Obama Drones On 193

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Four more years of drone killings, Guantanamo, crazy FBI agent provocateur plots, whistleblower prosecutions and surveillance of citizens were going to come whoever won. Goldman Sachs funded both candidates royally. I probably prefer the slightly tempered or disguised neo-con to the red meat neo-con, but let nobody pretend it makes a vast difference.

A respected retired African President told me last week that George Bush did more for Africa than Obama. Amazingly, I believe that to be true; whatever his motives, a number of Bush initiatives pumped real money into useful African infrastructure. Obama’s relations with Africa have almost entirely revolved around location of military bases.

Perspective changes as you move around the globe.

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193 thoughts on “Obama Drones On”

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  • Laurent

    Craig, I take your point that on all the issues you cite, Obama is not really any better than Bush was or than Romney would be (and in some cases worse than Bush, although probably not Romney). But although it’s not relevant for non-Americans, there was a huge difference in terms of economic policy in this election, with Obama being clearly and vastly superior, even if he would be considered center-right or even just right-wing by UK standards. And Big Finance was massively behind Romney and fighting pretty hard to defeat Obama (although of course some firms give to both sides to a certain extent).

  • MJ

    “George Bush did more for America than Obama”

    I think you mean Africa.

    If there is a substantive difference between Obama and Romney on foreign policy perhaps it is that Obama stands up to Israel a little more firmly than Romney would have done.

  • Anon

    Tony Blair was just on CNN International live for his reaction. Nothing unusual about that really. More curiously the interview took place in Jerusalem. Blair was wearing the obligatory poppy.

  • AAMVN

    While I agree Obama has a lot to be ashamed of – though I doubt he will be more penitent than any other politician with blood on his hands – I think the main issue here was about finally putting to sleep the stupid fantasy that America could expect to go back to the 1950s on any level. The ‘message’ from Romney’s mob was very much harking back to an America that if it ever did exist is long gone never to return. America has to deal with the 21st century reality and while Obama has his failings at least he’s smart enough and realistic enough to understand that reality.

    I’m thankful Obama won. It might not get any better but it could have got a whole lot worse very fast.

    I’m curious to see just how much more freedom the President will exercise in his second term.

  • mike cobley

    Yes, Obama and Romney – the election essentially came down to Last Puppet Standing. That said, Obama’s approach on Iran may be slightly less gungho moronic than Romney’s but there’s no guarantee with that. And if Romney had won, the evangelists would have pushed and pushed anti-abortion and Romney would probably have just nodded it through. So, yeah, relief that Romney wont be POTUS but I have no illusions about Obama.

  • Anon (blue)

    To avoid confusion, Anon at 11:54am is me. I’m not Anon at 11:48 or any other Anon in this thread so I’m Anon (blue) again for this thread (it sort of stuck from an earlier post with multiple anons).

  • Anon (blue)

    Komodo,

    Only reason I don’t pick a “proper” handle is that it would encourage me to post here more often rather than just read.

    PS: Clark come back!

  • Mary

    Turkey has asked NATO ie the USUKIsNATO axis, to place Patriot missiles on its border with Syria. And all this time we thought that Obomber was electioneering.

    Or perhaps La Clinton has been doing the business. There is talk of her standing in 2016. She is supposed to be giving up the Obomber job in January.

  • Mary

    And we have such an open democracy here in the UK.

    7 November 2012 Last updated at 12:22

    Five marines charged with murder to remain anonymous

    The identity of five Royal Marines charged with murder after an incident in Afghanistan will not be disclosed, a judge has decided.

    The men will remain anonymous until their court martial has finished, Judge Advocate General Jeff Blackett ruled.

    The decision will be reviewed when court proceedings have concluded.

    All five have been charged with the murder of an unknown Afghan national contrary to Section 42 of the Armed Forces Act 2006.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20239012

    WHY?

  • kingfelix

    Mary,

    I was thinking same re: any child abuse prosecution. We’ll not know who’s been charged. A veil will be drawn to ‘protect the children’. Secret courts are anathema to both justice and democracy.

  • supernaut

    “…but let nobody pretend it makes a vast difference.”

    Well, for example, if you’re gay, lesbian, trans, a women, it makes a massive difference. But the sentiment in your remark largely is coming from exactly that group of people who are none of those, and seem to think these issues are not so important in the global scheme of things.

    Not to say I otherwise expect much different than what’s in your first sentence, but it doesn’t help to be dismissive of more than half the population.

  • craig Post author

    Supernaut

    Life would likely be marginally worse for women and minorities who live in the United States under the Republicans (though I doubt that Romney would in fact have followed that mad agenda with gusto). I have a problem with American women who think their life being a bit better outwieghs women being blown limb from limb in Afghanistan, Iraq, Sirte or wherever. But there you are.

  • Anon (blue)

    Giles,

    On android browsers Press and hold the link then select copy URL from the menu which should pop up. To paste press and hold wherever you want to paste it then select paste.

  • kingfelix

    @Craig

    Agreed. Just like the identity politics of gay Americans that sees them saluting homosexuals being able to openly serve in the most barbarous killing machine on the planet, the US military.

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