Comments Posted By Joe
Displaying 1 To 10 Of 137 Comments
We're spending 600 billion a year on "defense" so that we can "project" our military might in all corners of the world.How ludicrous is that?But its taboo to even hint at cutting the military.Americans could be dying in our streets from hunger, but by God we can't cut any military budgets.We may go bankrupt Rick, but we'll still have military bases in over 130 countries.So until we man up about that I say our powers to be can go straight to hell.
Yes - we could get away with spending less on the military. The problem is that our defense is structured to fight wars that will never occur - great big stand up fights with tanks and APC's, and pinpoint artillery.
Rumsfeld - for all his other faults - had the right idea but was stymied from rethinking our overall posture by the Pentagon brass who oh so love to play with their little toys. Plus, he wanted to reform the military in the midst of two wars - couldn't be done.
Military procurement could stand a massive overhaul too. But the fact is, our military spending is still less than it was as a percentage of GDP in the past. Our economy is growing faster than the size of the military budget.
ed.
Comment Posted By Joe On 13.02.2010 @ 09:58
SARAH PALIN AND THE ASPIRATIONAL POLITICS OF RESENTMENT
Good summary Rick.What I hear from a number of conservatives is "we love her because she drives the liberals crazy."So they love her because she helps make the country more polarizing?Wow. I too believe she is too lazy to make a run in 2012.And can we now stop the mularkey about the tea parties not being a gop entity.The gop has fully incorporated them. Most of the teapartiers are conservative republicans, the gop leaders will just abuse them like politicians of both stripes abuse the voters.If Sarah wasn't attractive, would we even be talking about her?
Comment Posted By Joe On 10.02.2010 @ 18:42
I listen to these people call in to rightwing radio, and like Rick I get the impression they think their smarter than the rest of America, and that their Marxist/dictator sensor is off the charts. I guess with whack jobs like Glen Beck repeating his lies daily, these people just foolishly let their fantasies run wild.The independents that are switching their loyalties over to the gop aren't doing this as a permanent thing, they"ll see if the gop knows how to govern this time. If not they"ll wait to see if the Democrats veer to the center, which they should, and then rejoin them.
Comment Posted By Joe On 4.02.2010 @ 19:20
THE POTENTIAL ANTI-OBAMA VOTE IN NOVEMBER
Have the Dems done a good job governing? No. But Americans still recall what a mess 8 years of gop rule wreaked.If people think Americans have gone far right with Beck and company they are sadly mistaken.We are a centrist country with a distrust of Washington.Republican politicians aren't loved anymore than Democratic ones.Right now the party in power is getting the brunt of the anger as it rightly should.There is no passionate groundswell to have Boehner become majority leader of the House.Independents like Scott Brown will be the wave of the future. Obama needs to run to the center and he'll be fine.
Comment Posted By Joe On 31.01.2010 @ 15:53
WHAT PLANET HAS OBAMA BEEN VISITING THE LAST YEAR?
As an Obama supporter I am disappointed that he hasn't run to the middle, where most American's ideology resides.But still Rick, what does the gop stand for? Is bashing Obama on everything a way to govern?If the gop is so smart who will they run in 2012 for president? As far as I see there is no one.As far as the midterms, will my life be better with Boehner and McConnel, 2 political hacks, being in power.Yes people have no faith in the Democrats leading America, but they have no faith in gop leadership also.Unless the 2 sides can work together on helping mainstreet were doomed.
Comment Posted By Joe On 29.01.2010 @ 06:20
WHY CONSERVATISM IS DISCONNECTED FROM REALITY
Kinda funny how there were no teaparty protest when the good ole boy conservative GWB was running up the deficit. Or wasting a trillion dollars invading and occupying Iraq. Nobody was crying "I want my country back" when he was president. But a liberal Democrat running up deficits,why, thats all together different,don't ya know? All you people crying every day about Pelosi,Reid, and Obama, stop and think, how'd they get in power. Because Bush and the gop ran the country into the ground. And you supporters of him never said a word in opposition. So now, cry me a river. Rick is spot on in his blog post. Palin and crew have muddied the waters about the good points of conservatism. Now the modern day conservatism is just attack dogs. They just want to paint all Democrats as Marxists. Go ahead nominate Caribou Barbie, a woman who didn't know their were 2 Koreas. What happened to intellectual conservatives like the late Jack Kemp? It just kills you people when Rick tells it like it is. The rightwing echo chamber doesn't exist on this website. good.
Comment Posted By Joe On 13.01.2010 @ 22:23
Since when did Obama start "downplaying terrorism" ? Nice Dick Cheney impersonation Rick.Limbaugh is an out of touch blowhard, your batting .500 now Rick.Al Queda is capable of sriking, we should hunt them down,but,I won't hide under my bed wetting my pants about them.Thats how they win. If Israel strikes Iran it will rally the people around their government and oil will hit $200, and still the nuclear threat could survive with their facilities buried underground.
Comment Posted By Joe On 5.01.2010 @ 06:13
IS OBAMA BEING PRUDENT OR IS HE INCOMPETENT?
The rightwing has figured out if they repeat their talking points enough the lies will take hold.Thomas Ricks who wrote the book "Fiasco" on the invasion of Iraq said"The invasion of Iraq was the biggest foreign policy blunder in American history." Bush had OBL surrounded in Tora Bora and "outsourced" the job of capturing him to Afghan tribesman, who let him slip thru the mountains. Read the book "State of Denial" by Bob Woodward.Military leaders were pleading to Bush and Cheney that a major insurgency was brewing in Iraq. Cheney ignored them as "a few deadenders." How in the hell would all this be considered strong on foreign policy? It was like Bozo the Clown running our Defense Department. Bush crowing "bring em on" is not a strategy. I'm all for Predator drones taking out jihadists and keeping some troops in Afghanistan, but the argument that chicken hawk conservatives are brilliant tacticians on fighting radical islam is some kind of a sick joke. Cheney should climb back under whatever slimy rock he crawled out of. He's been wrong on everything.
Comment Posted By Joe On 1.01.2010 @ 10:42
Just watched Obama on CNN delivering a statement condemning the Iranian crackdown. Maybe we should let the newscycle of the day run it course before firing up the "I'm so outraged at Obama....(fill in the blanks) machine. sigh.
Comment Posted By Joe On 28.12.2009 @ 17:38
THE WORST PIECE OF LEGISLATION IN MY LIFETIME
The gop had no intention of ever supporting healthcare, no matter what was in it.Everyone knew that from the get-go."It's horrible" Limbaugh said on his radio that the bill was fascism, and would destroy the nation.The gop could care less about people going without healthcare.Their about bloodlust for attacking some other country thats wronged us.No Senator DeMint, this isn't Obama's Waterloo, its you and your party. Good riddance.
Comment Posted By Joe On 27.12.2009 @ 17:27
