America's Eyes Are Open

[tomspug]

Day One: Obama faces a Cold War threat and a warning from Israel | Mail Online

Just reading this article, I can feel it. You can feel that something is going to change, you don't know what. It's that feeling you get before you jump into a pool, like when you round a corner and you don't know what will be there.

The President of the United States IS the most important person in the world, and right now the world is watching Obama. It's crazy that so much attention could ever be given to just one person. What's fascinating is that it feels like Obama is taking us with him into the world, into the shoes of the President.

Bush was a closed-door president. He shut himself off from his people, which protected him from ridicule, but it also denied the American people perspective and understanding. We will know soon enough just what Bush has been doing for the past eight years, everything that we have been left in the dark about.

What really IS our relationship with Russia? With China? With Israel? With Tehran? With Afghanistan? It's like we don't even know. All we have had is headlines and body counts for the last eight years. Now that our eyes are on Obama, our eyes are finally off of ourselves and on the world, where they should have been all along. Has the CHANGE we needed this whole time... been merely perspective? I think so.

I feel like we are participating in history, and that history is going to be worth remembering. It's about time.

 

[Quagmire]

Day One: Obama faces a Cold War threat and a warning from Israel | Mail Online

Just reading this article, I can feel it. You can feel that something is going to change, you don't know what. It's that feeling you get before you jump into a pool, like when you round a corner and you don't know what will be there.

The President of the United States IS the most important person in the world, and right now the world is watching Obama. It's crazy that so much attention could ever be given to just one person. What's fascinating is that it feels like Obama is taking us with him into the world, into the shoes of the President.

Bush was a closed-door president. He shut himself off from his people, which protected him from ridicule, but it also denied the American people perspective and understanding. We will know soon enough just what Bush has been doing for the past eight years, everything that we have been left in the dark about.

What really IS our relationship with Russia? With China? With Israel? With Tehran? With Afghanistan? It's like we don't even know. All we have had is headlines and body counts for the last eight years. Now that our eyes are on Obama, our eyes are finally off of ourselves and on the world, where they should have been all along. Is the CHANGE we needed this whole time... been merely perspective? I think so.

I feel like we are participating in history, and that history is going to be worth remembering. It's about time.

Perspective is a great place to start. :yes:

 

[tomspug]

bump.

 

[YmirGF]

So how do these stories indicate that "America's eyes are open?"

 

[Valjean]

Why is the US president the most important person in the world?

 

[kai]

so! its only Obama thats new, the stories could have come from the 70s or the 80s thers nothing new there, I think most people are waiting for a miracle, Obama to talk them all around and bring world peace and we can all live together --------ah bollocks

 

[Father Heathen]

Why is the US president the most important person in the world?

Probably not the most "important", but the most powerful and influential person.

 

[Heartfelt]

I'm just not so sure we may all like the ride

 

[Father Heathen]

I'm just not so sure we may all like the ride

 

[Alceste]

Hi, Tom. I'm guessing you're not in the UK, as the Daily Mail is hardly an authoritative news source. It's a tabloid. Drama is what sells papers in the UK, and where no real drama exists they're happy to make some up. For example, being hacked is not unusual. It's a hobby for tens of thousands of nerds around the globe to try to breach network security on anyone or anything that piques their interest. In fact, you're probably being hacked right now. So am I. I know people who have hacked the pentagon just to see if they could. It's not a national security threat, it's what nerds do when they're sick of World of Warcraft.

Of course Israel is concerned about Obama. They had carte blanche from the Bush administration to do things like invade Lebanon, and are hoping the US will back them on bombing Iran. Of course they express this concern by saying everybody will think he's "weak". That's how men goad other men into doing stupid and dangerous things.

And of course Russia is "threatening" to match America's missile system in Eastern Europe with one of their own in Poland. (It's Russian for "I'd rather you didn't"). That's how arms races work. If one side backs down, so does the other. If one side builds up, so does the other. Nobody can afford this crap these days. Everybody would prefer it if America was not establishing new military bases and armaments in Europe and the middle east. (Well, everybody except Israel and possibly Georgia).

That said, I agree with your sentiment that it will be nice to find out what the Bush administration has been up to, and what facts have been lurking beneath the spin. I can't imagine there could be much more to discover than has already been revealed, though. The Bush administration has been great with the bald-faced lies, but useless at concealing the truth.

 

[Heartfelt]

President Bush made mistakes for sure but so have ALL the Presidents of the U.S.A....but at least he had guts that put one dictator out of business...He just should have pursued Bin Laden first...and besides he made a good scapegoat for all the reporters;CBS, NBC,ABC...etc. Truth about President Bush will come to light down the road good or bad...too many people believe everything the news reports and don't take time to see first just who did what in what way.

 

[tomspug]

Hi, Tom. I'm guessing you're not in the UK, as the Daily Mail is hardly an authoritative news source. It's a tabloid. Drama is what sells papers in the UK, and where no real drama exists they're happy to make some up.

I can't remember the last newspaper I read that wasn't a tabloid.

 

[kai]

Hi, Tom. I'm guessing you're not in the UK, as the Daily Mail is hardly an authoritative news source. It's a tabloid. Drama is what sells papers in the UK, and where no real drama exists they're happy to make some up. For example, being hacked is not unusual. It's a hobby for tens of thousands of nerds around the globe to try to breach network security on anyone or anything that piques their interest. In fact, you're probably being hacked right now. So am I. I know people who have hacked the pentagon just to see if they could. It's not a national security threat, it's what nerds do when they're sick of World of Warcraft.
Arnt you getting a little confused here a tabloid is the format rather than a broadsheet, are you thinking of the sun the daily mirror,the star .
Of course Israel is concerned about Obama. They had carte blanche from the Bush administration to do things like invade Lebanon, and are hoping the US will back them on bombing Iran. Of course they express this concern by saying everybody will think he's "weak". That's how men goad other men into doing stupid and dangerous things. Overtures to Iran are a legitimate cause for concern ,to Israel as the Iranian president is a sworn enemy of Israel and America is a sworn ally. He will have to deal with Iran one way or another.and if he can talk them out of a nuclear device then all well and good

And of course Russia is "threatening" to match America's missile system in Eastern Europe with one of their own in Poland. (It's Russian for "I'd rather you didn't"). That's how arms races work. If one side backs down, so does the other. If one side builds up, so does the other. Nobody can afford this crap these days. Everybody would prefer it if America was not establishing new military bases and armaments in Europe and the middle east. (Well, everybody except Israel and possibly Georgia).
and Poland,American bases or Missile shields are not put there without permission and Russia does not own Europe
That said, I agree with your sentiment that it will be nice to find out what the Bush administration has been up to, and what facts have been lurking beneath the spin. I can't imagine there could be much more to discover than has already been revealed, though. The Bush administration has been great with the bald-faced lies, but useless at concealing the truth.

The war in Afghanistan is going to be a shock for the Obamaites, it needs a surge ,a massive troop reinforcement, and something needs to be done about the Pakistani northern territories which are a haven to Taliban and Alqieda. This alone will make him a war time president, or cut and run of course

 

[Alceste]

The war in Afghanistan is going to be a shock for the Obamaites, it needs a surge ,a massive troop reinforcement, and something needs to be done about the Pakistani northern territories which are a haven to Taliban and Alqieda. This alone will make him a war time president, or cut and run of course

I don't think it will be much of a shock, kai, since he and Biden campaigned on exactly the plan for Afghanistan that you describe. What do you think Democrat supporters are expecting, and on what do you base your opinion?

Re the Daily Mail, it's not any different in format or tone from the Sun, Mirror and Star from what I can see. What makes you say it's not a tabloid? (I asked Wampus to confirm, since I don't read any of them - I read the guardian, the independent and BBC websites for news, plus trawl for varied sources on particular areas of interest. He confirms it is, but it aims for a less hysterical tone than the others to appeal to the middle class).

 

[Alceste]

I can't remember the last newspaper I read that wasn't a tabloid.

Maybe you should branch out a little.

 

[doppelganger]

The war in Afghanistan is going to be a shock for the Obamaites, it needs a surge ,a massive troop reinforcement, and something needs to be done about the Pakistani northern territories which are a haven to Taliban and Alqieda. This alone will make him a war time president, or cut and run of course

BarackObama.com | Remarks of Senator Obama: The War We Need to Win

It is time to turn the page. When I am President, we will wage the war that has to be won, with a comprehensive strategy with five elements: getting out of Iraq and on to the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan; developing the capabilities and partnerships we need to take out the terrorists and the world's most deadly weapons; engaging the world to dry up support for terror and extremism; restoring our values; and securing a more resilient homeland.

The first step must be getting off the wrong battlefield in Iraq, and taking the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

I introduced a plan in January that would have already started bringing our troops out of Iraq, with a goal of removing all combat brigades by March 31, 2008. If the President continues to veto this plan, then ending this war will be my first priority when I take office.

There is no military solution in Iraq. Only Iraq's leaders can settle the grievances at the heart of Iraq's civil war. We must apply pressure on them to act, and our best leverage is reducing our troop presence. And we must also do the hard and sustained diplomatic work in the region on behalf of peace and stability.

In ending the war, we must act with more wisdom than we started it. That is why my plan would maintain sufficient forces in the region to target al Qaeda within Iraq. But we must recognize that al Qaeda is not the primary source of violence in Iraq, and has little support -- not from Shia and Kurds who al Qaeda has targeted, or Sunni tribes hostile to foreigners. On the contrary, al Qaeda's appeal within Iraq is enhanced by our troop presence.

Ending the war will help isolate al Qaeda and give Iraqis the incentive and opportunity to take them out. It will also allow us to direct badly needed resources to Afghanistan. Our troops have fought valiantly there, but Iraq has deprived them of the support they need—and deserve. As a result, parts of Afghanistan are falling into the hands of the Taliban, and a mix of terrorism, drugs, and corruption threatens to overwhelm the country.

As President, I would deploy at least two additional brigades to Afghanistan to re-enforce our counter-terrorism operations and support NATO's efforts against the Taliban. As we step up our commitment, our European friends must do the same, and without the burdensome restrictions that have hampered NATO's efforts. We must also put more of an Afghan face on security by improving the training and equipping of the Afghan Army and Police, and including Afghan soldiers in U.S. and NATO operations.

We must not, however, repeat the mistakes of Iraq. The solution in Afghanistan is not just military -- it is political and economic. As President, I would increase our non-military aid by $1 billion. These resources should fund projects at the local level to impact ordinary Afghans, including the development of alternative livelihoods for poppy farmers. And we must seek better performance from the Afghan government, and support that performance through tough anti-corruption safeguards on aid, and increased international support to develop the rule of law across the country.

Above all, I will send a clear message: we will not repeat the mistake of the past, when we turned our back on Afghanistan following Soviet withdrawal. As 9/11 showed us, the security of Afghanistan and America is shared. And today, that security is most threatened by the al Qaeda and Taliban sanctuary in the tribal regions of northwest Pakistan.

 

[doppelganger]

Maybe you should branch out a little.

Yes, that's really a shame. I would suggest the Guardian as a good place to start.

 

[Valjean]

I'll second that. The Guardian and online BBC are good general news sources.

 

[Halcyon]

BarackObama.com | Remarks of Senator Obama: The War We Need to Win

Wow, a President with a brain, that's refreshing.

 

[cardero]

The President of the United States IS the most important person in the world, and right now the world is watching Obama.

Obama never said that he was bigger than The Beatles.

Obama's apology:
"If I had said television is more popular than Obama, I might have got away with it, but I just happened to be talking to a friend and I used the word Obama as a remote thing, not as what I think - as Democrats, as those other Democrats like other people see us. I just said "they" are having more influence on kids and things than anything else, including me, Obama. But I said it in that way which is the wrong way."