• Afghanistan,  Barack Obama,  Day By Day,  NATO

    Day By Day by Chris Muir April 4, 2009 – Meditative Analogous Dialogue

    day by day 040409

    Day By Day by Chris Muir

    Yes, Chris, the Democrats are good at creating “NOISE” and playing “HIDE THE BALL” on the issues. It is all about “symbolism over substance” with them.

    Look, for example, at Obama’s European trip. The President requested more troops from NATO for the Afghanistan-Taliban War (note Flap did not call it the Global War on Terror) but he was rebuffed.

    NATO allies agreed to send up to 5,000 more military trainers and police to Afghanistan. But, Obama (plus the Obama loving MSM) are hailing it as “strong and unanimous support from the NATO allies.” It was anything from the sort.

    Obama called that “a strong down payment” on both Afghanistan and NATO itself at the end of a gathering celebrating the 60th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

    He waved off questions on whether the size and makeup of the commitments were disappointing in light of an anti-terrorism struggle he himself portrayed as daunting. Since becoming president, Obama has begun switching America’s anti-terror emphasis to fighting al-Qaida in the Afghanistan-Pakistan area as the war in Iraq winds down.

    The new president insisted that “terrorists threaten every member of NATO,” but he also said he had no intention of trying to dictate to European countries the scope of their contributions.

    “This was not a pledging conference,” he told a wrap-up news briefing packed with both American and foreign journalists. “We came expecting consensus and we’re gratified getting that consensus.”

    In other words, Obama failed to achieve his goals for the NATO meeting. But, it is the symbolism, the crowds and the adoration of his wife that is important while MORE Americans are called upon to sacrifice their lives because American NATO allies refuse.

    Some consensus……

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    links for 2009-04-04

    • North Korea says it has completed preparations to send a satellite into orbit and will launch the rocket soon.

      The country's neighbors and the United States believe Pyongyang is actually planning to use the launch as a test of a long-range ballistic missile.

      They are closely monitoring North Korea's movements, in case the launch takes place.

      If fired, the rocket likely will sail over Japanese territory. Tokyo has deployed land-to-air missile interceptors in case any debris fall over the country.

      North Korea's military has warned it will attack the interceptors and key Japanese facilities if Tokyo tries to take the rocket down.

      The U.S., South Korea and Japan have urged North Korea not to go ahead with its plans, warning that Pyongyang will face consequences.

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    • At first glance, the decision should help candidates — like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who won the Iowa caucuses in 2008, and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin — who are closely aligned with the social conservative wing of the Republican party.

      Huckabee called the decision "disappointing", adding: "All Iowans should have a say in this matter, not a handful of legislative judges. This issue is too important to not be made by the people of Iowa. It is my hope that the Legislature will take the necessary steps to properly resolve this matter."

      Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who ran unsuccessfully for the nomination in 2008 and is an almost-certain candidate in 2012, did offer a comment on the decision when asked by the Fix.

      "I believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman and the definition of marriage should be left to the people and not to activist courts," Romney said.

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      Second, while I'm sure that the long-term costs of the Obama agenda will create space for a renewed anti-tax message, I'm less convinced about the short run – especially if the cap-and-trade bill, which seems like the aspect of his agenda most likely to court short-term backlash, goes down to defeat.
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    • Iowa's supreme court has ruled that its constitutional guarantee of "equal protection" for all people requires the state to recognize same-sex marriage. The court overturned a law passed in 1998.

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      But law and politics there mean that same-sex marriage will likely stay legal, at least, until 2013.

      Iowa blogger Desmoinesdem explains the law: A constitutional amendment can get on the ballot only after being passed in two consecutive two-year sessions. But Democratic leaders — who welcomed the court ruling — say they won't hold a vote on it this year; they're likely to block any vote in at least the State Senate until the end of this session in 2010.

      If Republicans pick up seats, or the climate changes, you could see an amendment passing in the 2011-2012 session, and again in 2013. But that is a very long way off.

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      (tags: gaymarriage)
    • President Obama held a much ballyhooed town hall in Strasbourg, France, on Friday, touted by the White House as an outreach to Europeans on the second leg of the president's "listening" tour.

      But the first person he called on was an American — and the third, too. By the end of the hourlong session, not a single French citizen got to ask the U.S. president a question.

      (tags: barack_obama)
    • The bankers struggled to make themselves clear to the president of the United States.

      Arrayed around a long mahogany table in the White House state dining room last week, the CEOs of the most powerful financial institutions in the world offered several explanations for paying high salaries to their employees — and, by extension, to themselves.

      “These are complicated companies,” one CEO said. Offered another: “We’re competing for talent on an international market.”

      But President Barack Obama wasn’t in a mood to hear them out. He stopped the conversation and offered a blunt reminder of the public’s reaction to such explanations. “Be careful how you make those statements, gentlemen. The public isn’t buying that.”

      “My administration,” the president added, “is the only thing between you and the pitchforks.”

    • Mitt Romney responds to the ruling: “I believe marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman and the definition of marriage should be left to the people and not to activist courts.”
      (tags: gaymarriage)
    • Rod Dreher took note of this a little while ago, and over the weekend Kathleen Parker based a column around an interview with Ahmanson, a big-time GOP fundraiser and social conservative who's decided to re-register as a Democrat out of frustration with the California GOP. Ahmanson is a quirky figure, to put it mildly, and you don't want to read too much into his registration flip. But like Obama's surprising gains among traditionalist Catholics, it suggests that my anxieties about our potential Californian future – with a bloated, largely-unbeatable Democratic Party facing off against an anti-intellectual GOP rump – should be extended beyond the possibility of "liberaltarian" voters and thinkers moving into the Democratic column.
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      The ruling, viewed nationally and at home as a victory for the gay rights movement and a setback for social conservatives, means gay couples can legally marry in Iowa beginning March 24.

      (tags: gaymarriage)