By Charles Krauthammer

Nuff sed

When Obama writes he uses all the same letters Bush would have used if he ever decided to write anything.

FireBreathingLiberal: When Obama writes he uses all the same letters Bush would have used if he ever decided to write anything.

Hopefully he at least uses a different color crayon.

Is anyone surprised?

FireBreathingLiberal

When Obama writes he uses all the same letters Bush would have used if he ever decided to write anything.

Except when Obama writes his secret messages in Arabic, using invisible ink.

Plus I don't think Bush ever fully trusted the letter "Q"

Nice article Charles! That deserves a standing ovation!

RagingLeonard: Is anyone surprised?

NO!

oldebayer:
Plus I don't think Bush ever fully trusted the letter "Q"

Yeah why does it always need a "U"? Seems suspicious

ZOMG! Obama HUSSEIN failed to undo eight years of stupidity in 125 days!

Therefore the stuff we liked before is now bad and it's his fault!

jonasborg: RagingLeonard: Is anyone surprised?

NO!

Ted?

Except for the torture part. And the part about keeping an off-shore prison open at a military base in a foreign country.

You know, the important parts.

Call me when he trumps up questionable intelligence to invade a country for national security reasons.

Kraut is one of the more sensible conservative voices out there. I seldom if ever get in total accord with the guy, but his is an interesting 'opposition' voice that I respect.

HansensDisease: ZOMG! Obama HUSSEIN failed to undo eight years of stupidity in 125 days!

Therefore the stuff we liked before is now bad and it's his fault!

I know you're probably trolling, but I'll take the bait anyway.

The problem isn't that some conservatives are suddenly in favor of restrained executive powers: it's that suddenly progressives aren't. I don't believe that the government should be able to wiretap me without a FISA warrant. I didn't believe it was either ethical or legal when Bush did it, and I certainly haven't reversed my stance because we got a new President.

Many people are though. Suddenly it's okay for a president to do these things because, hey, Obama's a great guy right? So we spot him this one. And now there is precedent across two parties. And, you know, why take it away from the next guy, who's probably alright too? And then one day, someone gets office, from either party, and starts using these powers in a novel way that is consistent with previous precedent, that just happen to be extremely bad. It doesn't take a genius to see how detaining United States citizens indefinitely without access to an independent judiciary could be used in a way inconsistent with the rule of law.

This has traditionally been a very severe threat to democracy: you give a really likeable guy someone temporary powers that turn out to not have an expiration date. Many of us who voted for Obama felt that he would restore much of the balance, mostly because he said he would. Stupid us. Now I'm starting to think with McCain, at least we would have had a much more robust opposition movement.

Not that we should start running around claiming the end is near...far from it. Progressives should simply stick to what we have traditionally been good at: supporting an ideology rather than a person.

Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich: I know you're probably trolling, but I'll take the bait anyway.

It's more of a mock than a troll.

Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich: The problem isn't that some conservatives are suddenly in favor of restrained executive powers: it's that suddenly progressives aren't.

Awaiting evidence of this, other than vague assertion.

Would conservatives make up their mind about whether they hate Obama because he's so radical or if they hate him because he's exactly the same. Please?

Thanks.

Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich: Many of us who voted for Obama felt that he would restore much of the balance, mostly because he said he would.


moar funny pictures

^^Who damnit! WHO. It's what I get for trying to pull the very difficult Darth Godwin.

Atillathepun: Would conservatives make up their mind about whether they hate Obama because he's so radical or if they hate him because he's exactly the same.

How about both "radical" and "the same".
Radical - because of trying to go forward with such programs as universal healthcare when we have pi$$ed out money by the gallon since the beginning of the year with bailouts of banks, insurance companies, auto companies etc. We have such a large debt load now, how are we going to pay for this initiative and debt management?
The Same - because he promised that the first things he would do when elected was close Guantanamo, sign the FOCA, ban lobbyist from his administration, bring the troops home from Iraq in 16 months, etc. Obama and his supporters are just like Bush and his "to-the-death"supporters who agreed with everything that Bush did.

Only the names and players have changed - the game is exactly the same.

steelpeg: Atillathepun: Would conservatives make up their mind about whether they hate Obama because he's so radical or if they hate him because he's exactly the same.

How about both "radical" and "the same".
Radical - because of trying to go forward with such programs as universal healthcare when we have pi$$ed out money by the gallon since the beginning of the year with bailouts of banks, insurance companies, auto companies etc. We have such a large debt load now, how are we going to pay for this initiative and debt management?
The Same - because he promised that the first things he would do when elected was close Guantanamo, sign the FOCA, ban lobbyist from his administration, bring the troops home from Iraq in 16 months, etc. Obama and his supporters are just like Bush and his "to-the-death"supporters who agreed with everything that Bush did.

Only the names and players have changed - the game is exactly the same.

did you seriously bring up "sign the FOCA?"

how does a president sign a bill that hasn't been written and passed?

how does he bring home the troops in 16 months in less than 150 days?

wow.

anyway, yeah, a lot of the anti-terror policy should be adopted ... except the torture stuff, and the detaining people for years without charges stuff, etc. the rest of it is business as usual, because, well, it should be for fark's sake.

steelpeg: because of trying to go forward with such programs as universal healthcare when we have pi$$ed out money by the gallon since the beginning of the year with bailouts of banks, insurance companies, auto companies etc. We have such a large debt load now, how are we going to pay for this initiative and debt management?

Do you feel this pissing of money started on January 20th?

steelpeg: because he promised that the first things he would do when elected was close Guantanamo, sign the FOCA, ban lobbyist from his administration, bring the troops home from Iraq in 16 months

a) Correct me if I'm wrong, but there was an executive order specifically dealing with GITMO
2) How does he sign a bill that hasn't even been written or passed by Congress
d) That damn bastard has the toughest ethical standards of any presidential administration in history but it's not freaking perfect!
II) How, exactly, does one fail at bringing the troops home in 16 months after the first may of his first term? Wouldn't it be important to wait until April of next year to complain?

This is what happens when you have a one party system pretending to be a two party system.

brainiac-dumdum: jonasborg: RagingLeonard: Is anyone surprised?

NO!

Ted?

Do I know you?
ragingleonard at yahoo dot com

The genius of democracy is that the rotation of power forces the opposition to come to its senses when it takes over.

The British parliamentary practice of a shadow government could tone down the unrealistic rhetoric from the opposition, but it depends on the lack of separation of powers between legislative and executive.

RagingLeonard: Is anyone surprised?

That Krauthammer's a douchebag? No.

Stay Cool Babylon: Kraut is one of the more sensible conservative voices out there. I seldom if ever get in total accord with the guy, but his is an interesting 'opposition' voice that I respect.

If Krauthammer is sensible, conservatives are even worse off than they thought.

steelpeg: How about both "radical" and "the same".
Radical - because of trying to go forward with such programs as universal healthcare when we have pi$$ed out money by the gallon since the beginning of the year with bailouts of banks, insurance companies, auto companies etc. We have such a large debt load now, how are we going to pay for this initiative and debt management?
The Same - because he promised that the first things he would do when elected was close Guantanamo, sign the FOCA, ban lobbyist from his administration, bring the troops home from Iraq in 16 months, etc. Obama and his supporters are just like Bush and his "to-the-death"supporters who agreed with everything that Bush did.

So he is "Radical" because he signed the 2009 Bush budget and continued TARP which was started under Bush. the conservative stupid hurts sometimes.

For some reason I think you mean this in the 1980's sense of the world because you still have a boner for Bush.

Tinkering you can believe in!

steelpeg: The Same - because he promised that the first things he would do when elected was close Guantanamo,

And one of his first orders was to do just that. There's a complete review done on all prisoners, the intelligence and evidence we have on each, with the goal that Gitmo is to be closed within a year and all prisoners dealt with.

sign the FOCA,

That would require Congress actually pass the FOCA.

ban lobbyist from his administration,

With a few exceptions, he did. Certainly he kept lobbyists out far more effectively than any prior president.

bring the troops home from Iraq in 16 months, etc.

Hasn't been 16 months yet, has it?

Ennuipoet: ^^Who damnit! WHO. It's what I get for trying to pull the very difficult Darth Godwin.

This is only proof that Obama must fall to evil before he sacrifices himself to save America.

It's not like us liberals disagreed with most of Bush's terror policies, just Gitmo, Iraq and torture. We also believed in invading Afghanistan and dismantling AQ. We also believe that terrorism is a real threat that must be fought. I stood behind Bush until 2003, when he went all stupid and invaded a country on false and/or incorrect intelligence.

heinekenftw: This is only proof that Obama must fall to evil before he sacrifices himself to save America.

Dude don't even try to compare Obama with Skywalker. Obama would not last a day on Hoth. Those people don't like the cold.

DaSwankOne: Dude don't even try to compare Obama with Skywalker. Obama would not last a day on Hoth. Those people don't like the cold.

I was comparing Obama with Vader.

Dinki: By Charles Krauthammer

Nuff sed

More like nothing sed. By you.

WaltzingMathilda & bulldg4life

History of FOCA - which has not only been around since 1989, but also has been written and presented to Congress a few times:

History (new window)
Obama's Promise (new window, YouTube)

And pulling troops from Iraq promise try Google - that shouldn't even be questioned. But here is an article explaining that that won't happen (It's even New York Times!) :
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/washington/26troops.html

And Bulldog, if he signs an executive order on GITMO- but can't get it done with his own party in charge - then maybe Bush was a better President. Sure he did a ton of horrible things but at least he could accomplish something.

In fact, if Obama can't accomplish WHAT HE PROMISED with his popularity rating and his OWN PARTY in full control of Congress, why are you guys supporting him so strongly? Because he talks really well and he promises us stuff that he can't fulfill?

heinekenftw: DaSwankOne: Dude don't even try to compare Obama with Skywalker. Obama would not last a day on Hoth. Those people don't like the cold.

I was comparing Obama with Vader.

First off Vader is technically a Skywalker. Second that is racist to compare him to the only black guy that was not a con-man in the whole series.

steelpeg: And Bulldog, if he signs an executive order on GITMO- but can't get it done with his own party in charge - then maybe Bush was a better President. Sure he did a ton of horrible things but at least he could accomplish something.

So by that metric, Hitler was better than Carter . . .

steelpeg: maybe Bush was a better President. Sure he did a ton of horrible things but at least he could accomplish something.

Maybe it means that it is time for progressives to clean House.

Sum Dum Gai: Hasn't been 16 months yet, has it?

He's coming up on having to remove ~9,000 troops a month to keep his revised promise of leaving 50,000 troops behind instead of getting them all out. That's 25 full C-131 flights a week for a year. That's a lot of orders to shuffle around. That's a lot of housing to prepare. That's a lot of everything else involved with moving that many troops. He'd better get cracking if he's going to do what he said he was going to do.

heinekenftw: steelpeg: And Bulldog, if he signs an executive order on GITMO- but can't get it done with his own party in charge - then maybe Bush was a better President. Sure he did a ton of horrible things but at least he could accomplish something.

So by that metric, Hitler was better than Carter . . .

Well, according to at least one source, "he's history's greatest monster!"

As much as i like Obama as a person, he's just another stooge for the real powers that be. Bush should have finally proven beyond the shadow of a doubt that the president isn't really planning and deciding everything that happens, they're just talking heads meant to put us at ease.

For years now they've owned all the horses in every race. They had Obama lined up, knowing that people would be disillusioned with the Republicans.

Same agenda, new angle. Sad really. Look through history, the only thing that really changes when different parties are in power is the rhetoric.

Um, the ONLY thing he's refused to do is release those tiny batch of photos.

He's shutting down guantanamo impeded only by congress and has (claimed) to end cia blacksites. And of course hasn't tortured anyone yet.

How in a conservative's mind that 'identical' I don't know.

steelpeg: History of FOCA - which has not only been around since 1989, but also has been written and presented to Congress a few times:

I looked at your profile, so I know you're a conserva-troll but I'll indulge.

The process doesn't work that way. It must be legislated again, and Congress hasn't gotten to it. With the economy the way it is and the wars being conducted, Obama would be foolish to say "hey, we'll get to that stuff later, I can't do anything until you present me with a FOCA bill.

As for Gitmo ... yeah, that's not going to happen overnight. If you can work a computer, you know it will take months, if not years, to untangle.

But that's it for me. Your arguments aren't worth addressing, because they can't be real.

Did not have to RTFA because President Obama and all of his cabinet members are amateurs.

Here you go Krauty, you've earned this once again:

jake3988: Um, the ONLY thing he's refused to do is release those tiny batch of photos.

He's shutting down guantanamo impeded only by congress and has (claimed) to end cia blacksites. And of course hasn't tortured anyone yet.

How in a conservative's mind that 'identical' I don't know.

By typing the word blacksites you are showing all of FARK your racist ways.

President Obama is a fool.

jake3988: Um, the ONLY thing he's refused to do is release those tiny batch of photos.

He's shutting down guantanamo impeded only by congress and has (claimed) to end cia blacksites. And of course hasn't tortured anyone yet.

How in a conservative's mind that 'identical' I don't know.

All that is left of the conservatives is the retards. Dude when the guy who invented the term "Axis of Evil" jumps ship because he think you are too conservative you are in trouble.

jake3988: Um, the ONLY thing he's refused to do is release those tiny batch of photos.

He's shutting down guantanamo impeded only by congress and has (claimed) to end cia blacksites. And of course hasn't tortured anyone yet.

How in a conservative's mind that 'identical' I don't know.

These are the same people who claim a dictionary has a liberal bias or their answer to France's refusal to play along with our war in Iraq by changing the name of french fries to freedom fries.

Does this surprise anyone? There are even a few delusional fools on fark who actually think they are going to win the 2010 election.