Let’s Not Forget Reality

With the news last week that President Obama intends to have all troops out of Iraq “by the holidays,” many of the major “news” outlets have begun a campaign to give the President an inordinate amount of credit for what many Americans feel have been foreign policy wins. This shouldn’t surprise anyone. Even here at SUFA we had folks give him more credit than he deserved for foreign policy actions in the past. But before we start just handing out “Obama 2012: Tough on Terror”campaign buttons, we really should take a look at how we got to where we are before we start pretending that the President is somehow a foreign policy savant. Because the reality is that the media’s plan to paint Obama as having victories in the foreign policy realm are really nothing more than an attempt to pretend that the economic ineptitude of his administration isn’t a reason to not re-elect him….

Technically, We Are Legal Ass Clowns

The last week or so has seen a growing call for the President to withdraw participation in the conflict in Libya. These calls, which I certainly echo given my “defensive only” posture on the use of our military forces, are currently being based on the fact that Obama did not seek or receive Congressional approval to conduct this particular military action. Well, in the official answer from the White House this week, we were told that, TECHNICALLY, he doesn’t need Congressional approval for what is happening in Libya. His reasoning is that the war in Libya is too small to require Congressional approval and that United Nations has approved the action anyway.

Why Libya is An Extension of Suicidal Policy

The other day I was perusing through the comments here at SUFA and stumbled across a short and simple post from Mathius. He asked whether there was anyone here at Stand Up For America that agreed with what was happening in Libya, specifically, the US participation in that country. I don’t remember what the answer was from everyone who answered. What I distinctly remember is what I thought when I read his question….. No, but why? I most certainly don’t like what is happening in Libya, or what happened in Afghanistan or Iraq either, for that matter. Although I understood the the first foray and tolerated the second. But the real question I wanted everyone to answer, because it seemed as though most were answering “No”, was WHY are you opposed to what is happening in Libya?

The Reality Around Israel

I know as I begin to write this that I am opening a can worms that I will struggle to keep contained as the discussion unfolds. But the reality for me is that it is a can that I am simply unable to ignore. I watched the debates and discussions last week as we talked about the incident between the activists who were looking for trouble and the defiant country more than willing to play its part in providing some. I will talk a little bit about that below, but I am am more interested in simply having an honest discussion around Israel. These days, it has become one of two mindsets in America. There are those that despise Israel. And on the other side, those that consider it pure blasphemy to say anything negative about them. I am one of those folks that simply don’t fall into either of those two camps. I am not a giant fan of Israel, but I certainly don’t dislike them either. I see them as an ally, but one that continues to push the bounds of what is acceptable behavior. The question for me, and I think for a growing segment of Americans, is when do we simply say we have had enough?

The Audacity of Hope and Change… Lost?

Before I begin tonight’s article, let me just say that I really enjoyed watching the Super Bowl this evening. I was rooting for the Saints (Baltimore Raven fans do not root for the Colts… ever). I was impressed with how they played. The best compliment that I can give them is that from about the middle of the second quarter on, it was easy to completely forget that Peyton Manning is one of the best quarterbacks of our generation. And the onside kick to start the second half was a brilliant call. So congratulations to the New Orleans Saints and to the city of New Orleans. That city deserved something good happening for it. For tonight’s article, I want to throw out there the question of what has gone wrong with the Obama administration’s plans for America. I think that it is a fair statement to say that, thus far, the Obama Presidency has been a complete failure. It’s been over a year. No longer can we blame Bush or claim that we need to give him time. We can see that the first year has been a complete failure. The question is why?

Rejecting Iran’s Possible Dangers

There is no guest commentary submitted for this evening so I told Black Flag that I would respond to his comments about Iran as the topic for tonight. This is not going to be a long post, as we have hashed out Iran as best we could in past debates. We have, frustratingly, not agreed on much, as it seemed to me one side of the argument pointed out Iran as a danger, and the other was intent to instead point out the US as a danger. I will address that fact quickly below, and then move on, as re-hashing it will serve no purpose for us here. As for the topic, I know there are many here who are not interested in this topic. Feel free to use this thread throughout the weekend to discuss any topic you like. I will monitor when I can to respond to whatever subjects you bring up. If you would like to peruse the last discussion that we had on this subject in October, you can do so by clicking HERE (will open a new window). So on to the quick discussion topic…

Foreign Policy Needs a New Policy

I am going to do my best to answer several of the positions taken on this site by various folks when it comes to our foreign policy. The fact is that our foreign policy in America is drastically flawed. Unfortunately so are some of the positions that have been espoused on the site when discussing foreign policy. The flaws are many, from taking a interventionist position within the world stage, to using that interventionist policy as a way to excuse away the heinous actions of others, many fail to see the reality of the world as it exists. I feel like I don’t suffer from that lapse in reality. I am not unique, but I am not just another dumb kid when it comes to examining the situation either. What I am is someone who has served this country, both here and abroad. I have seen the world first hand. I have seen the conflicts first hand. I have worked in Washington and seen the intel first hand. And what I offer on this subject is a voice not influenced by a hatred for either side and not rendered blind by a bias that keeps me from seeing the realities we face abroad. But that doesn’t make me right. So everything I say is certainly up for debate.

Something Different and Short for a Change

I have come home this evening and watched a little baseball, which as many of you know I am passionate about (even with by beloved Red Sox sent packing), and caught a little football. Allow me to first, before I forget, offer my congratulations to those who are fans of the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. It should be a good world series. It isn’t often we get to see the real two best teams in baseball playing each other for the championship (heck, sometimes the best two teams in baseball reside in the American League East), but I really do feel like this year we are seeing the two who most deserve to be there duking it out for the title. As I watched, slumped on the floor with the puppy laying beside me, Mrs. Weapon walked in and said, “you are using one of your sick days tonight. You get 10 sick days a year on the blog, and tonight is one.” I chuckled and said I would love to, but tomorrow is Monday! Monday’s are bad enough without also missing out on waking up and arguing some topic with people at Stand Up For America. But I am fairly whipped tonight, so I offer something a bit different.

A Soldier’s Point of View….

The other day, one of the regular commenters on the site posted an interesting comment. Because the issue resolved around a hot button topic these days, I didn’t want to get this discussion lost in the threads where people won’t see it or get to comment on it. I am open to debate on my answers. I hope that other veterans will offer up their personal perspective. So this one is for you Just a Citizen. I felt your questions and your reasoning behind who you wanted answers from was valid, so we will have this discussion out in the open where we can all learn from it.

The Threat of Violence… Justified Politics or Meddling?

I was perusing the news today while on a dinner break at work and stumbled upon this article about how India was poised to attack Pakistan over the recent terror attacks in Mumbai. I will link to it below. Apparently the US and Britain talked them off the ledge. But that got me thinking about the discussions that we have had on this blog about the United States constantly being involved in the affairs of other nations. Furthermore I was wondering how we can define the line that our country should not be allowed to cross….