OMG I am so glad you said that. I was thinking along the same lines. Isn't Patraeus a yes man?

I don't think McChrystal should have been fired. Obama just didn't like anyone to who did not think like him running the show.

RDIX- actually I think you are wrong- but we all have opinions- he was McChrystal's military boss- which should put he yes man analogy aside.
He is a more experienced, politically savvy person, and is less apt to give off the record remarks to people- look at his length of field service, and the numbers of times he has been dragged back to DC to make reports, or update Biden, as well as Obama
The problem with Obama is he does not like anyone, and cannot stand for opinions- would lobve to see him reading a newspaper, and biting articles out of it, throwing them to his dog

jjcom, the policy in Afghanistan is McCrystal's policy and was instituted by Obama. This firing definitely was not a difference in opinion as they were on the same page and the policy is going to remain in effect dispite the fact the initiator was releaved from duty. The General showed lack of leadership in allowing his men to make derrogatory comments about the civilian leaders of this country to a reporter. It is this display of poor leadership that led to the General being relieved from his posting.

Obama is nothing more than a college professor...book learning but no practical experience. He can talk, but he has no idea what goes on in combat, nor does he have an inkling of how difficult it is to earn a living when millions of gallons of oil are destroying part of our country as well as a way of life for many. I grew up in south Louisiana and joined the military to give something back to this great country. I am floored when I think that this arrogant self-serving man represents my country, because he certainly doesn't listen to what the people want!

kippie: that is why Obama has Generals and why Afghan military planning was McCrystals. MCCrystal and his men made degratory remarks to a reporter that are published in Rolling Stone's Magazine. McCrystal was fired for insubordination and that is just cause.

Obama did the absolute right thing to General McCrystal. had nothing to do with a person knowing about wars or not. If McCrystal disagreed with the Presidents decision, then he should have gone to the president in private quarters, not tell the public how he does not agree with the presidents decision's. That is complete disrespect to the president. If you are the Manager and a company put you in place to fix issues and one of your assistant managers does not agree with your plan and tells everybody your an idiot and he does not agree with the way you are running things, that does not give that assistant manager the right to do that. IT'S CALLED DISRESPECT!!!!. And that's why Obama did what he did. Plain and simple. I have plenty of respect for Obama and what he has got done while in office. What did bush do in 8 years besides destroy our country. You can't fix 8 years of damage in 1.5 years. And in the 1.5 years that he has been in office, I say he has done a pretty good job up to this point.

I am far from an obama and democrat supporter. I know they are leading our country down a path of destruction. Even the European countries in Canada for the G20 summit are lecturing obama and dems about their out of control spending. Look what it is doing to them. However, McChrystal and his staff were not very smart. Whether they like it or not obama is their commander in chief and should have never said what they did, whether on or off the record. They set themselves up for this. On to the finanace bill. We now have another democratic lawmaker in chris dodd stating that we would have to see what was in the bill after it is passed. How pathetic that any of you liberals would think this is ok. Many beleive this new bill will hurt the economy. The finance companies are not the main cuprit in the financial mess. carter, clinton, barney frank, maxine watters, etc can take a large amount of blame. carter and clinton for making it easy for people who could not afford the mortgage loans to get them, fannie mae and freddie mac for being instructed by clinton to buy up the high risk loans, barney frank and watters for telling Bush and his representatives just months ahead of the mess, that finance market, fannie, and freddie were sound. How much do want to bet the fannie and freddie will have nothing done to them?

you are quite confused...generals are not suppose to discuss current policy through the news media...they do that in military meetings with their superiors and subordinates...McCrystal was a fool and very insubordinate to the cammander in chief...maybe you could rewrite all the military books at the West Point library to reflect the way you would want to run a war campaign...I guess you are a much better judge of war strategy than others high up in the military...to me you just sound like another member of the PARTY OF NO spouting their usual BS...

It is a shame that their are so many people taking President Obama apart for getting the general out of his place in Afghanistan. If you have a difference of opinion at work you go to your boss in Private and talk you do not go to the news paper and tell what you think. That is wrong and the President did the right thing. As for BP he had been working with them from the beginning, as they were trying to get a old Maritain law enforced and only pay so much for clean up. That was in the news on the computer.So after so long they finally started paying some people, Obama kept after them until they set up a fund for the people.At the very beginning of the oil spill He called in the best mine he could of scientist, Also oil people. other governments were sending ships to help clrean up the mess. The president is not an oil man,He called in all he could to try and clean up the mess. BP used wrong pips and defective cap for the well they knew it was defective and wrong pipe, they were told. He only agreed to the off shore drilling because that was what the people wanted. He wanted to start the going Green, that would have made jobs for people and quit polluting the air. Now we have a big mess and going into stormy weather in the gulf. But he is working on it as much as he can. As for regulations on wall street that is needed to prevent everything falling apart again This was both partys work.. He has had to fight the party of no all the time and they are fighting him tooth and nail and said from the beginning they wanted him to fail. They need to work together and make it work. They would gain more respect if they did. I do not belong to either party and vote for who ever I think will do the best job. I am a moderate not lib. or conservative.Even with the spill of oil Piland is out there talking drill drill. She hasn't done anything for her state except take and go out on speech making deals making millions. As for the abortion issue, it should be left up to the person. I don't believe in it, and tax payers money shouldn't be used for it unless the mothers life is in danger. But when they couldn't get a abortion there were many women died in dirty back rooms where it was done.Some women so mutilated in the female parts that they could never have a child. That was bad so have to look at both sides of the problem. Lets try being kind to each other and our Representatives. Get rid of the ones that are crooked and take money to get things past. Honesty is what we need.

Gen. McChrystal tried to complain to Obama but Obama never listened. The records show that Obama hardly met with the man. Very wrong.

Where's the news report about lobbying? Obama found a loop hole and his admin. is meeting with lobby people at cafe shops instead of the White House. This is not transparent. This is sneaky.

Forgot to add - I don't think any President should be allowed the title "Commander in Chief" unless they have actually served in the military. If they haven't - then let a high ranking official who has, give and wield the advice/direction. Big deal - Obama has a college education and promotes more spending for that too. Well guess what, where will the jobs be when they graduate........they certainly aren't here for those of us who are equally educated to the annointed One!

Thanks, N Y Times.

I needed a good laugh.

Obama makes Jimmy Carter look like a great leader.

It seems quite obvious some of you were never in the military or worked anywhere with a rank structure. If you you were, you probably never left the lowest levels and we all know why. When a General disrespects his superiors in the presents of his subordinates he is showing he is not capable of leading. With all his experience I am sure he was aware of the proper protocol to express his differences with the administration. He chose this newspaper as his vessel to vent his frustrations and if the General didn't realize this was going to happen, I don't think he was the right man to be planning our strategy in this war where so many lives are at risk.

re(asserts authority)??? How is doing something the first time re-doing it??

Fred G: I'm with you--I was about to say: re-assert authority? How can he re-assert something he never had?!

I tell ya, you can fool some people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.

Firing McCrystal was not an assertion of authority - it was an admission of incompetence. Has everyone forgotten that McCrystal was Obama's hand-picked General???

Look, general mcchrystal said his mind in all which is fine for you or me. But as a leader of the might and force of the US military it was made very clear from the begining that to him that it would be illegal to do so. I personally would of loved to of heard what was said between the two behind closed doors, but that aside.

The military never whines or cries about orders, they do them or they dont. If they decided the government has become an enemy they park tanks on the lawn in dc and take temporary control. They never complain, they do or they don't, thats it. theoretically

yeah, yeah, yeah.... I am betting obama gets a second term.

I mean hell, do you really want to give the military freedom of speech? THINK about it.... in no time the military would consist of Keith Olbermann's or Glenn Becks, after they had their internal power struggles and all that

As I see it , having a general as a yes man and following the orders of the president is a set up like oil and water. Obama reacted to the civilians being wounded and killed. So now you have a person of no experience telling a fighter how to fight. We could not even fire illumination for our troops because the canister MIGHT hit a civilian. I saw these stupid rules of engagement in Viet Nam , believe me they don't boost the moral of the troops. Having a soldier see what might be crawling up on him is far more important then someone who might be hit by a falling canister. Remember now,Petrais will be changing the rules of engagement. This means that what was in place was WRONG for our troops. Another bad call for this failing president.

You have no sense of history. This is the U-S--The good general--as much as you may prefer him to the President--is not in charge. This isn't an issue of free speech--he's NOT the commander in chief for pete's sake. Patraes is not changing the rules of engagement---Exactly the RIGHT call for this President at the right time.

lets get back to the article at hand. do these three gold stars on obamas latest assignments really mean he is back in charge. or did some aid from the white house just send a message to msnbc saying hey look how good we are doing?

first of all firing your top general in a war zone because he calls you an idiot is not really great leadership, finding out why he thinks your an idiot and working to resolve the problem is great leadership.

second passing a bill that everyone in the world wants you to pass to reign in financial institutions but leaving out regulations on the two businesses most culpable in the financial collapse is not leadership it is protecting your friends at the expense of the country. (freddie and fannie magically are not regulated by the new bill)

and third after bp announces they are planning to establish a 20 billion dollar fund for cleaning the gulf and helping people whose lives have been destroyed. coming out and demanding that they set up a 20 billion dollar fund to clean up the gulf and help people whose lives have been destroyed is not leadership it is grand standing.

So as an american i say quit judging the president on what he thinks makes him look good and start grading him on whether he is positively affecting the situations he is dealt.

my guess is if 911 happened on obamas watch we would be seeing the airlines dragged before congress and forced to explain how they let their planes crash into the world trade center and he would be demanding that the airlines pay compensation to the people of new york.

Obama shows authority? Only to the New York Times and its brain-washed readers. What happened to the NYT article about the "transparent" Obama regime meeting secretly on a regular basis with lobbyists outside of the WH? Why did msnbc make that go away? Don't bother answering. I'm sick and tired of the blatant bias of the leftist, lamestream media.

huskergal: Your other comment got collapsed with Amvet's first comment, which just happened to get more votes than any other here. Would you like me to start reading Rolling Stone? They are so desperate for readers that they added me to their subscription rolls for free until I had to tell them to cease and desist. It is a total piece of crap, and where I live recycling is very expensive.

Maxine-14: I have no strong ties to the military, but I absolutely agree with you. I don't feel physically safe with Obama in the WH and feel very uneasy about it. Aside from all of the rest of the mess that he has made in only 18 months, I am mostly concerned that he refuses to protect our southern border, makes nice to leaders of countries that should never be trusted under any circumstances, alienates the few allies that we have in the world, and has no practical or even theoretical military knowledge. Add his inept and non-existent response to the Gulf spill, a national crisis of unprecedented dimensions, and I not only become worried but quite alarmed.

yeah, yeah, yeah.... I am betting obama gets a second term.

Yes, I pray to GOD and hope you are wrong!

If this clown is voted in for a second term, this nation doesn't deserve to survive.

It seems that most people repying to this article in a negative manner never took a government/civics class. The United States of America was founded with the plan to always have a CIVILIAN as chief commander of the military......the military responds to the wants and needs of the CITIZENS of the US........not the other way around.....that is why we don't have even the possibility of a military coup in the US. ....... McChrystal showed complete insubordination to the president.......that is just not acceptable in the military.......and would not be accepted in private business either. We have had presidents with military backgrounds.....but they were elected when already civilians. Our country was founded with checks and balances in the system for a reason.....so that we don't have a dictatorship, and so the the military cannot take control of our country

Hitler fired or killed his generals before he ran the Germany army his self. I wonder how long before obama starts running our two wars? I'm sure obama said our troops would be out of Iraq in July of 2010?

You can be sure 90% of the people on this post have never had a civics class or bothered to educate themselves in any way about government based on most of the comments on the vine.

Mr. O. is a by-product of you-know-who... His political achievement in being elected president: yes, elected by you, mr./mrs. voter was largely helped by 8 years of mischiefs and lack of authority. Your/our present political/economic life must go through this process, which includes our minds being refreshed of the notion that freedom and liberty are not "first" in as much as they are the product of everyone's discipline in doing the "right thing" every time..

Apparently, you fail to understand the requirements of military discipline. What the General did was actually a violation of the military code of justice. He could have actually been courtmartialed. And just how do you expect the soldiers to respect their superiors if their commanding general does not?

Civilian "chief" be damned, if this firing destablizes Afghanistan in any way, Obama will again show his complete misunderstanding or monster ego are his Achilles Heel.

First - the quotes are beliefs that are common knowledge, whoopie that they got them on record.

Second - yes, the General should respect the chain of command, but all of a sudden the left is perfectly fine to silence Americans, while they also believe their free speech extends beyond reason over and over.

Third - Obama has shown his complete lack of understanding of our financial matters, the gulf spill, war, and has made one blunder after another.

This guy is actually making Bush look good.

Wall Street bill, BP spill, military shakeup put president to the test

And Obama failed the tests miserably. His resonce to every test so far, and there will be many more, has been designed to bolster His appearence and to hell with doing whats best for the country and the people that acturally make a contribution to our once great society. It seems the NY Times lovefest with Obama continues. The Times reports only what they can spin to make their boy Obama look good. They would serve their readers and America better by reporting honestly but they have too much colateral invested in the chump they helped get elected.

...I guess you would have to wait a 10 years. NP

Obama reasserts authority...really?

General McChrystal didn't seem to have an issue with civilian chain of command during any previous administration. That he spoke out doesn't seem like a big win for the Obama administration. The bank regulation bill completely exempts the worst offenders in auto dealers and Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac. And in a display of "raw presidential power" he got an oil company to agree to do what they have said they would do from the beginning, pay every valid claim. In fact the $20B mentioned is but a fraction of the $50B that BP was already pulling together for claim payments. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65J10G20100620

So exactly where is all this authority asserting they're talking about?

Look back about 18 months and you'll see the poster boy for intractable, ignorant, and arrogant Presidents....GW Bush was well on his way to destroying ourselves and the world. All he was able to do was make his friends into billionaires and piss off almost anyone who we needed to have on our side.

Why was the first comment collapsed?

Obama reasserts authority

Must've missed that.

jjcom, not much of a military or presidential historian are you? Firing McChrystal was exactly what happens to any high ranking military personnel that speak on the record against a sitting POTUS. Afghanistan policy that President Obama has implemented was done so at the behest of the General. For him or his staff to speak in opposition to current policy is the General and his staff admiitting they were wrong. Thanks to all who recognized the misinformation by this poster, and for trying to correct it.

Waterdog49: I think you misunderstood my post. Obama read it on-line as the magazine hadn't hit the newstand yet. Circulation will not increase because of him. Out of curiosity and wanting to know the truth, I will buy this magazine, just for the story. No other reason, but my buying it would increase the circulation, as it would if others had the same curosity to know exactly what was said.

Fun article it put this picture in my head of Obama stamping his feet yelling..."You will respect my authoriti!"

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REASSERTS AUTHORITY????????????????????

ONLY THE USELESS, NEAR BANKRUPT NEW YORK TIMES CAN COME UP WITH THIS S**T!!!!!!!!!

Wall Street is salivating over this "historic" financial reform. By the way, WHY the f**k is everything this POTUS does magically branded as "HISTORIC"? Don't things have to survive and prove themselves over the test of time to be "historic". Another 2,000 page Bill that we all know NO ONE in Washington has read. Hell most of the buffoons in this administration STILL probably haven't read Arizona's SB 1070 and it's only 20 pages long!!!!!

But they sure can demonize and condemn it as "misguided" can't they?

The Gulf Disaster is the crowning achievement for Obama because BP has WILLINGLY committed $20 BILLION dollars in obvious fear of Obama's "ass-kicking". LMAO!!!! But the last time I looked this administration has totally mismanaged the logistics of the response. The well is still spewing millions of gallons of oil into the gulf but Obama feels better because he "kicked-ass". His own with his incompetence and inexperience.

The "military shakeup" was BRILLIANT per all the Liberal Progressive pundits. No, it was an embarassment that the military has such a low opinion of the CIC and his puppet "Bite me" Biden. But then again, when we have a POTUS that demonizes and denounces our military at every opportunity, how can you blame them for berating them. Yeah yeah, I know all about the code of ethics, the problem is this POTUS has NO ETHICS! So, we lose a great commander in the field and who does Obama replace him with? General David Betray-us,,,,errrr Petraeus as was so eloquently discussed on MoveOn.org. (funny how that ad magically disappeared right after Obama announced Petraeus, isn't it?) The same general that Obama, Biden and the Lamestream media lambasted when George Bush was in office. But now when Obama assigns him to McChrystals command it's "BRILLIANT"!!!!

I'm surprised the White House didn't photo-shop Petraeus's head onto one of the Guinness Beer commercial ad characters. BRILLIANT!!!!!

REASSERTS HIS AUTHORITY?

NO.

REINFORCES HIS HYPOCRISY.

Don't be stupid, JJ

And the rest of you out there on the extreme right-wing

what the president told Mcchrystal was, "You're fired"

And rightfully so.

And that's the end of that story

JHWilson, McChrystal originally wanted more troupes (40,000) than he got. What he got was the lowest end of the number of troupes requested. He also wanted them much, much sooner than he got them as Obama dithered for 2 months. On top of that, he wanted no part of the deadline the administration imposed to pull the troops back out, practically refusing to even admit that there was a deadline. McChrystal has also been undercut by almost all of the civilians that Obama has surrounded himself with (Biden, Eikenberry, Jones, Holbrooke) grossly eroding the General's authority.

Then there is the whole "rules of engagement" thing. Our current rules of engagement are putting our troupes in severe danger. If you read the RS article and others, the rules that are imposed are undercutting morale and the troupes' faith in their military leadership (McChrystal). The thought was that McChrystal was the one imposing these rules, however, if you look at the first 48 hours of the Petraeus command it becomes apparent that the rules of engagement are most probably being dictated by the civilian leadership. One of the first things out of Petraeus' inner circle was that the rules of engagement would be changing (loosened). Almost immediately afterward they were backtracking, though, and within 2 days we were telling the Afghan government that the old rules would be staying in place for the foreseeable future.

To say that this is McChrystal's strategy may technically be correct, however, this administration seems to have done everything in it's power to ensure failure. General Petraeus is a smart guy. He made a big mistake by taking a demotion and accepting McChrystal's position though. He is now the second coming of Gen. William Westmoreland.

Jackie Robinson was an incredibly gifted black man who broke the color barrier into major league baseball. His prowess and accomplishments were recognized and appreciated by most Americans. However, no matter how many hits or bases stolen, the riff raff of his day booed him and tried to discredit his accomplishments. Today, we have another incredibly gifted black man who has broken the color barrier into the major leagues of politics. And, like Robinson, President Obama must endure the slings and arrows hurled by the riff raff of today. The accomplishments of President Obama are monumental, yet he faces disdain and attempts to discredit from the modern day riff raff of our society. Like Robinson, President Obama tolerates the crudest of Americans with a poise and demeanor most humans do not possess.

Had Jackie Robinson been heckled because of poor play it would have been deserving just as it is currently with Obama, his administration, and Congress. Obama doesn't get a free pass just because he is a minority.

Agree, General McCrystal knew exactly what he was doing. Because this is the second time. He was warned the first time, so there is not reason for a second. A General in command of that many American solderier is expected to be on their game. Anything else is politics. And this is an obvious attempt.

If not, then the General is definitely not qualified.

Mike in SA: There is a difference between heckling and playing around with people's lives. American soldiers are fighting for our causes. The Afgan people are suffering as well. As a leader of our soldiers, if you donb't believe in the policy then why did you propose it in the first place? We have a common goal, and that is to make the Afgran conflict succesful. If the general does not believe it, then speak up to his leaders and make it work. It is clear that he did not do so. In stead, he chose to make it political. Sorry, our military is not about politics. It is about accomplishments. The general FAILED.

So this is not heckling. This is about a coach openly critizing the direction of team, his players, and his investors. Unfortunately, he signed off on following the directives and policy when he took the head coaching job. You see, this is not heckling. It is about power play, the coach/general believes he is bigger than the team, the fans, the owners and the players. Unfortunately, in the general's case, he is playing with human lives.

Demitrix: the repeal concept has already been floated quietly, it would pass the House of Representatives, but not the Senate.

Roy Wilson: REINSTATE Glass-Steagall, via repealing Gramm-Leech-Bliley alone will not do the trick. There is a Communication Moderization ACT that enaabled everything in Banking and Securities also needs to be repealed. Unfortunately, there is not enough votes in the Senate. Right now Sumner and his team is trying a work around instead (because I believe they want these to stick around). President needs to listen to his progressive side and force the issue.

Nevada-Brett: Are you suggesting that President was not a competent leader because he reliefed general MacArthur? Are you suggesting that President GW Bush was an idiot for reliefing/firing 6 active generals during his terms, because the generals disagreed with him about the war(S)!!!

So what if that is his only move? Do you judge people that divorce their spouses, because that was their only move? I think you need to think twice before slapping someone.

What is funny is that after all your Right Wing Movement, you may not even get rid of Harry Reid!! hahaha...

Best comment yet. Well thought out and very well said. Plus it's the truth.

thturd, first jbAriz's heckling comment was not just directed towards McChrystal but was understood to encompass a wide array of the populace and my response to his comment took that into account. Since you want to focus on McChrystal so badly though, we certainly can.

Yes, McChrystal proposed the plan and it was Obama who signed off on it. Once it was signed off on by the CIC, then that should have been the unquestioned policy, even to the civilian advisers that Obama has chosen to surround himself with. Unfortunately, Obama's team did NOT have a common goal, because most of Obama's civilian team has an alternate goal...get the "f" out as fast as we can. You make the statement "This is about a coach openly critizing the direction of team, his players, and his investors. Unfortunately, he signed off on following the directives and policy when he took the head coaching job." I'm a bit confused as to whether you are speaking about Biden...or Holbrooke...or Jones...or how about Eikenberry with this statement, because each of them has acted to erode McChrystal's authority by speaking contrary to the adopted directives and policy. Yet Obama let it continue with those guys and allowed it to fester. It got so bad that even uber-Lib Dianne Feinstein made the pointed remark a couple days ago:

"(Petraeus) should make the calls. If he can't work with the ambassador [Amb. Karl Eikenberry], the ambassador should change. If he can't work with [Special Representative Richard] Holbrooke, that should change."

Why would she ever make that remark? Because she knows how these people have worked to undercut McChrystal as much as possible and she knows that it is this lack of commitment by the Obama administration and his advisers that is costing our troupes their lives. Even the Dems in Congress are fed up with the lack of CIC leadership and the BS of Obama's civilian team. You see it is not McChrystal that doesn't believe in the policy and the plan that was proposed, it is a large portion of Obama's civilian team that he himself chose. And frankly it is now looking like a good thing that McChrystal spoke up as he did because he is now getting the support and leadership from Congress (bi-partisan I may add) that has been severely lacking from this administration. He most likely did speak up but was ignored and rebuffed. At least now Congress takes those human lives seriously.

Also thturd,

Please, please enlighten us on which 6 generals you believe that Bush relieved of duty (fired). I will then disprove that fallacy to your great embarrassment.

Everyone here seems engrossed with the actions of one general and the president. And that is what the article was about, but I really don't care how the posters here feel. I am more concerned about how the troops view this whole thing. To allow this whole thing to deteriorate to this level seems as though there was a considerable lack of communications all around. Leadership starts at the top. I would be curious to know how many in the military who knew the general, felt that he was their last hope in getting the necessary support. How many now feel deserted by their seniors. How many have surrendered in their hearts. You know who is responsible for health, welfare, and moral. The commander-in-chief.

The general will survive but what about moral? Or does no one care?

Thunderproof-
would make you worry it is not another military person.If a political civilian- why can they talk- you see a smart Pres- would be sure no one talked

Didn't the possibility that this "Top national Security Aide" is talking with the permission of the Commander in chief? Or maybe there isn't a real source, just one made up to enhance the story; to push the newspapers own agenda. It is good to question everything and to do research by reading watching and listening to other sources of news

What make me Laugh about all of this is the General wasn't the one who said these things. It was People around him. Well he can't be every where watching what people say.
NOW are they going to FIRE all of these people WHO DID SAY SOMETHING.
We all know that Joe Biden is a COMPLETE MORON.
Lets see, here is what he said when Bush was in and things started to fall apart, Well if Bush would do what Roosevelt did at the beginning of the depression, GET ON TV AND TELL THE PEOPLE. Well lets see , Roosevelt wasn't President when the Depression started and there were no TVs.
Than when he talked about all the RAGHEADS owning all the Convenience Stores. AND he got ELECTED EVERY YEAR. Just Shows you how smart the people who VOTED for him really are.

Read the Rolling Stone article. He damn well said enough to get himself fired. Stupid stupid stupid. You don't aide and abet the enemy by disapproving of the commander in chief and his cabinet in public. He's not an elected official.

i read the article and i think the only damaging the thing the general actually said was about the french diplomats he was going to meet for dinner. I have a little sympathy for him in that coming from a war zone meeting for dinner with politicians who are only going to blow sunshine up his ass while probably working against him is probably something he would not be looking forward too.

also it was very imprudent for the general to allow the reporter to be anywhere near his staff when they were going to be partying in paris after at least a year and probably more in a war zone.

i have partied with guys getting back from war zones and some of the stuff said and done Would not be what i would choose to judge their character on. It is like a bachelor party on steroids, there is anger, joy, lust, guilt, all turned loose then amplified by booze, and a feeling that they really should be partying even though what they may really want to do is just go to sleep.

I haven't seen a rise in gas at any BP station. Since it was a shake up from Obama and his cohorts I will willingly pay extra for BP gas. BP at first ticked me off with that one comment from Heyward that he would like to have his life back. But after what Obama has done AFTER BP willingly gave money on their own accord really pissed me off. Plus that will not stop people from suing BP. It just puts money into the hands of the government.

Has anybody gotten paid yet? NO they have not. When will they get some of that money? They have families to feed, what are these poor people living off of? The governments money? Just another way for Obama to get the people to count on the government for their bread and butter.

Sorry I wrote the above and it sounds like I was bashing you. I wasn't, I just got on a roll.

Jim1920940

"Obama is going to far the other way". Before we try to appear to be so prolific, we must fIrst learn the english language.

It is "TOO FAR"!!!!!!!!!!!

With or without the 20Billion dollar agreement .. BP was going to have to pass the cost on to the consumer. This happens with every company facing a huge unplanned expediture. Fortunately for us, BP is not the only petroleum company in the USA.

Your facts are wrong.. BP has already paid out millions of dollars to residents of the gulf coast.

rdixiesunrise61: Aren't you in a hurry! It takes time to put things in place and I am sure BP didn't just hand that amount of money to Obama that day. It's in the works.

People, BP had ALREADY paid out about $60 million in claims ON ITS OWN, and had not denied a single one. They have already willingly (as they damn well should) got far beyond the legal cap on damages for an event like this.

Obama has some nerve taking credit for "forcing" BP to do something they were already willingly doing.

And sticking the government in the middle of it will just slow it down and botch it up - like it slows down and botches up virtually everything else government gets involved in.

UNTIL the IRS decides THEY need a piece of the damages paid to the claimants. Then they're johnny on the spot, defining these payments as "income" so they can tax them. Look it up if you have to, typically this type of payment is considered "damages" and is NOT taxed.

Not THIS time. It's sickening. Our "benevolent" government wants to strum the bleeding heart twang about how evil BP and oil and drilling is - and then redefines the payouts to people who have lost their livelihood so they can tax them.

To 'PragmaticToAFault':

Isn't that what happened to the victims of Hurricane Katrina?

CCryder - For simpletons, pointing out that BP paid claims without arm-twisting is defending them. Stating that they they damn well better have done so is defending them. For people who don't have an agenda, it's just a statement of facts. They have been, as they damn well should, paying claims before Obama illegally demanded they set up a fund to do the same thing. What about that don't you understand, or do you interpret to be "defense"?

See - Isn't what, what happened to Katrina victims? From IRS documentation, it appears they had safe harbor and deductions available against taxation in most cases. From the documentation available as a whole on the IRS website, it seems that in that case the IRS was rather magnanimous with its leniency towards hurricane victims - which they should be. In case you're unaware, the spill is STILL going on and the harm is ongoing, and the IRS has already descended.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-drop/rp-06-32.pdf

Once again, I think you're missing the point. The government hasn't proven itself particularly effective at clean-up and management of the spill and in fact has gotten in the way of local efforts to clean up oil on numerous, documented occasions, ie the building of the berms. Meanwhile, they seem frightfully effective at taxing those same people - who STILL cannot go back to work, while simultaneously trying to put MORE people out of work via the moratorium.

If you can't see the pathetic irony I'm trying to point out, that's not really my problem.

Pres. Barry is a Idiot !

Well said !!

I haven't seen a rise in gas at any BP station.

I also haven't seen a rise ANY gas station. I find this very strange. Normally if a refinery has even a minor explosion you see the price of gas increase. Millions of gallons of gas are being wasted and our environment along the Gulf coast is being destroyed and yet we see no increase what so ever in gas prices. Something is shady and not in a good way.

the reason there hasn'

t been an increase in prices is because this oil well wasnt on line. and now with bp scrambling to contain all this oil it has to be dumped on the market cheaply. they have a lot more oil than they can use thanks to this gusher forcing it out and into the market.

what we will see is a slow down in production, permits being denied, they will work through the glut and then just when things should be returning to normal all the restrictions and hurdles will make it harder for these companies to produce oil and the price will sky rocket. it is probably 3 years down the line. The reason it isn't a concern to obama is it will either occur in his second term or in the republican presidents first term either way it moves them closer to their agenda of getting americans to hate oil.

Pragmatic, you are defending BP, if perhaps inadvertently. All the news I've heard about BP paying claims says that they're typically paying 10% of the amount claimed. Do you really think that BP is not playing a game whereby they pay enough to claim they're paying, and yet try to pay as little as possible out of the corporate treasury? Of course they are! It's in their corporate DNA to try and cut losses. Opposing a privately administrated escrow fund works to BP's interest.

You seem to believe that when a catastrophe occurs that the government should have no role in helping the victims, that the people should seek redress through the courts. Of course, this pits an individual against a multi-billion dollar international corporation--hardly a fair fight. You don't seem to think that the government can do much right, but the justice system is part of the government, and if you want to talk about the government being dysfunctional, the part I'll agree with you on is that the justice system is largely dysfunctional. I say that because it almost always seems that the party with the most money wins. Look how it worked (and is still working) with Exxon Valdez.

You are spot on Pragmatic.

The enemy is clearly our incompetent, inept, corrupt federal government.

Cryder -

You'll need to PROVE that BP wasn't paying claims in a fair and just manner - and please note, a rant on the Huff Post or the Kos doesn't really count. Pretty much everything I've read and seen on the news says quite the contrary. I've seen a few reports of people who's claims were delayed in processing, and they waited longer than they wanted to - unfortunate, but when there are tens of thousands of claims, it's going to happen.

You assume way, way too much about what I think, based on one sentence:

BP has willingly paid over $60 million in claims, as well they should. Here's one example of where I get my info, from 6/6 - I point this out so you don't come back ranting about how the article says they've paid less than $60 million. Read the WHOLE article, not just the parts that suit your argument, like this paragraph, for instance.

Mr. Willis said that BP had initially decided to pay all captains $5,000 a month and all deckhands $2,500 to get the process moving, but that they would readjust and pay more to people who could show that they were losing more because of the spill. And he said claims adjusters were trying to work with people who lacked documentation, by accepting pay stubs or bank statements from some claimants who lacked tax forms.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/us/07claims.html

Would you like to suggest that BP just give out money because someone says so? Is that what YOU think would be fair? How about if I submit a claim for damages, based on lost time at my town beach on LI for which I pay taxes to support, in the event the oil MIGHT come up the east coast?

If you moonbats want to see a conspiracy theory everywhere you look to justify heralding Obama for something he DIDN'T actually do, far be it for me to try to get you to look at actual facts of a situation. Is this the kind of drek you're relying on, a multi-paragraph rant with absolutely NO evidence to support the claims being made?

http://www.politicolnews.com/bp-will-not-pay-claims/

I'm not defending BP, as much as you want to attempt to twist my words around.

I'm, apparently futilely, trying to get YOU and people like you to look at BOTH SIDES of the story, not just the side you like because it give Obama a friggen halo.

I may have discovered why some of you people do not appreciate the many accomplishments of President Obama. If it is not racism, it must be that you just do not understand complex sentences. To remedy this situation, I am going to request two interpreters be present whenever President Obama speaks. One interpreter will do sign language for the hearing impaired while the other will do sub titles with illustrations breaking down the more complex sentences so that the learning impaired will be able to grasp the content. One can only hope.

Pragmatic--

Why do I need to prove that BP wasn't paying claims in a fair and just manner? I'm not a lawyer trying a case, nor a mathematician working on a new theorem. What I don't understand is why you rush to give BP the benefit of the doubt when they have proven many times that they cannot be trusted. Have you read of the explosion in their Texas refinery that killed 15 people, and the numerous ignored safety warnings that preceded it? Then there's their abysmal safety record that's far worse than other oil companies. They also way under reported the leak record initially, and withheld HD videos from scientists that were trying to determine the spill rate. They won't let cleanup workers wear their own respirators.

How much evidence do you need that they can't be trusted?

I'll grant you a few things. You do seem to believe that BP should pay. I agree that there does need to be a process to assure that people asking for money have a legitimate claim, and are not just rip-off artists, and I've never stated anything to the contrary. I even think that BP has done a commendable job in trying to cap the leak, considering the depth and the fact that it had never been done before. Of course they, and all oil companies, have done an absolutely terrible job in preparing for this kind of situation, both in capping a leak, and in being ready to cope with oil in the water. And the decisions BP made during drilling, which were opposed by TransOcean and even Halliburton, were inexcusable.

But to trust a company like BP to do the right thing, when they have a history of treachery, is just not pragmatic.

jbAriz

Did we break in on your english class. Well excuse me why don't you tell some one who gives a sh*t. Ya I know only college gradgits have proper ideas.

I'm not too sure many of the original Obama supporters will vote for him again going by what he has & hasn't done well. And also, from much reading & listening It isn't in his future.

His days are numbered unless he pulls the same lame trick Busch did to get into office the second term. Why do you think so many people turned out & voted Democratic in the last presidential election? It wasn't so much to vote Democratic or play a race card, it was to vote anti Republican & to stop the Republicans from doing what the Democrats are doing now.

A good third party or "None of the Above" may stop most of the political insanity?

Actually everyone I know, including myself is still a President Obama supporter, we just don't go out and show it by calling people names and being racist, we show it at the voting booths.

Nonenow where I live it was the race card bit. They had it all over the news. That the black people were voting for him just to get him into the white house. Now I am not saying that all did but according to what I had seen on the tv and what I had heard around me, even while standing in line to vote, it was the race card.

RD- it was also large numbers of first time voters.I got calls at home- and hate to say it they lost interest in me- obvious voice issue, and then they realized as well was a voter of many years
Most of these calls are made on a computer generated list of numbers

95% of Blacks historically for democratic in Presidential elections .. this was no different last election.

Obama has had victories and it is way to soon for you or anyone to say they are disasters. There isn't any proof of that yet - as there isn't any proof that his successes wil be as good or better than expected. What you stated is just your opinion and along with $5.00 might get you a cup of coffee.

Tierborn- maybe I missed what you are saying- tried to point out, without race, I am not Black, nor young

Yea I know I know your so smarter than me and Im a idiot. YOUR home right now bloggin and IM in CLASS. see you at the finish line in 10 years....lol

kd,

Yeah, right we need a president who will lie to us, WMD! One who will illegally drag us into a war, one who will ruin the reputation of the United States, one who was so imcompentant, that he almost brought this country into a depression. Lets put Bush back so he can finish off ruining the United States. I don't understand you people, he was elected to the Presidency under some of the worst conditions ever, and not only has he inherited those but he has to face a man-made disaster, disloyalty from armed forces and a bias media that goes out of their way to find fault (fox news), instead of bashing the man, why don't you go out and see how you can help the man.

So far Obama and company are doing really well with the lies and Congress was with Bush on the Iraq war.......by the way I did not agree with them on that one, nor did I ever vote for Bush

Wrong KD powell, the reason that most Americans (62%) didn't like the health care reform is because it didn't have a Public Option. In other words, it was too weak.

gemo: You are spot on !

The Pres can't run on hope and change this time around. So what will the new platform be, more of the same?

It is not the wackos on the right who will make a difference. Elections in November and in the foreseeable future will be determined by moderates and independents. This is how one independent sees things. I watched a southern republican shout you lie to the President of the United States. And, then use that disgraceful deed to raise funds. I watched a Texas republican shout baby killer to a fellow Senator. And, then use that disgraceful deed to raise funds. I watched House republicans applaud a drunken disruption of the House proceeding and then unfurl provocative flags from the House balcony and encouraged the protests of uncivil and racist t-baggers. I watched an angry republican leader of the house shout hell no and transform a once proud party into the party of no. I watched the republican party of no Senators bring the proceedings of the Senate to gridlock and therefore denying action on vital national interests. And, heartlessly deny benefits to 1.2 million long term unemployed Americans. I watched republicans purposefully lie and distort the clear language of proposed health care reform legislation. I watched congressional republicans become herd animals that could not think for themselves and became pawns for fox news, Rush Limbaugh, and talk radio. I watched republicans apologize to BP rather than to the victims of the gulf oil spill.

These are the images that will haunt and influence this Independent voter when I next enter the voting booth.

Well I guess you won't be voting republican then? Just wondering? Or are you still open to thought?

Yet it is the independents and the moderates that Obama is losing.

Even some Democrats are not liking what he is doing.

The Clinton supporters are not exactly happy these days.

Nope the proof.

$67 Billion to Insurance Corporations + millions of new suckers. $20 Billion to Medical Device Industry. $23 Billion to Pharmaschetuical Industry. In the Health Care Reform Law that still does not get the Insurance Corporation out of the Medical Profession, that would result in the proven (President FDR) 80% decrease in costs of Medical Treatments.

The closed door meeting by the US President before the Health Care Reform started:

Unlikely ally of health care reform: business
Insurers, drug companies came on board early and may profit from it

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35989945/ns/business-us_business/

House speaker will keep money from 'villains'
Pelosi called insurers 'immoral,' despite receiving funds from industry

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32237227/ns/politics-cq_politics

DREAM ON John in Philly and Black Starr

Blackstarr he also took out of the american citizens hands the ability to make their own choices about healthcare. Some people just don't want healthcare or can afford it. Before you say anything about the HC giving benefits to everybody, just hear me out.

There are people according to the numbers can afford it but lack the ability to pay for it due to circumstances (because idiocy with money or have been hit by the mortgage crisis, same thing, oh well they were just gullible.). Plus I don't think that my taxes should go up to pay for other people's lack of insight on their own healthcare. Even some people miss the free medicaid that they have out there for low income participants due to their wages being too high.

Holy crap it even has been said that Walmart workers still have to go on medicaid even though they have insurance where they work.

Insurance is still going to be overpriced for some people. I hope you can live without more money in your paycheck. I know I sure in the hell can't. I hope you love your so called free health insurance because bud it ain't free. As for some of the claims of people who voted for him and were ready to quit their jobs... aka, not having to pay their mortgage, buy gas or health insurance, how is that working out for ya? I hope you were not one of the gullible people blackstarr.. others were.

rdixiesunrise61: Health care decisions were taken out of our hands and our doctors hands a long time ago. Corporations that pay slave wages also provide the cheapest healthcare possible. Obama has put health care choices back in our hands.

Obama has put health care choices back in our hands.

He has?

In the end you will be on a Medicare type program.

Some choice.

We did need a win on fin reg, unfortunately we got a tie at best.

He got his bill, but there is nothing in it to prevent future meltdowns except giving the government the power to seize banks THEY think are too big to fail. Which means more bailouts.

What there is, is a crap-ton of is new regulations about how YOU can borrow money, a brand new, massive government bureaucracy to do the jobs already being done within six other massive bureaucracies (which would be fine if the other six were going to be shut down - they're not). So when you need to finance your kids braces - yes, it goes THAT far into your private life - get ready for a potential Federal inspection. I kid you not.

And Dodd said, we'll have to pass it to see what's in it. Just like Pelosi said about health care.

Which, we knew going in it was a fiscal disaster, since the Dr. Fix wasn't included at a cost of ~$300 billion over 10 years. They're passing this piecemeal now, with deficit spending. Look it up - it had to be separated from the latest "stimulus" to pass. And the original law didn't include $115 billion for "administrative costs" - the necessary bureaucracy to meddle and/or take over health care.

So far, it's over $400 billion into deficit spending - and the vast majority and high-ticket parts (the mandate via subsidy) of it hasn't even kicked in yet. AND, you can't keep what you have - the biggest lie of them all.

That's not a "success" in anyones eyes but those people who will not see.

As no one has seen the results yet, I believe those who criticize are the ones who are wearing blinders. Everything still remains to be seen. I have my views, but they are views and opinions an d are expressed as such. Obama has had his bills go through congress and because of that can be called victories, but the end result is still somewhere in the future and it is way too early to call it.

It's not to early to call healthcare husker - it is clear we were misled, the Dr fix as mentioned is an additional $300 BILLION, not to mention the CBO figures being preliminary, companies already making adjustments to deal with the new costs, no, it's very clear we were lied to.

Add to that more doctors refusing Medicare or opting out, with a new inrush of babyboomers coming, the disaster is at the doorstep.

Really?-1739510 and Paul F: I am presently on medicare. I also have a drug plan and a supplimental medical plan. I wish my private insurance that I carried all my employed years had run as smoothly as it does now. The government does a great job.

I've written it at least 50 times- the guy is a community organizer NOT presidential material.

And every time you write it, it's just as absurd an assertion as it was in the beginning.

What is national politics, if not community organizing writ large? What is it that Palin, Dick Armey and the rest of the Tea-Party bigwigs are trying to do, if not organize a community of people who oppose this administration? What did the Founding Fathers do, if not organize a community of people who felt that British rule was unnecessary and detrimental to their interests?

Your argument also leaves out his tenure as a college professor-- though of course you'll probably come back with the "elitist academic" meme, as if denigrating someone for working with local communities of the poor and disadvantaged isn't in and of itself an elitist position...

Tell me, would you have argued this way against John Adams? He was a schoolteacher before entering public service. How about Abraham Lincoln, postmaster, or Andrew Johnson, tailor? And Truman, the haberdasher? Hell, Reagan was "nothing but an actor"... right?

America got buffaloed when we elected him

And railroaded by the SCotUS in 2000 with GWB, and had the wool pulled over our eyes in 2004 by the Swiftboaters and the Republican echo chamber...

See how easy it is to make these simplistic assertions?

Good thing no president ever buffaloed and lied us into a war, with words like "mushroom cloud".

Its fine to complain about our leaders, but you do have to offer at some point what exact person, party and proposals you would replace them with. Like what you would cut and what would you do to create jobs. So far the alternatives offered by the opposition is just a huge pile or rotting negativism.

Amen, Barry is not good for this country. I mean free health care sounds good but come on. If it is to good to be true, it probably is. Does anyone really think our goverment can manage health care and keep the cost down ? We're talking about the most wasteful institution in the history of the world. Use a little common sense people, You only have to look at social security, medicare, medicaid.....etc to get a idea how well this is gonna work. Wake up America, the last thing we need is goverment doing more for us !!!

Whine whine whine--winding down two wars--staving off financial ruin--the first health care reform this country has had in 50 years--and you want the 'good ol days' that got us into this mess..talk about the need for waking up...

People who think they don't need healthcare because they are "healthy" are too stupid to know. My 33 yr old daughter had breast cancer last year with bills of $100,000 the first month and that doesn't include chemotherapy or the final plastic surgery reconstruction and then my mom had open heart surgery this year.....she has gotten statements/bill for $98,000......thank God for heath insurance....thank God for the new health plan so EVERYONE has the opportunity to take care of themselves.

I may have discovered why some of you people do not appreciate the many accomplishments of President Obama. If it is not racism, it must be that you just do not understand complex sentences. To remedy this situation, I am going to request two interpreters be present whenever President Obama speaks. One interpreter will do sign language for the hearing impaired while the other will do sub titles with illustrations breaking down the more complex sentences so that the learning impaired will be able to grasp the content. One can only hope.

General McChrystal was a Demoncrap, hand picked by President Obama to replace General McKiernan, who did the same thing, asked for more US Military and got fired.

david-475776: You sure are up on your news. McChrystal was let go for insubodrination over an article he contributed to, with his men, that was disrespectful. This is a far cry from asking for more military help.

It's not so much Democrat and republican with me. There is no respect for President Barry, and it is becoming increasingly apparent. The General should have never done what he did, but I think He knew the consequences, and did it anyway. A year and a half in office and everything is already imploding on Barry. On the B.P. spill He turned away help from other nations that had far superior technology on clean up efforts, because He didn't know He could lift the Jones act. Poor Barry is in way over his head.

President Barry??? Do you think by belittling him you can convert anyone into thinking he's a simpleton? Why don't you make some arguments on merits than this juvenile name-calling--Do grow up.

How about reading the US Military Officer Sworn or Affirmed Oath, not the Enlisted one.

The General Officers are the US Military (US Citizens) Politicians that represent all US Military Service Members (US Citizens).

The US Military Officer Oath and Commissioning Certificate implies a responsibility to inform the US Public of the wrong doings of the elected Politicians that results in unnecessary deaths within their Commands.

Actual- nice post and to the point.While few have said it in these posts, God bless you and your fellow military people- we all depend on you,and get 110%

Right David! The whole job changes when an officer. If General McChrystal was saying it and thinking it do you really believe others aren't? If we were to follow the logic offered here by many (Newvine comments in other articlesas well supporting Obama) we would support the Lt. Calley defense in large scale across the whole defense community and the Nurembourg trials would be suspect. i.e. I was only following orders.

For those that support McChrystal .. appears to me that you hate President Obama more than you love America. How else could you explain our support of a general that makes non constructive comments about our military establish and leadership, for the World to see. This guy didn't work at burger king .. he was the commanding officer of an active war zone.

If those comments were made about former president Bush .. can you actually say that you would have supported McChrystal remaining at his post?

Tierborn your explain to me how it is right for the Commander In Chief (CINC) to lie to his Theater Commander by telling him and Congress that he will get everything he needs to win, then does not give him the bare minimum of what he needs. These were the terms for General McChrystal to assume Command after General McKiernan was fired by President Obama.

And then diverting the USN Aircraft Carrier Battle Group to Haiti away from Afghanistan. So instead of Haitians dying, US Military were dying. The USN Aircraft Carrier Battle Group that would have gone to Haiti was eliminated during the April 2009 Defense Budget Cuts. This is does not mention the MREs (Food) that was given to the Haitians, with the Haitians hording and selling to other Haitians, that was supposed to be for US Military Afghanistan.

So who hates US Citizens of the US Military more. General McChrystal who has a long record of sticking up for US Citizens of the US Military or President Obama who lets them die. So if you cannot see why General McChrystal was fed up. Especially, with the US Civilians on his "high level" staff that belong to Eikenberry's "Civilian Chain of Command" that made those comments at Paris France, you really need a reality check.

If you had any idea about this hell hole, anyone would want to use any means to get the hell out of here. This place was made even worse by this administration, a noticable difference from being here for years (consecutive tours, many years).

General McChrystal. US Military Officer Basic Training. Ranger School (small percentage graduate). US Army Green Berets (Special Forces), three out of hundred graduate. Normal Attritions. meaning he was 1% of 3 percent qualified in Asymmetric Warfare, as well as a Harvard Graduate. And President Obama or Admiral Mullen, nothing. So do not give me that educated crapola. As to remain competitive we must have advanced degrees.

If those comments were made about former president Bush .. can you actually say that you would have supported McChrystal remaining at his post?

That would not have been an issue.

Bush was a leader, his authority was never questioned.

The military has little if any respect fot this "feel good" empty suit of a President we are temporarily saddled with.

Time passes though and he will be gone.

Joan-1209741, CAF,

Redacted. So we can finally come home after all these wasted years to retire and not in a flag draped metal coffin.

This War is lost.

The Al Quada, Taliban, Hamas Foreign Fighters, Chechen Foreign Fighters, etc. have achieved their Strategic and Tactical Asymmetric Warfare Goals defeating our years of work to make the Afghans stand up and fight for themselves with the US removing their worst enemy, General McChrystal (you get your enemy to eliminate your enemy, Strategic Asymmetric Goal, you have your enemy leave those that undermine your enemies efforts in place, Eikenberry's and Holbrooke's public remarks about the Karzai Government, errode your enemies National and Local Support like Eikenberry's public remarks about the Karzai Government being corrupt, you get rid of the supporters of the US like Karzai, you errode the people's confidence in the government, state the differences between the enemy and the local population like the decadence (violations of Islamic Laws) of the privilaged US Politicians that are here, errode the trust of the population with the enemy, etc.).

You can see why no one at the Flag Officer Grade (Generals Admirals) has any idea about Asymmetric Warfare. Except General McChrystal, being 1% of 3% of the US Military.

Of course there is also the long standing hatred of Special Warfare by US Military Conventional Warfare Forces, like Admiral Mullen (no experience for even any Ground Combat) that has President Obama's ear 24/7. With most US Military Conventional Warfare Forces refering to us as "Rogues", "Renegades" eventhough we came from them after years and trained up to Special Warfare instead of remaining status quo. As stated in my day, the next Wars after the defeat of the USSR would be Asymmetric not Conventional Wars, at Command and General Staff College, and War College. The hatred of US Military Asymmetric Warfare Forces includes US Congress (Congressional Defense Appropriations Committee) as we do not use the expensive US Military Equipment manufactured in their States, like the US Military Conventional Warfare Forces do.

Bush was a leader, his authority was never questioned

Hah! Not sure how you developed this belief but it's simply incorrect. Pretty sure several generals and other officers were relieved of duty for questioning or not supporting the Shrub's plans. I'm in the military and spent the Bush years keeping my lip zipped about my disregard for his policies and vision. And FYI the UCMJ (article 88, look it up) applies to every servicemember, period. We officers have to follow the same rules as everyone else.

AK democrat. Prove it!!

@AK Dem:

Perhaps Bush wasn't such a great leader, but would you say this president (Obama) is? If your answer is "yes," then you are wildly biased and your opinions need to be taken as such.

I'm in the military and spent the Bush years keeping my lip zipped about my disregard for his policies and vision.

I spent the Reagan, Bush I and Clinton years in the military and the Clinton years were by far the worst.

No clear direction, no set goals, just endless deployments because Saddam was pulling the strings.

Obama is even worse than Clinton and while officers openly mocked Clinton, we can see that things are worse with Obama.

How can you have respect for a college professor who is operating under theory instead of experience?

In short, you cannot.

@Really, "thank you" for your selfless service to our nation. See my post, #1.2, at the top of this Vine. I assume you would agree with me, thus I'd appreciate your opinion as to why no one in the media is bringing this up: that if Obama was a competent leader, the "general" debacle would never have happened in the first place.

Nevada-Brett - You are correct.

The military responds well to leadership. It requires it in fact.

That it is getting half-halting steps from it's commander is quite telling.

The frustration of this lack of leadership in a time when it is needed most has to be frustrating.

Obama waited 8 months to even meet with his military commanders!!!

Who does that in a time of war?

An amateur.

@Really, "thank you" again, and very well said. I guess the only justice for people like us is the ballot box this Nov and in 2012.

God speed!

The President is one man and only one part of the government. Everyone take a breather a take a moment to smell the Roses. Every President and every administration has taken criticism for whatever. Criticize policy but not the President.

The President is one man and only one part of the government.

Yet it is that one man who chooses the others.

So far this President has chosen ideologues over those with experience.

Not ONE of his choices has ever run a business, yet they are there to tell businesses how to be run.

They are all from academia and know theory, but they, like him, lack the basic experience to run a lemonade stand.

November is coming, and when 62% of the people believe that the country is headed in the wrong direction, there will be "change."

really, and here for all those years I thought I was electing the legislature. I'm shocked to know the President appointed them!!!!!

Aside from the fact that there's nothing even approaching an impeachable offense out there (your poor opinion of the PotUS doesn't actually count in that respect) and so it's a moot point, I'd still rather Biden than any of the potential opposition-party candidates (of either the GOP or the TP)...

President Obama should resign be Impeached (criminal) or be tried from Treason for giving known Enemies of the US Citizens of the US Aid.

Hamas. Previously, $900 Million USDs Aid, and now $400 Million USDs Aid.

Per US Supreme Court, June 2010, this is similar to Aiding and Abetting the Enemy, since financial resources can be used for other things (like weapons) instead of on those things being supplied by the US Aid.

With Hamas using this US Aid money to force more neutral Palestinians into Hamas or starve and face daily beatings (previously Hamas used force of arms to chase the Palestinian Authority out of Palestine).

These Hamas Foreign Fighters are sent Worldwide to kill the Unbelievers (Holy Koran (Quran) specifically names the Jews and Christians, Sura 9.30).

With the US Department of State, and US Intelligence (to the Executive Branch) specifically identifying Hamas as a known Terrorist Entity (enemy of the US).

With the US Aid given to Israel being used to stop the Hamas Foreign Fighters.

Actually, Wm, there may be grounds for impeachment, depending on his coming actions on a couple of issues.

He swore a duty to uphold the Constitution, and within the Constitution is the very specific enumerated duty and power of the Federal Government to secure our borders.

Which he has thus far refused to do.

Along those same lines, he has the authority to temporarily rescind the Jones Act and allow foreign assistance to enter the Gulf to aid with the oil capture - but he won't do it. Why?

Other small issues that could, potentially, arise: his involvement in the Blago case, election manipulations across the country and writs of attainder.

I'm not saying there is any likelihood that impeachment will happen, or even should happen, just pointing out interpretations of some current events that could, under certain circumstances, lead in that direction.

The Democratically controlled Congress and Senate DO see what he's doing, and they're pissed because they think he's not doing enough. No way would they ever impeach him. Obama, along with most of his predecessors, could not care less about the Constitution, and I am pretty sure that the majority of them have, at one time or another, commited some impeachable offense; it's just that we the people are too lazy and ignorant to engage in 'eternal vigilance' and throw these bastards out on their asses when they do.

There is no impeachable offense, you get your chance to vote in november and you get your chance in 2012. The country can withstand any president.

BTW. Bush should have been impeached for tapping everyones phones through the NSA, knowingly outing a CIA agent, and outright lying to get us into Iraq. Mushroom clouds!!! The posters freedoms do not seem to mean much to them at all to allow that to go unpunished.

Anthony, if Bush should have been impeached on the grounds of the Patriot Act, then you can add that to the list of possibly impeachable offenses for Obama. It's his Patriot Act now, he had a chance to neuter it and didn't and in fact extended it.

If you can prove Bush lied - and didn't just act irrationally on information that turned out to be false (there is a HUGE difference in culpability, and the members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who voted in support of Bush share it in this case) then you should proceed directly to Washington and demand an audience with Eric Holder.

Because I'm sure this administration, and many, many people in this country - myself included - would LOVE to see Bush brought up on charges if in fact he DID knowlingly lie.

If Holder had evidence, it would already be happening or Obama would make a big deal out of "pardoning" Bush. They would NOT let an opportunity like that pass them by, are you kidding?

As it stands, you're probably just going to have to deal with the fact that Bush was overzealous and believed intelligence, including some from the Clinton era, that was false or inaccurate and acted on it - with bi-partisan support in Congress and the support of the UN.

Stupidity is not a prosecutable offense, and hindsight is 20/20.

The patriot act didnt give President Bush the authority to tap EVERYONES phones which is what the nsa did. Thats why they had to pass protections for the phone compainies so they didnt get sued. It was criminal. And as for iraq there were no weapons, he made that bet and killed hundreds of thousands of people for nothing.

As far as the Dems not pursueing the charges against Bush it is because they were trying to be positive and forward looking. And thought that it is best not to disturb the country for it. It is not best for the country to let it go. They should have fought harder and buried them with it.

We know NOW there were no weapons - as I said, hindsight is 20/20. You originally claimed that he lied, are you ready to let go of that yet?

If the Dems were REALLY interested in moving forward, they would stop blaming Bush for every thing that goes wrong. Bush can and should be blamed for whatever was going on as of Jan. '09. Obama and the Dems responses to those situations, the consequences of those actions and other unrelated actions and their consequences are on them. Period.

No bush was a liar!!!

Yes fine its all Obama's now, But talk of impeachment for this current president is ridiculous and there is nothing even close to aproaching an impeachable offense compared with previous presidents.

Bush, is gone now! President Barry has put us deeper in the hole with so called stimulus that has done nothing to stimulate the economy. He has set up the B.P. fund, which I'm sure will be diverted to some other pet project of his !

phillip: I see that you really understand the system. when our economy is running at its best the unemployment rate is 6%. This is considered full employment. Anything else, unemployment in either direction, shows the economy is in trouble. Not taken into account in unemployment figures are those that are unemployed but their benefilts have run out. These workers are considered disgruntled workers. There are many disgruntled employees around today and, because they are not calculated into the unemployment figures, just shows how unreliable these figures actually are.

Duh huskiegal full employment is 4% not 6% so what is your point?? So it is better when more people are unemployed?? Yes I do not understand Obamanomics?

Phillip, you just do not know economics. Full employment means that every machine, everything is working at capacity and the unemployment rate is 6%. It is the ideal situation. Go look it up in an economics textbook.

Also, as I explained, the unemployment tally is just on those that are on the unemployment roles and are receiving benefits. There are some that are only working part-time and are getting aid from social services so they counted as employed. So in reality the unemployment figures that we read are not really accurate. They do not take into account the disgruntled workers-the ones whose benefits have run out and are still not working. this too can be found in an exconomics textbook.

huskiegal you need to review your high school freshman macroeconomics textbook!!! sorry for using big words. or try googling ''full employment'' no clue do you??

phillip easton:

Definition: Full employment occurs when everyone in the economy who is willing to work at the current market rate for someone of his skills have jobs. Full employment does not imply that all adults have jobs.

A situation in which all available labor resources are being used in the most economically efficient way. Full employment embodies the highest amount of skilled and unskilled labor that could be employed within an economy at any given time. The remaining unemployment is frictional. Many economists have estimated the amount of frictional unemployment, with the number ranging from 2-7% of the labor force. The majority go with 6%.

I hope this pleases you as I did look it up and cut and pasted just for you.

Yes I am glad you have learned what is common knowledge full employment is 4%.

Let us do it mathematically and come up with the average. We will do it the first grade way for better understanding for you.

2+3=5+4=9+5=14+6=20+7=27. Do you agree?

27+6= 4.5

So if we average it it is4.5%, but it since it is .5 it has to be rounded up to 5%

With this we reach a compromise. We are both off by a hair, me by a longer hair. The average unemployment rate for full employment is 5%.

So we just learned that your common knowledge is faulty too.

Your warped sense of History. General McClellan was fired because he strongly believed in "States Rights" and not a Federalist Central Government as to why Fort McClellan, Alabama was named after him. As unlike the progressive History states the Civil War was fought about States Rights with Slavery being part of the entire picture. This is reflected in the US Constitution Article 4 and the 10th Amendment.

Again a warped sense of History. General MacArthur's directive from the President was to win Korea, so he wanted to use the nuclear bomb against North Korea before China sent more Military to prevent further loss of US Military and UN Forces loss of life. How's that (Korea) working for you another loss (stalemate).

The only agenda that the US Military has is from the Civilian National Authority. If you do not understand (based on your post) what and who that is go research it.

rwhalen...President Barack Obama is on his way toward history recognizing him as the greatest President in American history. A person of his intellect, vision, and determination comes along very infrequently. He came along at the right time. History will glowingly record this remarkable nexus of a person, time and events. In less than two years he has already accomplished more to benefit all Americans than any previous President has done in any comparable time frame. And, he has done so in the face of relentless obstructionism from Republicans, along with some Democrats and all of the right wing leaning media. In addition to Wall Street reform, the gulf oil spill agreement and the historic reform in health care, a sampling of his accomplishments runs the gamut. He stopped and reversed the worst economic freefall since the Great Depression, stabilized financial markets, fair pay for women, boosted international goodwill, protected forests and rivers, is drawing down the war in Iraq, improved our failing infrastructure, reformed and improved student loans, established nuclear arms treaty with Russia, and more. Amazingly, all of this was done in less than two years. Pundits who would ignore or down play President Obamas record making achievements are simple being disingenuous. Former Presidents would have killed for such a positive record. The good news is that President Obama is not resting on his laurels. Do not count him out on the issues of immigration and energy reform.

Agree with you- and irony of all these remarks, as well as Monday morning quarterbacking- we have him now, no need to like him- but OMG stop all the party divisiveness in the posts- goes nowhere, accomplishes less

JamesAK,

The first stimulus plan, signed by President Bush, also had to do with this because the costs were largely seen during President Obama's term

I already told you about how the November December 2008 TARP Billion USD Bailouts were used by the Demoncraptic Party Controlled Congress to buy the January 2009 Electoral College Votes, as the Billion USDs do not pay for the 60-100 Trillion USDs profits made by those that triggered the "Global Economic Crisis" consisting of the "Mortgage Crisis", "Wall Street Crisis", "Financial Meltdown (Crisis)", "Banking Crisis", etc. and since this Administration has done nothing the next "Crisis" of 54.6 Trillion USDs. Even Business Week could see the relation between the Electoral College Votes and those that would benefit from TARP. Stop trying to justify your self importance you do not Elect the President nor the Vice President of the United States of America. That is why it is not December after the Popular Vote is counted recounted and verified that the President and VP are Inaugerated, it is January of the following year After the Electoral College Votes are counted recounted and verified that we have a new President and Vice President. Ask VP Biden, "Mr. Corporate America", as to why he had the US Supreme Court briefed on Unlimited Corporate Campaign Contributions. As the 2008 Elections would have been declared illegal for violation of the McCain (yes, that one) Feingold Law (Act) aka the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (Law).

As for BP, all evidence we've seen it that the $20 billion will be set up in an account where people in the gulf can send claims to.

Ask the people affected as to how that "promise" is working out for them.... NOT. Claim denied. Claim denied. Claim denied...........

Now we need to fix "too big to fail", which hopefully will be corrected in the new financial bill but we'll have to see..

And this is why the other members of the G-20 blame the US for causing the "Global Economic Crisis" and rightfully so, as nothing has been done by this President to reinstate the Glass Steagall Acts, that made illegal those causes of the 1907 Depression and the Global Great Depression. Hope you like your Great Depression Era Dog Food Stew (aka Hobo Stew).

We need strong yet flexible leaders

Not when they are flexible enough to kiss a foreign leaders arse that hates the US and it's Citizens. example: Mexico.

With this President going around Congress and making new US Policy, April 2009 and August 2009, Guadalajara, Mexico. US President, "US Military will not be used to secure the US Borders".

This is irregardless of by Presidential Executive Order he can implement the revised Insurrection Act and provisions of the revised January 21, 2009 Patriot Acts to superceed the Posse Comitas Act, and use the US Military to secure the US Borders as well as implement a US NORTHCOM Plan similar to "Operation Wetback".

Might want to check the DebtClock your a few trillion off.And thats not including the health care bill, and the fact we're going into the goverment fiscal year. And they have NOT even addressed the budget (which by the way will change that clock quite a bit).

All that money spent did absolutely nothing. A lot of it hasn't even been disbursed. They are so incompetent they can't even give money away !

No respect for Pres. Barry here ! Sorry James ! People have to earn my respect.

James AK....I will always have respect for the Office of the President, but in this case I cannot respect the man in the Office. He must EARN that respect and to date he has done nothing to earn it. Reacting more quickly to the spill and showing some compassion for the people of the Gulf who are hurting would have gone a long way to start earning my respect. Instead, he was worse than "W" when it came to Katrina. Mr. Obama is a big ZERO.

Silver- unless your child has his hands on your computer-what does he do? When does he do it?(Late) and I do not want to pay for Obamacare, carry my own policy,and others who can't ought to have been helped, without affecting rest of country

I do not believe that 20& and rising US Unemployment is the right thing. Using the same formulae as the Great Depression the Great Depression was 25%.

Bush was such a disgrace!

State fact. Not generalization or opinion.

The Wars:

Iraq, 1980s US Military Training Teams from Germany to Iraq during the Iran Iraq Wars.

1998. President Clinton demanded in his State of the Union Address (first use of the term WMD) the use of the US Military to overthrow the Iraqis President and Iraqis Parlementary Government. The Declaration of the Current War at Iraq being H.R.4655, 1998. H.R.4655 was Congressional Funded pre 9/11 2001.

Currently a UN Mission.

Afghanistan. 1980s Senator Charles Wilson, Democrat Texas demands US involvement after visiting the Afghan refugees at Pakistan.

Currently a UN Mission.

2006 President Bush proposes the 2006 Illegal Alien Act. US Congress chickens out and fears for their lives after the 2006 Illegal (no permits) Nationwide Demonstrations of over 23 Million Illegal Aliens organized by La Raza ("The Race" that states the overthrow of the US and Reconquest of all US).

2008 with the help of Bush (41, former director CIA) Bush (43) to keep US Citizens safe implements:

Terrorist Safe Havens: Strategies, Tactics, Tools for Disrupting or Eliminating Safe Havens

http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/crt/2007/104103.htm

This was immediately like all things Bush cancelled by President Obama.

Finally, somebody who is intelligent, charismatic, knows what he is doing and doing all the right things!

The Germans thought that Hitler was intelligent, charismatic, knows what he is doing and doing all the right things! Since he got them out of the Great Depression.

You can bet the Taliban love President Obama

What the Taliban Think of McChrystal's Ouster
To them, it means they're winning.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/06/23/what-the-taliban-thinks-of-mcchrystal-s-ouster.html

This is always the conundrum for me - liberals/democrats believe that Bush was a disgrace, and they believe that because they believe that, the rest of us should, too. But, you let an equally adamant conservative/republican say that Obama is a disgrace, and most of the liberal/democratic posters on this and many other sites will declare such a person a tea-baggin' redneck (not that Silver said that, of course). Free speech for me, but none for thee?

Uh.. Uh... Uh.. where's my teleprompter?

Good God, when is George Bush going to realize he is no longer President and just go home to Texas and leave poor Obama alone, and FINALLY let him do the job he was elected to do over a year and a half ago????!!!! Some people just don't know when to let the past be the past........SHEESH!!!

For those who decry blaming the previous administration for the messes we're in now, try this analogy: you're the final leg of a relay race and you've been passed the baton a full lap behind everyone else. How hard do you think you'll have to run to catch up? Is it fair to blame you for the race being lost?

W has been gone for 2 years, everything thats happening is obama the socialists doing. and most people will remember this come 2012.

AK Dem -

Should you as the second runner close your eyes and run backwards because you are already behind?

GOOD FREAKIN GOD, when are you people going to get it?

People are holding Obama accountable for everything he has and hasn't done since Jan. '09 that have made the economic and political situation in this country WORSE, not better.

If you're that second runner, and you manage to close the lead to half a lap before you hand off to the third runner, you're a hero.

If you're that second runner, and you run just as slow and stupidly as the first and increase the gap to TWO laps, you are just as much to blame for the loss.

And none of your stupid analogy takes into account that Bush was NOT presiden NUMBER ONE, and Obama president NUMBER TWO.

There were 42 presidents BEFORE either one of them, and the last three prior to Bush played no small part in creating policy and problems that formed Bush's presidency and it's outcomes. Just as Bush's administration is doing to Obama's.

But it is NO LONGER Bush's responsbility to FIX THINGS - get that through your head.

Prag,

Sorry but I think a lot of people will disagree with you on this! A lot of the problems are left over from the Bush administration. We would not even be in this mess if Bush did not lie to the country about WMDs and drag us into a war illegally. If Bush was still in office, then we likely would have been in much worse shape than we are presently in. We probably would have been in a full blown depression. (OPINION not fact). What you and a lot of other people don't realize is, that it takes time to fix problems, the worse the problem is the longer it will take to fix it and on top on that, it may hurt a little in the beginning. Nothing is ever black and white, there are always grey areas that have to be taking in account. I think President Obama is doing a good job, maybe not great but a good job and I truly believe that anybody in his job would have done no better, not Senator McCain and definitely not Palin!

No James Obama is responsible for the clean up of the gulf disaster and he hasnt done that. Why? because he has a very different adgenda. He has given Hugo Chavez two billion dollars for deep water drilling as a first installment of two hundered billion dollars but the most interesting part is the fact that Sorros has invested in hugo oil. Obama can now point to oil as the evil while the price of oil in the usa goes up causing all of our products to go up with it.

We wouldnt have this economic disaster if any president was in office because not just any president would have spent money like Obama has while seezing our corperations unbeknownst to you corperations do not pay taxes they collect them from YOU the consumer!

Bush did pay attention to the housing mess. The housing market mess is the democrats fault they lied about fannie mae and freddie mac and caused the housing bubble. The democratic party lied at a congretional hearing and Obama signed against investigating and regulating fannie mae and freddie mac whitch now the banks will have to pay for and again who do you think will pay? The consumer.

You are either disingenuous or really do not know what has gone on and is going on in the usa.

sandyshhores=

You are only spreading Glen Beck's propaganda,

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/braziloil.asp

JamesAK - Are you confusing fault with responsibility?

Either way, Mr. Obama is responsible for gulf oil disaster because he assumed responsibility for all actions in the U.S. by becoming president. And, yes he is also at fault or at to blame because he is the elected / appointed leader of this countries government and another government agency did not do it's job correctly by properly inspecting the oil rig.

Obviously, It's not an easy job. But, remember, he asked for it & accepted the position because he & the voters of the last election thought he could do the work?

Right on, Sandy! Everyone blames Bush for the state of this country's economy but it all started with Clinton, Franks and Pelosi with their idea that all Americans should be able to have affordable housing that led to the infamous freddie and fannie mac. Had it not been for the taking off of the internet and the surge of business it produced, Clinton's presidency would NOT have been so successful.

Obama blaming oil and saying we need to get away from fossil fuel was telling, wasn't it? When cap & trade is passed, the middle class will be totally doomed. Wake up America. Stop listening to the lies and use your brains! This man is a very sorry excuse for a president.

Finally, I agree with what the general said...lol. He is not a careless man and to be honest, I have to wonder if there is some underlying reason for making those comments in Rolling Stones?

James- think you, if Pres, would not have taken the better part of 2 months.The man cannot act in a timely fashion, then when acts, there are some issues
We cannot get away from fossil fuel quickly- witness Indian Point I and II- people are shutting them down, or upset- these were viable alternatives- no one liked them

sandyshores #25.1,

The financial mess was started before Bush. You may want to save the following link, so you can present it to the naysayers.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/warning/view/

SNOPES is the LAST place anyone should go to verify ANYTHING 2 ppl run that setup and do NOT research everything they post, some of their posts made NO sense to me even before I read an expose on there viability.

NEED to realize ppl that obama was not nor will ever be the man this country needed as their prez he is a little POOR boy from whereever palying at being RICH as crisis and burning our money like there is NO tomorrow guess to him there is No tomorrow. I am neither dem nor rep I vote for weho seems to be the best at the time , notice the word seems bc after all is said and done NONE of the b****** tell anything close to the truth and after words it is to late, but obozo OMG he was easy to see thru IF you listened.

Do the country a favor and dont vote! Your the one pretending you have sense.

Sandy

You don't know for a fact that any other person as president would have done better, in fact I believe any other person would have done worse. You should face facts, the reason we are in this financial mess is because of the previous presidency, BUSH, not anyone else, he ruined the reputation of the United States, he lied to the people of the United States and he entered a war illegallly! Thousand of innocent people died because of him but then again, like father like son, his father also invaded a country illegally, in dec, 1989 Bush invaded Panama, thousands of innocent men, women and childred died because Bush thought he had the right to do whatever he wanted. Sounds familiar to me! Please don't tell peopel they don't know what is going on when it sounds more like you don't have a clue yourself!!!

all of you are the typical bag of morons. you all wan't to blame someone for the way things are in the world. I have very terrifing news for each and every one of you. You personally are to blame. I'm not going to explain as after reading these post I believe more than ever humans need eradication now. And if u voted for obama you deserve to be the first to go. your lame and you are spineless. what the bushs did( i do not support any politition) has done more for you americans than any other since washington fought off the british or kennedy the comunist. you people hide behind your bull shi1 your credit cards you use to pump up your ego and the silly way you believe your speacial. what a joke. for all your blustering and whining your put out with the small amount of energy it takes to blow out a match. So you see its not the bushs the obamas the hitlers and on and on and on. the truth is simple your human and your nature is to take and to destroy. And please some one gag that redidiculous trampy foul excuse of all that is women and mother of a women kate. i mean the women defines trash. So go to beddyby tonight you morons and dream your silly little dreams of being speacial and wake up to the burning hell you so created and i'll be able to get on with my coffee and the horible truth that is our world without seeing these foolish posts.

The blame game...they are just following the example of the President