foreign policy

Last night’s State of the Union address by President Obama received some of the highest marks ever. One poll has 91% of the viewers approving of what the President said, while another had the approval at 84%. A vast majority of this country likes the plans the President laid out and that’s a number you just can’t ignore.

Or can you?

Well if you look around at the right wing sites today, you will quickly see them dismissing the speech:

If you were expecting a moderate Obama or a bold Obama, you were disappointed, most likely, by Tuesday's State of the Union Address. In a nutshell: Obama proposed a ton of new domestic spending, promised to freeze discretionary spending (attained by savaging defense), abstained from offering specifics on entitlement reform and largely ignored major foreign policy changes. Moreover, the delivery was so listless that this State of the Union address likely garnered less applause than any address in recent memory.

I didn’t know the “applause-o-meter” was the key to success in SOTU addresses. The last SOTU address that saw poll numbers like this was in 2002, right after 9/11.

President Obama laid out a clear plan for a successful America last night. The Republicans won’t have anything to do with it simply because Obama laid it out. Numerous polls have already shown that the honeymoon is over with the Republican controlled House, and with the support the President saw from his speech, fighting the plans laid out will help keep the newly found Republican power in check. As matter of fact it could lead to a one term win for them.

This is bipartisanship you can believe in:

Former Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel will soon have a new role in the Obama administration, he will be named co-chair of President's Intelligence Advisory Board.

In that capacity, Hagel will be charged with overseeing the work of the intelligence agencies for the president and investigating violations of law by the clandestine community. The panel, formerly known as the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, was renamed and stripped of some of its powers in 2008 by the George W. Bush administration.

Hagel never endorsed Obama or Arizona Senator John McCain for the presidency, but he often spoke out on in favor of Obama's foreign policy ideas during the campaign and his wife endorsed Obama just before the election.

Hagel is a very strong pick when it comes to foreign policy. I’m sure a lot of Republicans are seething over this, but let them. Hagel is a Republican and one who came to their senses about the Iraq War. He’s willing to go against the party if he feels something is right, and that’s the kind of leadership we need.

Yup – that’s what the foundation of right wing idiocy, the National Review, is pushing, along with an attempt to get Time Magazine to name Palin “Person of the Year”. What’s one of their qualifying factors?

On the lighter side, one foreign-policy expert showed up for a panel in a towel (but fully clothed underneath) in an act of solidarity with Palin (referencing the now debunked post-election story that she once appeared to top campaign officials in a towel). What is it about Sarah?

For many folks on the Right, she represented an influx of social conservatism in the campaign. All she had to do was arrive at the scene with her son Trig to demonstrate her pro-life bona fides. Some estimated 90 percent of Americans faced with the knowledge that they might give birth to a child with Down Syndrome wouldn’t have made the choice she and her husband, Todd, did to let the child live.

Trig is the reason she would make a great President. Talk about laying all your hopes on one little thing.

(h/t Sullivan)

Right wing hack Jeff Jacoby apparently saw a different debate last night than the rest of the world:

JOHN MCCAIN'S opening words last night were: "Senator Obama, it's good to be with you at a town hall meeting!" Indeed it was. We now know why Barack Obama declined McCain's invitation earlier this year to appear together in a series of 10 town hall meetings around the country. This is the format in which McCain excels, and he excelled last night. He was substantive, sympathetic, strong - sure of himself, his facts, and his convictions. On issue after issue, McCain sounded clear and mature. In a word, presidential.

I have heard of those magical feel good pills, but Jacoby must have overdosed. These pills do have bad side effects, such as a sudden incursion of ones head into ones ass. Here's what Jacoby says:

Though most of the debate dealt with domestic issues, it was a foreign-policy question that sent me flying to my files. Moderator Tom Brokaw asked the candidates what their "doctrine" would be "in situations where there's a humanitarian crisis, but it does not affect our national security," such as "the Congo, where 4.5 million people have died since 1998," or Rwanda or Somalia.

In such cases, answered Obama, "we have moral issues at stake." Of course the United States must act to stop genocide, he said. "When genocide is happening, when ethnic cleansing is happening . . . and we stand idly by, that diminishes us."

The McCain campaign is threatening Gwen Ifill if she asks to many/hard foreign policy questions Thursday night:

Of course the moron Steve Doocey now says people are more concerned about "domestic issues". Funny that when they talk about John McCain they say the voters are more concerned about foreign policy.

So this should be chalked up as another example that McCain would put our nation in danger just to win an election. This man is a disgrace.

Sarah Palin last night while talking to Charlie Gibson:

Let me speak specifically about a credential that I do bring to this table, Charlie, and that's with the energy independence that I've been working on for these years as the governor of this state that produces nearly 20 percent of the U.S. domestic supply of energy, that I worked on as chairman of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, overseeing the oil and gas development in our state to produce more for the United States.

Forget foreign policy or national affairs. Sarah Palin doesn't even know the status of her own state. Well that or she is flat out lying. According to FactCheck.org, Alaska produced 14% of U.S. oil, but she said "energy". Actual energy Alaska produced? 3.5%. She only inflated her number by about 600%.

USA Today:

Obama holds a 47%-43% edge over McCain among registered voters and a 48%-45% edge among likUSA Todayely voters. Both leads are within the margin of error of +/—4 percentage points.

To this, Bob Cesca points out:

The previous numbers showed McCain 49, Obama 45.

Why can't McBush close the deal?

So why is it the former POW, maverick, 25 year veteran of the Senate, "foreign policy expert" can't close the deal against the "latte sipping, muslim, ultra liberal, defeatist, terrorist sympathizer, elitist, non-experienced" Barack Obama?

McCain has decades of being a house hold name, that is very much loved by the media. Obama is the new kid on the block. While people say Obama should be way out ahead, I keep thinking why? You got a new brand going against a long term brand. Let's also not forget that this is the first black man running on a major party ticket for POTUS in our history.

So media - why isn't McCain crushing Obama?

Georgian President, Mikheil Saakashvili, tells McCain it's time to turn words into deeds:

Yesterday, I heard Sen. McCain say, ‘We are all Georgians now,’” Saakashvili said on CNN’s American Morning. “Well, very nice, you know, very cheering for us to hear that, but OK, it’s time to pass from this. From words to deeds.”

When I heard McCain had said that yesterday, something popped into my mind. McCain keeps accusing Obama of acting like he is "already President". Well this comment from McCain really sounds like he is playing President also.

I also wish CNN would report all the facts in their stories:

McCain’s foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann told reporters on the campaign plane Tuesday that McCain’s remark “obviously meant a lot to Saakashvili personally, but more importantly the message it conveyed to the Georgian people in this really, time of unprecedented national emergency.” Scheunemann said McCain and Saakashvili are friends who have speaking daily throughout the crisis.

Wouldn't it be nice to include little tidbits like; Scheunemann was a lobbyist for Georgia, or Scheunemann was advising McCain while receiving money from Georgia. You would think the "most trusted name in politics" would adhere to the principals of full disclosure of such information - wouldn't ya?