Comments on: IT’S OBAMA IN A LANDSLIDE - OVERSEAS

By: ThereseJDanielsson

ThereseJDanielsson — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:31:41 +0000

Not even a week after the president election the blond topblogger from Sweden, Linda Ekholm speaks out loud about Obama!
And I really believe this is truly written by heart. Scary!

http://www.finest.se/userBlog/?uid=30701&beid=1040511

By: funny man

funny man — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:32:48 +0000

I come up with a different conclusion on Iraq but that is ok because I don’t claim to know it all and I’m sure you gave this some thought. I agree we can’t just leave now, however, I’d like to know what our goal is in Iraq. Tribal and clan allegiances are usually strong in places that never had a government you could rely on e.g. Iraq. So this is the survival mode they know and looking at present day Iraq it is hard to imagine that people will all of a sudden say “Geez, let’s try a modern democratic state from now on”. Given that, I’m not sure what ‘winning’ is. A stable, half-way benign state would be enough for me (or states)
Anyway, be that as it may. Afghanistan, on the other hand was justified because the government there (indirectly) attacked us.

Now how to deal with preemtive strikes and the likes is a difficult question. Sure, I also wouldn’t want to wait for the first blow but as a minimum, intelligence data must be carefully analyzed. That wasn’t done here. I mean Ahmed Chalaby was (and is) a con-man (Petra bank in Jordan, remember). However, I do think that the US has learned it’s lesson after this disaster and now has much more competent people running the show. More of the realist and less of the neocon type which IMHO is much better.

By: mannning

mannning — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:55:30 +0000

Funny Man:
There is no argument that our Iraqi endeavors are rather ambitious in a land of tribal allegiences. I happen to believe that we did the right thing in taking down Saddam, despite the lack of finding verifiable large quantities of WMD. The next step, however, that of installing a democracy of some sort, is perhaps a step into the unknown that will hopefully work itself out favorably over time.

Rebuilding the country on the US taxpayer is yet another step which I believe is much too far and too expensive.
But the main alternative is to abandon the people to their fate, so humanitarian considerations come heavily into play. The British tried for 40 years to manage this crowd, and withdrew in the end. We did not want the role of governor or dictator, so we have found ourselves with a nation needing our resources to survive, but not our rule.

The other alternative, that of leaving Saddam in charge would have been equally bad for the people, the region, and the US, but with far more unknowns to contend with, such as Saddam’s vaulting ambitions for the region, as clearly shown by his invasion of Kuwait, and his well-known capability to produce WMD of several types. plus his demonstrated willingness to use them. Old arguments now, but still in force!

Ultimately, there is the question of preemptive strikes as we executed. I happen to believe that they can be justified, though I understand the reluctance of many, who want to wait for the first blow on us. In these times, with the threat of WMD, taking the first blow and losing perhaps millions of citizens is simply not acceptable.

By: funny man

funny man — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 05:51:02 +0000

Manning,
thanks for the nice reply and kind words. Munich is a nice city but me as a Northerner have other designs (smile)..Don’t let me get started on Bayern Munich. Yes I do miss these long all out discussions, here everything is a bit too PC for my taste. You are right about the other languages but not before enduring years of torture at the hands of sadistic teachers of Latin. At least you can at times sound smart as in “Per aspera ad astra” (through toil to the stars).
However, what I miss most in a lot of conservative blogs is intellectual rigor. Sometimes its ok to have fun but my conservatism is neither based on pathological hatred of democrats nor on some crazy conspiracy theory of the madrassa schooling of Obama etc. Honestly, as some posters have also pointed out there is a big difference between paleoconservatives (as in The American Conservative) and neocon imperialists. You can probably guess that I’m against the Iraq war so I don’t see Obama’s candidacy as only negative. Iraq as a state will never be viable and was really only artificially created by colonial design (by Britain). I just don’t see why America should waste valuable resources to prevent what is going to happen anyway (the partition of the country). To believe that a tribal, arab society can be converted into a democracy is really only a pipedream. I just don’t understand why so many conservatives fall for this nonsense. Anyway, enough of my ramblings. See you in other posts Manning, Tschuess

By: mannning

mannning — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 23:45:20 +0000

Funny man, I can agree with all you said in this last post. As a German by birth, I suspect you have not only a good command of English, but also French, if not more languages. This sets you aside from just about 75 or more percent of Americans that study some language in school, but never master it. For years there was little opportunity to use a foreign language except for those that traveled and dwelled overseas.

We went to Germany many times, and stayed there for months at a time, and my business afforded me extensive contacts there. For reasons of security, I was not permitted to go to Berlin for many years, but the rest of Germany I did visit and enjoy. I consulted with the Ministry of Defense several times when it was in Bonn.
Of late, I spent time in Stuttgart, but my favorite city is Munich. I recall playing open air chess in Schwabbing, and getting my tail beaten as many looked on.

Once you become friendly with Europeans, whether they are German, Dutch, French or Italian (to mention a few) you can have some very fine “discussions” on philosophy, politics, religion, world affairs, and just ordinary living. Lots of hand waving and shouting as the beer or wine takes hold, but all in all a wonderful time. It seems less possible to do that here in America to any real depth–in the circles we go with now at least. Must be an age thing!

By: funny man

funny man — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:41:51 +0000

This is just a quick follow up and clarification. Manning I hope you didn’t include me in the ‘clueless Americans’ category. The 13 years you spend in Europe hopefully were times well spend. In my case, I am actually German but came to the US because I liked certain things better in the States. Part of my family left Potsdam in 51 to West Germany. So I know ’socialism’ firsthand and West Germany or now the unified Germany is not socialist. Since you have lived there I don’t have to explain that to you. Sure certain things are different e.g. no Nazi propaganda allowed and perhaps some people would see that as infringement of free speech. However, Germany has their history and as a democratic country they can put in whatever rules they seem fit. You can’t judge a country only through the American lens and that is all what I wanted to point out.
Maybe I hit out on the wrong target and then I apologize (so what I’m adding is not addressed to you). However, it just makes me mad when the Dale Gribble lunatics of the far out fringes make baseless statements regarding in this case Europe. What I didn’t like there was all the bureaucracy, red tape and inflexibility (and that’s why I consider myself a conservative and moved here). However, I do admire Germany for rebuilding the country after WWII and sure, people want security after two world wars and were not open to what Americans call conservatism (although looking through this forum-there doesn’t seem that much consensus here either) but to call the system in Europe … (well it’s getting late and I’m starting to repeat myself). Manning as you then know, Germans love to complain and argue and with a bottle of wine that can go all night long. Ever since the American Revolution there have been people in Europe that looked down on ‘uncultured’ America and people here looked down on ‘decadent’ Europe. Big Deal, I’d still say that Europeans are much closer to the Us culturally and politically than other places in the world.

By: mannning

mannning — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 03:37:31 +0000

Really, funny man! I did not cite Germany in particular, nor any other nation. I was talking about people in Europe and how they think about the US, and the political leanings of many that I have encountered personally.

After living over there for 13 years, I do have some direct appreciation of Europeans, and how they regard America and Americans.

It is the side comments that are often telling, and they are most likely to be in a native language, so clueless Americans with no language facility are really the fools when they try to comment on Europeans and their attitudes.

Try reading a selection of newspapers from each nation for some years, and you will perhaps become educated. Or are you unable to read German, Dutch, French, Spanish, or anything but English?

Do you really think that the EU is anything but a Socialist Experiment?

By: funny man

funny man — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 23:34:40 +0000

America certainly shouldn’t base their decision on who is more popular in the world. That said, i always amazes me what some people call communism or socialism (manning you need a history lesson here). Do you want to tell me that Germany is socialist?
I certainly believe people all around the world still look for American leadership just not in the ‘old Europe’ in your face style. We conservatives have to realize that, like it or not, Europe still is our closest ally. In that sense it is important to mend fences and improve our relations.

By: edward cropper

edward cropper — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:14:17 +0000

I think George Bush is a pretty decent man who doesn’t have the historical background to fathom long range concepts of world politics.
Nixon for all his faults probably had this talent more than any president we ever had.
Europe doesn’t have a clue what is happening in the world.
Bankrupt of real leadership Europe is rapidly sliding into a bottomless pit destined for oblivion.
Like so many Americans the people of other western world countries are looking for a savior who will free them
from fear and allow them to remain brain-dead, happily running through the meadows of self delusion without a care in the world.
We are in deep trouble as a nation because the heart and soul of Americanism is being starved by gutless politicians void of true character,and a spineless electorate who want bread and circuses more than freedom.

By: michael reynolds

michael reynolds — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 21:38:05 +0000

I’m living in Italy this year. (Or for as long as I can stand the lack of air conditioning.) I occasionally wear an Obama button into Florence. It gets strange looks, not expressions of support. But then it may be that it looks so much like the artwork for some of Berlusconi’s buttons.