Credit Where Credit is Due?

Today President Obama addressed the nation from the Oval Office to formally announce the end of combat operations in Iraq.  All day long Republicans on TV and in the papers were on the war path urging the President to give former President Bush credit for implementing the surge which led to a more stable Iraq.  Well let's give credit where credit is due.  Let's give Bush and the Neo-Cons credit for lying to the American People and the World when they told us the Iraq had WMD's that threatened the World's security. Let's give them credit for underestimating what it would take to occupy a post war Iraq.   Let's give them credit for being wrong when they said "the war would pay for itself,"  that "we would be greeted as liberators" and that this would be a "slam dunk."

The GOP is out of touch.  Sure the surge worked I will acknowledge that, but Bush knew we needed more troops before we even went in, his generals told him so, he didn't listen to them.  He bit off more then we could chew and didn't want anyone but the brave man and women in uniform (and their families) to feel the pain of war.  There was no draft, no great call for the citizens of our nation to sacrifice in a time of war.  In fact we got a tax cut and were told to shop.  Meanwhile our finest young men and women faced shortages of body armor and multiple tours in a war zone where it was hard to tell friends from enemies.  Our soldiers are the only ones who deserve credit.  They deserve that, a GI bill and for a VA that will expertly treat the wounds they brought home whether they be physical or psychological.

We didn't get this right after Vietnam.  Many Vets found themselves homeless and unable to make the adjustment to life at home.  Still more suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that in some cases stayed dormant for years.  And the public didn't welcome them home the way they should.  It's comforting that even those who opposed the war support and honor our troops.  Thank them and give them the credit.  They deserve it.

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Will President Obama Run for Re-Election? Cavuto 8 23 10 seg 1

Conservatives seem to think President Obama will not seek re-election.  I think they are either out of their minds or engaging in wishful thinking.  What do you think?

Video: Is Obama a Christian or a Muslim?

Is Obama a Christian or a Muslim? Should we care?

Last Combat Brigade Leaves Iraq

Today the last full combat brigade left Iraq.  Probably a good time to have a discussion about the war coming to an end.  Should it have started to begin with.  Are we better off as a nation for fighting it? What about the region, is it more or less stable without Sadam Hussein pretending to have WMD's?  Are Iraqis better off? Thoughts

America Live 8 16 2

Here's a clip from America Live.  

The Week Ahead

Going to be an intense week.  With POTUS weighing in on the Mosque my appearance on strategy room Monday @ 3pm with Monica Crowley should be dominated by the topic.  You can watch it live here.  http://live.foxnews.com/strategy-room

Usually the last 2 weeks of August are slow news weeks but don't count on that this year.  What do you think the story of the week will be?

Obama Didn't Sign TARP

I know the GOP wants to blame Obama for everything but lets be clear.  George W. Bush demanded, pushed for and signed TARP, the Troubled Assets Relief Program.  This is the program that bailed out the banks and insurance giant AIG.  Today we learned that France and Germany benefited greatly from the AIG bailout and conservatives rushed to point fingers at the President. Let's be clear which president the fingers should be pointed at.  

About Last Night

So here is the quote I was trying to paraphrase at the end of my Hannity appearance last night.  I had a few people ask about it so I thought it would make a good post.

  "People talk about the middle of the road as though it were unacceptable. Actually, all human problems, excepting morals, come into the gray areas. Things are not all black and white. There have to be compromises. The middle of the road is all of the usable surface. The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters." -Dwight D. Eisenhower


His words are still very true today.  Having to govern means finding the center.  Obama is being called out by the left as being too conservative and conservatives have accused the President of being a socialist radical.  He clearly is not.  This President has compromised as all presidents have and will in the future.  All the extreme talk on both sides ignores history.

More Mosque debate on Hannity

I am going to leave this as an open discussion....  Thoughts?

Bulls & Bears 8-6-2010 1.avi

My appearance last week on Bulls &Bears.

Back on Hannity Tuesday

I will be back on Hannity's Great Great American Panel Tuesday 9pm on Fox News.   I will bring the balance... Should be fun...

Great Day for America

Yesterday was a momentous day if you care about civil rights in this country.  Federal Judge Vaughn Walker, appointed by George H.W. Bush, ruled that the state can not interfere with the contract that is marriage, gay or straight and overturned California's ban on gay marriage  that was voted on as Proposition 8.  Ted Olson, who prosecuted Bill Clinton during the impeachment hearings, was one of the attorneys who argued for Gay Marriage.


There is no credibility to any of the arguments for the state being involved in peoples personal lives.  If you are a conservative, this should be a no brainier.  You want less government and for people to have more liberty.  Why should the state have any say in who you love and how you commit to that person.


For those who will argue that the judge is an activist who over-ruled a popular vote let me explain how rights work in our republic.  You don't get a vote on rights.  In a republic, even minorities have rights that are protected even when it's not popular.  The court is there to protect your rights and that's what Judge Walker did. It wasn't popular when the courts ended segregation and Jim Crow laws.  It wasn't popular when the court ended bans on inter racial marriage.  


The Declaration of Independence states "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."  Please note who gave us these rights, the "Creator" (read God) and his vote counts more then all of us.  We don't get a vote on rights.  They come from God and they are not subject to popular opinion or referendum.


  

Fox Business News Tomorrow

I will be on Bulls and Bears tomorrow at 4pm I will be one of the many in the split screen panel that pops up a few times during the show.  tune in.  Tons of topics should be fun...  I will of course be out numbered...

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Fox Business News Tonight 6:00

I will be on Fox Business News Channel tonight with Cavuto.  I will be on both panels at approx 6:15 and 6:45pm today.  We will be talking about the State and Local Aid Bill that passed the Senate today and the Moveon.org boycott of target...   Tune in and let me know what you think.

I'm Back in the fox News Strategy Room Tuesday 10 am

Should be a good day to talk politics.  Lot's going on.  you can log to http://live.foxnews.com/strategy-room and watch it live and email questions and comments.  Iwill try to continue the conversation here by responding to comments left on this post..

Cancel My Trip to Dubai, UAE

The UAE has banned Blackberry use.  Good luck selling those private islands they built a few years back.  I have avoided restaurants and golf courses where I can't get service, I can't see how I will go to en entire country where I will be disconnected from the world.  

Wasn't Dubai supposed to be the new business hub of the world? They built the tallest skyscraper and luxury resorts, expanded their coast line.  The plan was to attract western business and tourism to a "progressive middle eastern nation".  I don't see how this policy helps that.  Who wants to have an office in the middle of the desert without Blackberry coverage? Not me.  

Honestly, I like most of us have seen the discovery channel program about creation of the Dubai Palm Islands and the World. The engineering was amazing and it looked like a place I might want to check out at some point.  Not anymore.  

While I am an iPhone guy, I am sure they are blocking that too.  Sorry Dubai, I will be vacationing in Montauk.  I hope my phone works there.

August and Everything After...

My first post in August.  Should be much quieter then last August when the Tea Party Emerged at Congressional Town Halls across the nation....

The NYS legislature will be back in Albany on Tuesday and the last piece of the budget may be passed... ah optimism...

I will be on Fox's Strategy Room this Wednesday 10 am log on to http://live.foxnews.com/strategy-room to watch it live and get in on the discussion by emailing your questions....