Page 5 of 5 FirstFirst 12345
Results 101 to 118 of 118
  1. #101
    Days Work Done!
    Norton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Last Online
    Today @ 01:20 PM
    Location
    Roiet
    Posts
    36,050
    Quote Originally Posted by Norton
    Damn. Another insider!!!!!
    "Defense Secretary Robert Gates has agreed to stay in his job when president-elect Barack Obama takes office in January, with an announcement expected next week, reports said late Tuesday." AFP: Gates to stay as Pentagon chief: reports
    Seems it was my post that kicked this off. BTW, to clear things up I forgot the wee squinty face in my original post so have fixed here.

    Time to add my opinion I reckon.

    Gates has done a good job in a tough situation. His thinking on both Iraq and Afghanistan are generally in line with Obama's. Only a positive Obama should ask him to stay on as Sec Def. Obama will likely choose retired Marine Corp Gen Jones as National Security Adviser. Jones was a critic on entering into a war in Iraq and he has very good relationship with Gates. They should make a good team.
    "Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect,"

  2. #102
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    15,051
    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson View Post
    Ever heard the expression: 'It's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt'. Now stop embarrassing yourself.
    it's almost sad.

    almost.

  3. #103
    Thailand Expat Boon Mee's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Last Online
    13-09-2019 @ 04:18 PM
    Location
    Samui
    Posts
    44,704
    Quote Originally Posted by raycarey View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by AntRobertson View Post
    Ever heard the expression: 'It's better to be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt'. Now stop embarrassing yourself.
    it's almost sad.

    almost.
    Heh...takes one to know one eh, reach-around?

  4. #104
    I'm in Jail

    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Last Online
    09-07-2011 @ 12:54 AM
    Posts
    3,536
    and of course my answer to peckerwoods response ended up in MKP without his prior caustic and ignorant posts which started the entire exchange..so no bias here at all..

  5. #105
    I'm in Jail

    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Last Online
    31-07-2009 @ 01:13 PM
    Location
    amidst dogs and ducks
    Posts
    2,688
    Quote Originally Posted by DrivingForce View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by spiff View Post
    I don't know enough about him nor the alternative choices to comment more specifically, but it does seem odd to pick the same SoD after all the hot air about changes.
    well that is really the point that had been made isn't it?
    Erm, no, there's been a lot more. How did you miss the false claims and personal attacks towards members here?
    all of the rest of your pedantic, hot air and blustering is just about you being your typically obtuse persona then wasn't it?? Ok, understood....
    It must be frustrating to have one's lack of reasoning and the baselessness of one's attacks pointed out. Present your thoughts more coherently and you'll be critised less.

  6. #106
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    15,051
    Quote Originally Posted by Texpat View Post
    The Surge, which was roundly ridiculed by the TD numb skulls, yet turned out spectacularly successful -- all Gates.
    of course this is slightly off topic, but the gross inaccuracies in this statement merit a quick debunking.

    1. the escalation of troops in iraq (nice capitalization of the surge, btw ) is not known to have had any direct influence on the current decrease in violence in iraq. in fact, it is significantly more likely that a combination of the al anbar awakening, moqtada al sadr ordering his militia to stand down, and the tragic results of years of ethnic cleansing are what decreased the chaos within iraq's borders. of course it is entirely possible that the increased troop presence may have also contributed to this, but to imply that it was the impetus, is either absurd or dishonest...and perhaps both.

    2. all gates, eh? utterly ridiculous.

  7. #107
    Thailand Expat Texpat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    In your head
    Posts
    13,063
    Gates might well be the shining star on the Obama team.
    He's got a few good years of experience...
    But you'd never know it reading through Reach Around's trash in the Iraq News thread.

    April 17, 2008:
    Quote Originally Posted by Reach Around
    with each passing day it's becoming more clear how much of a failure the troop escalation (you may know it as 'the surge') was.

    This is too easy.
    Last edited by Texpat; 28-11-2008 at 05:42 PM.

  8. #108
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    15,051
    good rebuttal.

  9. #109
    I'm in Jail

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Last Online
    22-11-2011 @ 08:27 AM
    Location
    Christian Country
    Posts
    15,017
    Quote Originally Posted by Texpat View Post
    Gates might well be the shining star on the Obama team.
    He's got a few good years of experience...
    But you'd never know it reading through Reach Around's trash in the Iraq News thread.

    April 17, 2008:
    Quote Originally Posted by Reach Around
    with each passing day it's becoming more clear how much of a failure the troop escalation (you may know it as 'the surge') was.
    This is too easy.
    Quote Originally Posted by raycarey View Post
    good rebuttal.
    Incapable of admitting to even one of your many errors, reach around? Shame on you. What a pansy.

  10. #110
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    15,051
    enlighten me to my 'error', oh desiccated one.

  11. #111
    Thailand Expat
    Bugs's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Last Online
    09-05-2009 @ 08:11 PM
    Location
    At home
    Posts
    1,284
    Quote Originally Posted by sabang View Post
    Yeh, I've got reservations about Hillary as SoS. I thought she might be destined for health- but Daschle was an excellent good pick there, imo. She carries a fair bit of political weight, so for political reasons should probably be offered something, but I don't think making her the foreign mouthpiece puts a desirable slant on the Obama administrations 'new broom'.

    One insider too many, one compromise too far imo.
    I posted some comments earlier about Hillary as SoS. But the other night I was talking with a fellow American and he posed an interesting theory about Hillary and the SoS position. Maybe Obama is putting her in the position to control her. As his SoS she is suposed to say what he wants said and better yet she is out of the senate where she could have some real influence on what goes on over there. As a topper if she does not say what he wants said he can puplicly bitch slap her by removing her from the position for not doing what he wanted done.

    The last few weeks of delay have been her camp attempting to figure out a way to decline the offer with out seeming petty.

    If this indeed is the case I think now she is stuck with the job - and the rumors are Obama will annouce her as the SoS soon. The time to decline was weeks ago. She could have put the thing to bed early on by leaking to the press that she did indeed meet with Obama to talk things over. There were discussions about cabinet and other positions within his administation but not for her - as she feels she can be of more good for the American people by remaining in the senate. So the discussion about such positions were simply him getting her opinion/suggestions/feedback.
    "Religion is an insult to human dignity. With or without it, you'd have good people doing good things and evil people doing evil things. But for good people to do evil things, it takes religion" - Steven Weinberg

  12. #112
    Thailand Expat Texpat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Location
    In your head
    Posts
    13,063
    It's a tradeoff -- but Obama holds the cards.

    If he cages her as SecState, she's the diplomatic face of the nation. A loose cannon? Probably.
    If she remains in the Senate, she pushes her agendas which may not suit the Obama administration and will likely cause Dem-Dem friction at some point.

    If I were Obama, I'd prefer her in State.

    BTW -- Gates' soft-power approach was begun years ago. We shouldn't expect to see it as a breakthrough of the Obama miracle. I've already read one article attributing the new approach to the Messiah.

  13. #113
    Days Work Done!
    Norton's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Last Online
    Today @ 01:20 PM
    Location
    Roiet
    Posts
    36,050
    Quote Originally Posted by Texpat
    If I were Obama, I'd prefer her in State.
    Agree. Much easier to control if she's in State job. Will be near impossible for her to mount any support in running against Obama next election and if she doesn't follow Obama policy her "resigning" would have long term negative impact on political future. Hillary must know this as well. Maybe why it is taking so long for an announcement. Possibly Hillary is considering a Supreme Court job?

    Issues and disagreements will arise between her and Gates as they always do between State and Defense. Gen James as NSA has the job of keeping these disagreements from getting out of hand. Something I believe he is very capable of doing. Big failure/weakness on Condi's part as NSA in letting the rift between Rumsfeld and Powell reach the level it did. Led to many bad decisions IMO.

  14. #114
    Thailand Expat raycarey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Last Online
    @
    Posts
    15,051
    while it certainly has its political advantages on the domestic front, i think there are more qualified people for the job who don't carry nearly as much baggage as she does.....john kerry for instance.

    and as far as her 'going off the reservation' is concerned, i think it was thomas friedman in a recent op-ed who said that a foreign president or PM can spot daylight between a US pres and sec. of state from a thousand miles. she is, if nothing else, a political animal to her core....from where is it, picking her is just not worth the potential trouble.

    and on top of all that, IMO she's far too hawkish.

    i don't know if she's truly qualified, but if i were obama, i think i'd rather have her on the supreme court.....and out of politics forever.

  15. #115
    Thailand Expat Boon Mee's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Last Online
    13-09-2019 @ 04:18 PM
    Location
    Samui
    Posts
    44,704
    Quote Originally Posted by Texpat View Post
    If I were Obama, I'd prefer her in State.
    Truth be told, there's lots of folks who'd like to see her with cement wellies at the bottom of the Hudson River...

  16. #116
    I'm in Jail

    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Last Online
    31-07-2009 @ 01:13 PM
    Location
    amidst dogs and ducks
    Posts
    2,688
    Quote Originally Posted by Boon Mee
    Truth be told, there's lots of folks who'd like to see her with cement wellies at the bottom of the Hudson River...
    Oh really? In the tolerant US where everybody is guaranteed the Liberty to think and speak whatever takes their fancy? Some wish to censor and punish those who do?

    Just an odd thought which crossed my mind, but you would not happen to be one of those?

  17. #117
    I'm in Jail

    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Last Online
    22-11-2011 @ 08:27 AM
    Location
    Christian Country
    Posts
    15,017
    Quote Originally Posted by Bugs View Post
    I posted some comments earlier about Hillary as SoS. But the other night I was talking with a fellow American and he posed an interesting theory about Hillary and the SoS position. Maybe Obama is putting her in the position to control her. As his SoS she is suposed to say what he wants said and better yet she is out of the senate where she could have some real influence on what goes on over there. As a topper if she does not say what he wants said he can puplicly bitch slap her by removing her from the position for not doing what he wanted done.
    I posted that same view as your friend's awhile back. Mebbe you got me on ignore and didn't read it.

  18. #118
    Thailand Expat Boon Mee's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Last Online
    13-09-2019 @ 04:18 PM
    Location
    Samui
    Posts
    44,704
    Susan Rice's Resume -

    U.N.-Ambassador-Designate Susan Rice's Greatest Hits

    Link

Page 5 of 5 FirstFirst 12345

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •