An "Amen" Moment With T-Paw Concerning U.S. War Policy

...I recently returned from my fourth trip to Iraq and my second trip to Afghanistan.... the rule needs to be 'When the United States goes to war, the United States wins'.

Source: http://www.gop12.com/2009/09/pawlenty-when-us-goes-to-war-us-wins.html

Ahmadinejad Refuses to Negotiate, Wants To Talk

At his first formal press conference since his June 12 re- election, Ahmadinejad said today he didn’t recognize deadlines for talks on Iran’s nuclear plans. “Iran’s nuclear issue is over,” he said. “We will never negotiate Iran’s undeniable rights.”

At the same time, the Iranian president said, “we are ready to discuss world issues with the U.S. president in the presence of mass media. The time of hidden agreements is over, and television debates are the best way.”

Looks like the great negotiation skills of President Obama are working wonders...

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aa7mTee2kpoU

Obama Administration Shifts Funding Away From Civil Society

The Project on Middle East Democracy has done an in-depth study of the Obama State Department Budget, and has an interesting, albeit disturbing, find:

The report calculates that civil society groups received $31.75 million in 2008 but will receive only $7 million this year, and that Obama seeks to eliminate $10 million that had been slated for local Egyptian organizations and NGOs such as Freedom House and arms of the National Endowment for Democracy.

In general, Republican Punk praises the (relative) return to the realism of the Nixon/Reagan/Bush 41 administrations. However, part of that realism was uniquely American, including supporting NGOs and local civil society that would eventually lead to liberalism, if not democracy, in areas such as Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa.

Read the full report here.

Please, Mr. President, don't give up on Hope and Change abroad.

CNN Headline Makes Pro-Taliban Militant Seem Like Friend

CNN has a headline that reads: "Maverick pro-Taliban militant offers to help U.S. forces"

Of course, it doesn't mention the fine print:

An Afghan militant group is willing to "help" U.S. and coalition forces, if they prepare to leave Afghanistan, the group's leader said in a statement given to CNN on Monday.

Hekmatyar did not define what he meant by "help," but is typically understood to mean that the group would stop attacks against coalition forces, stop recruiting members and stop the intimidation of local citizens.

The whole article is written to make it sound as if we should accept his offer or be doomed to the fate of the Soviets in the 80s.

Read the whole article here.

Hillary Gets Testy

Ok, so maybe my (newly co-opted) girl isn't perfect.

Lindsey Graham Turns Donald Rumsfeld Into A (Very Negative) Verb

Absolutely correct, Mr. Graham. Absolutely correct.



Source: The Politico

Military Experts in Senate Write Obama On Trials For Terrorists

Jim Webb (D-VA), John McCain (R-AZ), Lindsay Graham (R-SC), and Joe Lieberman (I-D - CT) have penned a letter to the President in an attempt to dissuade him from trying Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11, in the United States. Hopefully, this won't be necessary, as commons sense dictates that what he did was an act of war and should be handled by the military as such, but just in case the ACLU and the like try to strong-arm the left wing of the White House:

“We write to you today to express our concern over reports that your Administration may prosecute Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11 terrorist attacks, and other alleged war criminals in civilian courts in Virginia, New York, and the District of Columbia. Such trials would treat the war on terrorism as a law enforcement operation, rather than a war, and would treat its alleged perpetrators as common criminals, instead of violators of the law of war."

Source: http://lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=f0af834e-802a-23ad-47dc-13a1c834e1e6

Leahy Blocking Anti-Drug Cartel Funding For Mexico

The release of a report that would free up more than $100 million in U.S. aid to Mexico to combat drug cartels has been delayed by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont.

Mexico has not met all of the conditions for aid, specifically the prosecution of police and military officers who violate human rights, Leahy said in a statement released Wednesday.

The money in question is part of the Merida Initiative, a $1.4 billion, three-year program, aimed at fighting drug cartels that the Mexican government says are responsible for more than 10,000 deaths since Mexican President Felipe Calderon took office in 2006.
The Merida Initiative aid from the United States was authorized to help Mexico with counternarcotics, port and airport security, technology, and training and strengthening of law enforcement institutions.

Most of the aid was released without conditions, but the agreement stipulates that 15 percent of the aid will be withheld until the State Department gives Congress a favorable report on Mexico's human rights record.

The Washington Post reported that the State Department was prepared to present a favorable report ahead of President Obama's visit to Mexico this weekend, but Leahy rejected the report.

So, when Congress wants to spend billions in earmarks and pet projects, they threaten to override a presidential veto in order to get him to ignore it. But for $100 million in what was one of the few successful Bubama initiatives, one that is making progress towards the goal of creating security on both sides of the southern border, and one that is already approved by Congress and the State department, Sen. Leahy will use his (ridiculous) committee authority to block it single-handedly by not letting the report be accepted before the whole Senate.

Yeah, makes sense he is from Vermont, where his colleague is an actual, admitted Socialist and they are as far away from border reality as possible. Maybe he should move to Texas for a few months.

Source: CNN

When Communists Are Telling You To Stop Taxing So Much...

This is in reference to America expanding its taxing of citizens and firms living abroad to be even stricter in Asia. It is important to note that the United States is the only developed country to still use this archaic, growth stifling form of accounting. Anywho, here's the quote:

"America is locking itself in behinds its own great tax wall," says Laurence Lipsher, a certified public accountant in China.

Source: The Economist, July 25th Issue

Obama's Sudan Envoy Thinks All Is Well And Good

Thursday when the president's special envoy to Sudan, Scott Gration, told Congress that he did not think there was any evidence to support the continued designation of Sudan as a sponsor of terrorism.

Mr. Gration has taken a softer line than Ms. Rice toward the regime headed by Sudanese President Omar Bashir, going so far last month as to say that the genocide against the people of Darfur was over and that the world was now dealing with the remnants of the killings.

What???

Read More: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jul/31/two-obama-aides-clash-over-policy-for-sudan/

Hillary Clinton: Best Secretary of State Since Baker?

Ok, maybe the title is a little bit of hyperbole 7 months into the new administration, but she has thus far shown that maybe we were wrong to write off "smart power." She seems to have mastered the balance, both rhetorically and in action, between tough talk and diplomacy. This clip is the highlight:



Too bad she wasn't running foreign policy instead of health care during her husband's administration.

For more great highlights from her interview, including comments on North Korea, Russia, and her elbow, check http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/25426.html

Scary Numbers Concerning Afghanistan

From the neew AP-GFK poll:

"Do you favor or oppose the war in Afghanistan?"

Favor Oppose Unsure Refused
44 53 3 1

President Obama needs to get on the bully pulpit on this, because we are not fighting a war of choice here. If Afghanistan falls, Pakistan falls, and that is as close to a worst case scenario there is.

Source: Polling Report

Tom Coburn Knows How To Get It Out Of Her!

Tom Coburn, Senator from Oklahoma and hero of hardcore small government conservatives, seems to have a knack at putting Sotomayor on the spot. Watch as he calls her out on a lesser known, but arguably more important, speech she gave where she stated that foreign law should affect American judges' reasoning, and watch how she struggles to wash those comments away.



Then, there is a great (if not that enlightening) exchange concerning gun rights, full with I Love Lucy reference.



Finally, here she is punting on a straight-forward, very specific question concerning abortion, something she has done quite a bit of during these hearings, which, in all honesty, is probably the right strategic move. Also, note Coburn being the Southern Gent that he is.



Source: The Politico

Secretary Clinton Impresses

Secretary Hillary Clinton's first major address has helped restore some faith in Obama administration foreign policy. It was strongly pro-American while staying realistic; goals-oriented while still painting a broad picture of how the Clinton State department sees the world. All in all, a wonderful departure from the Obama apology tour, especially where she stands up to the idea that America is an imperialist power and that we are entering a post-America world. Now, if only her and Secretary Gates could run the foreign policy by themselves...



Source: The Politico

Obama and Africa, and "Rhetoric over Policy"

There is a great opportunity for Obama in terms of the U.S. relationship with Africa. Not only has he promised to continue President Bush's excellent AIDs initiative and shifted aid towards the provision of tools, seeds, and training rather than simply lump transfers of money and food (the "teach a man to fish" vs. "give a man to fish" approach), but his heritage gives him an opportunity to speak frankly concerning African stagnation and conflict.

We absolutely don't have the money (not to mention public will) to send massive amounts of additional aid to Africa or to intervene militarily in places such as Zimbabwe and the Congo, nor should we do it even if the resources were available. Fortunately, one place where there is great strength in the President is in his ability to use rhetoric and the bully pulpit to persuade and cajole people into action:

While the presidents’ messages were broadly similar—touting democracy, deploring corruption, and calling for a new approach to development aid—it’s hard to dispute that Obama gets away with criticism of Africa that other U.S. presidents could not...

Yet, when Obama uttered the phrase “tribal conflicts” at a press conference Friday as he discussed his planned trip to Africa, it went virtually unremarked upon. So, too did several references he made in his Ghana speech to battles among “tribes.”

Obama got similar leeway when he used his Ghana speech and an earlier appearance to compare the stagnation in Africa to the rapid rise of economies in Asia.

“Countries like Kenya had a per capita economy larger than South Korea's when I was born. They have badly been outpaced,” Obama said.

Another president might have been accused of racism for even offering such an example, but Obama avoided that simply by affirming the abilities of Africans.

We saw similar "rhetoric over policy" skills on Father's Day and during the campaign, when the President pushed men to be men and be there for their children, and for more NGOs to step up and help in these areas. While it would be better if the choice to follow this path in these areas was due to a distaste for big government, libertarians/conservatives should take what we can get and praise the President if he continues to provide positive leadership without creating new programs.

Relevant Link: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0709/24813.html