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The Week Ahead:
Today, tomorrow and Monday: The President has no public events scheduled.
Tuesday: The President will attend meetings at the White House. In the evening, he will depart Washington, DC en route Stockholm, Sweden.
Wednesday: The President will arrive in Stockholm. While there, he will hold a bilateral meeting and joint press conference with Prime Minister Reinfeldt. He will then participate in an event honoring Raoul Wallenberg at the Great Synagogue in Stockholm and tour an expo featuring clean energy innovations at the Royal Institute of Technology. In the evening, he will take part in a dinner with Nordic Leaders.
Thursday: The President will hold a bilateral meeting with the King and Queen of Sweden. He will then depart Stockholm en route Saint Petersburg, Russia where he will attend the G-20 Summit.
Friday: Attends the G-20 Summit. Returns to Washington, DC on Friday evening.
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Vice President Biden listens as President Obama speaks to members of the media about Syria during a meeting with Baltic leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Aug. 30
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Washington Post: The one map that shows why Syria is so complicated:
…. The map, from Columbia University’s really exceptional Gulf/2000 Project, shows the different ethnic and linguistic groups of the Levant, the part of the Middle East that’s dominated by Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Each color represents a different group. As you can see, there are a lot of groups swirled together. There are enclaves, and there is overlap.
Ethnic and linguistic breakdowns are just one part of Syria’s complexity, of course. But they are a really important part. The country’s largest group is shown in yellow, signifying ethnic Arabs who follow Sunni Islam, the largest sect of Islam. Shades of brown indicate ethnic Kurds, long oppressed in Syria, who have taken up arms against the regime. There are also Druze, a religious sect, Arab Christians, ethnic Armenians and others.
More here
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Graphic showing foreign forces and bases in the Middle East and selected military equipment
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Washington Post: 9 questions about Syria you were too embarrassed to ask
The United States and allies are preparing for a possibly imminent series of limited military strikes against Syria, the first direct U.S. intervention in the two-year civil war, in retaliation for President Bashar al-Assad’s suspected use of chemical weapons against civilians.
If you found the above sentence kind of confusing, or aren’t exactly sure why Syria is fighting a civil war, or even where Syria is located, then this is the article for you. What’s happening in Syria is really important, but it can also be confusing and difficult to follow even for those of us glued to it.
Here, then, are the most basic answers to your most basic questions.
More here
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Timeline: A brief history of chemical warfare, from World War I to #Syria. http://t.co/tHM4o7JCRL
— Al Jazeera America (@ajam) August 31, 2013
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A Word from CarolDuhart:
This week more than ever has reminded me of how lucky and blessed we are to have chosen Obama. His deliberation in the face of a howling chorus is a far contrast to any other President in my lifetime. And in far contrast to the other alternatives. Those emoprogs and those having Iraq flashbacks and comparing him to Bush need to remember that unlike Bush, Obama makes his own decisions based on logic, truth, and in his own time. He doesn’t lie, he doesn’t chestbeat, he doesn’t rush in without planning. He doesn’t need to cement a place in history: just being the first African-American President has secured that. Obama is the man that Shrub could never be, the President he couldn’t even try to be. That very maturity drives both right and left crazy, for we haven’t had a President like him, really, ever. Think about it: a President who isn’t driven by his insecurities like Nixon or Carter, who doesn’t buy into ideological crap like Reagan or Daddy Bush, or sometimes the captive of his appetites like Clinton, or lazy like Bush. There are no hooks on him to make him do something he doesn’t want to do.
Sometimes I think many on the left have issues with power and the responsibility it brings. Having been the subjects of the abuse of power has allowed a certain “righteousness” without responsibility. It’s easy to think all uses of American military or financial power are corrupt without nuance. As long as daddy “conservatives” ran the place, there was no need to think about the deep decisions regarding America’s place in the world. Instead one could choose to “drop out” or talk “third party” or be haplessly pacifist in the face of an armed world. And one could have a progressive fiefdom of adoring followers without the need to reach out to others or be civilly engaged.
Syria is a tough cookie, no matter how you slice it. Assad is just like his father, a brutal bastard who has shown he would kill everyone he can to keep a power that was never granted to him either by election or a legitimate monarchy. And while many of the rebels just want Assad gone and a chance to take their lives in their own hands, some of the assistants just want another theocracy like Iran, which is simply tyranny by another name. But chemical weapons are the cruelest of all weapons. Even after the dead are buried, the soil is heavily contaminated, killing people long after the war is over. So Obama has a hard decision to make, but he’s up to the task and I trust him based on experience to make the right one or at least the best one he can make. If he goes for it, he has a plan to get things done. If he pulls away from the brink, he’ll have something to show for it.
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Obama was right about Iraq, right about Afghanistan, right about Libya, right about Bin Laden. What was the media right about? Romney’s win?
— BWD (@theonlyadult) August 30, 2013
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Spandan C (The People’s View): The US Intelligence Assessment on Syria and the Next Steps in the National Debate
…. This president and his administration has done everything possible up to this point to avoid getting involved in Syria militarily, against the drum beats of the war mongers. Even now, he has shown considerable restraint. But it is important to remember that Barack Obama was not elected on the promise of complete and total pacifism; he was elected on the promise of careful consideration, judgment and letting the facts speak for themselves.
Whatever the president does, I am sure his critics will be many and the criticisms will be far and wide. As has been noted, he has no good options here. But as we debate this going forward, I want us to understand the complexity of the issue, drop the righteousness (either side – no one should take the idea of dropping bombs lightly just as no one should make light of the massacre from the chemical weapons), and do something the pundits won’t do – let’s keep it on the facts, not the conjectures and the rhetoric.
Full post here
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SmartyPants: In the meantime…progress
As we’ve all been consumed with what President Obama will do in Syria, this administration is making some serious progress in other areas. For example:
President Obama took executive action to close gun purchase loopholes.
The IRS will recognize all gay marriages.
HHS announced that Medicare benefits will be extended to same-sex couples.
In yet another step to end the “war on drugs,” Attorney General Eric Holder gave a green light to state measures legalizing recreational use of marijuana.
But yeah, to some folks, Obama is just like Bush. LOL
See post here – with links to all that beautiful progress
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#ObamacareIsWorking: 105 million Americans have already received free preventive care. pic.twitter.com/r0pPN1uJsx
— OFA TruthTeam (@OFATruthTeam) August 30, 2013
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Add Ohio to the states that will see saving on premiums because of #Obamacare. http://t.co/qINnkLUZ8P
— OFA (@OFA) August 30, 2013
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Washington Post: Ginsburg will be first justice to officiate at same-sex wedding
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will become the first Supreme Court member to conduct a same-sex marriage ceremony Saturday when she officiates at the Washington wedding of Kennedy Center President Michael M. Kaiser.
The gala wedding of Kaiser and economist John Roberts at the performing arts center brings together the nation’s highest court and the capital’s high society and will mark a new milepost in the recognition of same-sex unions.
…. During a recent interview, Ginsburg seemed excited about being the first member of the court to conduct such a ceremony and said it was only a logical next step.
“I think it will be one more statement that people who love each other and want to live together should be able to enjoy the blessings and the strife in the marriage relationship,” Ginsburg said.
More here
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The Black President Has to Work Twice as Hard to Get Half the Credit, Even from “Liberals” http://t.co/ZxjQtjIJw7 #Obama @MSNBC @maddow
— The People’s View (@thepeoplesview) August 30, 2013
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Excellent:
Dallas News: Wendy Davis raises $470,000 from outside Texas following her nationally viewed filibuster
In the six weeks following her headline-grabbing filibuster, Wendy Davis raised $1.2 million — nearly 40 percent of it from outside Texas. Davis drew national attention following the filibuster against an abortion-restriction bill that helped shut down the Texas Senate and prompted Gov. Rick Perry to call lawmakers back into another special session. In the wake of Davis’ new-found fame, Davis has been urged by some Democrats to run for governor next year. She says she will announce her political plans — whether to run for reelection as a senator from Fort Worth or as a Democrat for governor — in a few weeks.
More here
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Hey, our very brilliant Liberal Librarian has a new admirer, the very brilliant Kurt Eichenwald of Vanity Fair:
@TheObamaDiary GREAT line: “They’re not standing on shoulders of giants; they’re dancng on their graves, understandng not a thing they did.”
— Kurt Eichenwald (@kurteichenwald) August 30, 2013
Congratulaaaaaaaaations LL!! But if you end up being hired by Vanity Fair, don’t forget us!
In case you missed it: LL’s post on Syria yesterday here
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Not such a good time, though, for another of our friends on Twitter – Jovie, I should not (literally) cry laughing at your misfortune, but it’s reeeeeeally hard:
This morning: “New account it’s my fifth in 2 weeks.
LOL!
Guinness book world of records.”
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MooooOOOOooooOOOOoooorning.
The Obama Diary 
Morning friends
Moooooorning Kreen, moooooooorning everyone!
Thanks for the news Chiparoo.
A pleasure UT!!!
Good morning Chips and TOD.
Morning Jackie!
Chips, this R&S is fantastic! The map is like a text book for understanding all factions in Syria. Who knew? The media as usual is worthless!
Thank you Jackie!!! The map is amazing, what an extraordinary number of factions, it becomes easier to see why there is so much strife. Good grief, Ireland had only two ‘factions’ through most of its history and couldn’t handle that!
Perfect comparison!
Good afternoon, everyone 🙂
Great morning Chips and all!!!!! Chips, what a fabulous post, as always!!!!
I am astonished by the sheer number of compartments PBO’s brain has!!!! He is genial!!
Good Saturday morning TODers. Thanks again, for a wonderful R&S, Chips!!
Thank you Africa, moooooooorning!
Beautiful morning to my Chips. Thank you for this feast. You always give us your best and this TOD family member totally appreciates all of it.
A grateful morning to all of my TOD family. Look around you and give a portion of your day to ‘A goodness to be living during this time in our history and with this wonderful and brilliant president.
I am joyful for a beautiful and blessed day. Enjoy your Sat. morning, TOD family. (((((((((((((( Love my family here)))))))))))))))HZ
At the end of the last thread some of you disagreed with my assessment that the British parliament vote was informed by British racism. Here’s my explanation for making that charge:
________
They had zero reason to turn their backs on Prez Obama, not when he had bailed them out again and again. He saved Cameron’s ass when he was gungho to bomb Libya. PBO has demonstrated on the world stage how astute his foreign policy decisions are. There was no reason for the Brits to use GWB as excuse.
They turned lily-livered cuz they could recoil into plausible deniability about the ghost of Iraq. To me it is the ugly spectre of not accepting the black guy’s authority in a very complex situation that they themselves have zero solution to. They can’t see themselves being LED by PBO.
____
This Syrian conundrum is truly the test case for whether Prez Obama’s leadership of the world is genuinely accepted by so-called allies or not. Whether they have paid lip-service to the stated admiration of him or not. The Brits have committed many strategic blunders themselves as much as they have followed American Presidents into catastrophic missions, but NEVER have they withheld key support as they have in this case. The nonsense about Iraq is a ruse to deny THIS president his due leadership support.
So PBO finds himself standing ALONE to defend the lives of 1429 chemically gassed brown people. Had the Syrians gassed a colony of British vacationers would we have had the same parliamentary vote?
PS. I have lived in Britain over an extended period and have a first hand experience of the snide racism that can rear its ugly head behind tight-lipped smiles and perfunctory pleasantries, especially where demonstration of leadership is concerned. In my case it had to do with academic matters
Not doubting racism in Britain at all, I’m very familiar with the place too, I just don’t believe it was an issue in the Syria vote.
This was my reply (with bits added), Zizi:
But I didn’t interpret it at all as them turning their backs on PBO, rather a mistrust of linking up with America again, regardless of who is President, in light of Britain’s Iraq experience – and that’s down to Bush. It’s impossible to overestimate how bitter most of Britain is about the experience, and MPs nervous about holding on to their seats next time would be very wary about voting for military intervention anywhere again.
And, as I said, it was also about opportunism on the part of Tory right wing turds to damage Cameron, who they want to see replaced as leader.
I genuinely don’t think the vote had anything to do with PBO, his authority didn’t feature in any of the debates I saw/read.
Of course it should be about doing the right thing, about responding to what’s been done to the Syrian people, but not too many Parliaments ever do the right thing.
But they accepted his help when Cameron was gungho abt Libya. They were not leery of hitching up with America in battle then were they?
Correct me if I’m wrong, I don’t think there was a vote on Libya in the British parliament?
Also, Libya was a NATO campaign with UN Security Council approval.
I think Tony Blair’s alignment with Bush in Iraq is also part of their non-support.
Definitely Jackie, that fool should have kept his mouth shut the last couple of weeks, his support for action in Syria probably persuaded a bunch of MPs to vote against it.
I never said that race had anything to do with their vote. I don’t know. My main point was to say that I did not like the UK vote. Not one bit.!!!!!!!!!!
I didn’t say you did Anniebella, I was replying to Zizi.
I didn’t say that you did Chipsticks. I know who you were talking too, I read yours and zizi comments.
And using Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld is just an excuse. Seeing those people being kill by chemical weapons, and thinking that others could be kill, other crazy dictators could do the same, ought to have been enough for them to vote to help the U.S.
And how that didn’t come out in the trial is to be queried. I watched some of the trial. The prosecution did a terrible job – the defense didn’t have to do a thing. We have a reason why George was out and about – angry and looking to vent his anger – and the prosecution didn’t present this to the jury!
Because the outcome was set from the beginning!
It certainly appears that way Layla – especially given the performance of the prosecution.
And funny how Trayvon seemed to be the one on trial i.e.: his suspension, pot-smoking, etc. This just proves my theory that racists/evil people will project and/or deflect their own shortcomings onto others
So true ark – Trayvon was on trial for “walking while black”. I’ve not seen such a trial in a long time.
So sad, 99ts. I hope GZ gets what he deserves.
GM Africa……Good Morning Fellow TODers……
Sorry Africa…..it was the night before…….that the wife left for his father’s Bungalow and she was there the night of the Killing. This alone show me that the prosecutors didn’t do their Job exposing the lies……..They just present all the evidence to help clear Zimmerman. Not one iota of his past wicked actions…..were brought up……And he was the murderer…….Yet Trayvon’s suspension and his friends inability to read hand written words were brought up.
Thanks….I had not read further down before my post earlier. I am sorry for ASSuming and Very Glad that you corrected your Tweet.
I don’t want to read that story on a sunny morning, but after the verdict I was wondering how long before his wife walked out on him. I see she may have done that already.
“Obama was right about Iraq, right about Afghanistan, right about Libya, right about Bin Laden. What was the media right about? Romney’s win?” Perfect!!
GM all!!
Moooooorning Mapagpie, a most perfect tweet!
magapie, that’s something the UK should have paid attention too.
Gooooood Mooooooorning all you O’s!!!!! It’s another great getting up day again in TOD land, wouldn’t you say?.
Thanks for a darn good rise and shine Chips. It makes for some good reading with my cup of coffee, while I wait for the rest of the house to rise and shine.
I love the President’s Labor Day message. Just awesome. I was thinking about the many reasons I voted AGAIN for President Obama and here’s one I don’t talk about much. I didn’t want to have to read classified national security briefings and weigh in on extremely complex and difficult national security issues. So I voted for the most brilliant, awesome, amazing, balanced, compassionate, honest, trustworthy person on the planet – President Barack Obama – again!!
Think it’s……’interesting’… that the MSM which usually LOVES military action of any kind (especially under Repub presidents) all seem to be reporting possible Syrian strikes in the most negative light possible, suggesting all kinds of possible dire consequences, making PBO seem to be alone in the world in believing in the necessity and advisability of a military response etc. And they all have rushed to put out Putin’s response of calling chemical attacks “nonsense” and blah, blah, blah, as if Putin was our wisest, most trusted adviser. And of course John McCain’s negative comments—-who always is salivating for a full blown war—–will he send his family members?—–as if that bitter old man’s opinion matters to anything any more. As others have likely noted, I bet the response would be the same amount of negative if PBO announced there would be no military response of any kind to the atrocities there. Again—a sad state of affairs, the partisan-slanted reporting of our corporate-owned news media.
I pay no attention to these ‘bought fools’, what I do is wait for the President to speak as he speaks ‘the truth’!
That was the point I was trying to make also in my analysis of the British parliamentary vote rejecting support. It is about delegitimizing PBO’s authority to make a difficult decision about a problem they themselves have no solution for. It is a rejection all around of his leadership to take an unprecedented initiative. Jack Jacobs is bleating on about this being Obama satisfying his own ego after having drawn the red line.
It galls me to no end
Ok my two cents. The way I see it, it is decision of a ‘war weary’ nation who some consider the ‘lap dog’ of the States (Blair/Iraq) and if at the same time the MPs (even some in his own party voted against him) can give Cameron a ‘bloody nose’ all the better for it. Wrong decision but France is still on board and I hope the MPs revisit their decision down the line.
ROFPMSL @ Jovie’s twitter adventure.
hello Jovie….
do you know how long that analysis will take…
With PBO out of the country next week….I would not think anything will happen with Syria/
do you think that PBO is waiting on the UN report…
also Putin made a statement that he in not in favor of the use of Chemical Weapons….if the UN analysis shows that indeed chemical weapons were used, will the UN Security council hold another vote and will Russia change their vote…
Crossposted to my blog:
http://aquariusmoon.info/whitehouse/2013/08/31/obama-the-calm-center-of-the-storm/
Thanks Chips. You may make a writer out of me yet.
Ha, you already are Carol – a brilliant comment, thank you!
Tebow Available to be an Envoy to go to the Road to Damascus and…
Retire Tebow. There is something better out there for you.
Wow…..so soon? What happened? I thought he was their for 2 seasons?
Tebow became a Millionaire for Not ever showing that he Could play QB at NFL level…..Hmm? They used him? Then dumped him before the Season starts? So cold.
My little girl had successful eye surgery on Thursday. She will now see clearly for the first time in her young (3 1/2 years ) life. Thank you God for her health insurance!
Oh my Alexandra!!!!!! I am tearing up with joy for you and your little girl!!!!!
Glorious news Alexandra, thank you for visiting and letting us know, wishing your little girl a wonderful life!
Great news Alexandra!!! Congrats to the little one and to you. What a life changing event for both of you.
Wow, what a wonderful beginning for your little one!! Cheers!!
Wow…..Glory, Glory, Glory be to the Highest…..Amen
I am so very happy for you. {{{{hugs}}}} to her and Loads of Love and Prayers for her speedy recovery.
What a wonderful report – hug that little girl of yours from all of us!
Blessings on your and your daughter
Wow, a whole new world will unfold before her! You’re blessed, blessed, blessed!
This may be a helpful way to guess what PBO is thinking when he sees the dead in Syria;
It is World War 2 and trains carrying Poles, Jews and gay people are heading for the death camps. Day and night. Train after train.
Maybe you aren’t prepared to take on Germany directly in an all out war yet,
but would you bomb or destroy the train tracks to stop and/or certainly slow the carnage?
I am not going to guess as to what the President is thinking…but if you look at the picture of him in one of yesterday’s posts you can clearly see the burden he carries.
The operant word here is THINKING which is a far cry from clearing brush on some ranch in Texas, eh?
Thank you, Vicki – good point.
Good morning everyone! The look on VP Biden’s face, and in his eyes, after all he has seen and done in his career, the pain of seeing yet another potential war. When will this end, there is so much more to life than fighting and killing. Big hugs all around.
THIS MP! VP biden is shouldering PBO’ pain!
Biden sorry
I am very grateful he is there with PBO, for us! http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
Morning TODobots! Happy Saturday, Chips Chica!
Wishing you all a meaningful Labour Day weekend!
Right now I’m ‘off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of..’ Will check back later, since the idea of going so early is that I’ll be back earlier than I was last night, with enough energy to check carefully into all your antics.
Try to behave yourselves, even while succinctly telling the Emoprogs and the RWNJs where to plant their punditry.
enjoy!!!
Morning everyone. Incredible R/S this morning. Intense, but full of important information that everyone everywhere should know and consider. None of this is easy and I trust our President to make the hard decisions. I just wish that he didn’t have to make them so often, so constantly…for the US and the entire world! Holy shit, this is exhausting for ME to keep up with…I can’t imagine what he and his advisers have to consider. I wrap my arms around him and wish for him clear eyes and strength to do what is right. Seeing that map of Syria and reading what is posted here….there are no easy answers to something that has been going on in that country for decades…whether outright or simmering beneath the surface. This use of chemical weapons can not go unpunished, or made to pretend that it didn’t really happen or it wasn’t “so” bad. How is this different than Hitler gassing and murdering his citizens? When you purposely drop 2 rounds of chemical weapons on schoolchildren, you are a coward and a terrorist. He must be make to understand that this is not acceptable, under any circumstance.
I’m not religious, but I will say a prayer for our President, and our world. For peace and sanity. And strength and courage to do the right thing.
Amen, DF, we can all do our best to hold PBO, VPB, (and the existing challenges they are so competently dealing with) in the Light, and send our prayers directly to their Hearts, where it will offer them quiet mental strength.
TY df, all prayers are needed
That should say: prayers from all are needed
Thank you, meta. I was wondering where they were at this point.
meta, it’s safe to assume that as soon as they crossed the boarder into Jordan (prior to their flight) they made contact with UN Sec Gen Ban Ki-moon. He cut short his official visit to Europe to return to NY, yesterday. Full moon tonight in Damascus ….
All I can say is the G20 bilats next Thursday and Friday are going to be one hell of a situation.
No doubt about it, meta!!!
I have a feeling, meta, the summits will be a grand turning point in the history of our planet.
Posting the candle link for those who would like to light a candle for our President.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi=PBO
My candle is now lit! TY Jackie
Good West Coast morning Chipsticks & TOD family. Once again, I imagine POTUS carefully gathering the facts and inviting input and arguments from all those around him in order to make the right decision. My prayer is for clear heads and hearts.
Chipsticks, this R&S is full of good information – thank you!
http://bobcesca.thedailybanter.com/blog-archives/2013/08/dont-underestimate-barack-obama.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dont-underestimate-barack-obama
It looks like some sort of military operation in Syria is inevitable. And if you want to get a sense of how the president approaches these sorts of decisions, I urge you to read this 2012 Vanity Fair profile of the president by Michael Lewis, which includes the run-up to the U.S.’s role in the Libya action.
After you finish reading it, tell me again how Obama is just like Bush. And I’ll tell you you’re out of your blessed mind.
Here’s the Vanity Fair article. A MUST READ.
http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/2012/10/michael-lewis-profile-barack-obama
PBO to speak on Syria at 1:15 EST.
President Obama to make a statement at 1:15 per CNN
CNN says the President will be making remarks at 1:15 p.m. EDT, which TOD probably already knows!
Just getting here … Mornin’!
Ha – I really have no idea if it’s EDT or EST! I live in la la retirementland, where there are no clocks!
BREAKING*****
Dan Pfeiffer @pfeiffer44 4m
President Obama will deliver a statement on Syria in the Rose Garden at 1:15 PM
OK…..it looks like the POTUS is going to tell US and the world that the 1st phase has already begun or is on it’s way.
Oh dear
Rep. Garamendi a Democrat is on Alex Witt once again talking about how the President ought to call Congress in to debate this, he is doing alot of talk about the Constitution. Seem to me he think this black President is going over their head, the Congress. How dare he ?
I usually lurk here and I post at POU but I wanted to make a comment about the UK vote. The vote had nothing to do with President Obama’s race and had more to do with fatigue over the middle east and the Iraq war. The reason why a number of people don’t want to get involved in Syria is because the situation is not the same as Libya which had UN approval and NATO backing. The people who supported the Libya operation in Libya were not terrorist types like many of the rebels in Syria. Syria is a different animal with different factions.
The UK vote was embarrassing for Cameron and had nothing to do with the President who is highly popular in the UK. Race has played a role when it comes to anti-Obama attitudes but not everything revolves around race. And i say this as a black man in America
^^^^^ this especially the last paragraph.
Rose Garden?
This POTUS doesn’t like delivering any news from the Oval Office. He has done that Just once during the BP Gulf Spill down in the Gulf.
He doesn’t need the trappings of ceremonial power. He exercises the real thing. I just love me PBO and how he confounds all his adversaries, left, right and international. Just like he did those hapless pirates twice and bin Laden, & the withdrawal in Iraq or calling Afghanistan’s bluff
Yes, Zizi2……stating and making an observation…….I appreciate the way PBO and FLOTUS make their term…..their way…..what feels comfortable to them.
New post: http://theobamadiary.com/2013/08/31/president-obama-makes-statement-on-syria/
Good morning Chipsticks and everyone! Lots of things going on – hoping for the best in all of it.
I saw some discussion above about the UK Parliament vote and agree that a huge part of it is the result of the lies that Tony Blair and Bush put together for their war crimes in Iraq. I don’t think it’s based on racism other than, with all other facts being the same, if it was white Christians in Europe that were gassed. Yeah, I’d put my money on the vote being close to unanimous in favor of a strike.
One major piece of great news is the War on Drugs ended last week. I know that is a big statement but I don’t think any reasonable person could interpret it differently based upon how the Obama admin presented their position on drug enforcement in WA and CO. Most of the news was framed with it just being a ruling on those two states but with a perspective of how it should be viewed more broadly affecting the nation’s War on Drugs below is an excerpt from TPMDC:
“The war on drugs I would expect will end today,” Terry Nelson, a retired U.S. customs and border protection agent who now works with Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, which supports legalization, told TPM in a phone interview. “Once the floodgates open, and states see that the federal government is not going to prosecute, then this could be the day that we could say we won this war.”
It should be noted that the Justice Department’s pronouncement represented a fundamental change in how the federal government approaches marijuana only — the trafficking of harder drugs like heroin and cocaine will still likely be as vigorously prosecuted as they are now. But even on those drugs, Holder’s sentencing guidance represents a recent reevaluation in how the federal government views its role.”
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2013/08/the-war-on-drugs-1971-2013.php
FINALLY, the pharmaceutical companies no longer are the moral arbiter on drug use in the US.
LIVE NOW: UN Statement on Syria – http://www.cbsnews.com/liveFeed/widget.shtml
I have a question and am wondering if any of you would know the answer. My friend is 62 and a retired teacher. She’s receiving her insurance benefits from Cal Pers. She pays around $500.00 a month. She went to a meeting up in central CA with a guy who is supposed to understand the law very well to inform people about the law and whether the market place will be beneficial for them. Thsi guy told her it would cost her $1200.00 under the marketplace. She wouldn’t receive any subsidies because her income doesn’t fall into that catagory. The guy did tell her ACA has helped Medicare. She said she wouldn’t get as good of coverage picking the bronze, silver, gold, or platnium plans. I know this law will help poor people, thank goodness, but I’m wondering if right now its not of much help to middle class people. any thoughts?
Sherry, I am not 100% sure about this, but I believe I saw somewhere that the GOP found a way to have a group of folks go around saying certain things about the costs of ObamaCare, and they were able to reframe it in such a way as to get their lies out. I could be wrong, and I’m sure one of the TODers who are much smarter than I can help…but I believe I read that somewhere.