Does Obama Know the War He's In?

Does Obama Know the War He's In?

By Robert Parry
May 2, 2010

In addressing the University of Michigan graduating class, President Barack Obama pleaded for increased “civility” in American politics and in the media, faulting extremes of the Left and the Right for the ugly acrimony that is sapping the nation’s ability to address serious problems.

<snip>

In Obama’s framing of the incivility problem, both sides were treated as roughly equal offenders, despite the reality that the Right (and the Republicans) have been far guiltier of using the politics of dirty tricks and personal destruction – dating back decades – than have the Left (and the Democrats).

Indeed, one could argue that the aggressive style of GOP politics has come to define the Republican Party, from the days of Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon through the era of Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh. The Republicans truly treat politics as a “war of ideas,” with the emphasis on “war.”

When out of power in recent years, the Republicans haven’t even pretended to cooperate with Democrats; instead, the GOP and its media allies have set out to make Washington ungovernable. The incivility is not just some naturally occurring phenomenon; it is a conscious strategy for regaining power.

The Republicans know that the American people will quickly grow weary of all the political bickering that surrounds Democratic control and thus will return power to the Republicans, who further recognize that the defeated Democrats will then bend over backwards to work with Republicans on achieving some normal level of governance.

So, there is a rational calculation for cranking up the volume of the Right’s noise machine to popularize ugly smears against leading Democrats, such as the baseless accusations about Obama being born in Kenya and his supposedly secret Muslim allegiances. This is disinformation in the style of what CIA covert operators spread against targeted leaders of enemy regimes.

<more>

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2010/050210.html

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was produced by a Democrat.

And it worked. Really well.

Until this stuff starts not working, count on it outlasting you and me.

Goldwater's rhetoric was extreme.

LBJ was the 'peace' candidate. There's the joke-of-the-day.

It's not the same since Segretti - Atwater - Etc.

It is sad & horrible, the same movie keeps playing over & over again. Well trained consumers, people believe lies.

Sheriff Joe Arpaio ran a filthy ad here in Phoenix. It only aired a few times. It insinuated that his opponent "pleasured himself" while on duty. It used tape of testimony given during the trial of his opponent on bogus charges that conveniently surfaced during the last time the guy opposed the Sheriff.

Never seen an OP where the first five responses were deleted....

:rofl:

So I'll K&R this just to see what happens next...


:rofl:

He links to it at the bottom of 'Does Obama Know the War He's In?

A Method to Republican 'Madness'
http://consortiumnews.com/2010/033110.html

K&R'd btw.

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and he's damned arrogant in his ignorance, too. He's fighting some little Senate protocol war, while we are trying to keep the country together and viable.

and I think he's honest in the context of the times we live in....but ...that said...I really don't think he understands the hopes and dreams of those who voted for him.

I think he "THINKS" he is doing the right thing for the Country by covering up all the Bush/Clinton lies about NAFTA/GAT and Wars..and he feels that by not prosecuting anyone...America can keep going on the Stock Market (Goldman and the res) and THEY have convinced him that it's SO!

It's a sad thing. He has such a cheerful personality and his family is so Cool..it's hard to diss him for anything.....Like Reagan when he was in power. Reagan=Amiable Doofus.......Obama..Bright Light...faced with "pragmatic choices," that the "Powers that Be" have lectured him on.
:-(

If people had grasped the extent to which this has become a problem , in retrospect, they may well have have supported Hillary- who doesn't have some psychological need to be liked by everyone in the room.

Not long after he was elected and before he was even inaugurated it was pointed out that more guns had been sold. I just heard last night that the amount of militias has gone up from 120+/- to over 500. These people NEVER gave Obama a chance.

Don't be intimidated by them, that's what these domestic terrorists WANT. They bring guns to rallies and organize these militias because it makes them feel powerful.

Well, here's what I think of their "power"

Well, the white house system is very complicated. I don't think the president is supposed to know certain things.

the alternative that he's complicit