Regards,
Peter H.

What you would call streamlining, I would call war-profiteering. A majority of our presence in Iraq is a for-profit endeavor of the private sector, and if the past six years of the war are any indication, it’s made things less efficient, not more. Rumsfeld tried to shoehorn our military into a scenario that obviously required a different kind of solution (containment, anyone?), and it’s gotten a lot of people killed and wasted a lot of resources with no apparent benefit to anyone — except, of course, the companies that got big, fat contracts to do things the military used to do.

Wrong. Levi and his ilk lied to the American people about what Obama was going to do, aided and abetted by the Katie Courics of the world who couldn’t investigate Obama’s background, but could make front-page claims that Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy.

I think you’re suggesting that I’m contradicting myself by saying that I feel betrayed by the Obama administration but that I also expected it. I don’t speak for the rest of the ‘leftists’ and was never one of those guys handing out bumper stickers or wearing t-shirts. President Obama sounds a lot different than general election candidate Obama, who sounds a lot different than late primary candidate Obama, who sounds a lot different than early primary candidate Obama, who sounds a lot different than Senator Obama. He was much more solidly progressive a few years ago, and it hasn’t been difficult to track his evolution (devolution?).

I mean, I guess I appreciate that you think I’m in on the Big Obama Conspiracy, but I’m not. I wanted to give the guy a chance, but if we were to hold a recall election today, I’d stay home. He’s got some time before I write him off completely, sorry I can’t give you a timetable.

And the “deballing” as you so eloquently put it, started under Bush1 and Rumsfeld.

But it was inflated under the hillbilly. Bush41 & Rumsfeld were all about streamlining the military to make it more efficient, not gutting it to the point they couldn’t afford bullets for training.

And do these numbers include the Iraq and Afgahnistan war? I can’t seem to find an actual description of the graph.

Yes it does include Iraq & Afghanistan. Try Heritage.org for a description.

Exactly! It’s a shell game. If you don’t want more tax money coming out of your pocket next year, you better increase your withholding now.

You have to play the cards you’re dealt, and even though Obama’s betrayed the liberal base that got him where he is, he’s still our best chance to right these wrongs.

But up above, Levi says this:

I specifically believe that it is not OK, I don’t want him to do those things, and I feel totally betrayed and let down that he is, not to say that it wasn’t expected.

So Levi and his leftist ilk KNEW Obama was lying, KNEW that Obama was planning ridiculous spending, KNEW that Obama was going to continue the policies that they demanded Bush be impeached and tried for war crimes over…..but are now trying to claim that Obama “betrayed them”.

Wrong. Levi and his ilk lied to the American people about what Obama was going to do, aided and abetted by the Katie Courics of the world who couldn’t investigate Obama’s background, but could make front-page claims that Sarah Palin faked her pregnancy.

The Democrats took over Congress in 2007, and the deficit shot up immediately upon their arrival.

I think it makes sense that if Bush ran a $400B deficit, it makes sense to criticize Chairman Zero five times as much for a $2 Trillion deficit.

I guess Chuck just finds it easier to attack Chairman Zero’s critics with the lame “you didn’t criticize Bush enough” attack than it is for him to actually try and defend the reckless, irresponsible spending of his Obamacrat party.

Or, in personal-finance terms, you have no right to criticize people taking out amortgage they can’t afford if you didn’t criticize them ever using credit. All or nothing.

And do these numbers include the Iraq and Afgahnistan war? I can’t seem to find an actual description of the graph. Is this raw spending? budget?

And in 00 to 04 Republicans spent spent spent. a 600 billion dollar swing acceptable to you?

You just admitted you don’t want to confront how many goofs President Obama has made, since it would force you to admit just how screwed we are.

Deficit and debt are ok for military spending. Got it.

Thats ok if its your position, but doesnt that have to be paid eventually as well?

And the “deballing” as you so eloquently put it, started under Bush1 and Rumsfeld.

Two wrongs do not make a right to be sure, but really, Obama getting elected may be the conservative “come to Jesus” moment on deficits. But coming right on the heels of a republican spendthrift administration is just silliness. Its like a bizarro chicken little. The sky is falling NOW, but not when I was running things.

I think deficits and debt are bad no matter who creates them.

Speaking of “spending per capita” is meaningless without a breakout of what the spending was on.

The so-called “arms race” had to be part of that per capita spending. And with Clinton de-balling the military during his tenure, i think we can probably guess what you mean by “holding the line”.

Keep picking those cherries.

Bear1909

True, you only slam Republicans for running deficits. Your silence on the Telemprompter-in-Chief’s deficits speaks vulones.

I was supplying evidence regarding a previous post about Reagan holding the line on spending. Draw you own conclusions, but don’t attack the messenger for supplying facts that disprove an assertion.

Under Reagan we ballooned the debt and deficit and the tax cut revenue increases, small though they were, NEVER caught up to the spending. levels.

And if deficits, debt, spending, government growth, were a big concerns of conservatives, then Bush2 should have never gotten as far as he did on spending. And he had control of congress.

The point is, when it comes to debts and deficits, both parties seem confortable with them for some baffling reason.

Even with confronted with more stunning, frequent and recent examples of the activity he accuses Sarah Palin of, he still ignores it to defend President Obama.

You’re not confronting me with anything. I’ve already forgotten your amazing little list you’re so proud of, that’s how impressed I was. I’ll never forget Sarah Palin talking about how Putin rearing his head and invading Alaskan airspace counts as foreign policy experience.

He shrieks for President Bush’s head for his conspiracy theories about Iraq, but is just ‘disappointed’ in President Obama continuing the same policies.

Sad, really. The blind defense of a man.

It’s not blind defense, it’s vocal criticism. The President I voted for is doing something wrong, it’s up to people who consider these issues important to convince him to change his mind. It has been three months. If calling for his impeachment is what it would take, I would do it, but that’s never going to happen with a Democratic Congress. You have to play the cards you’re dealt, and even though Obama’s betrayed the liberal base that got him where he is, he’s still our best chance to right these wrongs.