President Obama promised to bring back all U.S. troops in 2014. Now he’s pressuring the Afghan government to allow tens of thousands of soldiers and mercenaries to stay in Afghanistan at least another ten years.
If You Like Our Troops, You Can Keep Them
Ted Rall
Ted Rall is a syndicated political cartoonist for Andrews McMeel Syndication and WhoWhatWhy.org and Counterpoint. He is a contributor to Centerclip and co-host of "The Final Countdown" talk show on Radio Sputnik. He is a graphic novelist and author of many books of art and prose, and an occasional war correspondent. He is, recently, the author of the graphic novel "2024: Revisited."
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Loopy language is Obama’s forte: language loaded with loopholes.
Obama’s language is sufficiently devoid of meaning so as to allow each listener to create his own special private meaning.
To Obama, words are just tools of and for manipulation. Words and laws have finally lost all semblance of meaning.
Also, that final panel is bloody epic…
Mr Rall, you left us all hanging.
The Tea types tell such lies about the ACA it’s incredibly easy for anyone who can read to refute them. The Obamabot lies are much harder.
On 1 Oct, Obama held a press conference with two young women. He said they both had serious but treatable conditions, but could not get insurance and could not afford treatment; however, thanks to the ACA both had signed up on the website, had obtained policies for less than $100 a month, and both now had access to all the treatment facilities in the US. Since almost no one got signed in to the ACA website on 1 Oct, Obama’s press conference was less than convincing. I don’t have absolute proof Obama was lying, but the evidence is overwhelming that he was.
The New York Times wrote that the ACA has not cancelled a single policy: it forced some people, happy with their policies, to accept a different policy that covered a lot more and cost less, which is NOT what one thinks of as a cancellation. Of those allowed to comment on the first four pages of comments, many said, ‘With the ACA, I save $1,000 a month on my insurance premiums, and I get a much better policy.’
But Mr Rall wrote of a horror story. A website that didn’t work. 800 numbers that didn’t work. A policy that cost more than the one he’d had to cancel because he couldn’t afford it.
Finally, he wrote, the ACA website still wasn’t working, but Mr Rall got through to the 800 number, and they explained all their plans to him.
Then Mr Rall wrote, ‘I’m sure you’ve heard more than you want to hear about my experiences with the ACA.’
And no more.
So what happened????
Inquiring minds REALLY want to know.
If the ACA was a monster for six weeks, but now provides everyone with affordable health care, we can forgive those six weeks. If it still doesn’t provide affordable health care, some of us would like to know, because that’s NOT what the Obamabots say.
Clearly, a follow-up column about the affordable care act and my personal experience is in order. Right now, nothing is going on with me. I was told to wait until December, when I will allegedly receive a letter allowing me to choose a plan. We will see. Either way, I will revisit this in the month of December.
I can understand the obstructionism encountered for Guantanamo and the fact that the few left are now “issues” that are being ignored.
I can understand a government medical care roll-out that sucks, like several other social programs did when they were implemented.
But, I can no longer accept the stupid, paint-myself-into-a-corner comments (lies?) that continue to slip out of his mouth and the “right in your face” decision to try to keep troops in there for another 11 years – that is truly sickening. We can’t take care of the traumatized people that have already returned from this Tar Baby or the blooming suicide rate that it has created. More? WTF!!!
Too bad about the dustup at DKos. But you’ve earned at least one new subscriber to Beacon (me).
Wow, thanks!
You racist bastard!,! Lol. I was wondering how long you would last at the hive-mind. And mr..every an, I comment on almost any site I visit.. except DK and Think Progress. They seem… differnt some how.
Oh well don’t feel bad I not only sent you a donation a while ago, I just subscribed to beacon for you. Good Luck and happy Turkey Day.
Er ” as Mr. Everyman I comment…”
I just wanted to drop a note saying love your work KEEP IT UP in general …. and that the fiasco on daily kos is standard pathetic group think. As far as I can tell you draw everyone along the same lines … uh so to speak … and I really doubt that the identity politics bullies were complaining about your Bush or Cheney. I won’t comment there anymore as why bother. I pull for the Democrats as I think they are easier on me and mine economically. Never personally under any illusions about Obama so not very disappointed so far. Guessing the imperial clients in Pakistan and Afghanistan are begging in private to keep the drones coming and have no problems with NATO’s permanent war/training exercise. It is what it is. Sucks.
Ted, I believe what got you in trouble with The Kos was Obama’s (Caricature)
nose to ear ratio. Most other cartoonists focus on his ears and make his face kind of slim.
Also, although you give all your folks big noses, they are mostly in a 3/4 view. I think it was the full-face thing that upset the critics as Obama’s nose really isn’t that broad.
OK ALMOST full face.
Handbook for Divide et impera redux :
1) Put a puppet government in place in a country you have invaded.
2) Provoke frequent disputes with the head of that government, so that he can portray himself to the inhabitants of the invaded country as «independent» of your power and protective of their interests, while you portray him (correctly) as venal and corrupt (after all, that’s why he there) to the inhabitants of your own country, but alas, it’s a sovereign state.
3) Enter into «negotiations» with your figurehead about withdrawing all your troops – the negotiations become very «difficult» and threaten several times to «break down» completely, but mirabile dictu, at the end you reach an agreement to keep stationing large numbers of your troops, exempt, of course, from local laws, there, so as to keep watch on a neighbouring country about which you’re worried.
As your old friend and mentor, Hermann Wilhelm Göring pointed out : «… Diese Methode funktioniert in jedem Land»….
Henri