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attaboy

Obama Adviser: Pooh Bear, Luke Skywalker Hold Lessons for Foreign Policy

by FOXNews.com
Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Foreign policy architects could benefit from studying Winnie the Pooh and Star Wars, according to a Barack Obama adviser who is set to attend a meeting of the Democratic candidate’s national security work group Wednesday.


Richard Danzig, former Navy secretary under President Clinton, drew several creative and unusual analogies to explain the challenges America faces overseas during a foreign policy conference in Washington, D.C., last week, according to an article in the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.


In arguing that the country should back off a policy that causes too much pain, Danzig said, “”Winnie the Pooh seems to me to be a fundamental text on national security.”


He read a section from the children’s book where Pooh Bear hurts himself going down the steps because he hasn’t stopped to think of another way.


During his address to the Center for New American Security, Danzig also said much can be learned about the motivations of terrorists by looking at, for instance, soccer fans who become absorbed by violence or even the Star Wars movies.
According to the article, Danzig said a terrorist from the 1995 Tokyo nerve gas attack once told him: “We have been raised on a theory of superheroes. We all want to be like Luke Skywalker.”


Danzig argued that anyone who leads a “mundane” life and loses his or her ambition can be tempted by the promises of an extremist group or leader.
Danzig was expected to meet Wednesday as part of Obama’s 13-member Senior Working Group on National Security. It includes former members of Congress and high-ranking Clinton administration officials.

Obama Adviser: Pooh Bear, Luke Skywalker Hold Lessons for Foreign Policy - America’s Election HQ




Can Obama's foreign policy get any more juvenile? This simplicity bullshit is worse than Gore's simplicity bullshit.

OBAMA CAMPAIGN CULTIST: 'It's all so easy and clear all you have to do is see.'

DEMOCRAT VOTER: Oh gee, I never looked at it that way. Amazing

OBAMA CAMPAIGN CULTIST: What's the sound of one hand clapping?'

DEMOCRAT VOTER: Wooow.

__________________
As a kid I always thought my nickname was "attaboy" until I realized they were rooting for the dog: "Attaboy, get 'em! Get 'em!".

sabang

BwaaaaHaaaah.

Norton

Oh, oh....TD is a fertile AQ recruiting target. Beware of newbies with "Bin" in their nic.

Jet Gorgon

^ Jetbin. Checkbin. Takbin.

Bugs

May this has something to do with the ol' honey vs vinegar argument?

Texpat

I once witnessed agrown man read a Dr Seuess book to a gathering of adults (his subordinates) in hopes that the simplicity message would sink in.

One-hundred percent of those in the audience agreed he was a stark-raving-mad lunatic who had no position being in charge.

A few months later, he wasn't.

Jet Gorgon

Big boo boo. Winnie the Pooh, the honey pot and fist bumps? Obama keeps it up and his campaign is going to be tied to a kite flying far, far away.

attaboy

I'm not sure whether that is fascist art or revolutionary art in it's style. It looks fascist to me.

Here's another.



Here's a video shot of an Obama campaign headquarters.



Youtube if you can get it:




Yep people fantasize all sorts of things about themselves and the people they like to live vicariously through. Some people like to play revolutionary in a safe enviornment. Who is Obama to dispel this fantasy?

sabang

^ Basically, the only candidate that offers hope and change after the abysmal Bush administration.

It may be a pipedream, but it would be nice if a Leader with some charisma like Obama can get people interested and involved in politics again on a personal level, rather than this thrice removed, PR spun, manipulative, impersonal Lobby group style politics that is moving people away from the Democratic ideal.

It was disappointing to me, on a personal level, how easily- and opaquely- the Bush admin was able to limit personal freedoms and infringe upon personal liberties, but it was symptomatic of something- namely that the individual in our society increasingly feels powerless, impotent, against the impersonal machine of the government.

Peoples only interest in Politics and policies is therefore "What can it do for Me".

__________________
To err is human. To blame someone else is politics.

raycarey

someone (boon mee?) tried posting this canard a few months ago, and it was thoroughly debunked.

it wasn't obama 'campaign headquarters', it was an independent volunteer office and was not sanctioned or controlled by the obama campaign.

in fact, i wouldn't be surprised if it was eventually revealed that the entire spectacle wasn't a dirty tricks op by the clinton campaign.

Milkman

And one thing about this "alleged Obama campaign headquarter" photo, is that:

Nowhere do you see a banner, button, or label that says, "Obama."


This again goes to show, how little dirt they have on Obama.

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attaboy

That's a pic of Obama next to the flag. Regardless, it makes the point that people with boring lives fancy a 'revolution' and Obama fills that desire.

I'm not putting faith in a guy with no real experience in the big leagues and who is coming off as a demagogue. I think we both agreed prior that he should have waited ten years in order to learn the ropes, gain a network and gain some favors owed him.

Remember this guy was never expected to win the Senatorial seat he occupies. The Democrats put him up just to make a showing. The republican had the seat locked up until the divorce precedings involving his Star Trek hot wife became public. I'll go with the old man. He has the experience. Slogans like "si se puede" are catchy but it's not for players in the big leagues to believe in slogans.

People should realize what a thin veneer our liberties are. In a time of emergency they are gone. It's as simple as that. Bush and the boys went to extremes because no one knew how extensive the terrorist network in the USA was/is. The problem is this WAT is going to last for decades. There is no determinable end whereby liberties can be restored as they were after the Civil War and WWII.

Remember the Democrat debates where the candidates were asked which comes first liberties or the security of the nation? Obama answered liberties and immediately Biden and Dodd cut him off so he couldn't continue and they both said the security of the nation comes first. That's the way it is. A person can only hope the emergency passes as quickly as possible.

Norton

They certainly are. The power to declare emergency is given to the President in the "Executive Order" provision in the constitution. IMO, this administration's use of this power to curtail individual freedoms is way beyond the level justified by the threat/emergency. Thankfully we have a Supreme court to curb GWB's attempts to circumvent his abuses of our rights.

"Executive Orders do not require Congressional approval to take effect but they have the same legal weight as laws passed by Congress. The President's source of authority to issue Executive Orders can be found in the Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution which grants to the President the "executive Power." Section 3 of Article II further directs the President to "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed." To implement or execute the laws of the land, Presidents give direction and guidance to Executive Branch agencies and departments, often in the form of Executive Orders."

"The ultimate criticism of Executive Orders is that the runaway use of EOs could result in a President becoming a virtual dictator, capable of making major policy decisions without any congressional or judicial input".

ThisNation.com--What is an Executive Order?

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Eat right, exercise daily, live clean, die anyway.

attaboy

I need to correct my post. Richardson not Obama said civil liberties not national security comes first. It was Dodd and Hillary who responded national security comes first. Obama said the answer did not require an 'either or' stand.

Norton

Would tend slightly to side with Dodd and Hillary on this one. For me the primary purpose of the Federal Government is to ensure national security. Without it civil liberties are at risk.

However, declaring and justifying every military adventure across the globe as "defending national security" is far removed from what I believe was intended in the constitution's preamble "provide for the common defence".

In the context of how the term "national security" is now used, I would agree with Obama.

sabang

The Office of the President carries a lot of power, in every sense.

If the Pres says there is a threat to national security, a lot of people take it seriously.

If the Pres says your civil liberties need to be curtailed, for national security reasons, most people give him carte blanche to do so- the Pres said it, so it must be true. Thats whats known as Referential power.

The Pres also has the vast PR machine of the government behind him, all funded by the taxpayer. In short, he can spends what he wants of your money to sell to you what he wants.

The Bush admin is as good an example as any- he was basically able to override the judiciary, or paint them out of the equation. A similar case was his ability to hire a Crony- Alberto Gonzales- as Attorney General. Or the use of torture, Gitmo, CIA ghost prisons and so on. This is dangerous. The power excerecised by the Presidential Office made the Judiciary look irrelevent, and powerless. In reality, the judiciary is one of the 3 pillars of a functioning democracy- being the administration, executive, and the judiciary.

The power and accountability of the Presidential office need to be checked, otherwise it stands as a potential threat to the democratic system of the USA.

redfoot the fence

Simplicity shouldn't be ignored or revered. But it should be condsidered.

In my view -- Obama will smoke his opponent. He is the global candidate.

Hope outsells fear.

attaboy

The volunteer groups were up and running before the official campaign crews showed up. Hildebrand saw to it the volunteers were sent packets to help with the grassroots organization. Your attempt to call this some sort of wildcat operation doesn't jive.

Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Texas primary | Salon News

This is only one article which describes the grassroots work Hildebrand was doing to pave the way for the paid campaign organizers.

attaboy