A Decade of Failure leads to a Decade of Hope

This decade began with a failure of the basis of our Democracy, elections being in doubt. Despite clear and documented irregularities in the 2000 Presidential election the Supreme Court stopped a recount that could have determined who was actually elected President.

On September 11, 2001 Americans were horrified as we saw that there was a failure in security. We were not protected by the oceans from attack. We found out that our government and President failed to respond to clear warnings that could have prevented this disaster.

In March of 2003 their was a failure of leadership and honesty, as the world and Americans were horrified that a President of the United States lied to its citizens to lead us into war with Iraq. We learned there were no weapons of Mass Destruction, and we had attacked a country that though impudent militarily due to no fly zones and sanctions, who had not attacked us and had nothing to do with 9/11.

In 2004 once again the world and American were horrified as we learned that our Country was torturing Prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. Later we sat in disbelief as we heard our President and Vice President defend waterboarding. There was a failure to live up to the morals our nation had always held dear. We would never be looked on the same by the world again.

Election day 2004, our frustration grew as once again our ability to hold fair elections were in doubt. There was clear manipulation by the Secretary of State in Ohio to alter the voting results. Resources were shifted, voting machines were proven to be inaccurate, yet once again a winner was declared without knowing for sure who actually got the most votes.

August 29 2005, perhaps the most clear failure of the decade. We watched in horror as an American City drowned after Hurricane Katrina. We watched as there was a clear inability of our government to respond to a disaster that they saw coming for weeks. We had been lead to believe that our Homeland Security had been improved yet Katrina proved quite the opposite. The world watched in horror as the Country they depended on to help respond to help the world in such disasters couldn't help itself.

September 15, 2007 a failure of disastrous proportions became evident in our economic system. We found that all the protections placed on our financial institutions after the Great Depression had been gutted to allow such a disaster again. We saw banks failing, record foreclosures, jobs being lost at staggering rates, and we saw a President in the waning days of his term trying to wait out the clock to avoid having to deal with the reality of the mess.

November 4, 2008 The decade of hope began. So many believed including myself that this country could not move beyond race to elect an African American President. There was even fear the election system problems would again put the will of the people in doubt. Yet as we sat there in campaign headquarters, or in our homes that night and watched the images from Grant Park in Chicago. The feeling of utter pride and joy in our nation, in our democracy was gushing. I cried that night as all the frustrations about the failures of the previous 8 years felt somehow washed away. My faith was being restored in our nation and the leaders of the future. The America I loved, I believed in, was back.

We have seen in the final year of the decade that restoring hope is not easy. It is not done in one election. The damage of the failures of the previous 8 years was deep, it was going to take a lot of work, a lot of hard decisions to fix it. Americans are understandably skeptical. It will take continued successes by our President to earn their trust once again. We must do what we can to help with that success by continuing to vote for Congress People and Senators that are leaders not obstructionists. We must make our voices heard, we must shout out the successes that are made. When we are not happy with something we also must communicate the desires we have to our leaders to do more.

The 2000's were indeed a decade of failure, but I have belief in the wisdom and the leadership of President Barack Obama. Therefore I have no doubt, the 2010's will be not only a decade of hope, but a decade of success for our nation.

One Bush Mess Even Obama Can't Fix

The first 10 months of the Obama administration has been primarily tasked with fixing the incredible amount of damage caused and left by the Bush Administration. Obama has been quite successful in doing so in a myriad of areas yet perhaps there is one mess even he can't fix.

Successes of the Obama administration thus far are many. When he took office the economy was on the brink of depression, the banking system was crumbling and the auto industry was about to destroyed forever. Despite the wasteful deficit spending of the Bush Administration. President Obama had to make tough choices to spend more money to fix the leaking roof on the house of our economy to protect the structure. The stimulus has been very successful in doing that. The Banks are now lending again, the stock market has recovered 50% of the losses it occurred under the Bush recession, the auto industry has been saved and even sparked by the incredibly successful cash for clunkers program.

In the area of foreign policy again there is a long list of successes by Obama in fixing damage caused by the Bush Administration. Our credibility is being restored by the ending of torture, working to close Guantanamo Bay, winding down on schedule our occupation of Iraq. There are positive steps reigning in Iran on its nuclear program. Israel and the Palestinians are at least talking again, and we are now getting cooperation from countries all over the world including Russia and China.

But that leaves Afghanistan. Though going into Afghanistan was the right thing to do, as that is where those that attacked us were located, 8 years of neglect by the Bush Administration have created a quagmire that may never be navigated. The new government of Afghanistan is corrupt and ineffective. While we were wasting our resources in a war of choice in Iraq we have let things in Afghanistan deteriorate causing us to lose the will and the trust of the Afghan people. It is clear the window of opportunity in Afghanistan closed during the Bush Administration. So Obama is left with a list of choices that are all bad options. It would take years, lives and money we don't have to start that war all over and start from scratch again. Keeping the status quo is clearly not working, causing even more distrust and American lives, and just pulling out is not an option either as we cannot allow that country to become a safe haven for terrorists once again.

President Obama has done an effective job fixing the messes left by the Bush Administration. But Afghanistan is not fixable. It is time to limit our presence to a base or two for which operations against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan can be carried out. Leave the stability of the rest of Afghanistan to the Afghans to figure out, thats what the people of that country want, thats what the people of this country want.

How Dare They

This morning I sat and watched George W. Bush preach to us on what is good for the economy. Later he went on to say "I decided to act and act boldly." Then he gave us his apparently new revelation. "Turns out that the collapse of one part of the system affects the whole system."

George W you have lost all credibility in telling anyone what is good for the economy. It is your policies that have crippled not only the U.S. Economy but has put the worlds economy in danger. Claiming that you acted at all especially "boldly" is crap. You Sir have done nothing.

Then yesterday there was John McCain. Mr Keating 5 himself who interfered to stop investigation into a failed savings and loan to lead to the last economic crises. Who preached for 26 years against regulation to let the corporations and banks do whatever they wanted. To allow greed to rule rather then common sense. To put our nations economy at risk. To have a campaign run by the very people that has influenced Congress to allow this to happen. Then you try to blame Barack Obama?

Hypocrites, both. Liars both. You are both directly involved in creating this mess. Americans want change. Not more protections for the corporations so that they can operate on a motive of greed and when they mess up we the taxpayers have to pay to keep them alive?

Yes I am pointing fingers. Because it is clear who is responsible. The Republicans are clearly responsible. It is them that said all regulation is bad. It is them that have given the corporations every thing they want. It is them that allowed greed and profits to grow for the rich on the backs of the middle class. Now suddenly they want government intervention to have the very middle class that has been injured by all of this to now pay to bail them out.

How dare they try to take credit for fixing the problem they created. How dare they ask for us to pay for their greed. How dare they try to blame Barack Obama.

Enough is Enough, It is time for real solutions offered by Barack Obama. Not more money to the corporations that have blown it.

RepubOILcans Childishness Evident

Since the Democratic Party has nominated an inspiring accomplished intelligent man and the all the RepubOILcans have is McCain, they have tried cynicism, distortion, lies and now have gone the route of total childishness.

While the Democrats have shown their history, character, vision on the issues all week, the other side has responded with snide attacks that frankly are not being received well by many voters I have talked to both independents and traditional Republican voters. The RepubOILcans are in total fear of the impact of tonight's speech and have no idea how to offset it. They have actually gone to attacking the set around the stage to try to make fun of what will be a historic moment in American History.

Voters are not children nor are they stupid. They will see the incredible difference tonight between a true leader like Barack Obama and the silly, negative cynicism that the RepubOILcans offer. They want real solutions to the issues and they don't care what backdrop is behind the speaker. This isn't a game this is about peoples paychecks, jobs, healthcare, security and our respect around the world.

Oh and for you few tools that think pillars have some hidden evil symbolism, look at the backdrop behind Bush in 2004's RepubOILcan convention.

Ayers, James Rhodes and the 60's

Since they cannot win on the actual issues of this campaign the right wing once again are trying to smear Obama because he happens to know someone. The latest target is Bill Ayers.

But who is Bill Ayers. He was in fact the founder of a radical group called the Weather Underground that did some horrendous violent acts in the 60's to protest the Vietnam War. I don't for a minute excuse what Ayers and his group did. But though I was a child in the 60's I know it was a very different violent time in our country. Atrocities occurred on both sides, not the least of which was that the Governor of the Ohio James A. Rhodes sent National Guard Troops to Kent State who then fired on unarmed students resulting in the deaths of 4. The only time outside the civil war and the atrocities against native Americans, that American Troops have fired on American citizens.

40 years later how are the two men perceived. Ayers is being used by the right wing to attack Obama for knowing him. Despite the fact that Barrack Obama was a child at the time of the Weather Underground, regardless that since his radical youth Bill Ayers has been a respected educator, author and advocate for school reform and despite the fact that Ayers said in 2001, "I condemn all forms of terrorism--individual, group and official."

As the right vilifies Ayers and labels him for life for the things he did in his youth, how do they treat James Rhodes who was responsible for the murders of 4 students at Kent State?

They erected a statue.



Does the right really want America to judge the candidates based on who they associate with?

McCain makes idle theats, Obama proposes solutions

In typical Bush cowboy diplomacy style, McCain has responded to the Russian attack on Georgia by rattling a non existent saber. It is not only laughable to the Kremlin when McCain spouts idle threats, considering our military is stretched thin because of Bush's war, but it makes not only John McCain but our country look incredibly weak.

Why did Russia do this now? It's simple, because of the foreign policy, economic and energy policies of Bush and McCain, we have increased Russia's strength in the world and seriously weakened anything the United States can do about it.

Just step back and take a look at all the damage now caused by Bush's illegal war that McCain supports and wishes to continue indefinitely. First there is the war on terror that has been neglected. Osama Bin Laden continues to live and plan all safe and cozy somewhere on the Afghanistan border. The Taliban have made a resurgence in Afghanistan itself. The world is on the brink of economic crises due to the effect the Iraq war has had on oil prices. The United States has even lost any moral authority to lead a coalition of countries to take even diplomatic action to solve this crises since we are seen by the world as an aggressor country that attacks sovereign nations without justification as well. And now Russia is clearly in the process of restoring the Soviet Union as tanks now roll through the streets of Georgia.

Now republicans are trying to spin this as proof we need a commander in chief like McCain. It is mind boggling they are even attempting this line of crap. The entire world and hopefully American voters can clearly see this crisis was made possible bythe Bush/McCain style of governing.

How weak is the United States seen around the world? This is from the German Magazine Spiegel: "The West urgently needs to get tough to contain Russia's new-found imperialism in the wake of its military action in Georgia, write German media commentators. The problem is that the EU, as usual, lacks the required unity while the US has a lame duck president whose invasion of Iraq robbed him of authority. "

It reminds me of bullies in high school. Whenever they know they don't have the intelligence to actually deal with an issue, they threaten to beat someone up. The only problem is, usually bullies actually can, McCain just looks weak.

Rather then making weak idle threats, Barack Obama has spoken out clearly about finding diplomatic ways to actually find real solutions to solve this crises. If we needed any more proof this country needs Obama as President, this is it.

Bush loses “The Game of Risk”

Ok I may be dating myself but when I was in college one of our past times was a board game called “The Game of Risk.” For those not familiar it was a strategy game about world dominance that involved placing your armies and making alliances in order to not only defend your territory but to gain strength and eventually dominate the world.

I cannot help but see the correlation between that game and what is currently happening in the Republic of Georgia. Bush has so damaged and overused the resources of the United States that we are now impudent while Russia takes what appear to be steps to restore the Soviet Empire.

While Bush has put all the cubes the United States has into Iraq not only have we lost control of Afghanistan, but also to our flank the Russians are clearly taking steps to overrun Georgia to restore the old Soviet Empire.

What cubes does Bush have to play to prevent it? Well he tried expressing outrage about Russia creating an excuse to invade a sovereign nation. But um since we did exactly that in invading Iraq we no longer have the moral authority to rally the world to do anything about it.

Do we have the military force cube? Well let’s see we don’t have enough military to cover Afghanistan, the real war on terrorism so I’m guessing Russia is pretty safe.

The economic pressure cube? Hmm well since Europe and we are so dependent on Russian oil, I’m guessing, nope.

So while the Bush McCain foreign, energy, and economic policies are all tied up elsewhere, Russia is moving through at will just like in the “Game of Risk” where a player flies through the flank of a player left open and takes over the world.

What damage has Bush done, how much more damage can be done with 4 more years of the same policies? Well I’m guessing our time as the only super power is about over.

Unfortunatly this isn't a game. The cold war has returned. Way to go Bush.

8 years divided by 2 oil men = $4 gas

This was the chart shown on the Senate floor this afternoon by Senator Barbara Boxer. While George W. Bush and the Repuboilcans repeat the mantra "drill drill drill" the Democrats in Congress are proposing real solutions to the oil prices that are bringing this nation to its knees.

McCain proposes fake solutions along with George W that will do one thing increase the assets of the oil companies. It will not have any effect on the amount of domestic oil on the market or the cost of gas at the pump. The fact is the Oil Companies have leases on 68 million acres of oil reserve they can drill now but choose not to. Instead they wish to hold on to these assets and add to them to line their pockets.

Barbara Boxer detailed a number of solutions that can and must be done to actually solve the problem. First "Use it or lose it" If the Oil companies that currently hold the leases to the 68 million acres that can be drilled now choose not to, then they shall lose the leases on that land and it will be given to companies that will drill.

Another point Boxer made was that the oil that is drilled domestically should remain in this country not sold overseas for higher profits as is the case now with much of the oil obtained in Alaska.

She also discussed higher CAFE standards which by bringing them up to 40 mpg which hybrid cars can exceed now, would by itself eliminante the demand for all foriegn oil in this country.

Finally to regulate the oil speculators that are a major cause of the current oil prices that are creating a false value for a barrel of oil that is making the oil men like Bush and Cheney richer and 90% of Americans poorer.

Repubiolcans like to accuse Democrats of wanting to "transfer wealth." The fact is the energy policies of Bush, Cheney, McCain and the repuboilcans are causing the biggest transfer of wealth in human history, from our pockets to theirs, the CEO's of the oil companies and the Oil Sheiks abroad.

It is time for America to wake up, and say no to 4 soon 5 dollar per gallon gas. To say no to wars fought over oil, to say no to record profits for the oil companies and to say NO to false policies like "drill drill drill." Instead we must support the Democrats in the Congress who are looking for real solutions for all Americans not just the oil men.