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NEWS AND VIEWS THAT IMPACT LIMITED CONSTITUTIONAL GOVERNMENT

"There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with
power to endanger the public liberty." - - - - John Adams

Monday, October 1, 2012

What GOP Foreign Policy???


Burning an American flag in a protest against US drone
attacks in the Pakistani tribal regions.

Does the GOP have a Foreign Policy? . . . or it it just about complaining?
  • Election Alert - The public may be on Obama's side in a more cautious approach to the Middle East. 


By Gary;

The GOP is missing something this election season.  Jobs may decide the election, but the Republicans miss the fact that Comrade Obama is pretty strong on foreign policy.

To listen to the standard hot air of knee-jerk GOP propagandists like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity you would think Obama is a total failure.  But that is pure partisan red meat throwing for ratings points and to sell advertising.

A look at the drone strikes listed below shows how Obama has played it smart.  Use technology to take out anything that even remotely looks like terrorist leadership.   

Obama took the US out of Iraq and is working on Afghanistan.  That sits well with most voters.  The only thing different the GOP could put on the table is full scale invasions with large armies or permanent armies of occupation with the resulting endless flow of body bags back home.  A war weary public would vote against the Republicans in droves for following that policy.

Here are some recent drone strikes that show Obama as tough on terrorism.
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2 al Qaeda leaders reported killed in Mir Ali drone strike

September 25, 2012
Abu Kasha al Iraqi and Fateh al Turki are rumored to have been killed in the Sept. 24 strike in Mir Ali. The report has not been confirmed.

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US drone strike kills 5 'militants' in Mir Ali

September 24, 2012
The strike is the second in three days, and took place in an area known to host a variety of South Asian terror groups.
Drones are an easy way to pick off
Islamic terrorist leaders.

US drones kill 3 'militants' in Datta Khel

September 22, 2012
The strike is the first in Pakistan in three weeks. Datta Khel is a known hub for al Qaeda as well as the Taliban and the Haqqani Network.


Al Qaeda 'facilitator' killed in Kunar airstrike

September 17, 2012
Asadullah is the second Afghan member of al Qaeda killed in the past week. He organized and directed attacks, and was behind the Aug. 8 suicide attack in Asadabad that killed three US soldiers and a USAID employee.


Libya  -  The GOP cannot really attack Obama on Libya.  Almost the entire GOP membership in Congress either stood on their chairs screaming for Obama to attack and destabilize Libya or they hid under their chairs allowing an unconstitutional war to move forward.

Either way the Republicans bring nothing to the foreign policy table that is different from Obama.

Egypt  -  The GOP drums are beating loud about Obama "allowing" the Muslim Brotherhood to take power.  Pure 100% non-thinking partisan bullshit.

Now what exactly was Obama supposed to do about massive crowds of hundreds of thousands of Egyptians demanding free elections?  Should Obama have ordered our air force to napalm the crowds?  Should we have dropped an airborne division on Cairo to shoot down people in the streets?  or should Obama have backed the military dictators of Egypt to send in their tanks to "clear" the streets in a bloodbath?

Again, the Republicans have no credible foreign policy alternative.  Egypt held free elections on their own and got the government they voted for.  Case closed.

Iran  -  This is a tough one for any President.  Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan have shown us full well the limits of American military power.

Any sane person knows an invasion is out of the question.  We cannot even maintain order in Afghanistan or in Chicago.  An attack on their port facilities and a blockade might do the trick, but again you are in danger of expanding a war. 

An attack on Iran might even cause an Islamic coup in nuclear armed Pakistan and perhaps see a pro-Iran Iraqi government enter a conflict on their side.

No, these are not the easy black and white issues painted by both parties. 


Read more: Long War Journal


Attack of the Drones - USA





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