With all the self aggrandizing speeches the guy gives replete with “I,” “me,” “mine,” you’d think he would have talked a bit more about the gains made in Iraq even if they weren’t his accomplishments. Of course there was one mention of President Bush but it wasn’t a mention of his courage to change the strategy of the war. Here’s what the President said of President Bush in tonight’s speech:

Yet no one could doubt President Bush’s support for our troops, or his love of country and commitment to our security. As I have said, there were patriots who supported this war, and patriots who opposed it.

I don’t consider the cowards who wanted to cut and run and lied about the war “patriots” on the same plane as President Bush’s courageous decision to win this thing.
This counterinsurgency decision was orchestrated by General Patraeus and approved of by the President at a time when the Democrats were being led by the nose by the moveon.commies and code pinkos. Naked politics caused the Democrats to begin opposing the war right before the 2004 elections and ramp it up again before the 2008 election. It was gutless. Treasonous. The Democrats lied about the war, maliciously accused Marines of murder, Senators Wyden of Oregon and Murray of Washington went along with the Democrats and supported two measures to DE-FUND the troops and cut and run. Even Senator Gordon Smith of Oregon tried to out-left the left on the war and was repaid with defeat at the ballot box.
Considering this was a speech of great import–not to be confused with his usual ‘major’ addresses–President Obama could have camped out more on the successes in this war: Elections that we’ve made possible, the rape rooms gone, the ally we will have in the region full of bad actors and the fact that Hussein (the former Iraqi dictator not the US one) is gone forever. These are real and, yes, in some cases, aspirational in nature. This is what he devoted to that:

The Americans who have served in Iraq completed every mission they were given. They defeated a regime that had terrorized its people. Together with Iraqis and coalition partners who made huge sacrifices of their own, our troops fought block by block to help Iraq seize the chance for a better future. They shifted tactics to protect the Iraqi people; trained Iraqi Security Forces; and took out terrorist leaders. Because of our troops and civilians –and because of the resilience of the Iraqi people – Iraq has the opportunity to embrace a new destiny, even though many challenges remain.

I also believe the President could have given more full throated support to the branches of the military who got the job done. But only one branch of the service got an atta boy and it was only because they were LEAVING the war. He gave the nod to the deserving Fort Lewis 4th Stryker Brigade:

Two weeks ago, America’s final combat brigade in Iraq –the Army’s Fourth Stryker Brigade –journeyed home in the pre-dawn darkness. Thousands of soldiers and hundreds of vehicles made the trip from Baghdad, the last of them passing into Kuwait in the early morning hours. Over seven years before, American troops and coalition partners had fought their way across similar highways, but this time no shots were fired. It was just a convoy of brave Americans, making their way home.

We’ve won a WAR! Could we get more than a 20 minute lecture for our troops’ trouble? I know our involvement is not over. Shoot, we still have troops in Europe and Asia from other wars in other times. 

Follow

Hey Victoria,

Once again all the little piggy state employees have bellied up to the public trough and gorged themselves on our labor.  Meanwhile, the rest of us are just thankful we have a job (a part time job, or a job where we have taken a pay cut) and can put food on the table, pay our mortgage, pay our electric bill, take our children to the doctor and hope against hope that nothing major breaks down.

If the goal of the state employees is to take down the private sector, why should I be a beggar to my own demise?  If the goal of Salem is to take away from me that which I have created (and earned) with my mind and with my labor, why should I be a beggar to my own demise?  If the goal of the state employees is to enrich themselves and destroy me, which should I be a beggar to my own demise?

It is time for the private sector to “Atlas Shrug” government.  Why don’t we all go on strike and see just how little the state employees need us.

I certainly hope the citizens of Oregon finally see where the real greed lies.

Keep up the great work.

Disgusted in the greedy, Socialist state of Oregon,

We are self-employed and have always paid ourselves wages comparable to the market.  Two years ago my husband cut his wages in half.  I have the same wages I had then but cut my hours to less than half.  (We are in construction)  The last year my husband did not take a paycheck at all for most of the year, and is only now drawing a check every couple of months because our savings are running out.

 We had 19 employees two years ago.  We have nine now, and that includes the two of us. 

 I’m wondering, who is going to pay for the raises given to state employees when businesses like ours go under because of the tax burdens and lack of work due to banks not loaning money?

 What a mess!

 …The consensuses is that the more they make the more they can tip the servants that cater to them especially if they are cute. The ladies are just as bad as the men in this. Then the servants, dancers and other peeons, that pretty much the rest of us (including our bosses). They manipulate all the rules, make you buy things, they say you really don’t have to use (per them).

Follow

Robert Gibbs refuses to answer a direct question and instead, spins Obama’s flip-flop on the Iraq aurge.

H/T HotAir

Follow

A Vancouver activist writes in about the change in City Managers at America’s Vancouver:

Yogi Berra (baseball great) said, “It’s like deja-vu, all over again.”

Not too long ago, we had the City of Vancouver Economic Development Manager Steve Burdick, who, in my opinion, worked very closely on deals with Killiam Pacific (sp), (Monterey Hotel, The Fred Myers Project on Highway 14 and the New Library to mention a few), suddenly quit and went to work as Killiam Pacific’s Economic Development Manager. How about that.  I don’t think he took a pay cut.

Now we have the City Manager, who, with taxpayer resources, helped SEH buy the Hewlett-Packard Property, where SEH may build someday. Earlier this month he borrowed and spent 1.1 million tax dollars we don’t have (we have a 10 million dollars shortfall and are laying of policemen/fireman and closing a fire station) to develop wetlands for SEH. In 2005 he lobbied the state to Give SEH a Tax Break (AKA a Legal Kickback). 

After all that free help at taxpayer’s expense Pat McDonnell, Vancouver City Manager, is quitting his Paltry $171,650.00 (plus auto and other expenses) dollar job to go to work for a company he spent years helping.  Can you believe that? I bet he will not be taking a pay cut either. 

Talk about a Light Rail the Gravy Train, it looks like we have another Gravy Train leaving the station. When is the city council going to pass an ordinance that will prohibit City Employees, who have the power to Lobby, Negotiate Contracts, Expend Tax Payer Dollars, from accepting employment with companies that are recipients of the city’s in kind help, tax breaks, city contracts and/or our hard earned tax dollars.   

The minimum waiting time to shift from the Work Train to the Gravy Train should be 5 years.

And so it goes.

Follow

 Story here.

Follow

Hey Victoria,

Once again all the little piggy state employees have bellied up to the public trough and gorged themselves on our labor.  Meanwhile, the rest of us are just thankful we have a job (a part time job, or a job where we have taken a pay cut) and can put food on the table, pay our mortgage, pay our electric bill, take our children to the doctor and hope against hope that nothing major breaks down.

If the goal of the state employees is to take down the private sector, why should I be a beggar to my own demise?  If the goal of Salem is to take away from me that which I have created (and earned) with my mind and with my labor, why should I be a beggar to my own demise?  If the goal of the state employees is to enrich themselves and destroy me, which should I be a beggar to my own demise?

It is time for the private sector to “Atlas Shrug” government.  Why don’t we all go on strike and see just how little the state employees need us.

I certainly hope the citizens of Oregon finally see where the real greed lies.

Keep up the great work.

Disgusted in the greedy, Socialist state of Oregon,

We are self-employed and have always paid ourselves wages comparable to the market.  Two years ago my husband cut his wages in half.  I have the same wages I had then but cut my hours to less than half.  (We are in construction)  The last year my husband did not take a paycheck at all for most of the year, and is only now drawing a check every couple of months because our savings are running out.

 We had 19 employees two years ago.  We have nine now, and that includes the two of us. 

 I’m wondering, who is going to pay for the raises given to state employees when businesses like ours go under because of the tax burdens and lack of work due to banks not loaning money?

 What a mess!

 …The consensuses is that the more they make the more they can tip the servants that cater to them especially if they are cute. The ladies are just as bad as the men in this. Then the servants, dancers and other peeons, that pretty much the rest of us (including our bosses). They manipulate all the rules, make you buy things, they say you really don’t have to use (per them).

Follow

Robert Gibbs refuses to answer a direct question and instead, spins Obama’s flip-flop on the Iraq aurge.

H/T HotAir

Follow

A Vancouver activist writes in about the change in City Managers at America’s Vancouver:

Yogi Berra (baseball great) said, “It’s like deja-vu, all over again.”

Not too long ago, we had the City of Vancouver Economic Development Manager Steve Burdick, who, in my opinion, worked very closely on deals with Killiam Pacific (sp), (Monterey Hotel, The Fred Myers Project on Highway 14 and the New Library to mention a few), suddenly quit and went to work as Killiam Pacific’s Economic Development Manager. How about that.  I don’t think he took a pay cut.

Now we have the City Manager, who, with taxpayer resources, helped SEH buy the Hewlett-Packard Property, where SEH may build someday. Earlier this month he borrowed and spent 1.1 million tax dollars we don’t have (we have a 10 million dollars shortfall and are laying of policemen/fireman and closing a fire station) to develop wetlands for SEH. In 2005 he lobbied the state to Give SEH a Tax Break (AKA a Legal Kickback). 

After all that free help at taxpayer’s expense Pat McDonnell, Vancouver City Manager, is quitting his Paltry $171,650.00 (plus auto and other expenses) dollar job to go to work for a company he spent years helping.  Can you believe that? I bet he will not be taking a pay cut either. 

Talk about a Light Rail the Gravy Train, it looks like we have another Gravy Train leaving the station. When is the city council going to pass an ordinance that will prohibit City Employees, who have the power to Lobby, Negotiate Contracts, Expend Tax Payer Dollars, from accepting employment with companies that are recipients of the city’s in kind help, tax breaks, city contracts and/or our hard earned tax dollars.   

The minimum waiting time to shift from the Work Train to the Gravy Train should be 5 years.

And so it goes.

Follow

 Story here.

Follow

Just as Oregon is facing at least a $377.5 Million budget shortfall, State Workers, members of Public Unions, will be receiving a “step increase” September 1 amounting to 4.75%.

“Budget hawks like Rep. Dennis Richardson, R-Central Point, see the scheduled pay increase as pouring a bit more gasoline on the state’s fiscal forest fire.”

Woodburn resident Brenda Freddie will receive her step increase in March. Her pay will bump from $2,945 to $3,086 per month — $141 — before taxes.

Freddie works as a secretary at MacLaren Youth Correctional Facility, and is represented by SEIU. She’s worked for the state for 13 years She is raising her 11-year-old granddaughter and supports her husband, who is retired on disability.

Freddie says she loses $100 out of her monthly paycheck every time there’s an unpaid furlough day.

“The budget I’m on is so skinny that we make it check-to-check, payday-to-payday,” she said. “There’s no fat in our diet.”

$3,000 a month and a husband drawing disability and “no fat in their diet?”

StatesmanJournal.com

Follow

“Cotton Pickin” is a common term used for many decades throughout the south that has only recently been deemed “racist” by some. Are we getting overly sensitive to political correctness? Or, is it another defensive measure to protect Obama from righteous criticism?

Should CNN’s Rick Sanchez have had to apologize?

Would a Fox News anchor have gotten away with an apology?

FoxNews.com

Follow