Obama Backpeddles AGAIN!! - he sells wares in reverse!

[redsox39]

http://deceiver.com/2009/01/15/4837/#comments

Everybody knows that the only reason we haven’t wiped out Osama Bin Laden is because George W. Bush is too busy lighting big fat cigars with $100 bills his oil company buddies gave him for invading Iraq. Also because Dubya’s too scared to go to Pakistan and look for the guy himself. What are ya, George, chicken? Bawk-bawk-bawk-bawwwwwk!!
Well, Obama’s not. He’s made it very clear that finding the murdering terrorist who’s escaped justice over the last 8 years (Bin Laden, I mean) is top priority (http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/12/binladen.hunt/index.html):
President-elect Barack Obama wants to renew the U.S. commitment to finding al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, according to his national security advisers.
The Obama team believes the Bush administration has downplayed the importance of catching the FBI’s most-wanted terrorist because it has not been able to find him.
“We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority,” Obama said during the presidential debate on October 7.
Yes! Huddle in your little cave, you madman, because Obama is comin’ for you. Goodbye, international terrorism!
…
Eh? What’s that? Obama just said what? (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article5520116.ece)
Barack Obama suggested last night that removing Osama bin Laden from the battlefield was no longer essential and that America’s security goals could be achieved merely by keeping al-Qaeda “on the run”.
“My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him,” he said. “But if we have so tightened the noose that he’s in a cave somewhere and can’t even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America.”
Oh. That’s definitely better than Bush’s plan. See, this is different than what we’ve been doing because… well, you know. It’s Obama. Why are you neocons always nitpicking? Why don’t you get on board the Hope train? Can’t you let us just have this one thing, you racists?


lol

[Stax]

Have you really fallen to the level of posting gossipy blog posts?

[redsox39]

It made me laugh! come on! I couldn't figure out where else to post it though...

If you didn't laugh at:


"My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him,” he said. “But if we have so tightened the noose that he’s in a cave somewhere and can’t even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America.”
Oh. That’s definitely better than Bush’s plan. See, this is different than what we’ve been doing because… well, you know. It’s Obama. Why are you neocons always nitpicking? Why don’t you get on board the Hope train? Can’t you let us just have this one thing, you racists?


then you have no soul or you need to remove Obama cock from your Oral orfice!

[nuclearjew]

Jesus Christ, are we going to put up with 4 more years of your faggotry on GMF? And I'm gonna go all Arch on you: backpeddles? Really?

[nuclearjew]

WHAT DOES IN MEAN TO BACKPEDDLE? (http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071106081016AAhsNyH)

[WET HOT MESS]

pownt

[Gary_Busey]

This thread reeks of truthiness.

[heelsguy]

well, Obama does seem to be shifting his position. just because redsox is crazy does not mean he does not have a point. Obama was clear in that debate, using it to belittle McCain... now in office, he is singing a different tune.

they all do it, but he needs to get called out on it like Bush would have been

[riseabove!]

Osama bin Laden is dead

[Whiffleball]

It didn't make me laugh, although posting straight from a right-wing blog rather than an actual news story and your colorful spelling of "backpedal" made me LOL.

I don't see how it's any different than Bush's "plan" or lack thereof. Bush himself said that he would get bin Laden "dead or alive (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0901/14/ec.01.html)" once upon a time, despite his inability to do so and his starting a war that distracted us from that mission. Interestingly, John McCain promised not only to get bin Laden, but that he knew how to do it, saying he would hunt down Osama bin Laden to the "gates of hell (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/25/john-mccain-i-know-how-to_n_115050.html)" despite never really explaining how this would be done.

It's wrong to give a "dead or alive" ultimatum, period, even if all the president and would-be presidents did it. That's absurd for numerous reasons, but if you're at all shocked that the candidates during the election weren't giving measured, balance answers 100% of the time, you obviously haven't been following politics very long.

At the very least, Obama is doing something very important, which is putting the focus back on Afghanistan and Pakistan and, as a result, bin Laden. He intends to agree to Pentagon plans to send up to 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan, doubling the current US force there. Clinton pointed to the border region as an important place to concentrate during her SoS hearings.

In sum, this isn't much of a "backpeddle" but more of a measured, mature response to a problem as opposed to rhetoric on the campaign trail (gasp!). I'm glad Obama has adopted it and done so early, as opposed to Bush, who still talks about capturing Osama with confidence, eight years later.

[Hanover Fist]

It seems as though all of Obamas campaign promises have an expiration date of about mid-January. Yep, I see a very difficult 4 years for Obama-Carter ahead.

[kid_vidrio]

http://obamanati.info/wp-content/uploads/bush_obama_imperialism.jpg

[Whiffleball]

It seems as though all of Obamas campaign promises have an expiration date of about mid-January. Yep, I see a very difficult 4 years for Obama-Carter ahead.

I can't wait until he achieves a perfect utopia in two months and you have to backpeddle from this statement

[kid_vidrio]

I can't wait until he achieves a perfect utopia in two months and you have to backpeddle from this statement
You think it will take a whole two months?

[nuclearjew]

http://obamanati.info/wp-content/uploads/bush_obama_imperialism.jpg
Waitaminnut, I thought Obama didn't wear the flag pin?

[IdiotBrain]

No, he wears it he just doesn't believe in what it stands for.
[can't wait for the "RACIST!" retorts to this comment]
;)

[kid_vidrio]

Waitaminnut, I thought Obama didn't wear the flag pin?
He didn't when it made sense not to. Now that he is the President, he needs to let people know that he is patriotic. Didn't you get the memo?

[kid_vidrio]

No, he wears it he just doesn't believe in what it stands for.
[can't wait for the "RACIST!" retorts to this comment]
;)
What does a flag on your lapel stand for?

[BIG PIZZLE]

Pandering to morons.

[kid_vidrio]

Yes. Yes you are.

[Candycane]

Redcox you gotta quit this shit.

[redsox39]

Jesus Christ, are we going to put up with 4 more years of your faggotry on GMF? And I'm gonna go all Arch on you: backpeddles? Really?

If you look closely, which I know is hard for you to do...you'll see I never say "Backpeddals", it is a quote. And while it might not really make sense, it is part of popular vocabulary, and most people over the age of 5 know what it means. Jesus, you really are trying hard to be tommy tough nuts, but you just come off as a pissed off little boy looking for approval.

Quit being an Asshole, it was for the humor, get over yourself.

[redsox39]

It didn't make me laugh, although posting straight from a right-wing blog rather than an actual news story and your colorful spelling of "backpedal" made me LOL.

I don't see how it's any different than Bush's "plan" or lack thereof. Bush himself said that he would get bin Laden "dead or alive (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0901/14/ec.01.html)" once upon a time, despite his inability to do so and his starting a war that distracted us from that mission. Interestingly, John McCain promised not only to get bin Laden, but that he knew how to do it, saying he would hunt down Osama bin Laden to the "gates of hell (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/25/john-mccain-i-know-how-to_n_115050.html)" despite never really explaining how this would be done.

It's wrong to give a "dead or alive" ultimatum, period, even if all the president and would-be presidents did it. That's absurd for numerous reasons, but if you're at all shocked that the candidates during the election weren't giving measured, balance answers 100% of the time, you obviously haven't been following politics very long.

At the very least, Obama is doing something very important, which is putting the focus back on Afghanistan and Pakistan and, as a result, bin Laden. He intends to agree to Pentagon plans to send up to 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan, doubling the current US force there. Clinton pointed to the border region as an important place to concentrate during her SoS hearings.

In sum, this isn't much of a "backpeddle" but more of a measured, mature response to a problem as opposed to rhetoric on the campaign trail (gasp!). I'm glad Obama has adopted it and done so early, as opposed to Bush, who still talks about capturing Osama with confidence, eight years later.

I love it, I was waiting to see who would be the first jackass to call it it a right wing blog, lol. WiffleBall WINS!!! Just because it has a story making fun of Obama, it is automatically a right wing blog. You seriously are easy to predict, I knew one of you would do it. Here you go, here is your right wing blog. lol

http://deceiver.com/category/politicos/us-right/


Geez, was that like 100 stories bashing Bush, Palin, McCain, and any celebrities that dare support them? yeah I think it was.

When someone calls out Obama, it doesn't automatically make them a "Big oil conservitive" you fucking idiot. Sometimes a Spade is a Spade. And in any case, this is a humorous Hollywood blog, not Fox news.

And then back to your original point, lol, thanks for spinning that so nicely, I am sure you have been doing that for the last 8 years too, right? Oh, no? Just for your Messiah Loverboy you so obviously pointed out. That was pathetic.

[ShitBreak]

Good god, please just stop posting.

[redsox39]

I can't wait until he achieves a perfect utopia in two months and you have to backpeddle from this statement

lol

[Das Kahlua]

I don't see how it's any different than Bush's "plan" or lack thereof. Bush himself said that he would get bin Laden "dead or alive (http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0901/14/ec.01.html)" once upon a time, despite his inability to do so and his starting a war that distracted us from that mission. Interestingly, John McCain promised not only to get bin Laden, but that he knew how to do it, saying he would hunt down Osama bin Laden to the "gates of hell (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/25/john-mccain-i-know-how-to_n_115050.html)" despite never really explaining how this would be done.

There is no difference, that is the whole point.

Obama ran on a campaign of getting past the 'failed policies of the past 8 years,' turning around the country when Bush couldn't and McCain wouldn't have.

The fact that Obama is starting to look more and more like an average politician, when that was precisely what he promised he would never be, needs to be shown. Oh, and you can't tell me that a 'right wing blog' is less biased than the New York Times these days, and I'm not simply talking about the editorial page.

[vasili denisov]

If you look closely, which I know is hard for you to do...you'll see I never say "Backpeddals", it is a quote. And while it might not really make sense, it is part of popular vocabulary, and most people over the age of 5 know what it means.

Peddle: to sell wares, often in a bazaar or market.

Pedal: to propel through movement of the pedals of a device, such as a bicycle. To backpedal is to reverse direction, often also used to refer to a reversal in stance or change of heart.

redsox39: to perform an action in a way that suggests the individual suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome. exs.: George W. really redsox39ed the presidency, didn't he? Alien vs Predator was utterly redsox39ed.

The quote giving the spin to this interview is from the Times of London, which is a conservative newspaper. It does give the specific spin that this is less intense language than what was stated during the campaign.

In context, Obama stresses first that the number one goal is to prevent terrorists from hitting america. Given this goal, the follow-up question is asked, how crucial is the capture of Osama Bin Laden? In order to achieve this goal, to utterly constrain Bin Laden from communication or contact with any cell would be sufficient.


President-elect Barack Obama: We took our eye off the ball when we invaded Iraq. And now it's done. My job is to withdraw in a responsible way from Iraq and stabilize the situation there. But our real focus has to be on Afghanistan, the border regions between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we have to put as much pressure on them as possible. I've already, you know, spoken to my national security team about how we're going to do that. And I'm confident that we can keep them on the run, and ensure that they cannot train terrorists to attack our homeland. That's my number one priority as President of the United States.

Couric: How important do you think it is, Mr. President-elect, to apprehend Osama bin Laden?

Mr. Obama: I think that we have to so weaken his infrastructure that, whether he is technically alive or not, he is so pinned down that he cannot function. My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him. But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't even communicate with his operatives, then we will meet our goal of protecting America. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/14/eveningnews/main4722185.shtml?source=mostpop_story

[TylerDurden]

lol

sox... you and taters have to be sitting on each other's laps doing the slow bounce or something. you intentionally posted some half-wit's blog post in the news section because you knew that if you put it anywhere else (like, say, the countless obama-hating posts you've started in the politics forum) it wouldn't get looked at.

taters does this shit. it's called baiting. and before you start lolling, thinking you've caught us in some fantastic joke, think about it: you post useless drivel to get a rise out of people, but it's more than you bargain for. i've seen you do this shit before, thinking you can hold your own against the senior members of this forum only to get the wind knocked out of you by their d-game. you're viewed as requiring minimal effort, and so you receive their minimal effort. you're not even a challenge, so when they issue a (frankly) weak response to your bullshit it's not a "win" for you. you're getting the brush-off, because you don't make it worth their time. you're bringin' it weak, son.

but you're useful to this forum in that you provide a service. if you, yelram, or taters weren't around there'd be no one to dislike, and you all give out so much material. occasionally, you even make a decent post that contains coherent thoughts and complete sentences. not often, but sometimes. but even though i don't mind you and your antics (as i recognize them for what they are, attention slut) i would request that you simply remember the very common "post it in the appropriate forum" rule.

thanks.

[redsox39]

Mr. Obama: I think that we have to so weaken his infrastructure that, whether he is technically alive or not, he is so pinned down that he cannot function. My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him. But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't even communicate with his operatives, then we will meet our goal of protecting America.

Who's "we"? Is he saying Bush did a good job on this?

[redsox39]

sox... you and taters have to be sitting on each other's laps doing the slow bounce or something. you intentionally posted some half-wit's blog post in the news section because you knew that if you put it anywhere else (like, say, the countless obama-hating posts you've started in the politics forum) it wouldn't get looked at.

taters does this shit. it's called baiting. and before you start lolling, thinking you've caught us in some fantastic joke, think about it: you post useless drivel to get a rise out of people, but it's more than you bargain for. i've seen you do this shit before, thinking you can hold your own against the senior members of this forum only to get the wind knocked out of you by their d-game. you're viewed as requiring minimal effort, and so you receive their minimal effort. you're not even a challenge, so when they issue a (frankly) weak response to your bullshit it's not a "win" for you. you're getting the brush-off, because you don't make it worth their time. you're bringin' it weak, son.

but you're useful to this forum in that you provide a service. if you, yelram, or taters weren't around there'd be no one to dislike, and you all give out so much material. occasionally, you even make a decent post that contains coherent thoughts and complete sentences. not often, but sometimes. but even though i don't mind you and your antics (as i recognize them for what they are, attention slut) i would request that you simply remember the very common "post it in the appropriate forum" rule.

thanks.

**going to plug my bleeding rectum**

[TylerDurden]

**going to plug my bleeding rectum**

fantastic. thanks for playing.

[Archangel]

If you look closely, which I know is hard for you to do...you'll see I never say "Backpeddals", it is a quote. And while it might not really make sense, it is part of popular vocabulary, and most people over the age of 5 know what it means.

Yeah, and they can spell "backpedal" correctly, too, quite unlike yourself. Acting like this when you're right is douchey enough, but bluster based on simple idiocy? Wow.


Seriously, stop this shit.

[redsox39]

NEWSFLASH!

I am a conservitive! And I am not Obama's biggest fan, none of this should be news. But I fully plan on pointing out everytime he farts, misspeaks, back"tracks", or makes a poor move. I just went through 8 years of it, and I am greatly looking forward to it! Come on, this clip was funny, and we are going way too deep on it. And while admitting an ass kicking to TD, I really just wanted to post that, and where else could I do it? I debated long and hard about the "humor New section" but since it was actually factual, I waffled.

In any case, I will actually let my track record speak for itself, and I am pretty sure I was hands off of Obama since the election until yesterday. Except for defending him in the Assassination thread.

[ShitBreak]

No, you aren't a conservative. You are a fucking retard. While some may disagree, there actually IS a difference.

[redsox39]

Thanks for the lovely insight there as usual Mike.

[ShitBreak]

Just doing my part.

[heelsguy]

it is apparently going to be hard for the Dem's to get used to playing defense for the next 4 years after pummeling Bush against the ropes for 8 + years

[Das Kahlua]

it is apparently going to be hard for the Dem's to get used to playing defense for the next 4 years after pummeling Bush against the ropes for 8 + years

There are a lot of liberals on this forum who opposed a lot of Bush's policies, so it's not surprising that they slammed him for 8 years, and are now in love with Obama. There are also a bunch of Euros running around who all have their own opinions on the US political system and its players. On top of that, Bush alienated plenty of the hardcore base of his own party with some of the more dumbass decisions he made in his two terms in office--basically, people all over the spectrum are unhappy with many of the things he did.

The fact is, the level of support for Obama, both in the US and abroad, has bordered on hysteria; it is more blind allegiance than based in any substantive policies. (Before Stax or Tater or anyone else gets their panties in a bunch, I understand that you may have very good reasons to support him, but the vast majority of people who voted for him didn't have a clue the difference between him and Hillary or him and McCain.)

People who support a candidate for reasons other than his/her qualifications or political beliefs will never vacillate in their support, no matter what that candidate says or does. It simply doesn't matter to those people, as they've bought into Obama as an idea rather than as a person. (I didn't come up with that line, Michael Moore said it on his blog.) There will be people who may become disillusioned with Obama if he keeps flip-flopping or going back on his promises, but with the media and Hollywood fully in Obama's corner, don't expect there ever to be a strong anti-Obama movement in this country, outside of talk radio.

[Yelram]

The real enjoyment i'm going to get over the next 4 years is watching Obama run the country exactly how Bush did, and watching some of you pinheads come up with reason after reason why his words and actions are somehow justifiable. I 'll bet we'll here "But Bush did", atleast 1000 times during this administration. It'll be fun to watch these fucking toolbags that somehow think liberal ideals will be the shining light that saves us, have to admit how full of shit they were.

[NOTKyle]

*hear

[Grieves]

The real enjoyment i'm going to get over the next 4 years is watching Obama run the country exactly how Bush didYou must be a masochist.

[Morfin]

The fact is, the level of support for Obama, both in the US and abroad, has bordered on hysteria; it is more blind allegiance than based in any substantive policies. (Before Stax or Tater or anyone else gets their panties in a bunch, I understand that you may have very good reasons to support him, but the vast majority of people who voted for him didn't have a clue the difference between him and Hillary or him and McCain.)

For those of you too young to know or remember, the feeling now is similar to the feeling when Reagan got elected. Times were hard, interest rates in the high-teens, economy in the dumper, Americans not feeling proud of their country. Reagan took advantage of his election win and public support and rammed through sweeping legislation, including massive tax cuts.

My point is that Obama has come off a big election win, his popularity is atmosphericpretty darn high, the economy is again in the dumpers and Americans having taken a hit in World opinion. He has the opportunity that Bush 1, Clinton, and Bush 2 did not have: the mandate and a friendly Congress. The big test will be whether he is able to take advantage of that and take the offensive to form his own agenda or whether he sit back and play defense.

[fuldstændigamok]

Thanks for the lovely insight there as usual Mike.

Well, for once he had a point, so you might listen to him and stop posting BS threads. While you're at it, stop trolling too.

[Hoser]

Osama...Obama


just saying.....

[Yelram]

Hey fucking douchebags, why all the hate on Redsox? Oh yeah, thats right, because you dont agree with him, and instead of giving reasons why, you call him stupid, and waste a whole fucking thread crying like little fucking babies. Wow, i'd never expect immature infantile dribble from this forums liberal lackies.
(/sarcasm). I remember when Bush made the statement that "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
- G.W. Bush, 9/13/01, and then
"...Secondly, he is not escaping us. This is a guy, who, three months ago, was in control of a county [sic]. Now he's maybe in control of a cave. He's on the run. Listen, a while ago I said to the American people, our objective is more than bin Laden. But one of the things for certain is we're going to get him running and keep him running, and bring him to justice. And that's what's happening. He's on the run, if he's running at all. So we don't know whether he's in cave with the door shut, or a cave with the door open -- we just don't know...."
- Bush, in remarks in a Press Availablity with the Press Travel Pool,
The Prairie Chapel Ranch, Crawford TX, 12/28/01, as reported on
official White House site
and then

"I am truly not that concerned about him."
- G.W. Bush, repsonding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts,
3/13/02 (The New American, 4/8/02)

Now Obama goes, after running a campaign, lambasting Bush for not getting Osama, and not concentrating enough on Afghanistan, and that he didnt go into Pakistan to get him, he says.


"My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him," he said. "But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America."

THOSE ARE THE SAME FUCKING THINGS, YOU DUMB FUCKS ARE JUST TOO LOVEY DUBBY EYED WITH OBAMA TO REALIZE, HE HAS GIVEN YOU THE SAME EXACT RESPONSE THAT BUSH DID, AND YOU SLURPED IT DOWN, AND MADE EVERY EXCUSE FOR HIM, WHILE STILL DEMONIZING BUSH. You are a bunch of mindless toolbags if you dont realize that.

[nobody]

For those of you too young to know or remember, the feeling now is similar to the feeling when Reagan got elected. Times were hard, interest rates in the high-teens, economy in the dumper, Americans not feeling proud of their country. Reagan took advantage of his election win and public support and rammed through sweeping legislation, including massive tax cuts.

My point is that Obama has come off a big election win, his popularity is atmosphericpretty darn high, the economy is again in the dumpers and Americans having taken a hit in World opinion. He has the opportunity that Bush 1, Clinton, and Bush 2 did not have: the mandate and a friendly Congress. The big test will be whether he is able to take advantage of that and take the offensive to form his own agenda or whether he sit back and play defense.

Unfortunately for the country, Obama is no Reagan and doesn't even believe in tax cuts for businesses (and the rich - between whom, employ the vast majority of Americans) and so has "little to NO" chance of fixing the economy.

[taters]

?? Is this news?

And did Redsox give it this title? Dude, if you gave a self depreciating title to this, I gotta commend you. If this was originally to be taken seriously, well....Ive got no response.

[Archangel]

You know that after the first post, all posts show the name of the thread before it was changed, right?

[Whiffleball]

There is no difference, that is the whole point.

Obama ran on a campaign of getting past the 'failed policies of the past 8 years,' turning around the country when Bush couldn't and McCain wouldn't have.

The fact that Obama is starting to look more and more like an average politician, when that was precisely what he promised he would never be, needs to be shown. Oh, and you can't tell me that a 'right wing blog' is less biased than the New York Times these days, and I'm not simply talking about the editorial page.

Some of the conservatives around here need to quit their whining. I don't know any of us on the left who have defended Obama blindly against the throng. I am probably the biggest leftie on here and I have criticized Obama numerous times for making dubious to just plain bad decisions. Go read the closing Gitmo thread for a very recent example of freegood and I agreeing that Obama may just be continuing the same bad ideas the Bush administration started.

I think anyone with a modicum of common sense acknowledges that Obama is just a man, just a politician, that he is a centrist who is playing to the middle, right or wrong, in order to build up political capital in order to pursue his policies.

It was stupid of him to promise "We will kill Osama bin Laden" for obvious reasons. I still think it's worth pointing out that he didn't say "We're going to give up on capturing or killing him, we're just going to contain him". He adopted a more measured, realistic position of "Ideally we'd like to kill or capture him, but if he's contained, at least then he's not a threat to the USA as he would be if he were to freely operate".

But I maintain the most important point is that Obama wants to put the focus on Pakistan and Afghanistan, the places where these militant Islamists have taken root, where Osama bin Laden probably is. And this isn't Obama the Genius with some groundbreaking, novel idea. This is good because it just makes sense, in the same way that putting manpower and focus on Iraq, which had nothing to do with 9/11 and terrorism, was totally fucktarded. I don't see how you can credibly say Obama = Bush when this was one of the latter's biggest failings.

You can keep railing about how Obama just gets a free pass, how everyone in the world is biased against you, how last November was all part of a gigantic left-wing conspiracy, etc. Or American conservatives can actually calm down, consider why the Right was so heavily repudiated, and realize what their present strengths and weaknesses are. It seems a good number of you acknowledge Bush was an idiot; the next step is realizing that Palin would just be a continuation of the same.

[Le Goat]

Barack Obama got a global standing ovation long before he was elected president. But in a fickle and fast-moving world, the overseas reviews are already turning mixed.
Though much of the world will party through the night Tuesday after Obama is sworn in as America's 44th president — just as it did when he was elected — there are signs the ardor is cooling as the sheer weight of his challenges sinks in.
A deepening global recession, new hostilities in the Middle East, complications in closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan — an impatient world has a stake in all of them and is asking how much change Obama can deliver.
"Just two months ago, the future president seemed a cross between Superman and Merlin the magician," Massimo Gramellini wrote in a commentary for Italy's La Stampa newspaper. "Now he himself admits he won't be able to keep all his promises, and who knows? Maybe someone will ask for his impeachment by the end of next week."
"The idealism has diminished," said Samuel Solvit, who heads an Obama support network in France. "Everyone was dreaming a little. Now people are more realistic."
Muslims want to know why Obama hasn't joined the chorus of international criticism of Israel's Gaza offensive. Last week posters of him were set on fire in Tehran to shouts of "Death to Obama!"
"By the time Obama takes office, hundreds or thousands more will be killed in Gaza and it will be too late for him to act," said Adel Fawzi, an Egyptian government clerk in Cairo.
Obama has expressed concern about Gaza, but says he's reluctant to say much more until his inauguration.
Meanwhile the global economic collapse is already closing in on him. Around the world, leaders and their publics are waiting to see what he does to calm roiled markets and restore confidence.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and German Chancellor Angela Merkel both say they're confident the Obama administration will succeed in working with Europe and China to build a stronger global economy.
"He has a big vision of how America can contribute to the long-term prosperity of the world," Brown said.
"The chances of us working this out are good," Merkel said in Berlin, where Madame Tussauds rolled out a wax likeness of Obama to great fanfare.
Sweden's prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, told parliament last week he empathizes with the monumental challenges facing Obama.
"I think it's difficult to find an American president who is being met with such a number of expectations as Barack Obama," he said.
That's the problem, said Reginald Dale, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington: People everywhere simply expect too much, practically ensuring Obama will disappoint.
"The United States can't solve all the world's problems," he said in an interview. "It doesn't have enough money or military power. And the president is constrained by Congress and the constitution. The founding fathers wanted to stop someone from being like a monarch."
Dozens of developing countries rely on U.S. foreign aid, which historically has been generous. But an administration preoccupied with keeping Americans from losing their homes and jobs may have to cut back on foreign assistance.
Even items on Obama's agenda that initially seemed straightforward are turning out to be fraught with complications, such as closing Guantanamo in eastern Cuba. Obama has hinted that it may be his first executive order — but experts say it could take a year to accomplish.
"There are all sorts of logistical questions," Dale said. "What if they suddenly captured Osama bin Laden? Where would they put him? It's very easy for people abroad to take these issues as symbols of what they think is wrong with America. They need to understand the Americans don't like these things any more than they do."
That hasn't stopped harsh U.S. critics like Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez from offering blunt advice.
"I don't want to tell President Obama what to do," Chavez said in a televised address. He did anyway: If Obama wants to free up billions of dollars, Chavez said, he should pull U.S. troops out of Iraq immediately and shrink Washington's military bootprint around the world.
Obama did pledge during the campaign to withdraw all American combat forces from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. But he also vowed to shift the focus to Afghanistan — and Obama's Pentagon is likely to find it hard to persuade allies to commit more troops there.
Mexico has tempered its expectations that Obama will bring "transformational change" to the economy or quickly tackle immigration reform. As Agustin Carstens, Mexico's treasury secretary, put it: "At the end of the day, we have to be realistic."
All the same, there's still plenty of Obamamania overseas, particularly in Europe, where George W. Bush is highly unpopular.
"We still have high expectations," said Dean Cole, 41, selling fruit from a north London market stand. Obama "strikes me as a man of honor. When I hear him, I think, 'There's a man with a mission.'"
Maria Gabriella Lunato, a 53-year-old saleswoman in Rome, reveres Obama as though he were a pope. "He will not be just an American president, but a person who will spread justice around the world," she said.
But Lise Lindeberg, a 72-year-old retiree in Stockholm, Sweden, thinks people have put too much faith in Obama.
"I feel sorry for the poor thing," she said. "People want him to be a savior — some kind of messiah. You just can't become president and change everything when there's no money."

[taters]

The only people whom the 'idealism has diminished' are those from the right, for which there never was any hope from the beginning. As fox said, the right began campaigning for 2012 a month before the elections. No surprise Bushists and their overseas allies are rallying against Obama.

[Morfin]

Heaven forbid anyone let Obama at least get into office before criticizing him. Let him at least have a cabinet meeting and start making decisions before criticizing him.

And to all the world, who claims that the U.S. has lost its influence or power worldwide, it sure seems like the world is all sitting around waiting for Obama to take office and 1) settle the Gaza problem; 2) Settle Afghanistan; and 3) solve the Korea problem. If there is some country (or some certain Union or group whose initials are U and N) who wants to step up and be a leader, go ahead and show your balls. The bottom line is that no one has the balls to act on their own initiative, they all look to the U.S. to solve the world's problems. And then, when things go bad, sit back and play Monday-morning quarterback. Hey World, Fuck you.

[Grieves]

Let him at least have a cabinet meeting and start making decisions before criticizing him.Has he even appointed anyone that isn't racked by scandal?

[redsox39]

The bottom line is that no one has the balls to act on their own initiative, they all look to the U.S. to solve the world's problems. And then, when things go bad, sit back and play Monday-morning quarterback. Hey World, Fuck you.

Well said.

[redsox39]

The only people whom the 'idealism has diminished' are those from the right, for which there never was any hope from the beginning. As fox said, the right began campaigning for 2012 a month before the elections. No surprise Bushists and their overseas allies are rallying against Obama.

Wait, overseas Allies? Wat is thos?

[redsox39]

I remember when Bush made the statement that "The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him."
- G.W. Bush, 9/13/01, and then
"...Secondly, he is not escaping us. This is a guy, who, three months ago, was in control of a county [sic]. Now he's maybe in control of a cave. He's on the run. Listen, a while ago I said to the American people, our objective is more than bin Laden. But one of the things for certain is we're going to get him running and keep him running, and bring him to justice. And that's what's happening. He's on the run, if he's running at all. So we don't know whether he's in cave with the door shut, or a cave with the door open -- we just don't know...."
- Bush, in remarks in a Press Availablity with the Press Travel Pool,
The Prairie Chapel Ranch, Crawford TX, 12/28/01, as reported on
official White House site
and then

"I am truly not that concerned about him."
- G.W. Bush, repsonding to a question about bin Laden's whereabouts,
3/13/02 (The New American, 4/8/02)

Now Obama goes, after running a campaign, lambasting Bush for not getting Osama, and not concentrating enough on Afghanistan, and that he didnt go into Pakistan to get him, he says.


"My preference obviously would be to capture or kill him," he said. "But if we have so tightened the noose that he's in a cave somewhere and can't even communicate with his operatives then we will meet our goal of protecting America."

THOSE ARE THE SAME FUCKING THINGS, YOU DUMB FUCKS ARE JUST TOO LOVEY DUBBY EYED WITH OBAMA TO REALIZE, HE HAS GIVEN YOU THE SAME EXACT RESPONSE THAT BUSH DID, AND YOU SLURPED IT DOWN, AND MADE EVERY EXCUSE FOR HIM, WHILE STILL DEMONIZING BUSH. You are a bunch of mindless toolbags if you dont realize that.



quit trying to get the thread back on topic! So what if that was the entire point of the thread, let's talk about backpeddling and how Redsox is a troll who can't stay... on...topic...

[Yelram]

quit trying to get the thread back on topic! So what if that was the entire point of the thread, let's talk about backpeddling and how Redsox is a troll who can't stay... on...topic...

This whole thread turned into a "the right are CRAZY, let him get in office first", and completely ignored that Obama used the exact same method of shutting people up about Osama that Bush used.

I think anyone with a modicum of common sense acknowledges that Obama is just a man, just a politician, that he is a centrist who is playing to the middle, right or wrong, in order to build up political capital in order to pursue his policies.

If you really think liberals have any sense, I feel sorry for you. These are the people who blamed everything from gas prices to hurricanes on the president, like he's some sort of black arts sorcerer, and you expect them to realize that Obama, who just spent 3 years telling us all about change, and how we need change, and yes we can, and enough is enough, cant magically fix all the worlds problems, and make life easy? And now, it seems, that the excuses begin. When his policies, and GWs are complete lockstep, i'm going to laugh watching you fucks write three page essays on why what Obama did was alright, because Bush caused all the problems.

[Archangel]

So if all liberals have no sense, does that mean that all conservatives are masters of reason?

[Claydon]

So if all liberals have no sense, does that mean that all conservatives are masters of reason?


yes

[Pax Britannia]

So if all liberals have no sense, does that mean that all conservatives are masters of reason?

If Liberals had any sense they'd be Conservatives.