It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Barack Obama

As I've said about the flag pin, I don't want to be perceived as
taking sides,' Obama said. 'There are a lot of people in the world to whom the American flag is a symbol of oppression. And the anthem itself conveys a war-like message. You know, the bombs bursting in air and all. It should be swapped for something less parochial and less bellicose. I like the song 'I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing.' If that were our anthem, then I might salute it.”

Barack Obama

President Obama has put securing Afghanistan near the top of his foreign policy agenda, but "victory" in the war-torn country isn't necessarily the United States' goal, he said Thursday in a TV interview. "I'm always worried about using the word 'victory,' because, you know, it invokes this notion of Emperor Hirohito coming down and signing a surrender to MacArthur," Obama told ABC News. The enemy facing U.S. and Afghan forces isn't so clearly defined, he explained.

"We're not dealing with nation states at this point. We're concerned with Al Qaeda and the Taliban, Al Qaeda's allies," he said. "So when you have a non-state actor, a shadowy operation like Al Qaeda, our goal is to make sure they can't attack the United States."The United States and Afghanistan are struggling to shore up security in the country, amid increasing violence. The Obama administration this year stepped up U.S. military operations in the country as the U.S. military presence begins to wind down in Iraq.

"We are confident that if we are assisting the Afghan people and improving their security situation, stabilizing their government, providing help on economic development ... those things will continue to contract the ability of Al Qaeda to operate. And that is absolutely critical," Obama told ABC News. Rising casualties in Afghanistan are raising doubts among U.S. allies about the conduct of the war, forcing some governments to defend publicly their commitments and foreshadowing possible long-term trouble for the U.S. effort to bring in more resources to defeat the Taliban.

Pressure from the public and opposition politicians is growing as soldiers' bodies return home, and a poll released Thursday shows majorities in Britain, Germany and Canada oppose increasing their own troop levels in Afghanistan. Europeans and Canadians are growing weary of the war -- or at least their involvement in combat operations -- even as Obama is shifting military resources to Afghanistan away from Iraq.

The United States, which runs the NATO-led force, has about 59,000 troops in Afghanistan -- nearly double the number a year ago -- and thousands more are on the way. There are about 32,000 other international troops in the country. The new U.S. emphasis on Afghanistan has raised the level of fighting -- and in turn, the number of casualties. July is already the deadliest month of the war for both U.S. and NATO forces with 63 international troops killed, including 35 Americans and 19 Britons. Most have been killed in southern Afghanistan, scene of major operations against Taliban fighters in areas that had long been sanctuaries.

The leaders of the largest contributors to the coalition find themselves having to justify both their reasons for deploying troops and their management of the war effort. Britain, Italy and Australia are among those adding forces ahead of Afghanistan's Aug. 20 presidential election. They say a Western pullout at this time would enable a resurgent Taliban to take over the country and give Al Qaeda more space to plan terror attacks against the West. Some emphasize humanitarian aspects of their missions, like development aid and civilian reconstruction.

Worked hard Boxer? Um, you're talking to a Brigadier General you pompous you know what!

Barbara Boxer Offended When Called ‘Ma’am’ By Brigadier General; UPDATE: DeMint Not Pleased

This is hardly the most important story of the day, considering what is going on in Iran, the health care debate, and of course, fly killing, but it is worth noting. Many people believe that Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Ca.) comes from the shallow end of the intellectual pool, although there is no doubt that she is a politically savvy politician. But now, one can add pretentious to her mix:

Brig. Gen. Michael Walsh, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, was testifying on the Louisiana coastal restoration process in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. He began to answer one of Boxer’s questions with “ma’am” when Boxer immediately cut him off.

“You know, do me a favor,” an irritated Boxer said. “Could say ’senator’ instead of ‘ma’am?’”

“Yes, ma’am,” Walsh interjected.

“It’s just a thing, I worked so hard to get that title, so I’d appreciate it, yes, thank you,” she said.

“Yes, senator,” he responded.

What an idiot! It is basic military protocol to use terms like “sir” and “ma’am” when addressing those respectfully or higher in the chain of command. I guess it is more important for the good Senator to make sure that the military shows her the respect that she believes she deserves as opposed to accepting the proper respect given.

The article goes on to state that the Brigadier General surely meant no disrespect to Boxer:

“We would call them ’sir’ or ‘ma’am’ or ’senator such-and-such’,” Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nathan Banks said. Banks said any of those terms would be “appropriate” when addressing a senator.

According to one guide, the Navy and Coast Guard typically use “mister” or “miss” to address officers below the rank of commander, and “sir” or “ma’am,” or a specific title, to address anyone at that rank or higher.

“You can never go wrong by using ‘Sir’ or ‘Ma’am,’ but it is a nice touch if you can properly address a senior officer,” says the guide, Military Protocol: Uniformed Services.

Considering Boxer’s reaction, this must be a systemic problem in hearings… especially with other Senators?

The same day at a Senate Armed Services subcommittee hearing, two Navy officials repeatedly referred to Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., with the title, “sir.”

“Yes, sir,” Navy Vice Adm. Bernard McCullough said when answering questions.

Wicker raised no objections.

Or perhaps not.

I’m not sure if Boxer was having a bad day, but it would be nice to see her NOT take it out on those in the military who are sacrificing so much to keep us safe.

UPDATE:

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) pulls no punches when asked about Boxer’s reaction:

I think it is amazing that she is so caught up in a title, she has kind have been a loose cannon and speaks before she thinks, and continues to be an embarrassment to her party, I believe.

More audio from this conversation is available at Hot Air (thanks Hot Air!)

It’s never over. Bush is out of office. Obama is moving to withdraw troops from Iraq. Last October, Code Pink gave up on its daily harangues against the Marines who staff a recruiting office in Berkeley after a counterinsurgency of pro-troops groups stood their ground.

But it’s never over.

Yesterday, thugs smashed the windows of the Marine recruiting office and defaced the Marine logo. The masked vandals caused an estimated $5,000 in damage. (You may recall that in 2007, Code Pink defaced the Marine recruiting office by pasting the misspelled word “Assasination” on the window.)

Bastards:

Police are looking for the vandals who damaged a Marine recruiting center in Berkeley that’s been the target of ongoing war protests. The attack shortly before 9 p.m. Wednesday was caught of tape by a surveillance camera. About a half-dozen people wearing dark clothing with their faces covered are seen breaking windows and defacing the Marine Corps logo. The property owner says they caused as much as $5,000 in damage. Police have not made any arrests in the case, but say they’ve arrested a “person of interest” on an unrelated warrant. The recruiting center has angered anti-war activists and some local residents, who say military recruiting is unwelcome in this liberal-leaning city. But the Marines have said they have no intention of moving out before their lease is up at the end of the year.

More from KCBS:

Police Sgt. Mary Kusmiss says it happened Wednesday just before 9 p.m. Kusmiss says police received several calls from witnesses in the area that a group of 3 to 4 males were smashing the windows of the recruiting center. “In the history of our experience at the recruiting center this is the most expensive damage ever committed there,” said Kusmiss. She says although the office has been the target of several anti-war protests over the years, this is the first that’s totaled over $5,000 damage. The suspects are facing felony vandalism charges. Kusmiss says they don’t know for certain whether the vandalism was in response to today’s 6th anniversary of the Iraq War.

No, it’s no coincidence. IndyMedia extremists gloat about the vandalism:

At 9PM on March 18th, the eve of the 6th anniversary of the war in Iraq, a group of persons wearing masks smashed the windows and splattered red paint at the U.S. Marine Corps Recruiting Center in Berkeley, California. The center has been the target of protests for the last 18 months, and stands as a symbol of U.S. militarism and imperialist wars. The act of property distruction stands alone as the embodyment of frustration of a people whos government does not listen to or care about them. Police have not made any arrests but are reviewing the tape, said Sgt. Mary Kusmiss. A sledgehammer and a crowbar were found in a nearby garbage can nearby, and are being reviewing as evidence. After breaking windows and improving the Marine Corps logo at the center, the group wearing masks and dark clothing scattered in three different directions, police said. As of the time of this posting, no one involved has been arrested. The act was easy. You and a few friends could have pulled it off any day.

NO MORE IMPERIALIST WARS!!!

NO MORE GOVERNMENT!!!

SMASH THE STATE!!!

And it is no coincidence that anti-war groups are gearing up for new protests tomorrow and a March on the Pentagon. If you are in Washington, there will be a counter-protest by Freepers, Gathering of Eagles, and Eagles Up activists. Join the counterinsurgency here. Please show your support of the troops who support you.

RUSH: All right, now, here he's brought it home. He had trashed his country in Germany, he has seen the result of that in his plummeting poll numbers, and now he does it again yesterday in Elkhart, Indiana, a seven-year-old little girl. You're running for president, Senator Obama. A little girl asks you a question, "Why did you start running for president?" It's a seven-year-old, Senator. You tell her because you love the country. You tell her because this is the greatest place on earth, that we've got challenges, but you want to help the country through it. You don't tell a seven-year-old that her country isn't what it once was. You do not lie to seven-year-olds and tell them that your country sucks. You just don't do it, Senator. America is no longer what it could be, what it once was? How the hell would you know, sir? Your experience has only been in one part of America, elite, leftist academia. Oh, and with Jeremiah Wright. You've hung around with a bunch of people who do hate this country, there's no question about that. But for crying out loud, to a seven-year-old? America is, uh, no longer, uh, what it, uh, could be, what it, uh, once was, and I say to myself I don't want that future for my children. You wouldn't want your life and your wife's life for your kids?

Before you decided to run for president, Senator Obama, your wife was pulling down 300 grand working in PR at a hospital. You had written two books that got you out of debt. What is wrong with your life? What is wrong with the opportunities in this country that had been made available to you, that you wouldn't want for that seven-year-old girl that asked you the question? What's so bad about your life that you wouldn't want your kids living it? 

"What we've learned over this year is that hope is making a comeback. It is making a comeback, and let me tell you something, for the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country, and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. And I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment."

Michelle Obama
Pride in America Speeches
February 2008

Oops! She Did It Again!...
It was no accident.
Michelle Obama thought through her remarks on how she felt about her country.
She even had her speech written down.
And... She gave the same speech twice:

Clips were played on The O'Reilly Factor last night.
NOTE: In the first speech she said, "For the first time I am really proud of my country." And, in the second speech she said, "For the first time I am proud of my country."

It's lovely that this Harvard graduate finally feels a bit of gratitude to the country today where she enjoys such a privileged life.
It's too bad that it took so long for her to feel any pride.
And, it's too bad that she has overlooked so much goodness in America.
Hopefully, she treats her family, friends and her husband better than her country.

So what country is Michelle Obama proud of? LINK 

John Podhoretz at Commentary Magazine had this on Michelle Obama's shocking comments:

Michelle Obama today said that “for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country. And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction.”

...It suggests, first, that the pseudo-messianic nature of the Obama candidacy is very much a part of the way the Obamas themselves are feeling about it these days. If they don’t get a hold of themselves, the family vanity is going to swell up to the size of Phileas Fogg’s hot-air balloon and send the two of them soaring to heights of self-congratulatory solipsism that we’ve never seen before.

Second, it suggests the Obama campaign really does have its roots in New Class leftism, according to which patriotism is not only the last refuge of a scoundrel, but the first refuge as well — that America is not fundamentally good but flawed, but rather fundamentally flawed and only occasionally good. There’s something for John McCain to work with here.

"Now you have narco drug lords who are helping to finance the Taliban, so we’ve got to get the job done there, and that requires us to have enough troops that we are not just air raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there."

That was Barak Obama speaking about our US soldiers and marines in Afghanistan.
Here's the video:

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., is coming under heavy fire after saying American treatment of terror detainees at the Guantanamo Naval Base is comparable to torture at the hands of Nazis, Soviet gulags and even Cambodian mass murderer Pol Pot. LINK

Rep. Jack Murtha, who came on our radar screen as a “hawk” (although always an opponent of the Iraq War) who called for rapid pullout of troops from Iraq on the basis that our mission has failed, has told the press that the Marines have killed Iraqi innocents in cold blood. LINK

Marines recommend no murder charge in Haditha case

Thu Oct 4, 2007 4:39pm EDT

[EXCERPT:]

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 4 (Reuters) - An investigating officer has recommended that no murder charges be brought against U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich in connection with a massacre of civilians in the Iraqi town of Haditha in 2005 LINK 

Charges dropped against Marine in Haditha case 

Mar 28 02:11 PM US/Eastern

[EXCERPT:] Charges against a US Marine allegedly involved in the killing of 24 Iraqi civilians in the town of Haditha were dropped on Friday ahead of his trial, the military said in a statement.  A court martial for lance corporal Stephen Tatum had been due to start on Friday on charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and aggravated assault.  However in a statement released from the Marines Camp Pendleton base outside San Diego, the military said the charges had been dismissed "in order to continue to pursue the truth seeking process into the Haditha incident." LINK

Marine acquitted of all charges in Haditha killings

Lieutenant Andrew Grayson, 27, was declared "not guilty on all charges" by a jury, said a spokesman for the Camp Pendleton military base in southern California where the hearing started on May 28.

Grayson had been charged with making false statements and attempting to fraudulently separate from the Marine Corps. He was also charged with obstruction of justice, but the military judge dismissed this charge Tuesday...

... Six have now had charges against them dropped, while charges of murder against squad leader Frank Wuterich were changed to the lesser offense of manslaughter.

Wuterich faces trial later this year, along with Colonel Jeffrey Chessani, the highest ranking officer accused over the incident who has been charged with dereliction of duty and violation of a lawful order.

''Stomp Israel Like a Bug'': Is MoveOn.org Anti-Semitic?

Finally!!!? It is no longer the Jews that cause all the problems in the Middle East.? No, it is those crazy Christian Zionists!!!? Just ask the supporters of MoveOn.org

Bigotry and hatred runs rampant among the supporters of MoveOn.org? The leadership could denounce it, stop it, but they don''t.? When you read the MoveOn blogs and article, you would think the Ku Klux Klan became socialists and instead of white sheets, they wear the look of fear and hatred.? Of course what they really dislike is Freedom--that works against their worldview.? If people can make decisions for themselves, then government won''t be needed.? But, if you believe people are too stupid to govern themselves, then MoveOn is the place for you.? Nothing people eat, drink, learn, say, believe is good enough--only government can shine the light on "Truth".? LINK

A newspaper ad from the anti-war group MoveOn.org that attacks Gen. David Petraeus has prompted a Republican outcry in Washington, D.C., as supporters of the surge strategy in Iraq change the subject from the progress in Iraq to the rhetoric used by war opponents.

(Click to enlarge) General Petraeus or General Betray Us?" which cost the liberal group MoveOn.org approximately $65,000 and ran in section A of today's New York Times.

The ad accuses the general of "Cooking the Books for the White House" and asserts "General Petraeus is a military man constantly at war with the facts," citing optimistic statements the general has made about Iraq in the past.

White House spokesman Tony Snow called it "a boorish, childish,  unworthy attack" and called on members of Congress to condemn the ad. By the end of the day, 30 Republican senators and Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., had written to the Democratic Senate Leader, asking him to "join us in making it clear that you do not share the views of Moveon.org, and that you will not join Moveon.org in attacking the character of this fine officer" and House Republicans had introduced a resolution condemning the ad.

A Democratic leadership aide on Capitol Hill told ABC News that the ad was "not helpful" because it allowed Republicans to refocus attention from "what's happening on the ground in Iraq and the fact that everyone, even Gen. Petraeus, agrees that political progress is lacking."

LINK 

Media Matters, George Soros' leftist propaganda arm, is making waves by accusing Rush Limbaugh of saying that all anti-war soldiers are phony soldiers. Watch the video above and you will see Rush himself destroy this emerging liberal myth by pointing out that he was referring to one specific undisputably phony soldier: Jesse MacBeth.

This smacks of desperation by Media Matters, does it not? So chastened are they by the response to ShoveOff.org's 'Betray Us' ad (ShoveOff.org being Soros' other extreme leftist organization) that they are seeking some kind of immoral equivalence here. Instead, they have presented bloggers such as myself with a golden opportunity to compound the harm done to them by the Betray Us ad. Now, we can also show how completely dishonest Soros' other organization is, with Rush himself providing the evidence that is clear as sunlight.

How great it is that we live in an age of new media, without liberal gate keepers to perpetuate such lies with impunity.

         Media Matters posted the following in the item's first paragraph:

Accuracy in Media (AIM) editor Cliff Kincaid has posted a "letter" on his America's Survival Inc. website that he claims to have received from Afghan ambassador Said Tayeb Jawad. The "letter" thanks Kincaid for sending a petition to the ambassador calling for the extradition of Newsweek investigative correspondent Michael Isikoff to Afghanistan. But the "letter" from the ambassador, which makes reference to "the over six hundred supporters" who purportedly signed petitions calling for Isikoff's extradition, bears all the hallmarks of a do-it-yourself, cut-and-paste job.

 

        By putting quotation marks around the word letter, by saying the "letter" was one that "he claims to have received," and by asserting that it "bears all the hallmarks of a do-it-yourself, cut-and-paste job," the implication from Media Matters could not be more clear: Kincaid posted a bogus letter. Another paragraph also analyzes the formatting (i.e., html, gif) of the letter.

        The truth? Less than one day later, Kincaid posted scanned images (.pdf) of the actual letter and the actual envelope in which it was received. Kincaid also posted a public statement denouncing Media Matters for their "false and defamatory charge."

        Media Matters' belief that the letter was bogus appears to be based on an HTML/"electronic collage" (MMFA's words) of the letter that Kincaid had originally posted. The actual letter contains Kincaid's home address, which he wished to redact. The webmaster "also converted the letter to HTML for easier reading" (Kincaid). Simple enough.

        What's astonishing about their ugly attack, as Kincaid points out, is that Media Matters could have verified the authenticity of the letter with one simple phone call or correspondence. Instead, they simply went out and besmirched the guy!

        This shameful episode reveals a vicious and callous nature of the people at Media Matters. It also obliterates any remaining shred of the organization's credibility. LINK

Unfairenheit 9/11 - To describe this film as dishonest and demagogic would almost be to promote those terms to the level of respectability. To describe this film as a piece of crap would be to run the risk of a discourse that would never again rise above the excremental. To describe it as an exercise in facile crowd-pleasing would be too obvious. Fahrenheit 9/11 is a sinister exercise in moral frivolity, crudely disguised as an exercise in seriousness. It is also a spectacle of abject political cowardice masking itself as a demonstration of "dissenting" bravery. LINK

They [Americans] are possibly the dumbest people on the planet..."

When asked by a Japanese reporter if he likes America:

"I like America...to some extent"

relieved not to be around Americans:

"Just for my own mental health, I need to go and sit in a room with 600 Canadians and watch this movie [F. 9/11]"

"The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not 'Insurgents' or 'Terrorists.' They are the revolution, the Minutemen, and their numbers will grow and they will win."

This is speaking out against our men and women, the very people who are giving their lives to protect his lame ass. And it's factually wrong. The are Insurgents. They are terrorists who are from other countries.
The majority of Iraqis support the American troops because they see that the American soldiers are giving their own lives to free someone they don't even know and the iraqis recognize and honor that.

MOORE'S 'SICKO' STUNT

Filmmaker Michael Moore's production company took ailing Ground Zero responders to Cuba in a stunt aimed at showing that the U.S. health-care system is inferior to Fidel Castro's socialized medicine, according to several sources with knowledge of the trip.

The trip was to be filmed as part of the controversial director's latest documentary, "Sicko," an attack on American drug companies and HMOs that Moore hopes to debut at the Cannes Film Festival next month.

Two years in the making, the flick also takes aim at the medical care being provided to people who worked on the toxic World Trade Center debris pile, according to several 9/11 workers approached by Moore's producers.

But the sick sojourn, which some say uses ill 9/11 workers as pawns, has angered many in the responder community.

"He's using people that are in a bad situation and that's wrong, that's morally wrong," railed Jeff Endean, a former SWAT commander from Morris County, N.J., who spent a month at Ground Zero and suffers from respiratory problems.  LINK