The Thrill Is Gone July 29, 2008;PageA16
That was a brief fling, even by European romantic standards. One day after his speech before an adulating Berlin crowd last week, Barack Obama said more NATO troops would allow the U.S. to cut its presence in Afghanistan. The "billions of dollars" saved, he told CNN on Friday, could "finance lower taxes for middle-class families."
Ah, not so fast. On Sunday the Secretary General of the opposition German Free Democrats, Dieter Niebel, responded to Mr. Obama by telling the Bild am Sonntag that "Under no circumstances will the German taxpayer pay with more money and more troops for Afghanistan for tax cuts in the U.S."
Erwin Huber, chairman of the center-right Christian Social Union of Bavaria, called Mr. Obama's statement "a disappointment for Europe and Germany." Mr. Huber, who belongs to the sister party of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats, also said that "it is the opposite of solidarity and partnership when one side is to make more sacrifices and the other gains an advantage from it."
Welcome to President Bush's world, Senator Obama. The myth is that Mr. Bush's "unilateralism" has so antagonized America's allies that they will rush to share more of the war burden once the Texan is back in Crawford. But Europeans have long enjoyed the free ride of U.S. military protection while enjoying even more their freedom to criticize how that protection is provided. Mr. Obama's attempt to link European security commitments to American tax cuts was the kind of "unilateral" political faux pas that won't make European defense burden-sharing any more likely. See all of today's editorials and op-eds, plus video commentary, onOpinion Journal.
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John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
Location: On an Island in the west coast of New England
Posts: 13,133
RE: The thrill is gone!
Always another side to a story. He now has a 9 point margin in the polls and it doesn't look like McCain is doing much to take it back. Time for GOP action so Bama doesn't steal the election.
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Too busy with fishing to spend much time here.
Always another side to a story. He now has a 9 point margin in the polls and it doesn't look like McCain is doing much to take it back. Time for GOP action so Bama doesn't steal the election.
Hmmmm.... On the elevator ride to my office this morning, the news ticker showed Obama with a 3 point lead, down from 6 points a month ago, and within the statistical margin for error...
Location: On an Island in the west coast of New England
Posts: 13,133
RE: The thrill is gone!
Latest Gallop Pole was yesterday showing Obama leading by 48% to 40%. Not a big deal right now but worth watching. I just don't see McCain doing much in the way of campaigning right now. Momentum is key and perhaps they have a big plan soon but Obama is slowly working the voters and IMO running a better campaign. McCain political party aside really doesn"™t have a ton of adoring fans. Something about the guy makes him easy to ignore. I think the GOP is going to be in trouble with him at the head of the ticket. Time for a very strategic Veep pick and not wait for Obama. The momentum can swing his way just like it did when he won NH in the primary. They better have a more effective game plan however if they want to pull it off.
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There was even another poll that showed McCain ahead by 4 points.
Still, everything else being equal, I like the fact that Obama suggested the UN or any other combination of bullshoot countries take a little pressure off the american taxpayer whether they like it or not...probably won't happen , I know, but it's a nice thought. The U.S. has had it's mission in the world azz-backwards for the last 6 or 7 years. It should focus on strategic and surgical attacks of terrorists while letting some multi-lateral coalition (with more than just a 2% makeup of everyone else in the world) act as peace-keepers if need be.
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Location: On an Island in the west coast of New England
Posts: 13,133
RE: The thrill is gone!
Economy will be the buzz and the candidate who comes out strong with a plan should do OK with the voters. obama has been having high level talkes with economists in preparatiion. The war, military and foreign affairs are McCains biggest draws. That was the platform that won his primary but might not be good enough for the election. Obama going through Europe and looking for US taxpayer relief in the form of stepped up European contributions to Afghanistan won't wash with them but might make points with the US voters. He isn't looking for European votes but he is getting the US vote.
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Too busy with fishing to spend much time here.
Economy will be the buzz and the candidate who comes out strong with a plan should do OK with the voters. obama has been having high level talkes with economists in preparatiion. The war, military and foreign affairs are McCains biggest draws. That was the platform that won his primary but might not be good enough for the election. Obama going through Europe and looking for US taxpayer relief in the form of stepped up European contributions to Afghanistan won't wash with them but might make points with the US voters. He isn't looking for European votes but he is getting the US vote.
How is he "looking for taxpayer relief"? He's proposing MASSIVE tax increases and MASSIVE spending increases.
There was even another poll that showed McCain ahead by 4 points.
Still, everything else being equal, I like the fact that Obama suggested the UN or any other combination of bullshoot countries take a little pressure off the american taxpayer whether they like it or not...probably won't happen , I know, but it's a nice thought. The U.S. has had it's mission in the world azz-backwards for the last 6 or 7 years. It should focus on strategic and surgical attacks of terrorists while letting some multi-lateral coalition (with more than just a 2% makeup of everyone else in the world) act as peace-keepers if need be.
Excuse me hillbilly. Who has it screwed up? Granted we have taken the lead in things but at least we made it a coalition for the Iraq war and we got Nato to step a little up to the plate for Afghanistan. Have you heard of a little place like Kosovo? Exactly who went there with us and what exactly was the national security issue, UN mandate, how did the vote come out in congress on that, and when will our troops finally come home?
Secondly polls don't mean anything right now because people aren't paying attention. However, Obama is in real trouble. The independent vote (the ones that lack core beliefsare split 33/33 for each and 33 undicided. They're not going to break for Obama. It absolutely won't happen. Ips was right the USA Today poll has McCain up by three on both registered and likely voters.
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John Adams “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the laws of God, and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence.”
Ronald Reagan: 'Everybody that is for abortion has already been born'
"I never said I was worth it. I only said I wouldn't do it for less " William F. Buckley Jr.
FM, How do you figure the Independent are "the ones that lack core beleifs". that sounds like a Hannity statement. I think McCain is in trouble, he can only ride this "Surge has worked" story for alittle longer. McCain, IMO needs a major scare tactic, like a "dems will take your guns" scare. The Terror scare has been worn out by Bush, not much use anymore without an attack. I think the Independents will lean towards the best economic plan. The debates should be very telling, wich the polls and Independents will shift to the best plan of change.
The thrill is gone!
