Obama in Baghdad Updated
The Reuters headline reads “Obama hopes visit to Iraq can help resolve problems.”
It appears that Obama thinks his mere presence and aura will help “resolve problems.”
Because of reported bad weather, he won’t make it into the IZ (still called the Green Zone by some) to talk with Iraqi leaders. Instead, he’ll be at Camp Victory making phone calls and meeting with Iraqi PM al Maliki. Later, according to ABC News, he’ll participate in a ceremony awarding 10 Medals of Valor.
Let’s hope he refrains from telling the troops they’re fighting in a “dumb war.”
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I can only imagine the scorn the Left would heap on President Bush if this had been his trip (drive-by visit! dog-and-pony show! holed up on a military base instead of getting out among the people! bad weather? b.s.!)…
***
Update: Six hundred troops cheered Obama. Obama again emphasized that his mere presence will help with “resolving issues?”
“It’s important for us to use all of our influence to encourage the parties to resolve these issues in ways that are equitable. I think that my presence here can help do that,” he said.
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Trackbacks
- Obama-rama in Europe! The President who keeps on giving - Our President thinks Austrian is a language « Jim Blazsik
- Obama’s ‘Magical Mystery Apology Tour’ Includes Surprise Visit to Iraq « Frugal Café Blog Zone
- ScoopThis.Org » President Obama in Baghdad, Iraq!
- where are all the Republican politicians lobbying for an invasion of North Korea? » A Couple Things » A couple things about politics, sports, travel, and other stuff.
- Obama’s F**K you America tour finally comes to an end | Fire Andrea Mitchell!
- Comic: ‘Barack the Barbarian’ Fights an Evil, Scantly Clad Sarah Palin … Honest! | The Great Illuminator
- President Obama’s surprise visit to see the troops in Iraq | My Blog Channel
- Jules Crittenden » Hello & Goodbye
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Categories: War
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I think somebody made a good point the other day about how many people seem to live in bubbles. I think many people in the US don’t live in the real world and don’t apply life lessons to their own lives because they don’t think that anything is wrong.
Speaking as a military spouse, I feel that many Americans are out of touch with what’s happening, not only in their own country, but their own military. Military families and their active duty members put up with a lot. Many Americans whine about not having “job security” yet that’s something that many military spouses will/have never enjoyed. Many spouses even encounter discrimination because of their military member’s career.
So many Americans are convinced that if they can be someone/something else, or if our country can become something else than what it is, their lives will matter. Many Americans (of the left-leaning persuasion) complain about how costly the health care system yet they have no idea that socialized/government-run healthcare already exists. It’s called Tricare and it already practices the things that experts warn against such as rationing, lack of doctors, and a one size fits all approach to medicine that’s more about dollars and cents than saving lives.
If the American voters actually respected our military and learned from all the things the military achieved and overcome, they wouldn’t want the same government screwing up their lives like the military/government has already done with Tricare and quality of life issues involving military spouses.
It would be interesting to see how many on MM’s blog are military or ex-military, or are married to military. Then take a poll of what they think of Obama. Anyone care to guess what the result would be? And I believe that would be representative of all the military.
Exactly what does this mean? Did you actually have a point to make or would you rather just come off looking uninformed like LGM?
Seriously, are you going to base overall military support for Obummer on a slick PR visit? Are you going to base overall military support on a segment of the military population who don’t even represent the totality of political thought?
Are you that much of a sucker?
Some idiot commentator said with the troop increase Afghanistan, it was now Obama’s war. Really nice to be able to say which of your country’s wars is yours and which one is not.
As the Russians say, “What Bolshoi.”
It is as unfair to Obama as it was to Bush.
I didn’t much like Tricare either.
YES. HE. IS!!!
Someday (and it can’t come soon enough) his very own
narcissistic personality is going to do him in. Everything comes down to the “wonderfulness of O,”
whenever he is talking. This goes beyond a positive
self image…this is self worship.
You’re not the only separated, retired, or active duty military member who’s said that. My husband never has the same doctor. Tricare/the military has begun importing foreign doctors to pick up the slack of deployed military doctors. The only problem with this approach is that my husband often can’t decipher what the foreign docs say throught their thick accents. He also wonders if many of these docs went throught the same kind of rigorous medical training that their American counterparts do.
Don’t even get me started on Family Support Centers (the most ironic aspect of military social services since there’s not much support there) or low bid moving companies. Both just drive me up the wall.
happyscrapper
it would be enlightening…. then break it down who saw combat and think a certain way, who was an officer and was stateside….. would be interesting. Oh BTW I’ll be at the State Capitol for Tea Party MN style. And my wishes for your husband’s successful and speedy recovery.
Yes, Tricare seems to be yet another way to deprive vets and families of health care benefits promised. Champus was an earlier effort to do the same.
Emjem24 has it right about “job security” for the military. They can RIF you any time they like. And if your spouse dies on active duty you have 30 days to vacate military housing. That includes KIA.
The government treats the families of the military like trash and throws them out when done with them. It isn’t going to get better any time soon.
psst…try stepping out of that bubble and listen to what is going on. You should be trying to come up with actual idea’s to counter the president’s popularity with most Americans and the world. ODS is making him more popular and as long as you guys are the alternative…he will remain very popular. *shrug*
LGM
Obama has done just the opposite of everything he PROMISED on the campaign trail and you call Bush a liar. Obama will get the S### bombed out of us before long with all his BS. Our enemies know he is weak and they will take advantage in their time. This guy is a disgrace to the Office. Too bad lefties like you don’t get it. He makes Carter look like General Patton.
Obama Baghdad speech.
Let me be clear. I do not think we should have come to Iraq. It was a colossal blunder on Americas part led by the imbecile George Bush. It’s a big mess he has created and I won’t be able to fix it in 1 or 4 or even 8 years. I am issuing an executive order that I will end this war. Its too complicated to know when but the Iraqis have to fix our blunder. No one should have died here but I uh uh support those who have. We need to get along so although I continually pass blame and criticise others, they need to get along with me now, even though, they uh uh caused this war that we shouldn’t be uh waging. Is that clear? It’s Americas fault but we are leaving now. Good luck to you. Its your country and I won. Uh uh God bless Obama uh America.
If ego were any larger, they’d be adding on to the White House!
moonshot, it is you who needs to get out of the bubble. Popular is NOT the same as being right. The number seeing through this idiot is growing by the day.
MNUSMCDavid:
My prediction, (based on my gut feeling and limited experience) is as follows:
Among the junior soldiers you will probably find a slant toward the left. As emjem24 said, this is probably more about social taboos then anything else.
The NCOs and officers will likely be more slanted to the right with combat arms and combat support slanting furthest to the right and CSS (JAG, for example, as WE82 mentioned) going in the other direction but still decidedly right-wing.
I am not sure you will see a significant break in who saw combat and who didn’t. Afterall, you are going to have the “burnout” factor for folks with multiple deployments.
Though I am loathe to admit it, I suspect you will see some very clear lines drawn along race as well. That is to say, it’s rather likely you will find many more democrats among black soldiers, NCOs, and officers. I remember more than one officer that was very decidely a democrat and very often based their worldview along perceptions about race.
True, but that’s mostly the case in the civilian world as well. It would be interesting to see how the percentages break down, though. I.e. would the percentage of blacks that are democrats in the civilian world (92%+-) match the percentage in the military? If I were to bet it would still be a majority, but less so.
Dexter:
Yes. I have no doubt you are right. In fact, it might not even be a majority. I suspect you will find many “independants” or left-leaning Republicans.
Shhhh… here’s a secret I’ll share with you and only you. When the government continues to think for arrogant tools like yourself, it really comes as not a big shocker when the law of unintended consequences comes into affect and the Doormat-in-Chief is not taken seriously.
Believe me, there are already plenty of ideas on the table within the military as well as the “loyal opposition.” Why is it fair to gut the military yet not freeze social spending? In the end, such a philosophy will only produce a more dependent, weak-minded people, something I’m sure you’re well-acquainted with.
What bubble do I live in exactly? I’ve listened to the arrogance and ignorance of Americans such as yourself who neither want a military or feel that the military don’t deserve decent pay and benefits. Popularity is a fleeting thing as Pres. Bush and other former presidents can attest. ODS isn’t in play here since many in the military predicted this faker would gut the military and leave it on a poor footing. Then again, your comments don’t come from a place that registers “bi-partisanship.”
I also *shrug* at your comments because you’ve never indicated whether you’ve ever had any exposure to the military or the military culture. You have not countered or put forth statistics that say that the military DO support Obummer. Why is that? Or does my being a military spouse, seeing anti-military arrogance/ignorance in my family still qualify me as living in a “bubble?”
Don’t look now, but it looks like you’re all aboard the denial train.
Briebart has it that BHO is being received wildly by the troops, who shout, “I love you” to their savior, Obama.
There you have it – straight from your trusted media.
BS ALERT! KCK did not provide a link to the above mentioned Breitbart article because he spun it, yes there were “…hundreds of cheering troops.” BUT ONLY ONE person shouted, “We love you!”
BACK TO READING CLASS FOR YOU, KCK.
trust me, this is nothing new or unique to Tricare. The US Military has used Drs from foreign countries for years. These drs would not be allowed to actually practice in the US under civilian circumstances – yet that is the care that US military and their dependents have gotten for year. Expect the same type of thing with “universal” health care. Foreign drs are cheaper.
When I was a kid, my family was on Champus. On a cross country trip when I was 9, I develped a very high fever and rash. (I had been vaccinated on schedule) We stopped at a hospital in Missouri, when I started having convulsions. The hospital refused to treat me because we were on CHAMPUS and sent my family another 100 miles up the road. That was in the 60’s.
Tricare is just as bad. My niece served 6 years in the Air Force as an aircraft mechanic. She was discharged because she messed up her knee and needed surgery. Since she lived in Colorado Springs, she had to go to the VA Hospital in Denver. I took her in for one appointment and we waited for 7 hours to see a doctor. It took another 4 months to actually have the surgery.
Yeah, now Obummer wants to make it all “white”. I am sure our vets can hardly wait.
Sorry, left out a clue – I had the measles.
Thanks, David! I’ll pass along your good wishes. Sure would love to be there! Well…next time.
So, Happy2, you believe the story?
I should have added my *sarcasm* marks,. I don’t believe the Briebart story in the least. But, before nightfall, HuffPo and Slate will have it the way I wrote it.
Whoops! There I go with more sarcasm and no *stars*!
If Obasma has so many military voters (and I’ll grant that he has some) then why do the dimocrats frequently try (and often succeed) to dis-allow the overseas military absentee voters?
Since I am being mis-read, I will fill you in: military voters are conservative in the large majority.
I will concur with the fact, not conjecture, that most military service people are conservative, and I agree that is why absentee ballots are blocked by liberal swine who are election judges. I say that with knowledge that I opened many military absentee ballots as an election judge supervisor, and they were easily 80% conservative. Having to have a liberal judge with me to witness same irked her to no end. But, I am 6′2″ 250 and will not be intimidated by crying and whining leftists.
lgm—
Out of 2 million service members, one should expect to find 600 or even 6,000 who are O’happy and would worship the ground upon which our current CinC walks. I’d worry if that weren’t the case. But as many men and women as I have come across that didn’t care much for GW Bush, they DID have respect for him. There is a huge difference between “liking” and respecting your boss. The liberal media and pollsters will always go out of their way to find a sample of people who like or dislike… who are more inclined to respond emotionally rather than out of a true sense of loyalty and/or respect (or knowledge of what what the poll is actually asking). Compound that with the emotional sense of relief a lot of service members and their families may have felt when Hopey O’chump vowed to withdraw troops from the ME, only to slowly begin to realize that things are not going to go quite as promised, and you’ll soon see that the “like” for him will soon wane.
We have the greatest volunteer military force in the world. You seldom hear about how many have re-upped and volunteered for multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. But you hear ad nauseum about the .01% who refuse to, protest the operation after retirement or discharge, or leave a suicide note about how this engagement ruined their lives. The Armed Forces are a population like any other, in that they will have dissenting members, neurotic folks, pedophiles, criminals, etc. But I GUARANTEE you they are worlds above any other population in terms of dedication, work ethic, discipline, integrity, service, and commitment, and those who defame the service and integrity of the US and its military are VERY rare. Compare this sample (relative to its size) to any major city, or better yet to Congress— you’ll see that they are the epitome of honor and respect. If the military is so warm and fuzzy about the direction Obama and our congressmen and women want to take our country, why is it that so many libs try their damnedest to keep military absentee ballots from being counted? I wonder if it could have something to do with how underwhelming the support would be for their candidates? Hmmm.
This was just a PR stunt to try and soften the USA bashing that Obama indulged in this week. When Air Force One touches down on American soil, he needed to point to one patriotic duty he performed. It was perfunctory at best.
Ask and ye shall receive.
Amen to that truth.
YOU’VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!
We have a liberal among us who has no clue what a Rent-A-Crowd is?
Show of hands here – how many vets here know what a “Political Dog And Pony Show” is? Please enlighten the uninformed lad.
Nah, forget it, he’d never believe it…. not in his little candy cane world.
Heh. I wonder if his 500 camp followers joined him there? Personally, I doubt it, from the looks of that crowd, most probably stayed behind for a visit to Amsterdam to “sample” some of the local coffee shops.
Oh good lordy… we had an officer get an Achievement medal for OPENING THE CAR DOOR for an ambassador that came to visit us and one of our enlisted guys got one for SERVING HIM A DRINK. Meanwhile Im over at the embassy get struck up in conversation by some guy pretending to be a civilian and wanting to know if I had access to nukes….
Oh well, as long as I didnt have to be standing at attention or at parade rest during a ceremony, I didnt care.
I think LGM is getting bitter and has voters remorse on the failed policies of BO. BO’s economic failures and diplomatic appeasements is a major disappointment to leftists like LGM. They truely are on the bitter and of course are not they always bitter? Its difficult to find a lefty that is happy.
God weighs in at EMSC:
Summary:
Magnitude mb 4.7
Region IRAN-IRAQ BORDER REGION
Date time 2009-04-07 at 17:32:52.5 UTC
Location 32.62 N ; 47.95 E
Depth 10 km
Distances 56 km NW Dezful (pop 212,346 ; local time 21:02 2009-04-07)
55 km NW Shush (pop 52,284 ; local time 21:02 2009-04-07)
Magnitude mb 4.4
Region WESTERN IRAN
Date time 2009-04-04 at 18:59:20.5 UTC
Location 31.82 N ; 50.33 E
Depth 2 km
Distances 41 km E Ezeh (pop 107,536 ; local time 22:29 2009-04-04)
55 km SW Farsan (pop 25,071 ; local time 22:29 2009-04-04)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29493093/
Vanity thy name is Obama.
Maybe there was a reason not to count the absentee votes of our military in the last election!
I thought extreme bitterness was a common trait of the fair, peace loving, and equitable democratic party. Kinda sounds like Islam don’t it?