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While Washington is engaged in talks about which Americans they are going to make “share in the sacrifice” to appease the invisible bond vigilantes, they are also secretly working on a way to assure we continue to spending billions in Afghanistan for several more decades to come. From the UK Guardian:
American and Afghan officials are locked in increasingly acrimonious secret talks about a long-term security agreement which is likely to see US troops, spies and air power based in the troubled country for decades.
Though not publicized, negotiations have been under way for more than a month to secure a strategic partnership agreement which would include an American presence beyond the end of 2014 – the agreed date for all 130,000 combat troops to leave — despite continuing public debate in Washington and among other members of the 49-nation coalition fighting in Afghanistan about the speed of the withdrawal.
It is disgraceful that the President pretends to care about the long-term deficit while planning to waste billions long-term on totally unnecessary military adventurism that the American people don’t want. How dare Obama tell regular people they need to sacrifice only to have the money instead used to fund this foolishness.
It is more proof our top political leaders don’t actually care about the long-term deficit, or apparently the wishes of the American people.
What the American people clear want is less war, less empire building and our social safety net protected. What they are about get is the exact opposite.
It is no wonder the Obama campaign is totally failing to recapture the enthusiasm of 2008.
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worries over the fed govt deficit is a stupid 30 year misinformation campaign aimed at us — by the D party leadership attempting to pretend they are “fiscally responsible” (whatever that means).
of course our leaders don’t care about the deficit — and neither should we (at least not in the ways we’re being told that the deficit matter).
the war in afghanistan is a stupid destructive waste of REAL resources, not the least of which are real people’s lives.
The U.S. has to stay in Afghanistan bc the Afghans aren’t ready to look after themselves yet. /s
What do you mean, our leaders aren’t serious about the deficit? Obama just shut down a web site domain to save us $20 a year:
Unless or until US citizens actually wake up to the fact that we’ve ALL be “had” by the PTB, that WAR Inc is merely a means for the insanely wealthy to continue ripping everyone off, that the USG – no matter “who” is purportedly in charge – is now run solely & only for the benefit of the greedheads at the top… these kinds of specious lies and b.s. will continue apace.
I duly note that the so-called “Republican” “debate” last evening focused on the usual *distractions* so dear to the hearts & minds of most conservatives: one being teh dreaded Gay marriage.
As long as citizens permit themselves to be pernisciously pandered to and consistenly fooled… well: this is what we “get.”
I don’t like it, but realistically I see little changing in my lifetime.
Yeah: ain’t that ridiculous?? But duly noted how “Kenyan socialist” Obama is, in fact, pandering to the T-GOPer base, as well as the corporations (who want to privatize public lands). Fiddlin’ Foresters actually, you know, *teaching* about conservation??? CAN’T have THAT!!!
the deficit is the name of the stick used to beat us rubes.
comes in quite handy when it’s about $20 for regular people…. but conveniently disappears when it’s a trillion dollars for the banksters.
yeah.
i get why the oligarchy uses deficit bs in order to justify what they want to do.
what i don’t get is why progressives do the same thing. the war in afghanistan is wrong and stupid. why can’t we just say that instead of pretending we buy the deficit nonsense and then argue against the war using a bogus deficit argument that also furthers the “deficit not good” bankster meme?
waving hi!
No one on the left is interested in the war in Afghanistan anymore, I guess.
Back atcha.
Reading yet another book on Vietnam. It’s a page turner. Can’t wait to get to the end & find out how it turns out.
I think the left, along with the rest of the country, is totally demoralized. You can tell right here at FDL – very down and gloomy.
LOL!
and when will that be?/s
Good update on the war at my link in 3. Takeaway: Afghanistan will never be ready bc the kind of “war” the U.S. is waging (lots of soldiers, expensive equipment, paying off warlord-de-jour) is something that Afghanistan will never be able to afford.
Soviets did the same thing before they left (and U.S. is also obliterating whole villages they can’t get the Taliban out of, just like the Soviets did), which left the country so militarized & divided that civil war was only possible outcome.
Speaking of how VN came out, I think the only way the U.S. ever leaves Afghanistan is a humiliating defeat, like helicopters on rooftops of U.S. embassy, or France’s Dien Bien Phu.
And the only reason the U.S. suffered such a humiliation was bc of Watergate and congress refusing to fund the ongoing U.S. presence.
Doesn’t seem like either of those will happen anytime soon.
Heh.
I was typing my serious answer at 15 while you were asking.
“It is no wonder the Obama campaign is totally failing to recapture the enthusiasm of 2008.” This and every thing else he’s done since we elected him to bring “hope” and “Change we can believe in”.
The Pink Elephant in the room, is every other dollar, one half of all spending goes toward the military. It is insane. It is unsustainable.
Hey, I resemble that remark!
Just telling the truth. Most of the country is depressed, IMO. We need an issue to wake us up – like Scooter did. That was a glorious time here at the Lake.
Back to VN.
i get down and gloomy every time i read a front page post about the deficit that accepts and furthers the premise that the size of the deficit is something to worry about (other than it’s not big enough).
i care about the misuse of real resources (including esp the unemployed — what a fracking waste as well as a humanitarian crisis) and i care about the further corruption of our political system.
i think the deficit sparkle pony could be the last straw(*) before i give up on progressives entirely and just accept that we are no less intellectually captured than the tea party crowd.
(*) the “public option” and the “filibuster senate rules” were the first two. the deficit nonsense is far far worse and third time’s a charm
Correct. If the Fascists wanted to reduce the deficit they would raise taxes and SLASH war spending. They intend to steal our pensions and use the deficit as an excuse.
As for the enthusiasm of ’08 – that will never happen again for a Democrat or a Republican.
have fun…. i’m working up the courage to take apart my dryer again. not my idea of great fun…. but if i can fix it this time i’ll be a happy camper for today.
His campaign called the other asking for a donation. What I gave the caller was a bloody earful consisting of a list of sellouts that the Big Zero has committed at the wishes of his masters. After “cutting” my meager Soc Sec for the last two years the bastard wants money from me…
I have no Hope® ‘our leaders’ give a shit what The People think.
It is in the people’s hands to create a system that is more Just
when this one collapses.
I agree with all you said. I feel ashamed of being depressed over the whole mess because there are so many people who have lost almost everything and I have not. I try to imagine what it is like to be out of a job, lose your home, and have no hope. I can’t.
interesting article by James Galbraith today re. the economy, The Big Zero and the False Keynesians.
It is disgraceful that Obama is President…
Never thought I’d miss that smirking goatfucker known as GW Bush, but doggone it, I do. Obama sure does put the Evil in LOTE.
What is he running as? A turncoat?
Twain, at least you are thinking about your countrymen and women. If you think about it the Dems still haven’t picked themselves up since Obama was elected. Forget about the lesson they should have learned last November, they still haven’t made efforts to get jobs and the US competitive again.
Off topic were’s Teddy? Calif. Judge strike down 8 again
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/14/california-gay-marriage-proposition-8_n_876560.html
If the U.S. gets out of Afghanistan then the U.S. will have to invade another country. The modern day Sparta demands nothing less. Must spread the “wealth.”
At least the Republicans listen to the baggers. No such pressures on the Dims.
Great link. Thanks.
It’s the realization that we have no representation, and trying to find out what that means for each of us
There are no bad guys anymore, because they’re, all, the bad guys. The literally millions of words proving the craven corruptibility and hypocrisy of the Republicans and Bush admin mean exactly zero now because Obama and the Democrats have not only continued, but accelerated the downward spiral
They had choices to really change things for the better to go back to a more egalitarian society, and a golden opportunity, and they destroyed it
For me, once I realized that they’re all just a part of the plutocracy in support of the oligarchs, everything fell into place, and I’m free now. I don’t look to politicians for any solutions to anything now
One suspects that if Mr. Obama can’t recapture the 2008 moment, he’ll hire a Rove replacement and imagineer it, hoping that those who chose not to vote for him won’t notice the difference. Mr. Bush now has stiffer competition in the Worst President Evah contest.
Aren’t we the Christen nation ?
Do unto others and all that rot.
I guess when the tables turn we won’t mind goons on every corner on steroids, armored so as they never die as quick as the mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers we blow away without a thought.You know that ratio 1 heroic dead invader as compared to the 200 that get killed in their homeland . Who would mind occupiers running over our kids, kidnapping our relatives for torture practice as long as it’s christian.
Our time in the barrel is coming.
The president won’t do squat other that collect a billion in “contributions” for his outstanding performance so far for the 1%ers.
Which book?
If you haven’t already, you gotta read A BRIGHT SHINING LIE by Neil Sheehan. Greatest book about Nam ever.
I think the pink elephant is smaller than you think. The military budget is closer to $900 B in an $3.6 B budget. About 25 cents on the dollar.
Corruption, waste of resources and the deficit sparkle pony:what a way to run a country. But how do you change it when everyone buys into the same narrative. What wins is the best spin. Lies, like bad money, drive out the good. The average voter cannot negotiate these things. Most progressives can’t either IMO.
It’s true. Our leaders don’t care about the deficit until they do,mostly the Rs. The only way to change this is to start a fight. You have to wake up the public to the sickness that is going on with unemployment and the desire to cut benefit programs. Obama is the one who should do it, but we can all play a part.
Like I have said he who controls the narrative wins the war. The fact that we do not have representation is spot on.
(((twain)))
excellent point. i think bill black would call it a gresham’s dynamic.
It’s way worse than foolishness. It’s evil (lust for power and greed), at the intended expense of both their and our populaces. And GWZero? I think he really is irrelevant in this and pretty much any other issue.