Given what President Obama has had to deal with since taking office, the hurdles he's had to overcome, he's been...

Given what President Obama has had to deal with since taking office, the hurdles he's had to overcome, he's been incredibly successful. Had the GOP not spent 8 year obstructing progress the USA could have been much further along in making the country better than it was after eight years of GWB.

via Rama Kunapuli​

Originally shared by Citizens Fed Up

We agree!!
https://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/12/1336103/-Rolling-Stone-Calls-Obama-Most-Successful-President-In-History-Krugman-Reiterates-In-New-VIDEO?detail=facebook

Comments

Lorne Thomas said…
Well he has done well at home, his foreign policy has been less than one would have hoped, and that even with Biden helping out.
Phil Haultain said…
The worst president ever, bar none. He's done more to dismantle the constitution than any 10 men. He's nothing more than a puppet for monied interests, and if you can't see that, what's wrong with you?
Gord Wait said…
As if Bush wasn't a puppet for the oil and war industry.
Phil Haultain said…
Certainly both he and his father were, and the current president dances to
the very same tune. Where would you get the idea that I would suggest
otherwise?
Jason ON said…
Phil Haultain​, it wasn't Obama who signed the Patriot Act or came up with flimsy excuses under which to torture people, created Constitution-free prisons, so-called preemptive war and a while host of other violations of the Constitution.

Gord Wait said…
Claiming Obama is the worst ever? Bush created ISIS, spent trillions blowing up Iraq so his Halliburton buddies could take control of Iraqi oil, the list goes on and on. The only people on the planet who think badly of Obama are white American Republicans. The same crowd who think Trump should be president. Case closed. Mentally insane.
Lorne Thomas said…
ISIS splintered from al-Qaeda on February 3, 2014, Declared a caliphate on June 29, 2014, Claimed territory in: Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Yemen on November 13, 2014 then in Afghanistan, Pakistan and parts of India on January 29, 2015, Nigeria on March 12, 2015, and the North Caucasus in June of  2015. It is hard to believe that from a shit hole ranch some where in Texas a former POTUS made this happen Gord Wait. Just saying.
Gord Wait said…
ISIS was founded by Saddam Hussein's ex military.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/the-hidden-hand-behind-the-islamic-state-militants-saddam-husseins/2015/04/04/aa97676c-cc32-11e4-8730-4f473416e759_story.html

You blow up a country, without any plan to manage the chaos, And You Don't Contain The Enemy, you are responsible for what happens next.

Instead Bush does a photo opp on an aircraft carrier to claim "Mission Accomplished!"
Lorne Thomas said…
And your link does say "marginalization of Sunni Iraqis by the Shiite-dominated government all are intertwined with the Islamic State’s ascent, said Hassan Hassan, a Dubai-based analyst and co-author of the book “ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror.”

So that really doesn't help your argument. Nor does the fact that the well established time line of the ISIS terrorist group doesn't support your claim either.
Michael Meyer said…
Democrats were in CONTROL of Congress up until November last year. Now we will see what things can be done in the next years.

Under Obama since the departure of Gates/Panetta and Clinton, the US's foreign policy has been a disaster. The US needs a cohesive message that is a predictable model of behavior. One of the criticisms Gates (no lover of Obama, but an admitted admirer of Hillary Clinton as SecStat) said was that once Obama came to power, our allies couldn't predict how the US would behave. Obama waffles and is almost OVERLY intellectual about it. He made claims about what the US would do in Syria and then ran from that commitment.

Under BUSH
1. During his tenure he kept the US from being attacked again by any other terrorists. He took that charge seriously and while I think we've gone too far, the distances he went initially were not so hard to imagine. Taking ONLY into consideration what we felt and knew in 2001, the measures were highly appropriate. The "wrong" isn't in that we passed all those laws, the "wrong" is that -knowing what we know now- we haven't rolled many of them back.
He did a great job focusing on Africa, especially funding for fighting HIV/AIDS. No president before or since has done more.
He gave us Laura Bush. I think she was a swell First Lady. Whatever you think of GWB, she was a model of a human being during her time as First Lady.
He managed our foreign affairs more effectively. Now, be VERY CAREFUL here in what you read. I am NOT saying that his actual policies were great. But the way he managed foreign affairs was effective. Here's the deal. The US's allies do NOT need to love what the US stands for in any given administration, but they do need to be
1) informed sufficiently and (2) have enough understanding of that model that they can form their policies around it.

Bush managed American/Russian affairs brilliantly. Yes. Brilliantly. Have all the conspiracy nonsense you want, but he understood that you "major in the majors" and one of the majors was Russia. He majored in that. He and Putin had an understanding and that understanding lead to a LOT of positive results -- some of which involved US military forces within the "Russian Sphere" with Russian approval. Obama squandered that.
He managed the covert affairs relations between allies much better. Bush understood that you have overt relations (the State Department) and covert relations (your spy agencies). The US has a special relationship with the Five Eyes + the Netherlands + France. Under Obama, France was peeled off that list and kept on the outside. The French OVERTLY hated the US's foreign policy, but covertly, they LOVED their relationship with the CIA and the other Five Eyes nations. Bush managed that so much better than Obama, the latter having really squandered our great relationship with France.
Did a great job of dismantling international terrorist organizations. The Hunt for Bin Laden started under his administration and while Obama DESERVINGLY gets credit for it happening on his watch, none of that would've been possible were it not for a HUGE increase in the analysis and investigation wings of the CIA, NSA, DIA, NGA and FBI that recruited brilliant minds to do a LOT of leg work that resulted in a lot of the wins that we see today.
Lorne Thomas said…
To touch on foreign policy, I am reading that the Big 'O' wants to be Secretary General of the U.N. when his term as POTUS is up. I can hardly imagine.
James Roberts said…
Freaky... I was just thinking this today, it would've been cool to see what he could have done with full control of both houses.
Jason ON said…
Or at least a more reasonable and rational Republican party.
Gord Wait said…
Lorne Thomas In a nutshell, if Bush (puppet of Cheny/Rumsfeld) hadn't attacked Iraq, there would be no ISIS. Pretending that ISIS doesn't arise from the Iraq War fiasco is disingenuous. A disasterous foreign policy.
Lorne Thomas said…
Gord Wait you are stretching reality a little much there. ISIS came in to being during the Iraq Civil War, not during a time of occupation, thus it would not be as a result of the war, but a failure of diplomacy and for that you can thank the likes of the secretary of state who was then on her way out.
Jason ON said…
No, Lorne Thomas, Gord Wait has it right. ISIS is a direct result of the (foolish) invasion of Iraq: http://truthinmedia.com/truth-in-media-the-origin-of-isis/

Read the entire article, but this kind of sums it up:

_The militant group ISIS was formed as a small insurgent group in Iraq in 2006. Swann noted that while they tried to create problems for the U.S. military, they had no money and no real ability to recruit.

“It wasn’t until 2009 that ISIS shifted its focus from Iraq, where it was largely unsuccessful in developing a foothold, and focused on the civil war in Syria,” Swann said._
Lorne Thomas said…
ISIS separated from al-Qaeda on February 3, 2014 Jason ON, and yes they Joined al-Qaeda in Iraq (note that it is al-Qaeda in Iraq) in 2016, but back during Clinton's (Bill) last term is when they officially got off to a start with Osama funding them in Afghanistan. 

So if you follow the timeline, Bill Clinton got ISIS rolling, and they kept their head down until 2014 and the Iraq civil war. Your own links support this and quoting some ones opinion doesn't alter the facts of the time line.

ISIS is a failure of my Democratic party foreign policy.
Jason ON said…
Side from a bunch of claims that you're right end everyone else is wrong, Lorne Thomas​, you've brought no evidence into the discussion.

I don't regal Bill Clinton bring around the presidency much in the early 2000s, nor was he around when Reagan held fund and arm the al-Qaeda in the 80s. So please, tell me again how it was Clinton's fault and this time use a source or two.
Lorne Thomas said…
Funny Jason ON I figured you for some one with a bit more than average intelligence. 

ISIS/ISIL first established name was Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad in 1999 which was Bill Clintons last term (Bill held office from January 20, 1993 to January 20, 2001)

I am not making any claims that are not supported by established facts and dates. I am not referencing any politically biased opinions or articles, either. 

The timelines don't support the notion that this ISIS/ISIL thing is a Bush problem, quite the contrary, they really point to it being first a Bill Clinton problem, followed by a Hillary/Obama problem.
Jason ON said…
Well, Lorne Thomas​, you keep saying things without backing them up. Gord and I have both provided our data to back up our claims. Where's yours?
Lorne Thomas said…
Jason ON tell me what dates I have used that are in error?
The term of Bill Clinton? Too simple.
The timeline of ISIS? Again too simple, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISIS
So what raw data do you find to be in error? I am lining up dates and events that go against the opinionated propaganda that has been posted.
Jason ON said…
Did you miss the part about the "declaration of Islamic State, 2006?"
Lorne Thomas said…
And they separated from al-Qaeda on February 3 2014 which means that they were still part of al-Qaeda in 2006.

2006 was a bussy year in Iraq, Civil war, Saddam was hung, Sectarian violence expanded, the murder rate climbed from 11 to 33 a month, and the  al-Askari Mosque bombing took place.

All in all it was not a good year for Iraq, and yes it probably was a formidable time for ISIS but they were still part of al-Qaeda back then.
Jason ON said…
And I believe both Gord and I showed how ISIS was both formed and separated from al-Qaeda.
Lorne Thomas said…
The story that both you and Gord put forward is fiction that is not burdened by an overabundance of facts.

It does have some truth to it, but unfortunately not enough truth to be true. It is nothing more than simplistic propaganda.

ISIS was founded before the Bush administration, during the last years of the Clinton administration. Its power grew after the civil war in Iraq got in to it's second year due to internal policies of the Iraq government, and then absorbed many of the former Saddam era military and political figures that were broken out of the prison.. The Obama administration did little to halt the spread of the radicalization and Hillary practically enabled it by denying it officially. We know now that she knew what was going on and was doing what she does when the facts don't suit her, she lied to the American people. That is a fact that came out during the e-mail hearings.
Jason ON said…
Really? We provided facts. You provided claims with only one link to back you up and even that link contradicted what you'd already said.
Lorne Thomas said…
Tell me again how the ISIS timeline supports your opinionated editorials that make wild claims that Bush is responsible? lol
Jason ON said…
Oh my gods, seriously?

In 2006 ISIS spun off of al-Qaeda.
Bush was president in 2006.
Bush illegally invaded Iraq in 2003, dismantling the Iraqi Army, whose now jobless soldiers joined ISIS.

Bush's invasion of Iraq is entirely responsible for ISIS. The fact prove it. All the research proves it. History proves it. 

Without the Iraq invasion none of this would have happened. Just because you wish Democrats were these huge incompetent nincompoops doesn't make it true. 

Remember, you have a right to your own opinion, not your own facts.
Lorne Thomas said…
Wow, you can't even get the time line right. ISIS was established in 1999 (Clinton), changed it's name to ISIS in 2006 (Bush) and separated from al-Qaeda on February 3, 2014 (Obama) and that is when they absorbed the former Saddam regime members.  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant
Jason ON said…
No, ISIS didn't exist before they spun off from al-Qaeda. Before that, it was another, weak, organization based out of Jordan. Two different things.

From your very own link: it proclaimed the formation of the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) in October 2006

So, tell me again how the ISIS was formed in 1999?
Lorne Thomas said…
Because you have a hard time reading, let me post this again and add some more words to confuse you.

ISIS was established in 1999 as _Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād by the infamous Zarqawi (Clinton), changed it's name to ISIS in 2006 (Bush) and separated from al-Qaeda on February 3, 2014 (Obama) and that is when they absorbed the former Saddam regime members.  

So, how exactly did Bush make this happen? Seems to me that the withdraw from Iraq before Iraq was ready to stand on it own which plunged it in to a bloody civil war would be what made the growth of ISIS happen.
Jason ON said…
So, in 1999 it was _Jamāʻat al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Jihād _? Based out of Jordan, not Iraq or Syria? So, it wasn't the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in 1999. Is that what you're saying?
Jason ON said…
I keep hoping he'll have that "wake up" moment when he realizes his position is wrong.
Jason ON said…
How in the world did I get banned from my own post? That's my comment right there ^^^^
Lorne Thomas said…
Gord Wait, I think that you are some thing special for automatically labeling me. I know I am shooting a 16 inch naval gun through your tissue paper castle of a idiotic theory and that hurts your world view, but let me shake you a little bit more, I'm a card carrying liberal Democrat and a member of organized labor. But that doesn't mean that I am an idiot or subscribe to the simple minded idea that my party makes no mistakes.

Clinton fucked up, Bush didn't help and Obama just made a mess of things as far as the middle east is concerned.
Lorne Thomas said…
Jason ON the organization has gone by many names, but the leadership and organization remained the same. That organization started in 1999, got funding, training, and became part of the al-Qaeda network. It was known for many years as al-Qaeda in Iraq or AQI but that was never the name it went by.
You give them legitimacy and an excuse that they don't deserve.
Jason ON said…
Proof? Seems to me, one organization started, joined al-Qaeda and a new organization emerged from that union. They have different names, different missions and work out of different locations.
Lorne Thomas said…
They have the same leadership, the same people and they moved from training in Afghanistan to Iraq after leaving Jordan. The separation from al-Qaeda was after the US left Iraq and Iraq was embroiled in civil war. They were too radical even for al-Qaeda.
Jason ON said…
Proof?

You seem to full of accusations but no actual proof to back them up.
Lorne Thomas said…
You are blinded by your cult like devotion to the propaganda the you share. No scientific method, nor published truths can sway you from your devotion, and for that I applaud you and your faith.
Phil Haultain said…
Let us all not forget what has happened in this country during obama's
tenure; the burgeoning of the 3-letter agencies and their machinery for
spying on the population, the so-called terror attacks on our own soil (can
you say "false flag") and the overall loss of our constitutional rights,
which are the overriding concerns of this administrations goals for the
dubious future. We have seen the enemy, right here in our midst. Say what
you want, but this is the beginning of the end of democracy in this
country, the squabbles between Dems and Repugs notwithstanding. My advice
is, wake the fuck up.
Jason ON said…
Lorne Thomas​, you haven't provided any empirical data, only claims and suggested connections. Truth, however, is in the eye of the beholder and cannot be used to support an argument.
Lorne Thomas said…
The "facts" you are using to make a argument can't stand the weight of established facts of a well established history and thus can't be true. I don't use opinions, editorials, or propaganda to support my attack on what is obviously a flimsy partisan attack.

This sort of misinformation doesn't make me all too proud to be a democrat. This is the kind of weaving of the truth that Heinrich Luitpold Himmler would be proud of, revisionists history at its best.
Jason ON said…
You haven't used anything to support your position. I, and Gord, have provided adequate proof to ours and yet you refuse to realize any facts you haven't personally submitted. Remember, you have  right to your own opinion, not your own facts.
Lorne Thomas said…
I posted the same link several times with the history of ISIS and it has supporting documentation. You post editorials and opinions and that is enough for you even though they do not coincide with established history so history must be wrong.
Phil Haultain said…
Jason ON
So tell me what your obama has done to preserve the constitution in this country. I'm waiting..
Jason ON said…
Has the Constitution disappeared? I must have missed that headline. Phil Haultain​, can you post a link?
Phil Haultain said…
Since you can be held INDEFINITELY without being charged, and therefore
with no recourse whatsoever, which this administration presided over, all I
can hope is that you will disappear in a similar fashion. I'm done arguing
with fucktards and shills.
Phil Haultain said…
It is astonishing to me, Lorne, how many people ignore all this.
Jason ON said…
I thought you were done, Phil Haultain​? Was that just a joke? Remember, this is my post, you can leave any time and no one will lose sleep over it.
Jason ON said…
So your defense, Lorne Thomas​, is to bring up the Patriot Act? An act that was passed by a Republican congress and then signed into law by a Republican President? That's your defense that Obama has eroded Constitutional rights? Because he followed, as he's required to by the Constitution, a law from a previous presidency? A law that can only be turned over by an act if Congress, and it's a GOP congress, by the way, or by the SCOTUS, which is heavily right leaning at the moment. That's your argument? Really?
Lorne Thomas said…
I am not accusing Obama for the erosion of liberties, that is your partisan thinking. I am pointing out that the erosion of liberties as a point of fact (some thing that you seem to happily live life with out) has happened. So, tell me what Obama has done to restore civil liberties in the last 7 years?
Gord Wait said…
Slippery, is the troll.
Jason ON said…
You're right, Lorne Thomas​, it was Phil Haultain​ who blamed everything on Obama.

I think you meant ask, though, what has Congress done to restore civil liberties?
Lorne Thomas said…
Congress under the leadership of both parties has failed the Republic on this line. The honorable Senator from California, the head of the intelligence commission has been a big advocate of reducing the 4th amendment rights as well as the first and second amendments of the constitution. Too many Democrats today stand for big corporations and protecting big corporations under the hubris of what is increasingly becoming big government.

That is one of the reasons I stand with Sanders, he has stood and marched with the civil rights movement while the same era was witness to Hillary getting caught lying to the Watergate commission.

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