Thursday, August 14, 2014
Good news, and good moves by the President
Not long ago, I wrote about the plight of the Yazidi people stuck on a mountaintop in Iraq, and since then their sad plight has continued.
Now, though, it appears that the siege of the mountain has been broken and an evacuation begun. The New York Times (who also provided the picture above) reports that "United States airstrikes and Kurdish fighters had broken the siege on Mount Sinjar, allowing thousands of Yazidis trapped there to escape."
Intriguingly, about a dozen U.S. Marines and Special Forces soldiers had been dropped on the mountain to help with the operation. Clearly, this has been a successful mission.
Will the President, who must have approved this option get any credit for this? Probably not, though he should. Unfortunately, he is at a point in his presidency where few people seem to have a political reason to speak that truth, and that is too bad. It was a bold yet restrained move, and best of all, it worked.
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I see what you’re saying and I feel for the plight of all people like the Yazidis, but it’s been proven time and again…in that part of the world if the person holding the whip turns around, chaos comes back to rule with furious abandon. As for our president, there have been a number of other issues in need to be addressed in a loud voice and steered with a clear hand, but for some reason I feel like he’s running on cruise control, you can see him talk but his voice is on mute.
I'm with Marta. I have never been "inspired" by Obama. It's hard to tell if he does things because he believes in them or because he feels like he has to. He's like the begrudging assistant who doesn't like making copies or doing file work, but knows its his job and does it. But not with a smile or any alacrity.
There's a new book out by Rick Perlstein called "The Invisible Bridge," about the period from Nixon's second inauguration to the 1976 Republican Convention where Ford just barely beat Reagan for the GOP nomination. It's a follow on to his last book, "Nixonland," which covered from about 1964 through 1972 as the nation descended into horrible, nasty battles over Civil Rights, Vietnam, "Law and Order," and so much more. Very disquieting and disturbing times.
Perlstein is a liberal, but he has disdain for the liberals of that period. He doesn't like Nixon or Reagan... and it shows. At the same time, however, its clear that Reagan especially believed in somthing. He believed in and "idea of America," what he later called a "Shining City on a Hill." (paraphrasing John Bunyan I believe).
Perlstein doesn't like this vision of America. He asks the question "what does it mean to be an American?" Does one have to be a super patriot, unquestioning flag waver, or can an American be someone who questions authority, who stands up for values and doesn't believe in exceptionalism?
I think this answer is "both." But the LEADER of the country has to passionately "Believe." And more than anything else, I just don't get the feeling there's any passion behind Obama's beliefs.
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There's a new book out by Rick Perlstein called "The Invisible Bridge," about the period from Nixon's second inauguration to the 1976 Republican Convention where Ford just barely beat Reagan for the GOP nomination. It's a follow on to his last book, "Nixonland," which covered from about 1964 through 1972 as the nation descended into horrible, nasty battles over Civil Rights, Vietnam, "Law and Order," and so much more. Very disquieting and disturbing times.
Perlstein is a liberal, but he has disdain for the liberals of that period. He doesn't like Nixon or Reagan... and it shows. At the same time, however, its clear that Reagan especially believed in somthing. He believed in and "idea of America," what he later called a "Shining City on a Hill." (paraphrasing John Bunyan I believe).
Perlstein doesn't like this vision of America. He asks the question "what does it mean to be an American?" Does one have to be a super patriot, unquestioning flag waver, or can an American be someone who questions authority, who stands up for values and doesn't believe in exceptionalism?
I think this answer is "both." But the LEADER of the country has to passionately "Believe." And more than anything else, I just don't get the feeling there's any passion behind Obama's beliefs.
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