I can't believe Obama wouldn't follow the standard line when it comes to things like Israel, capitalism, defense spending...anyone expecting fundamental change from Obama has to be deluded. But his policies may have a very significant impact on many lives around the world. He's a smart guy, a 180 from Bush. again, small changes in policy can mean life or death around the world, when your talking about the world's superpower.
what if under Bush out of the 1,000,000 dead 250,000 were Palestinians while 750,000 were Iraqis.. then under Obama out of the 500,000 dead 450,000 were Palestinians and 50,000 were Iraqis.. would it still be relatively better?
Edit: I say this because Obama appointed Zionists who back Israel based on principle. Then his comment about Jerusalem to be the undivided capital of Israel means every Palestinian in East Jerusalem who refuses Israeli citizenship would be evicted or killed for this to be viable.
what if under Bush out of the 1,000,000 dead 250,000 were Palestinians while 750,000 were Iraqis.. then under Obama out of the 500,000 dead 450,000 were Palestinians and 50,000 were Iraqis.. would it still be relatively better?
Edit: I say this because Obama appointed Zionists who back Israel based on principle. Then his comment about Jerusalem to be the undivided capital of Israel means every Palestinian in East Jerusalem who refuses Israeli citizenship would be evicted or killed for this to be viable.
I just don't see how it can get any worse for the Arab population in the West Bank or Jerusalem-aside from the 78' invasion when over 20,000 were killed...US support is about as good as it gets for Israelis. Its not like Obama has changed course to a more pro-Israel approach as I don't think that is even possible.
I just don't see how it can get any worse for the Arab population in the West Bank or Jerusalem-aside from the 78' invasion when over 20,000 were killed...US support is about as good as it gets for Israelis. Its not like Obama has changed course to a more pro-Israel approach as I don't think that is even possible.
I see where you are coming from.. we don't really disagree much other than the fact that I think it could definitely get worse for the Palestinians if Obama supports the total annexation of Jerusalem.
Rahm is my congressman. He took ballet growing up. He rocks.
Picturing him in a tutu isn't doing it for me.
All I see is US bombs going off raining down all over in Iran when I look at him.
Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
All I see is US bombs going off raining down all over in Iran when I look at him.
I think that this choice for chief of staff is shitty, a bad idea with a wrong message written all over it. But (and this is a real question) do you honestly think the US will (or even can) - like under W - wage a unilateral war without the consent of their historical allies? Agreeing with UN decisions and getting a coaltion with his european allies would be a welcomed change and I just wondered if Obama was up for that one.
I think that this choice for chief of staff is shitty, a bad idea with a wrong message written all over it. But (and this is a real question) do you honestly think the US will (or even can) - like under W - wage a unilateral war without the consent of their historical allies? Agreeing with UN decisions and getting a coaltion with his european allies would be a welcomed change and I just wondered if Obama was up for that one.
Absolutely yes unless Iran stops all nuclear ambitions, and Osama (who is already dead btw) gives himself up out of the blue.
...and those two things are a 100% bandaid solution to the problem, and address little to nothing (if anything..in fact they address nothing) in the long run.
It's a big joke really.
Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
"Barack, my brother. Mr. President-elect, what is going through your head? Rahm Israel Emmanuel for White House Chief of Staff? Rahm, who fought with the Israeli Army in the Gulf war, whose father Benjamin fought with the Irgun gang, the Zionist terror bombers of the King David Hotel; Rahm, the 2001 Freddie Mac board member involved with campaign scandals and contributions, personally raking in $231,655. I mean, just look in that guy’s eyes, scary. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
You are hanging out with guys whose rap sheets go deeper than anyone you met in South Chicago. Like Larry Summers, key lobbyist for the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act, after his 1999 Clinton appointment, leading the wolf pack to the Financial Services Modernization Act, to gut stock market regulation with all the predatory practices that put us in our present pickle. Larry who, as chief economist for the World Bank, actually wanted to import toxic garbage to poor Third World countries because the people were going to die younger anyway. Can you believe that, brother? David Rockefeller’s boy! Goldman Sachs Consultant, managing director D.E. Shaw Hedge Fund Group (gambling casino).
Jesus, this is the guy you want to run the Treasury? He’s as toxic as Paulson and then some.
And Paul Volker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, 1980s Reagan era major player in kicking off financial deregulations, which ended in major bankruptcies, junk-bond mergers and acquisitions, climaxed by the 1987 Black Monday stock market crash. You want him to straighten out the crooks on Wall Street; him to avoid another crash? Good luck, my brother.
And Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the powerhouse financial institution in America. Tim, former Clinton Treasury official, ex-employee of Kissinger Associations, senior exec at the IMF, shapes finance policy behind the scenes, hangs with the Council on Foreign Relations. Do you really want him around?
Michael Chossudovsky in his article, Who are the Architects of Economic Collapse, said the above boys, along with ”Phil Gramm, Bernanke, Hank Paulson, Rubin, not to mention Alan Greenspan, et al are buddies; they play golf together; they have links to the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bilderberg Group; they act concurrently in accordance with the interests of Wall Street; they meet behind closed doors; they are on the same wave length; they are Democrats and Republicans.”
He added, “While they may disagree on some issues, they are firmly committed to the Washington-Wall Street Consensus. They are utterly ruthless in their management of economic and financial processes. Their actions are profit driven. Outside of their narrow interest in the ‘efficiency’ of ‘markets,’ they have little concern for ‘living human beings.’ How are people’s lives affected by the deadly gamut of macro-economic and financial reforms, which is spearheading entire sectors of economic activity into bankruptcy . . .”
I mean the curtain isn’t up on your presidency and the cast is getting trashed by major critics.
Chossudovsky asked, “Where are Obama’s ‘Main Street appointees’? Namely individuals who respond to the interests of people across America. There are no labor or community leaders on Obama’s list for key positions.
“The president-elect is appointing the architects of financial deregulation.
“Meaningful financial reform cannot be adopted by officials appointed by Wall Street and who act on behalf of Wall Street.
“Those who set the financial system ablaze in 1999, have been called back to turn out the fire.
“The proposed ‘solution’ to the crisis under the ‘bailout’ is the cause of further economic collapse.”
Damn it, he’s right. He went on to say . . .
“There are no policy solutions on the horizon.
“The banking conglomerates call the shots. They decide on the composition of the Obama Cabinet. They also decide on the agenda of the Washington Financial Summit (November 15, 2008) which is slated to lay the groundwork for the establishment of a new “global financial architecture.” If this is true, change it.”
And this . . .
“The Wall Street blueprint has already been discussed behind closed doors: the hidden agenda is to establish a unipolar international monetary system, dominated by US financial power, which in turn would be protected and secured by US military superiority.”
Chossudovsky called this . . .
“Neoliberalism with a ‘Human Face’
I mean, do you, Barack Hussein Obama want to be their “face?” Chossudovsky says, “There is no indication that Obama will break his ties to his Wall Street sponsors, who largely funded his election campaign.
“Goldman Sachs, J. P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Bill Gates’ Microsoft are among his main campaign contributors.
“Warren Buffett, among the world’s richest individuals, not only supported Barak Obama’s election campaign, he is a member of his transition team, which plays a key role deciding the composition of Obama’s cabinet.”
Say it isn’t so, Barack. Say it isn’t so.
Reviews like this could stop your administration cold. And those were just one writer’s highlights. Here’s a few from Paul Craig Roberts in his Online Journal article, Conned Again: “Obama’s election was necessary as the only means Americans had to hold the Republicans accountable for their crimes against the Constitution and human rights, for their violations of US and international laws, for their lies and deceptions, and for their financial chicanery.”
This is really rich. Roberts quotes Russia’s major news voice: “As an editorial in Pravda put it, ‘Only Satan would have been worse than the Bush regime. Therefore it could be argued that the new administration in the USA could never be worse than the one which divorced the hearts and minds of Americans from their brothers in the international community, which appalled the rest of the world with shock and awe tactics that included concentration camps, torture, mass murder and utter disrespect for international law.’”
Consider it an honor that Pravda is counting on you to turn things around.
Roberts adds, “But Obama’s advisers are drawn from the same gang of Washington thugs and Wall Street banksters as Bush’s. Richard Holbrooke, son of Russian and German Jews, was an assistant secretary of state and ambassador in the Clinton administration. He implemented the policy to enlarge NATO and to place the military alliance on Russia’s border in contravention of Reagan’s promise to Gorbachev. Holbrooke is also associated with the Clinton administration’s illegal bombing of Serbia, a war crime that killed civilians and Chinese diplomats. If not a neocon himself, Holbrooke is closely allied with them.”
So we have consensus here.
The best and the brightest think you’re hanging with the worst and the weirdest. And the train ain’t out of the station, my man. I mean my President-To-Be. I voted for you, dude, twice, at least; convinced my family and friends. Pumped you up in my articles. Don’t make me look like a horse’s ass. You have the power. You have it in you to provide better than this for the working and middle class families whose butts you want to save. These guys don’t have a clue of what it is to ride the A-train at 8 a.m. or not take a limo or a private jet wherever they’re going. Or go without, period.
You know, the Reverend Wright held your feet to the fire, maybe too much, and you walked away. Okay, he could have been a little cooler but . . . things can heat up as you know pretty fast again. Also, I don’t want to put you between a Rockefeller and a hard place, but you do have an obligation to reach out to better, more honest and more diverse characters than these skunks. (Go ahead, sue me, guys. Your resumes read like Danny Estulin’s The True Story of the Bilderberg Group).
So brother, President Obama if you will, if you’re serious about change, then change. We all thought you were going to bring change, not the foxes in to watch the henhouse. You ran one of the best presidential campaigns I’ve ever seen, bucking all the odds, with an army of 5,000 lawyers to battle voter fraud in your 50-state spread, ceding nothing to McCain. And you won big-time just about all of the battleground states and then some. Don’t go soft on us now when it counts. Don’t lose your liberal base as well as your ethnic base or disillusion all the great college kids (like my son who woke up at 6 a.m. to vote for you, then took his hour and a half subway ride to a Brooklyn community college).
I know I’m guilt-tripping you, but I don’t want to see somebody as innately gifted and brilliant as you tripped up by these vicious clowns. If you can’t dump them, then transcend them. Use your incredible rhetorical gifts to talk them down. Don’t be another Slick Willy. Stick to the truth. Think of your sainted grandma, your grandpa who fought in World War II. This is another battle, trust me, and probably just as tough. Think of all those Kenyans back in your father’s country who are so proud of you they can’t stop running. Think of your mom who taught you right from wrong, who woke you up at 4:30 in the morning to tutor you. My brother, don’t let us down. One Satan per generation is enough.
Remember, Caroline Kennedy’s endorsement. It’s the 45th anniversary of her father’s assassination coming up. And there’s at least one or two in this group that were part of that cadre. Watch your back. We all know this is not easy. Think of Evo Morales, the first full-blooded Indian president of Bolivia. And think of what he means to all the people of his beloved country as he stands up to the Spanish colonizers’ descendants. He’s waiting for the US to melt the thaw. He’s waiting for justice just the way he fought his way to the top. And you, too, are a man of the people, their contender for justice, an honest economy, a fair shot at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Go for it, my brother. Don’t make me look like another stupid white man. Don’t let them turn you. Don’t break our hearts."
Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
Barack Obama's first appointment, that of Chicago Congressman Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff, is quite frankly unsettling and suggests that voters who had hoped for real change in Washington will be disappointed. There should also be some concern on the part of Americans who believe that a close and continuing relationship with a foreign government might disqualify one for high office in the United States.
Emanuel, far from serving as a neutral gateway to the president, has some very strong views on foreign policy, particularly regarding the Middle East, views that are closer to those of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney than they are to the millions of voters who thought that Obama would put an end to "wars of choice." And Obama appears to share at least some of those views, though he might be driven primarily by unwillingness to antagonize Israel's numerous cheerleaders in the Democratic Party. During the presidential campaign Obama refused to meet with American Muslims, and on a fact-finding trip to the Middle East last summer he spent several days in Israel but only 45 minutes with Palestinian leaders.
More recently, Obama did not respond to a congratulatory letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the only world leader to be snubbed in that fashion. In his first press conference on Nov. 7, Obama, who has promised to do "everything in his power" to denuclearize Iran, reiterated that Iran's development of a nuclear weapon would be unacceptable, a position adhering closely to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) line. There are also reports that Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has already called Vice President-elect Joe Biden to tell him that even talking to Iran would be a sign of weakness, a signal that Israel might be willing to unleash its all-powerful lobby against the Obama administration if it is perceived as going too far.
The extremely partisan and foul-mouthed Emanuel, who has the reputation of a junkyard dog, is a retread from the Clinton White House, where he served in two senior advisory positions after demonstrating his expertise in fundraising during the 1992 presidential campaign. Though born in Chicago, he was an Israeli citizen through his father until he, according to his own account, renounced his dual citizenship when he turned 18. When the United States went to war with Iraq in 1991 the 31-year-old Emanuel rushed off to join the colors, though the colors in this case were the blue and white flag of Israel. He claims that he was a civilian volunteer in the Israeli army who was assigned the task of "rust-proofing brakes" on military vehicles, an assertion that has been questioned because his father's background suggests that he would likely have been offered something much more important.
Emanuel's father, an Israeli physician, was a member of the terrorist group Irgun in the 1940s. Irgun was responsible for blowing up the King David Hotel and ethnically cleansing much of Palestine through selective massacres of Arab civilians. In an interview in the Jerusalem Post, Dr. Benjamin Emanuel said he was convinced that his son's appointment as White House chief of staff would be good for Israel. "Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel," he was quoted as saying. "Why wouldn't he be? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House." Commenting on his father's statement, Rahm Emanuel noted that Obama does not need his influence to "orientate his policy toward Israel."
Other Israelis and prominent American supporters of Israel also see Emanuel as their man in the White House. The respected Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz hailed his appointment, describing him unambiguously as an Israeli. William Daroff of the United Jewish Communities also praised Emanuel, describing him as "a good friend of Israel, coming from good Irgun stock." Ira Forman, head of the National Jewish Democratic Council, welcomed the appointment, saying, "It's just another indication that despite the attempts to imply that Obama would somehow appoint the wrong person or listen to the wrong people when it comes to the U.S.-Israel relationship … that was never true," an indication that some will actually expect Emanuel to act on behalf of Israel when the chips are down.
Emanuel left the Clinton administration in 1998 and went to work for Bruce Wasserstein, a major Democratic donor and head of the Chicago investment bank Wasserstein Perella. He made $18 million in a little over two years. He was deliberately placed in a position where he could exploit his White House connections, which he did, to obtain a nest egg to finance his political career. In 2000 he was named by Clinton to the board of Freddie Mac, where he earned an additional $260,000 but was later criticized for not taking his oversight responsibility seriously. In 2002, he was elected to Congress, where he was noted for his ability to attract large political contributions. Emanuel soon moved into a leadership position, eventually becoming chairman of the Democratic Caucus in January 2007, the fourth-ranking Democrat in Congress.
In Congress, Emanuel has been a consistent and vocal pro-Israel hardliner, particularly close to right-wing politicians such as Ariel Sharon and Bibi Netanyahu, sometimes even more so than President Bush. In June 2003 he signed a congressional letter criticizing Bush for being weak in his support of Israel. The letter, signed by 34 Democrats, stated, "We were deeply dismayed to hear your criticism of Israel for fighting acts of terror." The letter supported Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian political leaders because it "was clearly justified as an application of Israel's right to self-defense."
Not surprisingly, Emanuel has always been in favor of the Iraq war, and he supports an aggressive policy toward Iran. In his 2006 book with the pretentious title The Plan: Big Ideas for America he advocates increasing the size of the U.S. Army by 100,000 soldiers and creating a domestic spying organization like Britain's MI5. More recently, he has supported mandatory paramilitary national service for all Americans between the ages of 18 and 25.
Emanuel has always expressed intense hostility toward antiwar Democrats. When, in November 2005, Congressman Jack Murtha made his proposal for withdrawal from Iraq, Emanuel quickly declared that "Jack Murtha went out and spoke for Jack Murtha." In late 2005 and early 2006, Emanuel played a key role as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in lining up candidates to run against the Republicans for congressional seats in November 2006. Out of 22 candidates vetted and supported financially by Emanuel, 20 were pro-war, despite the fact that the Democratic Party base was not. Antiwar candidates were routinely denied funding and support from his DCCC. Only eight of Emanuel's candidates won, a percentage considerably lower than the success rate for other Democrats, possibly because voters had a hard time embracing their pro-war positions.
In a June 2006 congressional debate on Iraq policy, Emanuel made his own views clear, declaring, "The debate today is about whether the American people want to stay the course with an administration and a Congress that has walked away from its obligations or pursue a real strategy for success in the war on terror. … Democrats are determined to take the fight to the enemy." In his speech, Emanuel fully embraced the questionable "War on Terror" concept and aligned himself far to the right of the Democratic Party base, which, at the time, was 60 percent in favor of immediate withdrawal from Iraq.
In July 2006, Emanuel was one of several congressmen who called for the cancellation of an impending speech before Congress by visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki because Maliki had called Israel's bombing of Lebanon "aggression." Emanuel was joined by his close friend and DSCC counterpart Sen. Charles Schumer, who asked; "Which side is he on when it comes to the war on terror?" Emanuel described the Lebanese and Palestinian governments as "totalitarian entities with militias and terrorists acting as democracies" in a subsequent speech on July 19 regarding a House resolution supporting Israel's bombing, which produced thousands of civilian casualties.
On March 12, 2007, the Democratic Party leadership announced that it would separate the issue of Iran from consideration of funding measures for the troop surge in neighboring Iraq. Opponents of a possible military action against Iran had sought specific language in the appropriation that would deny funding for any military operations outside Iraq without prior congressional approval. The proposal had seemed reasonable enough, given the Bush administration's track record on the use of force, but apparently it was not acceptable to Emanuel. AIPAC mobilized immediately and began an intensive lobbying campaign against the proposal, instructing its supporters to call and write Congress, adding that it is best to telephone just after lunch, when there are more staffers available to answer the phone. Emanuel organized resistance to the measure from inside the House of Representatives and promised AIPAC early in the process that the offensive language would be dropped. The Democratic Party subsequently held a number of closed-door meetings on the issue and decided that the prohibition would not be included in the funding measure because of "possible impact on Israel."
During the summer of 2008, Emanuel was a key player in the marginalization and humiliation of former president Jimmy Carter, whose book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid had outraged Israel's supporters. Carter was not allowed to speak at the Democratic National Convention, an unprecedented snub toward a former president and a further indication, if one was needed, that in American politics it is possible to do or say nearly anything as long as one does not criticize Israel.
And now Emanuel is the president's chief of staff, one of the most powerful positions in the White House. Perhaps there is a limit to the mischief that he will be able to do; at this point one can only adopt a wait-and-see policy. One thing is certain, however. If the subject is Israel, Emanuel knows very clearly where his loyalty lies.
Progress is not made by everyone joining some new fad,
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
Comments
So the death of 500,000 people is better than death of 1,000,000?
Ok lets make this a little more complicated..
what if under Bush out of the 1,000,000 dead 250,000 were Palestinians while 750,000 were Iraqis.. then under Obama out of the 500,000 dead 450,000 were Palestinians and 50,000 were Iraqis.. would it still be relatively better?
Edit: I say this because Obama appointed Zionists who back Israel based on principle. Then his comment about Jerusalem to be the undivided capital of Israel means every Palestinian in East Jerusalem who refuses Israeli citizenship would be evicted or killed for this to be viable.
I just don't see how it can get any worse for the Arab population in the West Bank or Jerusalem-aside from the 78' invasion when over 20,000 were killed...US support is about as good as it gets for Israelis. Its not like Obama has changed course to a more pro-Israel approach as I don't think that is even possible.
I see where you are coming from.. we don't really disagree much other than the fact that I think it could definitely get worse for the Palestinians if Obama supports the total annexation of Jerusalem.
Lil Wayne is better than Pearl Jam.
Bitches ain't nothin' but hoes 'n tricks
Picturing him in a tutu isn't doing it for me.
All I see is US bombs going off raining down all over in Iran when I look at him.
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
Absolutely yes unless Iran stops all nuclear ambitions, and Osama (who is already dead btw) gives himself up out of the blue.
...and those two things are a 100% bandaid solution to the problem, and address little to nothing (if anything..in fact they address nothing) in the long run.
It's a big joke really.
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result?
What is Obama thinking of?
http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_3996.shtml
"Barack, my brother. Mr. President-elect, what is going through your head? Rahm Israel Emmanuel for White House Chief of Staff? Rahm, who fought with the Israeli Army in the Gulf war, whose father Benjamin fought with the Irgun gang, the Zionist terror bombers of the King David Hotel; Rahm, the 2001 Freddie Mac board member involved with campaign scandals and contributions, personally raking in $231,655. I mean, just look in that guy’s eyes, scary. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
You are hanging out with guys whose rap sheets go deeper than anyone you met in South Chicago. Like Larry Summers, key lobbyist for the repeal of the Glass Steagall Act, after his 1999 Clinton appointment, leading the wolf pack to the Financial Services Modernization Act, to gut stock market regulation with all the predatory practices that put us in our present pickle. Larry who, as chief economist for the World Bank, actually wanted to import toxic garbage to poor Third World countries because the people were going to die younger anyway. Can you believe that, brother? David Rockefeller’s boy! Goldman Sachs Consultant, managing director D.E. Shaw Hedge Fund Group (gambling casino).
Jesus, this is the guy you want to run the Treasury? He’s as toxic as Paulson and then some.
And Paul Volker, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, 1980s Reagan era major player in kicking off financial deregulations, which ended in major bankruptcies, junk-bond mergers and acquisitions, climaxed by the 1987 Black Monday stock market crash. You want him to straighten out the crooks on Wall Street; him to avoid another crash? Good luck, my brother.
And Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the powerhouse financial institution in America. Tim, former Clinton Treasury official, ex-employee of Kissinger Associations, senior exec at the IMF, shapes finance policy behind the scenes, hangs with the Council on Foreign Relations. Do you really want him around?
Michael Chossudovsky in his article, Who are the Architects of Economic Collapse, said the above boys, along with ”Phil Gramm, Bernanke, Hank Paulson, Rubin, not to mention Alan Greenspan, et al are buddies; they play golf together; they have links to the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bilderberg Group; they act concurrently in accordance with the interests of Wall Street; they meet behind closed doors; they are on the same wave length; they are Democrats and Republicans.”
He added, “While they may disagree on some issues, they are firmly committed to the Washington-Wall Street Consensus. They are utterly ruthless in their management of economic and financial processes. Their actions are profit driven. Outside of their narrow interest in the ‘efficiency’ of ‘markets,’ they have little concern for ‘living human beings.’ How are people’s lives affected by the deadly gamut of macro-economic and financial reforms, which is spearheading entire sectors of economic activity into bankruptcy . . .”
I mean the curtain isn’t up on your presidency and the cast is getting trashed by major critics.
Chossudovsky asked, “Where are Obama’s ‘Main Street appointees’? Namely individuals who respond to the interests of people across America. There are no labor or community leaders on Obama’s list for key positions.
“The president-elect is appointing the architects of financial deregulation.
“Meaningful financial reform cannot be adopted by officials appointed by Wall Street and who act on behalf of Wall Street.
“Those who set the financial system ablaze in 1999, have been called back to turn out the fire.
“The proposed ‘solution’ to the crisis under the ‘bailout’ is the cause of further economic collapse.”
Damn it, he’s right. He went on to say . . .
“There are no policy solutions on the horizon.
“The banking conglomerates call the shots. They decide on the composition of the Obama Cabinet. They also decide on the agenda of the Washington Financial Summit (November 15, 2008) which is slated to lay the groundwork for the establishment of a new “global financial architecture.” If this is true, change it.”
And this . . .
“The Wall Street blueprint has already been discussed behind closed doors: the hidden agenda is to establish a unipolar international monetary system, dominated by US financial power, which in turn would be protected and secured by US military superiority.”
Chossudovsky called this . . .
“Neoliberalism with a ‘Human Face’
I mean, do you, Barack Hussein Obama want to be their “face?” Chossudovsky says, “There is no indication that Obama will break his ties to his Wall Street sponsors, who largely funded his election campaign.
“Goldman Sachs, J. P. Morgan Chase, Citigroup, Bill Gates’ Microsoft are among his main campaign contributors.
“Warren Buffett, among the world’s richest individuals, not only supported Barak Obama’s election campaign, he is a member of his transition team, which plays a key role deciding the composition of Obama’s cabinet.”
Say it isn’t so, Barack. Say it isn’t so.
Reviews like this could stop your administration cold. And those were just one writer’s highlights. Here’s a few from Paul Craig Roberts in his Online Journal article, Conned Again: “Obama’s election was necessary as the only means Americans had to hold the Republicans accountable for their crimes against the Constitution and human rights, for their violations of US and international laws, for their lies and deceptions, and for their financial chicanery.”
This is really rich. Roberts quotes Russia’s major news voice: “As an editorial in Pravda put it, ‘Only Satan would have been worse than the Bush regime. Therefore it could be argued that the new administration in the USA could never be worse than the one which divorced the hearts and minds of Americans from their brothers in the international community, which appalled the rest of the world with shock and awe tactics that included concentration camps, torture, mass murder and utter disrespect for international law.’”
Consider it an honor that Pravda is counting on you to turn things around.
Roberts adds, “But Obama’s advisers are drawn from the same gang of Washington thugs and Wall Street banksters as Bush’s. Richard Holbrooke, son of Russian and German Jews, was an assistant secretary of state and ambassador in the Clinton administration. He implemented the policy to enlarge NATO and to place the military alliance on Russia’s border in contravention of Reagan’s promise to Gorbachev. Holbrooke is also associated with the Clinton administration’s illegal bombing of Serbia, a war crime that killed civilians and Chinese diplomats. If not a neocon himself, Holbrooke is closely allied with them.”
So we have consensus here.
The best and the brightest think you’re hanging with the worst and the weirdest. And the train ain’t out of the station, my man. I mean my President-To-Be. I voted for you, dude, twice, at least; convinced my family and friends. Pumped you up in my articles. Don’t make me look like a horse’s ass. You have the power. You have it in you to provide better than this for the working and middle class families whose butts you want to save. These guys don’t have a clue of what it is to ride the A-train at 8 a.m. or not take a limo or a private jet wherever they’re going. Or go without, period.
You know, the Reverend Wright held your feet to the fire, maybe too much, and you walked away. Okay, he could have been a little cooler but . . . things can heat up as you know pretty fast again. Also, I don’t want to put you between a Rockefeller and a hard place, but you do have an obligation to reach out to better, more honest and more diverse characters than these skunks. (Go ahead, sue me, guys. Your resumes read like Danny Estulin’s The True Story of the Bilderberg Group).
So brother, President Obama if you will, if you’re serious about change, then change. We all thought you were going to bring change, not the foxes in to watch the henhouse. You ran one of the best presidential campaigns I’ve ever seen, bucking all the odds, with an army of 5,000 lawyers to battle voter fraud in your 50-state spread, ceding nothing to McCain. And you won big-time just about all of the battleground states and then some. Don’t go soft on us now when it counts. Don’t lose your liberal base as well as your ethnic base or disillusion all the great college kids (like my son who woke up at 6 a.m. to vote for you, then took his hour and a half subway ride to a Brooklyn community college).
I know I’m guilt-tripping you, but I don’t want to see somebody as innately gifted and brilliant as you tripped up by these vicious clowns. If you can’t dump them, then transcend them. Use your incredible rhetorical gifts to talk them down. Don’t be another Slick Willy. Stick to the truth. Think of your sainted grandma, your grandpa who fought in World War II. This is another battle, trust me, and probably just as tough. Think of all those Kenyans back in your father’s country who are so proud of you they can’t stop running. Think of your mom who taught you right from wrong, who woke you up at 4:30 in the morning to tutor you. My brother, don’t let us down. One Satan per generation is enough.
Remember, Caroline Kennedy’s endorsement. It’s the 45th anniversary of her father’s assassination coming up. And there’s at least one or two in this group that were part of that cadre. Watch your back. We all know this is not easy. Think of Evo Morales, the first full-blooded Indian president of Bolivia. And think of what he means to all the people of his beloved country as he stands up to the Spanish colonizers’ descendants. He’s waiting for the US to melt the thaw. He’s waiting for justice just the way he fought his way to the top. And you, too, are a man of the people, their contender for justice, an honest economy, a fair shot at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Go for it, my brother. Don’t make me look like another stupid white man. Don’t let them turn you. Don’t break our hearts."
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
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AIPAC's Man in
the Obama Camp
Philip Giraldi
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Barack Obama's first appointment, that of Chicago Congressman Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff, is quite frankly unsettling and suggests that voters who had hoped for real change in Washington will be disappointed. There should also be some concern on the part of Americans who believe that a close and continuing relationship with a foreign government might disqualify one for high office in the United States.
Emanuel, far from serving as a neutral gateway to the president, has some very strong views on foreign policy, particularly regarding the Middle East, views that are closer to those of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney than they are to the millions of voters who thought that Obama would put an end to "wars of choice." And Obama appears to share at least some of those views, though he might be driven primarily by unwillingness to antagonize Israel's numerous cheerleaders in the Democratic Party. During the presidential campaign Obama refused to meet with American Muslims, and on a fact-finding trip to the Middle East last summer he spent several days in Israel but only 45 minutes with Palestinian leaders.
More recently, Obama did not respond to a congratulatory letter from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the only world leader to be snubbed in that fashion. In his first press conference on Nov. 7, Obama, who has promised to do "everything in his power" to denuclearize Iran, reiterated that Iran's development of a nuclear weapon would be unacceptable, a position adhering closely to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) line. There are also reports that Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has already called Vice President-elect Joe Biden to tell him that even talking to Iran would be a sign of weakness, a signal that Israel might be willing to unleash its all-powerful lobby against the Obama administration if it is perceived as going too far.
The extremely partisan and foul-mouthed Emanuel, who has the reputation of a junkyard dog, is a retread from the Clinton White House, where he served in two senior advisory positions after demonstrating his expertise in fundraising during the 1992 presidential campaign. Though born in Chicago, he was an Israeli citizen through his father until he, according to his own account, renounced his dual citizenship when he turned 18. When the United States went to war with Iraq in 1991 the 31-year-old Emanuel rushed off to join the colors, though the colors in this case were the blue and white flag of Israel. He claims that he was a civilian volunteer in the Israeli army who was assigned the task of "rust-proofing brakes" on military vehicles, an assertion that has been questioned because his father's background suggests that he would likely have been offered something much more important.
Emanuel's father, an Israeli physician, was a member of the terrorist group Irgun in the 1940s. Irgun was responsible for blowing up the King David Hotel and ethnically cleansing much of Palestine through selective massacres of Arab civilians. In an interview in the Jerusalem Post, Dr. Benjamin Emanuel said he was convinced that his son's appointment as White House chief of staff would be good for Israel. "Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel," he was quoted as saying. "Why wouldn't he be? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House." Commenting on his father's statement, Rahm Emanuel noted that Obama does not need his influence to "orientate his policy toward Israel."
Other Israelis and prominent American supporters of Israel also see Emanuel as their man in the White House. The respected Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz hailed his appointment, describing him unambiguously as an Israeli. William Daroff of the United Jewish Communities also praised Emanuel, describing him as "a good friend of Israel, coming from good Irgun stock." Ira Forman, head of the National Jewish Democratic Council, welcomed the appointment, saying, "It's just another indication that despite the attempts to imply that Obama would somehow appoint the wrong person or listen to the wrong people when it comes to the U.S.-Israel relationship … that was never true," an indication that some will actually expect Emanuel to act on behalf of Israel when the chips are down.
Emanuel left the Clinton administration in 1998 and went to work for Bruce Wasserstein, a major Democratic donor and head of the Chicago investment bank Wasserstein Perella. He made $18 million in a little over two years. He was deliberately placed in a position where he could exploit his White House connections, which he did, to obtain a nest egg to finance his political career. In 2000 he was named by Clinton to the board of Freddie Mac, where he earned an additional $260,000 but was later criticized for not taking his oversight responsibility seriously. In 2002, he was elected to Congress, where he was noted for his ability to attract large political contributions. Emanuel soon moved into a leadership position, eventually becoming chairman of the Democratic Caucus in January 2007, the fourth-ranking Democrat in Congress.
In Congress, Emanuel has been a consistent and vocal pro-Israel hardliner, particularly close to right-wing politicians such as Ariel Sharon and Bibi Netanyahu, sometimes even more so than President Bush. In June 2003 he signed a congressional letter criticizing Bush for being weak in his support of Israel. The letter, signed by 34 Democrats, stated, "We were deeply dismayed to hear your criticism of Israel for fighting acts of terror." The letter supported Israel's policy of assassinating Palestinian political leaders because it "was clearly justified as an application of Israel's right to self-defense."
Not surprisingly, Emanuel has always been in favor of the Iraq war, and he supports an aggressive policy toward Iran. In his 2006 book with the pretentious title The Plan: Big Ideas for America he advocates increasing the size of the U.S. Army by 100,000 soldiers and creating a domestic spying organization like Britain's MI5. More recently, he has supported mandatory paramilitary national service for all Americans between the ages of 18 and 25.
Emanuel has always expressed intense hostility toward antiwar Democrats. When, in November 2005, Congressman Jack Murtha made his proposal for withdrawal from Iraq, Emanuel quickly declared that "Jack Murtha went out and spoke for Jack Murtha." In late 2005 and early 2006, Emanuel played a key role as chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in lining up candidates to run against the Republicans for congressional seats in November 2006. Out of 22 candidates vetted and supported financially by Emanuel, 20 were pro-war, despite the fact that the Democratic Party base was not. Antiwar candidates were routinely denied funding and support from his DCCC. Only eight of Emanuel's candidates won, a percentage considerably lower than the success rate for other Democrats, possibly because voters had a hard time embracing their pro-war positions.
In a June 2006 congressional debate on Iraq policy, Emanuel made his own views clear, declaring, "The debate today is about whether the American people want to stay the course with an administration and a Congress that has walked away from its obligations or pursue a real strategy for success in the war on terror. … Democrats are determined to take the fight to the enemy." In his speech, Emanuel fully embraced the questionable "War on Terror" concept and aligned himself far to the right of the Democratic Party base, which, at the time, was 60 percent in favor of immediate withdrawal from Iraq.
In July 2006, Emanuel was one of several congressmen who called for the cancellation of an impending speech before Congress by visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki because Maliki had called Israel's bombing of Lebanon "aggression." Emanuel was joined by his close friend and DSCC counterpart Sen. Charles Schumer, who asked; "Which side is he on when it comes to the war on terror?" Emanuel described the Lebanese and Palestinian governments as "totalitarian entities with militias and terrorists acting as democracies" in a subsequent speech on July 19 regarding a House resolution supporting Israel's bombing, which produced thousands of civilian casualties.
On March 12, 2007, the Democratic Party leadership announced that it would separate the issue of Iran from consideration of funding measures for the troop surge in neighboring Iraq. Opponents of a possible military action against Iran had sought specific language in the appropriation that would deny funding for any military operations outside Iraq without prior congressional approval. The proposal had seemed reasonable enough, given the Bush administration's track record on the use of force, but apparently it was not acceptable to Emanuel. AIPAC mobilized immediately and began an intensive lobbying campaign against the proposal, instructing its supporters to call and write Congress, adding that it is best to telephone just after lunch, when there are more staffers available to answer the phone. Emanuel organized resistance to the measure from inside the House of Representatives and promised AIPAC early in the process that the offensive language would be dropped. The Democratic Party subsequently held a number of closed-door meetings on the issue and decided that the prohibition would not be included in the funding measure because of "possible impact on Israel."
During the summer of 2008, Emanuel was a key player in the marginalization and humiliation of former president Jimmy Carter, whose book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid had outraged Israel's supporters. Carter was not allowed to speak at the Democratic National Convention, an unprecedented snub toward a former president and a further indication, if one was needed, that in American politics it is possible to do or say nearly anything as long as one does not criticize Israel.
And now Emanuel is the president's chief of staff, one of the most powerful positions in the White House. Perhaps there is a limit to the mischief that he will be able to do; at this point one can only adopt a wait-and-see policy. One thing is certain, however. If the subject is Israel, Emanuel knows very clearly where his loyalty lies.
You mean it's very likely he won't do what Obama tells him when push comes to shove, and go behind his back to AIPAC so they can turn the screws?
But I thought Obama was bigger then AIPAC?...and he's the president!
Yours truly,
Devout Obama follower
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
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( o.O)
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