Gingrich: four more wars

[TheLibertarian]

The Grinch has lost his mind.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich last week criticized the United States for not engaging more forcefully with other countries besides Iraq that President Georgw W. Bush had identified as the "Axis of Evil."

"I believe he was right but in fact could not operationalize what he said," Gingrich said in a speech at the American Enterprise Institute. "That is, there was an Axis of Evil, Iran, Iraq, North Korea. Well we're one out of three. And people ought to think about that. If Bush was right in January of 2002 -- and by the way virtually the entire Congress gave him a standing ovation when he said it -- then why is it that the other two parts of the Axis of Evil are still visibly, cheerfully making nuclear weapons? And it's because we've stood at brink, looked over and thought, 'too big a problem.'"

Typically I'd be loathe to copy-paste from a leftist website like HuffPo, but it's more than appropriate here. It's time we boot these big-spending chickenhawk neo-cons out of office before they destroy civilization in their hubris. Gingrich, Palin and their Reaganite clones ought to go the way of Obama and the rest of the FDR-lite crowd and gently into that good night.

[Goat]

Actually, it is being given away as a specific pace (not in one lump sum), and it is going to the Bill Gates foundation. Part of that money is developing wells in Africa so that there is access to clean water.

The pledge is a moral commitment to give, not a legal contract. It does not involve pooling money or supporting one cause or organization. It's up to each person who signs the pledge how to divvy up their wealth.

Perhaps you mean someone specifically, like Buffet?

I mean specifically, like Buffet, who is an agnostic. .. and Bill Gates, who is an atheist.

The Buffet contributions come with a 'string'.. so to speak.. and that string is fiscal responsibility, accountability and matching funds

[East of Eden]

Newt is a dangerous psycho, corrupt, and a hypocrite.

Newt is about the most brilliant and original thinker in Washington. I'd LOVE to see him debate Obama.

Obama is the last great hope for this wayward nation.

Obama is an incompetent left-wing extremist whose policies will be soundly rejected by voters this November. His only 'accomplishment' is Obamacare, which 57% of Americans want repealed. Hopefully we can arrange that.

[ChaosBorders]

Newt rules. If only he were in the White House instead of that failed empty suit.

Newt is a dangerous psycho, corrupt, and a hypocrite.
Obama is the last great hope for this wayward nation.

Unfortunately, Congress is full of idiots no matter which side of the isle is in control. Obama isn't perfect, but he's pretty awesome. But he can't do much with an incompetent congress.

However, look what he has accomplished, even with an incompetent congress. I think it is nothing less than a miracle that there wasn't a major depression.. with all 3 of the big automakers and many more banks going belly up.

Yes, I agree about the depression. But in large part due to congress there are also hundreds of billions of dollars in the varying stimulus packages that don't actually go towards stimulating the economy. This increases the debt substantially and if the debt is left unchecked it will have the effect of merely delaying the depression without actually preventing it.

I think he is a very good president, but there's only so much the president can do.

[WinePusher]

Obama is the last great hope for this wayward nation.

Not really. Frankly, I don't think this is a "wayward nation", and Obama's policies haven't done much to alleviate this reccession. Many are predicting a double dip reccession in the near future, and that is in light of the Trillion dollar stimulus package. If he had implemented policies that actually worked, or were popular with the American public, or if he governed from the center, than he might be the "last great hope". But he hasn't done any of that. He's been golfing, vacationing, going to concerts, interfering in local affairs, and crying about how he inherited all this from Bush.

Obama isn't perfect, but he's pretty awesome.

What makes him awesome? Has he done anything that is awesome in your opinion?

However, look what he has accomplished, even with an incompetent congress.

This is the funniest.

1) Everything he has accomplished went aganist the will of the American People
2) The Congress has an overwhelming majority of Democrats, how is that incompetent?

I think he is a very good president, but there's only so much the president can do.

What has he done that is good?

[micatala]

Obama is the last great hope for this wayward nation.

Not really. Frankly, I don't think this is a "wayward nation",

We have some problems, but I would agree we are not in general "wayward."

and Obama's policies haven't done much to alleviate this reccession.

I would disagree.

The CBO estimated the stimulus saved or created from 1.5 to over 3 million jobs and reduced the unemployment rate by I think 1.8%.

The autobailout saved hundreds of thousands of jobs on top of that, and now all three companies are profitable for the first time since the middle of the last decade.

Bush passed the TARP and so he gets most of the credit for staving off a financial melt down. Obama supported this and implemented it after Bush left.

Many are predicting a double dip reccession in the near future, and that is in light of the Trillion dollar stimulus package.

This does not negate things could have and likely would have been much worse with no action. I'll accept the possibility things could have been done better, but the evidence clearly indicates the stimulus and other actions kept things from getting worse, possibly much, much worse.

If he had implemented policies that actually worked,

He did.

or were popular with the American public,

Things that are popular don't always work. Everybody loves tax cuts. They don't always make matters better. Witness the Bush tax cuts which made the deficit much worse and do not seem to have had any great positive effect on the economy either in the short term or the long term.

or if he governed from the center,

Which he has. His tax policy is similar to Clinton's who was almost universally considered a moderate democrat. He has continued Bush's policy in Afghanistan by and large, against his supporters on the left. He compromised on health care, again moving well to the center on things like the public option. I doubt you could point to any significant economic policy that is significantly to the left of his predecessors or that is not a temporary response to the biggest economic crisis since the great depression.

I'll note aspects of his health care plan, including the individual mandate, were originally Republican ideas.

If you look at his policies, the accusation that his is some kind of radical leftist simply do not stand up to scrutiny.

than he might be the "last great hope".

I would not use this term of him, but I would see he is very clearly better than his immediate predecessor and probably better than what McCain would have brought.

He's been golfing, vacationing, going to concerts,

BOgus cheap shots.

interfering in local affairs,

What do you have in mind here.

and crying about how he inherited all this from Bush.

Loaded language, but in any case, totally justified given the magnitude of the problems left behind by Bush.

However, look what he has accomplished, even with an incompetent congress.

This is the funniest.

1) Everything he has accomplished went aganist the will of the American People

Including staying in Afghanistan, but not including getting out of Iraq at least as far as we have. I also think if you asked people just about the tax cuts in the stimulus bill, they would be all for that. And people DID want to have some kind of health care reform, even if a small majority opposes the actual bill.



Obama has managed to keep us from falling over a cliff. I give him a lot of credit for that, even if he isn't perfect, and even though he was not my first choice on the democratic side. I might have even voted for McCain if he had not picked Palin.

[ChaosBorders]

What makes him awesome? Has he done anything that is awesome in your opinion?

Micatala summed it up pretty well. I also have to admit the time he sent a couple of destroyers after pirates in a lifeboat was both hilarious and awesome.

And that his election turned world opinion of the U.S. from increasingly negative to fairly positive again within days was amazing. Don't know if you read any international articles at the time, but it was pretty clear if McCain had been elected we would have been screwed.

[East of Eden]

And that his election turned world opinion of the U.S. from increasingly negative to fairly positive again within days was amazing.

So socialists like each other. Doesn't do anything for the average American. Obama's ratings in the Muslim world are dropping, despite his groveling.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/m ... sappointed

Don't know if you read any international articles at the time, but it was pretty clear if McCain had been elected we would have been screwed.

Your minority opinion. Polls show if the 2008 election were held now, McCain/Palin would win.

[East of Eden]

What do you have in mind here.

By 'interfering in local affairs', WinePusher probably means suing AZ for trying to enforce immigration laws, while hypocritically ignoring sanctuary cities who violate immigration laws. This is a violation of his oath of office. He doesn't get to pick and choose what laws to enforce.

[ChaosBorders]

Don't know if you read any international articles at the time, but it was pretty clear if McCain had been elected we would have been screwed.

Your minority opinion. Polls show if the 2008 election were held now, McCain/Palin would win.

I mean from a world opinion standpoint. Presumably these polls are of Americans. And you might not think it matters to the average American what the world thinks of us, but in the long-term it does. Our total military spending is about a trillion dollars a year, which is almost half of the spending done by the entire world. If most of the world hates us, we're not likely going to be able to ever lower that. If world opinion is in favor of us, we could actually cut down on military spending and use the money for more constructive purposes (or pay off debt). In the long term, it is in America's best interests to have the world liking us rather than wanting to see our nation fall.

[East of Eden]

I mean from a world opinion standpoint. Presumably these polls are of Americans. And you might not think it matters to the average American what the world thinks of us, but in the long-term it does. Our total military spending is about a trillion dollars a year, which is almost half of the spending done by the entire world. If most of the world hates us, we're not likely going to be able to ever lower that. If world opinion is in favor of us, we could actually cut down on military spending and use the money for more constructive purposes (or pay off debt). In the long term, it is in America's best interests to have the world liking us rather than wanting to see our nation fall.

Funny how much of the rest of the world are breaking their necks to come here, not Belgium. Our main threat is not from 'Old Europe' (BTW, central and eastern Europe love us), but from Islam. Obama's standing among world Muslims is dropping.