Thursday, March 17, 2011

US Foreign Policy Sucks, Obama's Birther Jokes

Dana Milbank
John Avlon
Nicholas Kristof
"Sarah Palin runs the risk of being little more than the thinking man’s Michele Bachmann." - John Avlon
"It is heartbreaking to see a renegade country like Libya shoot pro-democracy protesters. But it’s even more wrenching to watch America’s ally, Bahrain, pull a Qaddafi and use American tanks, guns and tear gas as well as foreign mercenaries to crush a pro-democracy movement — as we stay mostly silent." - Nicholas Kristof


There is something rotten in the American foreign policy towards countries in the Middle East, and something even more rotten in the foreign policies of each Middle Eastern country towards each other. Here we think that the small kingdom of Bahrain is fairly civilized, we have a contract with them to house a naval fleet, then to watch on television as the country explodes into a violent religious war, without lenience or mercy.

How complicit are we? Our Secretary of Defense visits Bahrain, supposedly to get them to be patient and lenient towards the unarmed protesters. As soon as Gates leaves, and god knows what was really decided on, Saudi Arabia sends in its tanks and military, the pitiful excuse being how afraid they are at an Iranian response. Then, the tanks, guns, and military are used to force the protesters to stop. People are beaten, killed, jailed, and disappear. Stories drift out of the smoke telling of the deliberate hunting of Shiites, and the arrest of anyone known to be an organizer for the protesters. The cruel irony here is that the Sunni rulers have just enacted a page out of the Iranian playbook, this scenario was drawn up in Tehran. But, what it really shows, is how close together all mean and vindictive thoughts, actions, and minds are. Scratch an erudite, educated Arabian prince to find the snarling barbarian underneath. Have you donated to that new charity yet, Qaddafi's Kids?

Then there is the horrible situation of watching Qaddafi massacre his fellow citizens, when every US General is itching to jump into the fray. It's one thing to watch someone be a bully and reveling in it, when we can easily join in and show him who the real bullies are...

Of course, that could never happen here. Because we wouldn't let it... Even if we considered burning down the compound at Waco an aberration, our police conduct raids on homeless encampments on a regular basis all around our country, and I haven't heard or read of one complaint, of giving these folks a little dignity and respect, they are treated worse than the Sunni Bahrains are treating their fellow Shias.






Politico has been documenting President Obama's stand up comedy routines in regards to his birther certificate. At a St Patrick's Day luncheon today, he riffed:

“Now, speaking of ancestry, there has been some controversy about my own background. Two years into my presidency, some are still bent on peddling rumors about my origins. So today, I want to put all those rumors to rest. It is true my great-great-great-grandfather really was from Ireland. It’s true. Moneygall, to be precise. I can’t believe I have to keep pointing this out.”

"At a Boston fundraiser on March 8, Obama told supporters: “There’s no weakness in us trying to reach out and seeing if we can find common ground. Now, there are going to be times where we can’t. I was born in Hawaii, what can I say? I mean, I just – I can’t – I can’t change those facts.”

And, at the Gridiron Club dinner this past weekend, Obama took the stage and ordered the band to switch from playing Hail to the Chief to Born in the USA, by Bruce Springsteen."

So, once again, back by popular demand, here it is:

Click to enlarge
Funny, I have a copy of the President's birth certificate on my computer, but haven't the faintest idea where mine is. That old bundle of documents has been packed up and moved several times, so much that I've lost track of them. And I'll bet there are millions of Americans who also cannot produce their birth certificates upon request....


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