Jezebel 
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New York, 6:01 AM
Wed Dec 16
67 posts in the last 24 hours
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12/08/09
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The worst one I've seen was when Sect. of Defense Robert Gates was speaking at my friend's graduation and there were people outside with signs telling Donald Rumsfeld to go home. Come ON, people.
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I voted for change. Not just a change, but CHANGE.
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I thought I was electing a thoughtful, precise man who would do his damndest to try to stand up for what I believe in. So far, I've gotten exactly what I bargained for.
Making the right decisions for the country is far different than making the right decisions to get elected. There's no magic wand that's going to clear all the fuckups out of Congress, and with the powers granted to the Presidency (which are shockingly lacking), I'd say he's done a hell of a lot in under a year.
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Look, I'm not putting on my Team Obama jumpsuit and trying to defend every single decision he's made. But if you look at the traditional authority granted to the President, he's exercised that authority pretty aggressively. He's done more to revitalize science in the federal government than anyone in the last decade (yeah, I know, I know), for starters. He's made progress on a TON of fronts.
I'm not gonna start complaining just because I'm not getting what I expected WHEN I expected it.
12/08/09
12/08/09
I'd also like to add that the Executive Branch has a lot more power than you would think (granted the right would become even more crazy if he exercised those powers).
More than anything, I find that Congress (more specifically the Republican minority who continues to filibuster and halt all legislation to a standstill) is the biggest disappointment in our government.
12/08/09
Q: Do you think more troops -- more U.S. troops should be sent to Afghanistan, how many, and when?
OBAMA: Yes, I think we need more troops. I've been saying that for over a year now.
And I think that we have to do it as quickly as possible, because it's been acknowledged by the commanders on the ground the situation is getting worse, not better.
We had the highest fatalities among U.S. troops this past year than at any time since 2002. And we are seeing a major offensive taking place -- al Qaeda and Taliban crossing the border and attacking our troops in a brazen fashion. They are feeling emboldened.
And we cannot separate Afghanistan from Iraq, because what our commanders have said is we don't have the troops right now to deal with Afghanistan.
So I would send two to three additional brigades to Afghanistan. Now, keep in mind that we have four times the number of troops in Iraq, where nobody had anything to do with 9/11 before we went in, where, in fact, there was no al Qaeda before we went in, but we have four times more troops there than we do in Afghanistan.
And that is a strategic mistake, because every intelligence agency will acknowledge that al Qaeda is the greatest threat against the United States and that Secretary of Defense Gates acknowledged the central front -- that the place where we have to deal with these folks is going to be in Afghanistan and in Pakistan.
So here's what we have to do comprehensively, though. It's not just more troops.
We have to press the Afghan government to make certain that they are actually working for their people. And I've said this to President Karzai.
No. 2, we've got to deal with a growing poppy trade that has exploded over the last several years.
No. 3, we've got to deal with Pakistan, because al Qaeda and the Taliban have safe havens in Pakistan, across the border in the northwest regions, and although, you know, under George Bush, with the support of Senator McCain, we've been giving them $10 billion over the last seven years, they have not done what needs to be done to get rid of those safe havens.
And until we do, Americans here at home are not going to be safe.
12/08/09
But you can't expect people won't disagree with your complaints.
12/08/09
Most problems with passing legislation these days could be assuaged by shuttering the remarkably undemocratic, plutocratic senate. States have their own governments. That's enough.
12/08/09
From what I've read, the main powers of the Executive branch are in signing bills from Congress, the "Commander in Chief" thing (which definitely covers a lot of ground), the obligation of the "State of the Union" speech yearly, and basic stuff like court/ambassador nominations and commissioning of officers. Are there other big ones I'm missing?
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Totes agree on the Republican'ts and the turncoat Democrats, though. Congress is the pits lately.
12/08/09
[www.slate.com]
This lack of cost control, though, is a diaper-filler.
12/08/09
Other than that I'd just remember appointment (Supreme Court, Cabinet, Ambassadors, etc.), pardoning, and convening Congress (such as emergency sessions).
12/08/09
I mentioned it above but Obama definitely has the power to issue an executive order and end DADT (although he probably won't because 1. That would enrage the bigoted Right and 2. He thinks he has more important things to do - ugh civil rights, or the lack thereof, in this country really, really frustrates me).
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[www.law.georgetown.edu]
It either has to be revoked by congress or struck down in court.
12/08/09
I really struggle with this because while I do believe that politics is the "art of the possible" and compromise is necessary, it's when the compromise is on, like, REALLY bare-bones no-brainers (like health care) that I really start to question how much it's possible to give on core progressive issues without throwing your hands up and saying fuck it, I quit this bitch.
That said, although the bailouts pissed me off (which was Bush), smarter people than I say that they are reluctantly necessary; and I don't know if withdrawing all troops from Iraq/Afghanistan would be better than sending in more troops. Obama has to clean up a ginormo mess and I try to give him the benefit of the doubt, as I don't see any malicious intent there as I did with the Bush administration.
In short (heh), after enough of choosing the lesser of two evils, it kind of starts to wear on your soul. And as both a staunch progressive and realist, it's exceptionally harsh.
I mean, while it's certainly awesome to have a president who doesn't make me cringe or lie about my nationality... it would be nice to have a Liberal.
12/02/09
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"Yeah, I like irishsticks."
"Do you like to put irishsticks in your mouth?"
"Yeah, I suppose do."
"What are you, a gael fish?"
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07/30/09
And if you think boycotts are useless, you should ask South Africans.
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The purpose of wearing bikinis is two-fold: one, to play on the fact that Ahava harvests minerals from the Dead Sea, a super popular beach destination, and women use the products on their skin all over their bodies; two, to symbolize the fact that our exposure, and uncovering, represents what we’re trying to do to Ahava — to expose and uncover the dirty truth of their illegal practices.
07/30/09
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http://www.alternet.org/action/141483/