More on "Hindsight"

Peter Wehner makes a good point on Commentary's site:

To say that he would oppose a military plan that one day may well rank as among the best in our history is stunning. Whatever would motivate Obama to say what he did — political cowardice, willful denial, astonishing blindness to the facts, or the mindset of an ideologue — it ought to cause Americans to rethink, in the most fundamental way, whether Obama is responsible enough to be President.

I suppose it’s also now reasonable to ask Obama if he would, in hindsight, oppose the Normandy invasion. His judgment is that open to question.

Hey, the war against Germany was a "war of choice," right? I mean, the Japanese attack us, and we send our boys to die in Europe? What kind of sense does that make?

(h/t)

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Hindsight is 20/20

Captain Bullshit:

If you had to do it over again, knowing what you know now, would you — would you support the surge?”

Obama: “No, because — keep in mind that -”\

Moran: “You wouldn’t?”

Obama: “Well, no, keep — these kinds of hypotheticals are very difficult . Hindsight is 20/20. I think what I am absolutely convinced of is that at that time, we had to change the political debate, because the view of the Bush administration at that time was one that I just disagreed with.”

Just to clarify, the statement "hindsight is 20/20" is generally describing the results of hindsight bias, which is the the inclination to see events that have occurred as more predictable than they in fact were before they took place. This allows a person looking back at an event to state with great confidence what the correct decision should have been even though they may not have had the resources to make that decision at the time

Unfortunately, Obama's refusal to reevaluate his decision on the surge calls this entire theory into jeopardy. It is obvious that the surge was, in fact, the correct decision at the time and remains so with hindsight thrown in. Millions of lives have been enriched and protected by the brave, unpopular decision of a lameduck president. A true leader would have the confidence and honesty to admit he was wrong but apparently the Messiah is incapable of admitting his mistakes.

Obviously, Obama's hindsight is closer to 20/1000. That's legally blind.

Update: Another one...

Let me be absolutely clear," Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said today at a press conference in Amman, Jordan. "Israel is a strong friend of Israel's. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under a McCain...administration. It will be a strong friend of Israel's under an Obama administration. So that policy is not going to change.

I know that internal consistency isn't really the left's thing but how can they simultaneously hail Obama as a genius while using every Bush gaffe as proof of his idiocy? My head would explode from the contradictions.

(h/t: Hot Air)

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Obamamania not catching on in Iraq

Remember when Excitable Andy suggested that merely gazing upon Obama's glorious visage would change Muslim minds about America? Shockingly, it turns out that he may have been wrong:

While Obama's trip has been getting saturation media coverage in the U.S., however, the Iraqi media has barely batted an eye. Obama's visit got only a vague mention on the local TV networks' afternoon news hours, and it failed to make the front page on any of Iraq's top newspapers. Only in Al-Dustour did an article make reference to the visit, quoting Iraqi politician (and former Bush Administration favorite) Ahmad Chalabi as saying: "Obama wants to prove that he's qualified enough to be Commander in Chief."

Man, are their priorities screwed up over there, or what? I mean, he might say something important about, say, hope or maybe change.

Indeed, while many Iraqis say they like Obama, few are optimistic about the difference he can make for their country as a result of his one-day visit, or even as President.

B-but...hope! And change! Rainbows!

"They are all the same — Democrats and Republicans, their agenda is the same, and that is to exert American control all over the world," says Nasir al-Saadi, a parliamentarian in the Sadrist movement, which is fiercely opposed to what it sees as the U.S. occupation of Iraq. In the central Baghdad neighborhood of Mansour, local Sunni community leaders — and political enemies of the Sadrists — say much of the same thing. "American policy does not depend on the President. When a new President comes up, he just continues the pre-set policy," says Sunni Awakening leader Ahmed Bassam.

I guess Ahmed hasn't gotten the message about Change You Can Believe In. That, or he doesn't believe in it.

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Did Ronald Reagan bring down the Berlin Wall?

Of course not, you conservative rube!  It was Bruce Springsteen.

(h/t)

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 08:01 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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Stamp your angry little feet

I'm just shocked, shocked I tell you, that the organizers of the "Netroots Nation" conference would do something this childish where Fox News is concerned:

Planners of the conference want to force representatives of the cable news network to wear credentials identifying them as opinion media rather than providing them with the regular press passes other news outlets will receive.

“Fox News calls itself fair and balanced, but it’s not,” Josh Orton, political director for Netroots said in an interview. He accused the network, which is popular among conservatives, of misrepresenting itself.

To be fair, at least Josh didn't use some variation of "Faux News" when talking about the network. But it turns out that none of this really matters anyway:

A spokeswoman for Fox News called the policy a “predictable stunt and a moot point” since the network would not be sending anyone to cover the four-day conference that kicked off in Austin, Texas, on Thursday.

Victory for the Nutroots! You scared the Big Bad Meanies away! Tinfoil hats for everyone!

(h/t)

Posted by: Sean M. at 07:08 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Obama: "Hey, remember that bomb that fell on Pearl Harbor?"

Good Lord, what a dumbass.

Update: Now, with video!

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Who Does He Think He Is

An amazing article by the Krauthammer:

He lectures us that instead of worrying about immigrants learning English, "you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish" -- a language Obama does not speak. He further admonishes us on how "embarrassing" it is that Europeans are multilingual but "we go over to Europe, and all we can say is 'merci beaucoup.' " Obama speaks no French.

His fluent English does, however, feature many such admonitions, instructions and improvements. His wife assures us that President Obama will be a stern taskmaster: "Barack Obama will require you to work. He is going to demand that you shed your cynicism . . . that you come out of your isolation. . . . Barack will never allow you to go back to your lives as usual, uninvolved, uninformed."

For the first few months of the campaign, the question about Obama was: Who is he? The question now is: Who does he think he is?

Among all the other issues I have with him, I often forget just how completely unimpressive his life has been. He's nothing, a nobody. He doesn't deserve to be a Senator (and wouldn't be if the Illinois GOP had run somebody better than Alan Keyes which is akin to getting a disease better the penis cancer) and certainly has no business being this deep into an honest to god U.S. Presidential Election.

When people criticized Hillary for acting entitled to the nomination we forget that she's been working on this for decades and this punk kid was voting present in the state assembly 4 years ago.

If we elect this empty suit to president, we deserve what we get.  I thought we were smarter than this.

Posted by: Moron Pundit at 09:26 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
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Welcome to Candyland

Meet Randi Weingarten, the new President of the American Federation of Teachers. Apparently, economics classes aren't her strong suit:

“Can you imagine a federal law that promoted community schools — schools that serve the neediest children by bringing together under one roof all the services and activities they and their families need?” Ms. Weingarten asked in the speech.

“Imagine schools that are open all day and offer after-school and evening recreational activities and homework assistance,” she said. “And suppose the schools included child care and dental, medical and counseling clinics.”

And suppose we start using federal funds to research how to breed magical talking unicorns that eat pollution and crap rainbows, too.

Dumbass.

(h/t)

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What else was on that Jesse Jackson tape?

TV Newser has a transcript that has been confirmed by Fox News insiders.  Not really that much, but they should have played the tape in its entirety the first time around.  I'm not sure if this is FNC trying to stretch out the ratings boost on this thing, or if they were trying to protect Jackson or something else, but the tape should have been completely played, if for no other reason than to limit speculation. 

The media's primary job is to put forward information, and FNC failed to do that.  This would be one thing if there was some security, legal or safety reason, but there was no compelling reason to withhold the rest of the tape.

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Victory (accidentally) declared

Senator Joe Biden (D-Douche) inadvertently declared yesterday that we're winning in Iraq:

"If John [McCain] wants to know where the bad guys live, come back with me to Afghanistan," Biden said. "We know where they reside. And it’s not in Iraq."

Of course, what he really meant was that "Iraq is a distraction from the real war in Afghanistan, which I'd rather not be fighting anyway, and why haven't we found Osama yet, and blah blah fucking blah. I love the sound of my own voice."

(h/t)

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Obama's campaign missed a document in the Great Surge Purge

FAIL  Not that's the document itself a huge deal, but it is fun to goof on Our Lord and Savior.  The fact that he's now forced to backtrack like this is the important takeaway in this, and the document that escaped the memory hole (thus far) just shows that he's going to have credibility trouble since he staked so much of his campaign on strong Iraq War opposition.  Just like the left's newfound (publicly) opposition to Afghanistan, they're going to have a hell of a time convincing others that they should be taken credibly on issues of national security, since they've spent so long basing their foreign policy on attacking Bush and Republicans.

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Today's Obama position clarifications

I agree with Rush Limbaugh that hitting Obama as a flip-flopper won't work, as John Kerry owns that term and it's reuse in 2008 would just make us look lazy.  But here is a round-up of some of his more recent, ahem, nuanced statements...

On the effectiveness of the surge.

On his church attendance at Trinity United Church of Christ.

On his website regarding the surge. 

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 02:16 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Obama: Guess what Iraq is doing to the military

Gosh, for being the Smartest Man in the World and the Messiah, it sure sounds like he needs a thesaurus (emphasis mine):

“This war distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities we could seize,” Obama said. “By any measure, our single-minded and open-ended focus on Iraq is not a sound strategy for keeping America safe.”

Whenever I think of Sen. Obama running on a pro-Hope^tm, pro-Change^tm, anti-Distraction platform, I always think of how liberals have derided President Bush and others for having a "simplistic" message. But that's because Barack has not yet caused me to shed my cynicism, I guess.

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Because You Can't KeepA Crazy Lady Down

All-around nutjob Cynthia McKinney is back yet again. This time, she is in the news because the Green Party nominated her as their Presidential Candidate.

McKinney, 53, will be joined on the ticket for the November election by vice presidential candidate Rosa Clemente, a hip-hop artist and activist.

McKinney received 313 out of 532 votes cast at the party's nominating convention in Chicago, party spokesman Scott McLarty said.

Sigh. I need a palette cleanser. How about a kangaroo cleaning his prostate?

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A little hopey changey fun

From Obama community blogger "James Jones".  Awesome. And a little moar from Obama community blogger James Jones.

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This is why Chuckie Schumer gets paid the big bucks.

But we already knew that.  Anyway, Sen. Ted Kennedy returned to the Senate floor to vote on a Medicare bill in front of an exultant Democratic caucus.

So how did Sen. Chuck Schumer react?  By pretending that GOP Senators cared about Kennedy's return (emphasis in the original):

Kennedy, 76, entered the chamber midway through the roll call vote. With an arm around his shoulder was presumed Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama of Illinois. As they walked through the door, stunned fellow senators, aides and gallery watchers broke into raucous applause.

With the cheers still cascading, Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., walked to the center of the aisle and blew a kiss at the Republican side, grinning.

Quick!  Someone swoop in and tell me "it's old!"

Posted by: It's Vintage, Duh at 08:13 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Keebler Elf presenting Articles of Chimpeachment once again

A little fair trade free range sustainable organic tofu for the Nutroots, Kucinich gets the attention he so desperately craves from them, and everyone else continues doing whatever they're doing today.  *Yawn*

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Identitypoliticspalooza!

It seems that civil rights figure and Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), for the first time in 16 years, is facing a primary challenge:

The Rev. Markel Hutchins and Rep. “Able” Mable Thomas are betting that Lewis’ early endorsement of Clinton will hurt him among voters who may have seen the alliance as a betrayal in a district that overwhelmingly favored Obama.

Lewis later switched his support to Obama and does not expect his initial decision to hinder his campaign.

“I told my young opponents, I’ve been about change. I am change,” Lewis told The Associated Press. “If it was not for the changes that I, along with many of my colleagues, created, they probably would not have an opportunity to be running for Congress or anything else.”

His crime, apparently, was not saving the word "change" enough.  While I find this situation completely hilarious, I also think that it is unfair for Rep. Lewis.  From the outset, and on into December 2007, Sen. Obama actually trailed Sen. Hillary Clinton among black voters.  Lewis switched his support to Obama shortly after that (in mid-February) with four months left in the Democratic primary schedule. 

Even though I disagree with his policies, it's hard to believe the line that Rep. Lewis is somehow a traitor to liberal black issues based upon his support for Hillary Clinton. 

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Moar nutroots heartache over Messiah's betrayal on FISA

I'm still laughing...

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Big Brother Daddy is Watching Looking Out For You

In a column published last week, after detailing her upbringing by a strict father, Chicago Tribune columnist Mary Schmich scoffs at a recent Reason magazine article which concluded that her fair city "reigns supreme when it comes to treating its citizens like children."

Writes Schmich:

Reason, a libertarian journal, surveyed the 35 most populous American cities to determine how they "balance individual freedom and government paternalism."

Concluding that Chicago was the strictest of all, the article mocked our bans on handguns and public smoking and—as easy as shooting geese in a barrel—the recently rescinded ban on foie gras.

The complaints went on. The article stomped its foot over our limits on serving trans fats in restaurants and blathering on cell phones while driving.

It whimpered about our police cameras, our tax on bottled water, our high cigarette and alcohol taxes, and, in the way of many a 10-year-old, seemed to equate the fact that we can't have whatever fun we want whenever we want it with an assault on our basic freedom. But where some people see paternalism, we weirdos believe that most of Chicago's rules help turn unruly city dwellers into civilized citizens. Big cities are like big families—put a lot of people into a small space and somebody has to be charged with the power to say "Stop it."

She goes on to list several other things, like barbecue lighter fluid and air conditioning, which she wishes the city would take away from her neighbors.

That's a fine idea. Next, how's about we come up with a few other things Big Daddy could take away from Mary. You know, for her own good. Might I suggest:

-Hybrid cars. The smug is a terrible problem.
-Hair and nail salons. The chemicals can't be good for the environment.
-Coffee shops. All those paper cups and the little paper things that keep you from burning your hand. Shudder.
-Newspapers. More paper. They probably still cut down trees to make it.

Got any more ideas? We've got to save Mary from herself, people!

(h/t)

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