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Category: Policy (Page 7 of 28)

George Will slams GOP candidates on Iraq

November 7, 2011 /

George Will is on a roll.

Despite his intense desire to have Obama lose in 2012, George Will still has tough questions for those in the GOP field who seem to favor perpetual war:

Most of the candidates have disparaged Barack Obama’s decision that all U.S. troops will leave Iraq this year. (Ron Paul considers the withdrawal of U.S. assets insufficiently thorough; but, then, he might favor U.S. withdrawal from territories of the constitutionally dubious Louisiana Purchase.) What is the candidates’ objection to Obama implementing the status-of-forces agreement that his predecessor signed in 2008?

The candidates should answer three questions: How many troops would they leave in Iraq? For how long? And for what purpose? If eight years, 4,485 lives and $800 billion are not enough, how many more of each are they prepared to invest there? And spare us the conventional dodge about “listening to” the “commanders in the field.” Each candidate is aspiring to be commander in chief in a nation in which civilians set policy for officers to execute.

The foreign policy statements of the GOP candidates have been embarrassing. I doubt any of them can answer this question coherently.

Conservatives, Policy, Politics, Republicans

Obama announces end to Iraq War

October 21, 2011 /
U.S. soldiers take a rest in the shade of armoured vehicles at a courtyard at Camp Liberty in Baghdad September 30, 2011. U.S troops are scheduled to pull out of the country by the end of this year, according to a 2008 security pact between the U.S. and Iraq. Picture taken September 30, 2011. REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ – Tags: CONFLICT POLITICS MILITARY)

President Obama just announced in a news conference that all American troops in Iraq will be withdrawn by the end of the year, and the troops will be home for the holidays.

This was expected, but it’s still monumental. After spending trillions of dollars and suffering thousands of American casualties, we’re finally leaving Iraq.

The U.S. was open to keeping trainers in Iraq past the end of the year, but the Iraqi government would not grant immunity to American soldiers, so we told them to forget it.

Policy, Politics, War on Terror

Rick Perry’s negatives rising

September 22, 2011 /
Republican Presidential candidate Texas Governor Rick Perry speaks at a news conference in New York September 20, 2011. REUTERS/Eric Thayer (UNITED STATES – Tags: POLITICS)

Say crazy stuff, and people will start to notice. Say that Social Security is a Ponzi scheme and should be transferred to the states, and people listen up some more.

Rick Perry’s surge in the GOP race is being fueled by the Tea Party, but everyone else is paying attention as well, and his negatives are starting to go up in polls.

For the GOP, right now he looks like their Howard Dean or their George McGovern.

Conservatives, Culture War, Lunatic Fringe, Policy, Politics, Republicans

Elizabeth Warren takes on the “class warfare” issue

September 22, 2011 /

Elizabeth Warren is a natural because she can articulate her philosophy in a way that connects with regular voters. Here she takes on the “class warfare” charge.

Scott Brown must be getting pretty nervous . . .

Democrats, Liberals, Policy, Politics, Taxes, Video

Elizabeth Warren – The Natural

September 21, 2011 /

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

I was pretty happy to see Elizabeth Warren declare her candidacy against Scott Brown in Massachusetts, and after seeing her on television as a candidate I’m pretty confident she can win this race and be a huge asset for the Democrats.

A poll just came out showing her with a lead over Scott Brown, making up a huge gap in a short period of time after her announcement. This is just one poll, and it was taken when she was getting a lot of press, but she’s clearly getting the attention of voters in a positive way.

Watch the clip above, and regardless of your politics, you can see someone who has a passion for what she’s doing, and someone who enjoys politics and interacting with voters. That’s a huge asset, and it’s a characteristic you see in very successful politicians like Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. As I said in the title, despite the fact that she’s a Harvard professor, she’s a natural when it comes to connecting with voters.

Part of that stems from her message. The deck is stacked these days in favor of corporations and the wealthy, while the middle class and working poor get screwed. Her push for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau illustrates this issue. Banks and credit card companies want to confuse people with the fine print. The idea behind this agency is to simplify and standardize the process facing consumers when they purchase financial services, and it was fought like crazy by the big banks. Had we had an agency like this 5 years ago, we wouldn’t have had the avalanche of bad mortgages that led to the financial crisis. Warren pushed this agency when nobody thought it would ever get passed. President Obama supported it and with persistence they were able to get it into the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill.

I’ll be posting another video soon of Warren address the “class warfare” charges from Republicans. She’s a great advocate for the progressive philosophy and she’s going to be an asset for the Democrats.

Democrats, Liberals, Policy, Politics, Video

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