forum where I ever demeaned a person because he was black.

I don't have to. I know a racist when I see one. And you are.

[josephpalazzo]

Are you that much of a racist?

Another racist comment:

So according to your racist logic....

Your racism is  beyond salvation.

There might be some truth into that, but you wrote that just to demean the black guy in the oval office.

Gettin pretty hard to defend your guy on the merits eh?

What I gave you are facts. What you gave back is your opinions. You're entitled to your opinions but not to your facts.

[billhilly]

All those whoppers on the list really are facts to you aren't they?  Even the part where you said Obama couldn't shut down Gitmo because the republicans control congress is true in your mind I bet.  You're like a YEC claiming there are no transitional fossils.

[Jason Harvestdancer]

2 Stimulus - One would think America is doing well.

The last Great Depression lasted 16 years, from 1929-45. This one lasts a mere two years. It would have lasted even shorter hadn't the GOP obstruct Obama and twarted his plan to get a second stimulus.

It's nice to know that unemployment is low, inflation is low, gas prices have come down, etc.

Since "recession" is only defined as the decline, one might be able to bullshit and say the economy is better.  The recession that caused the Great Depression only lasted a few years as well, but the Great Depression outlasted the recession that caused it by many years.  The same is true of Great Depression II which we are still in.

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Are you that much of a racist?

Another racist comment:

So according to your racist logic....

Your racism is  beyond salvation.

There might be some truth into that, but you wrote that just to demean the black guy in the oval office.

Bullshit.  Go find a statement from me anywhere in this forum where I ever demeaned a person because he was black.

Are you that much of a racist?

Another racist comment:

So according to your racist logic....

Your racism is  beyond salvation.

There might be some truth into that, but you wrote that just to demean the black guy in the oval office.

Gettin pretty hard to defend your guy on the merits eh?

JP isn't really capable of arguing without insulting people.

[josephpalazzo]

All those whoppers on the list really are facts to you aren't they?  Even the part where you said Obama couldn't shut down Gitmo because the republicans control congress is true in your mind I bet.  

Get yourself informed. From a recent article, May 30, 2013:

Lately Obama has tried speaking the language Republicans best understand—spending—by pointing out that each inmate at Gitmo costs $800,000 per year to house, for a total of about $150 million per year in operations. But when it comes to closing Gitmo, Smith says, many of the Republicans whose support Obama would need to approve transfers to U.S. prisons have boxed themselves in politically. House Speaker John Boehner, for instance, has called the prison a "world-class facility" and in 2010 said he wouldn't vote to close it "if you put a gun to my head."

Read more: http://swampland.time.com/2013/05/30/wh ... z2fAEcRrjN

[billhilly]

So with Obama's expansion of executive orders and a Democratic house and senate for the first few years of his presidency, he just couldn't quite get it done? Remember when the house speaker was Pelosi? Yep, no transitional fossils here.

[Jason Harvestdancer]

You're not supposed to mention the time interval when Democrats controlled the House and the Senate under Obama.  Even if every Republican voted "no" there would still have been enough votes to close Gitmo - if the Democrats actually believed in closing Gitmo.