Drawnlines Politics

Center-Right Policy & Politics For a New Generation

History Vindicates McCain, Romney on Russia

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photo credit: Forbes

photo credit: Forbes

“He’s — he’s parsing words, my friends.”

Those are words uttered at the first Presidential Debate from 2008 by John McCain about Obama’s suggested reaction to Russian troops invading Georgia.

Parsing words was candidate Obama’s forte, as it is President Obama’s forte — and Achilles heel.

You’ll recall, faithful readers, that President Obama scoffed at Mitt Romney’s answer four years later that Russia is our number one geopolitical foe — an answer that has proven true beyond any rational doubt.

Even Obama’s dovish friends are upset. The Atlantic (a not-exactly-conservative publication) ran a headline way back last year decrying, Mitt Romney Was Right: Russia Is Our Biggest Geopolitical Foe.

 

As the entire world watches Russia stand up for Russia in a way we could only wish our American president would stand up for America, we point you back to this C-span featured video redux of Obama’s non-stance on Russia.

How foretelling the past is of one’s future actions. Enjoy this replay.

We certainly know we can take President Obama’s word on one pledge — that he would have “more flexibility” to bend to Kremlin doctrine after his election.  But on selling the western world down river, how much flexibility does this President expect?

John McCain may not have made the very best President, but his steel resolve on issues of America-first geopolitics and security certainly wins him some respect in a week full of 6-year-too-late “I-told-you-so’s”.

Democrats in Deep for 2014 Election

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The Richest: DWS & Dems In Deep Debt

The Richest: DWS & Dems In Deep Debt

One of my favorite Joe Biden quotes says, “Show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value.”  It’s also a good video clip, if you’re so inclined toward a blooper reel.

Indeed, as Americans begin to re-engage in the body politic ahead of the 2014 election, they might ask themselves what President Obama and Joe Biden’s Democratic Party values.  To answer this question, let us look first at the leader of the Democratic Party.

According to the website The Richest, DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz is the 8th 3rd most heavily indebted member of Congress, on balance.  Of their 10 Most Indebted list, 8/10 are Democrats. Not a stellar example of fiscal discipline. Nor leadership by example.

A fair political observer may dismiss claims by this Vice President, who once claimed “President Roosevelt” got “on TV” to reassure people “when the stock market crashed” (that’s a TRIPLE FAIL on office, medium, and timeline if you’re keeping a fact check tally).  But as Biden rightly said in the very same synapse misfire, “Part of what a leader does… is demonstrate that he knows what [they’re] talking about.”

So then, one can’t help but wonder what top Democrats are talking about when they make claims about either their own values or GOP alternatives.  According to Fact Check, the Democrat Party leader’s own claims “throw truth to the wolves”, “manufacture(s) jobs data” and include the 2011 and 2013 “Lie[s] of the Year” on Medicare and Obamacare realities.  Not-exactly-conservative Anderson Cooper said her claims exist only “in an alternate universe.”

But let’s not laser focus on what any politician claims.  Let us instead focus on what they do.

While Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s own financial situation involves above-necessary incomes coupled with crushing debt (remind you of the country?), her stewardship of the Democrat National Committee (DNC) has been far more devastating.

Going into 2014, nothing could be more telling than the honest assessment delivered by the President’s own left wing friends at the Washington Post:

The RNC has $9.8 million cash on hand, as compared to the DNC’s $5.7 million. The DNC is also continuing to carry a lot of debt — $15.9 million — leftover from the 2012 election cycle.

The DNC has actually seen its debt increase slightly each of the past three months — a time when it should be paying down debt. At the start of the year, it was $15.6 million in debt. Over the past 12 months, the DNC has paid down less than $5 million of the more than $20 million in debt that it began 2013 with.

The RNC has no debt.

On values, on budgets, on leadership through example — this writer says “Bring it On!” to any side by side comparison between the parties heading into 2014.

The Incredible, Inevitable Hillary Clinton

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obama wins iowa caucuses 2008

Democrats in all circles assure the media that Hillary Clinton is the odds on favorite for the Democrat presidential nomination in 2016. Yet, enthusiasm from the grassroots left is awfully hard to come by.

That’s exactly what they would have said ahead of 2008, though it was not to be.  A summer 2006 blog post by Daily Kos didn’t even mention Barack Obama as a potentially serious challenger, but he won the long fight.

CNN has a rundown of her advantages and pitfalls in 2016, starting with Iowa.  Is it her turn now? The Gods seem to favor her, but certain potential obstacles are clear.

Here are a few:

“You’re likable enough, Hillary.”

Though Senator Obama faced a backlash for the sexist dismissal among women, he articulated a real drawback to Clinton’s former candidacy. She was feared, even respected, but rarely liked. Supporters lauded her as capable, tough, a fighter. But not likeable. Obama surely was that, and voters preferred to hang out with him over Hillary.

2008 highlighted the Clinton penchant for fearing potential allies into toeing the line, but only for a finite time. As Obama proved he could win races, supporters began to waver. The trickle turned into a flood by March and that was match, set, game.

No more surprises

The Clinton campaign made mind boggling mistakes, Chief among them ignoring the Caucus states and presuming all of California’s delegates would be for Hillary (the California primary was not, as Mark Penn thought, winner-take-all).  The Clinton campaign had neither money nor ground operations sufficient for post-Super Tuesday races and it showed.  She went on to lose 12 straight primaries, tipping the race forever in Obama’s favor. Clinton can’t make those mistakes this time.

 Brian Schweitzer has to go

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer could out-Clinton the Clintons by cracking Hillary’s left flank while at the same time appearing as the pragmatic outsider that red state voters love.  Schweitzer is a real in-Party threat in Iowa and across the Heartland if he can get them to hear his message. While an awful candidate on paper, he is symptomatic of Hillary’s problems on the grassroots left and populist center-left.

Save Jeanne Shaheen & Maggie Hassan at all costs

New Hampshire saved both Bill and Hillary’s hides before (1992 and 2008), and if things go as poorly in January again this time, she will count on old friend Jeanne Shaheen and state Party Brass to throw a life preserver yet again.

Jeanne Shaheen and Governor Maggie Hassan were big Hillary Clinton supporters back when.  Hillary and Bill both returned the favor by campaigning for their Democrat friends in their own tough election fights.   That might not matter if they all get swept out of office and replaced by up and comers who don’t owe the Clintons any favors.  Or, worse (for Hillary) yet, get replaced by Republicans.  Hillary needs behind-the-scenes support and angling for her candidacy as much as she did 6 years ago.

It’s not over yet

If Hillary Clinton can thread a very delicate needle by shoring up her left-wing bona fides without turning off swing voters, she has a real shot at the nomination in 2016.  If not, another Obama may be rapidly approaching in the left rear view mirror.

Even if Hillary comes out and falters early, don’t rule out a comeback.  After all, Hillary won 9 of the final 15 races in the 2008 primary.  Finding her populist voice, Clinton cobbled together a base of working class whites, Hispanics and women that Obama iced out with his cool rhetoric and questionable background.

It was enough to breathe a second life into the 2008 campaign, but that life came too late.  Hillary can’t afford a Weekend-at-Bernie’s campaign this time around.

Dick Cheney’s Guantanamo Revelation

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Is President Obama using drones in order to avoid putting new detainees in Guantanamo Bay?

Dick Cheney on Charlie Rose Show Wednesday mentioned a very interesting proposition on the use of drones in this White House.  While mentioning that he does not fundamentally disagree with the Obama administration drone program, he mentioned a key weakness in the program – the inability to detain (capture) targets (enemy combatants) and retrieve them for questioning.

This key point raises a question. Is President Obama purposely avoiding capturing combatants for fear he would have no option but to stash them in Gitmo?

Clearly this alternative would be politically problematic for the president for two reasons.  First, he campaigned on closing Guantanamo but has failed badly in delivering on that promise. Second, he would have no choice but to admit that the Bush administration had  it right on Gitmo in the first place.

That’s the whole point, isn’t it?  Of course nobody loves the optical nightmare of Guantanamo, but what other choice is there? If we are to capture and question our enemies to gather information, it is a keystone in our defense.  Period.

Will the president get his left wing base to swallow their displeasure over drones on the premise that the program will allow the slow closure of Guantanamo through attrition?  Or does he fundamentally disbelieve in the capture and question history of our intelligence gathering services?

Either way, it appears that the president is playing politics with our national security.  I’m glad Dick Cheney put his finger on it.