Obama and friends: The European tour

wylo

I have to say , for the first time since he got elected I had to turn him off and change channel in mid speech this week.

"Europe faces greater terror threat than U.S."
"We will defeat the Taliban"
"I strongly condemn North Korea for defying us"
"As long as the threat from Iran persists, we will go forward with the missile system"

I was genuinely delighted when he got elected , I really thought he would push to end tensions and end wars. It is obvious the only thing he has done so far is brought our European prime ministers more on his side with his charm.
I guess I was a bit too naive.

irish_bob

wylo wrote: »

I have to say , for the first time since he got elected I had to turn him off and change channel in mid speech this week.

"Europe faces greater terror threat than U.S."
"We will defeat the Taliban"
"I strongly condemn North Korea for defying us"
"As long as the threat from Iran persists, we will go forward with the missile system"

I was genuinely delighted when he got elected , I really thought he would push to end tensions and end wars. It is obvious the only thing he has done so far is brought our European prime ministers more on his side with his charm.
I guess I was a bit too naive.

while his rock star status especially in europe is annoying , what is wrong with any of his statements that you headlined above

wylo

They sound too much like George Bush,

I guess I expected too much from him,dont get me wrong I do admire him, I was just disappointed at the similarities, I know now he is pushing for an end to a nuclear ban, and I even heard a small thing on CNN today about how him and Michelle turned down a standard $100K offer that happens to all new presidents to "do up" the White house to their own liking, they chose to pay for it themselves. However...

"Europe faces greater terror threat than U.S."
-Only because of our involvement in Afghanistan/Iraq and our close ties with the US.

"We will defeat the Taliban"
-More war, more deaths , more bombings, more anger, all of which will only make them stronger

"I strongly condemn North Korea for defying us"

What about Israel? Also does America have more rights than NK to possess long range missiles. Does NK not have a right to advance its own satellite and missile technology? Why are they the bad guys? Did it not occur to the US that the more you work with these countries the better reaction you get from them. These are Qs I used think Obama would have had on his mind also.

"As long as the threat from Iran persists, we will go forward with the missile system"

See my NK paragraph and replace it with Iran

Sand

The shocking thing might be that Al Queda wasnt an invention of George Bush, that perhaps a lot of the tension with North Korea is generated *by* North Korea and that Afghanistan cant be left in the hands of the Taliban.

"Europe faces greater terror threat than U.S."
-Only because of our involvement in Afghanistan/Iraq and our close ties with the US.

Nope, because of the deep rooted movements within European cities that are deeply hostile to European society and values: many extremists have fled to Europe to escape from security forces in their home countries that would probably jail them in some dungeon for life. Theyre not grateful though. Theyre extremely hostile to liberal European society.

"We will defeat the Taliban"
-More war, more deaths , more bombings, more anger, all of which will only make them stronger

Yeah, theyre like Jedi Masters...you cant win, if you strike them down, they will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine. :rolleyes:

There was a similar logic being thrown around about the Iraqi insurgents: it was entirely written off. George Bush was advised by a cabal of wise men to cut and run. He ignored them, and went with the surge [ which of course, could *never* work] which stabilised the situation and handed over a largely pacified Iraq to Obama to finish up.

Essentially the Taliban cant win. All the Afghan people want is security and modest economic development. So long as the Kabul government can provide that, then Taliban defeat is *inevitable*. All the Taliban have to offer the Afghan people is public stonings, executions of people for playing music, attacks on people who dont grow beards and so on. Even pious muslims will find morality police a little much. Ask the Iranians.

Why are they the bad guys?

Youre asking why North Korea are the bad guys? Oh I dont know, maybe because theyre a nightmarish police state straight out of George Orwell, who are still at war with a peaceful democratic state like South Korea in a show of territorial aggression?

Nodin

wylo wrote: »

I have to say , for the first time since he got elected I had to turn him off and change channel in mid speech this week.

"Europe faces greater terror threat than U.S."
"We will defeat the Taliban"
"I strongly condemn North Korea for defying us"
"As long as the threat from Iran persists, we will go forward with the missile system"

I was genuinely delighted when he got elected , I really thought he would push to end tensions and end wars. It is obvious the only thing he has done so far is brought our European prime ministers more on his side with his charm.
I guess I was a bit too naive.

He might sound similar, however - as an example - he's already sending feelers towards Iran. Considering the Bush regime rejected Iranian advances, thats rather a turnaround already. Its in his deeds we'll know him.

As for the Taleban/Al Qaeda thing - he's trying to rustle up troops for the UN backed mission in Afghanistan, which dozens of nations supported...he's hardly going to play it down. If there were more troops there, there might be a bit more building, and a bit less bombing.