The US has a new policy in Afganistain. US forces can not attack Taliban that are firing from homes. New US battle rule: No fighting near Afghan homes "But if there is a compound they're taking fire from and they can remove themselves from the area safely, without any undue danger to the forces, then that's the option they should take," Smith said. "Because in these compounds we know there are often civilians kept captive by the Taliban." The policy has potential drawbacks, specifically that once Taliban fighters learn of the directive, civilian homes will be the perfect place to seek cover. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090622/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan
Obama is back up to 60% as of today. Definitely good news - I really want his approval rating to stay in this 60+ area in order to help get the public option through. I think his personal popularity can be a good bargaining chip in getting those corrupt Senators to go along with him.
Actually its down... 33% as of today: http://www.rasmussenreports.com/pub...ministration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
He pulled the graph flip like Mr. AlGore does on his movie. It makes things look the way you want sometimes to just flip over the graph.
Mr. Obama realizes that this is a war of words as much as a war of weapons. I watched a video this morning of an Apache helo on night ops that filmed all of the enemy combatants carrying weapons for almost 10 minutes at night, prior to engaging after no less than 6 requests for verification of right to engage. The results were zero dead US forces, 16 dead Taliban, and zero dead civilians. Sure this battle scene took 10 minutes longer than what a normal battle might of taken, sure they might have given up the element of surprise, but it made for some incredible video! It may be that the Taliban, even after all this, may execute some civilians and drop their bodies where the Apache shells were hitting the ground, and have people like Imad and New distribute photos of it crying about the evil US murderers. It seems Mr. Obama is using the many new troops we are sending to Afghanistan to run a kinder gentler war. Though failure to run combat operations on civilian populations like Hanoi may not have worked out so well in Viet Nam, they didn't have Pres. O. running things. I feel confident he can produce a different result.
It's good to see this upswing in Obama's popularity (he's at 60% again today) just as the health care debate is really getting heated. I'm hoping that there's a wide audience for Obama's town hall on health care reform tonight and that he makes it clear that a public option is absolutely essential. It is the compromise (from single payer) not something to be compromised from.
You mean he's at 34% again... http://www.rasmussenreports.com/pub...ministration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll
The Obama approval rating is on a downward trend http://www.rasmussenreports.com/pub...a_administration/obama_approval_index_history The stimulus has failed and eventually there will be a backlash. Obama's claim that unemployment would rise no higher than 8 percent has already have been shattered. Spending trillions on social spending, pet projects, earmarks, pork, bailouts and money to the states is not stimulus. In the long run, it will not create economic growth which is the definition of stimulus.
Yeah Brother! What you said! + Rep! Whoop Whoop! I watched him explain yesterday how Medicare and MEdicaid entitlement spending will break this country unless we spend the billions of dollars right now(and every year) to permanently insure the uninsured people in America. I was SOLD!!!! That makes perfect sense! God Bless America, and God bless President Barack Hussein F***ing Obama!!
Obama is climbing back up (61% today) and I think he did a very very good job on the ABC News special last night on health care. Probably not a huge audience at that time of night (I haven't seen the audience numbers) but I think most people who saw it will be impressed with his arguments for health care reform. And really the arguments against health care reform and against the public option are all so ridiculous that they are hard to take seriously. The right wingers are simultaneously saying that the public option won't be a good deal for patients while also saying that it'll be such a great deal that it'll put all of the private insurance companies out of business. Shouldn't they make up their mind? It's obvious that they are just saying anything to save the asses of their only true constituents: Big Business (in this case the health insurance companies.) It's so clear from their rhetoric that health insurance company profits are all they really care about.
North Korea in defiance of the UN arms embargo is exporting weapons and sensitive materials to Burma. The US Navy is shadowing the North Korea ship. Does Obama have the courage to stop the illegal North Korean shipment? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_koreas_nuclear
I know I created this thread, but I just want to repeat that I'm less concerned with President Obama's popularity and more concerned that he do the right thing. When his overall popularity dips below 49%, I'll be one of the first to announce I Dont' Care (while the Dems will claim that Popularity Doesn't Matter). I'm really concerned that his timid behavior is more about staying popular at the expense of risking doing the right thing. This is the first time a sitting President hasn't been the leader of his party - the Speaker of the House is. Again, let me repeat myself - I firmly believe that President Obama wants to do the right thing, but Congress won't let him. Geez, when it comes to North Korea, Iran, and Gays in the Military, his own party has announced that they are against him! I'd like to see President Obama take his case directly to the American people so he can finally stop Pelosi from controlling his agenda.
In reality he's down a point today to 32% http://www.rasmussenreports.com/pub...ministration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll Interesting how I cite a valid and trusted source to my numbers and you list none.
The Democrats will never be please and just keep pushing for more taxes until there is a backlash. In New Jersey during the 1990 recession Gov. Jim Florio (D) started taxing toilet paper tax. It put the voters into a rage and New Jersey went Republican. In the New Jersey polls Gov. John Corzine is on the ropes.