About Politics

sandeep singh chauhan asked:


President Barack Obama will make a short trip from the White House to the Pentagon on Wednesday, for fresh “unvarnished” advice from military brass on his Iraq withdrawal plan and the Afghan war.

In his first week in office, the new US commander-in-chief Obama has already instructed military planners to draw up proposals which would allow him to honor his campaign pledge to get most troops out of Iraq within 16 months.

The meetings on Wednesday were the latest step of a process initiated by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to introduce Obama to all the key players in formulating his war strategy, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said.

The president will get to meet “all the people that are involved in these decisions and all the people that are involved in committing the lives of men and women in our uniform,” said Gibbs.

The ultimate idea was for the generals to offer Obama advice in an “unvarnished way,” he said.

In his first days in office last week, Obama sat down with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, and General David Petraeus, head of US Central Command.

During his first visit to the Pentagon, Obama is to meet with Mullen and Gates. He is also to meet for the first time with the chiefs of staff of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force and the Marine Corps.

“They want an opportunity to talk about Afghanistan and continue the discussion on Iraq,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said on Monday.

Obama will also, at a later date, get some time for in-depth talks with General David McKiernan, commander of NATO forces and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, Gibbs said.

The new president has pledged to boost US forces in that country amid deteriorating security.

Some 36,000 US troops are currently deployed in Afghanistan, half of them operating under NATO. The Pentagon has promised to deploy up to 30,000 additional forces to Afghanistan, nearly doubling the US force there.

Obama argued last week that the war in Afghanistan, which he called “the central front in our enduring struggle against terrorism and extremism,” could not be separated from the volatile border area with Pakistan, where Al-Qaeda and Taliban elements have regrouped.

“My administration is committed to refocusing attention and resources on Afghanistan and Pakistan and to spending those resources wisely,” said Obama when he appointed Richard Holbrooke as US envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday.

As part of his diplomatic push, the president said he would work with NATO allies and other states in the region, which could include central Asian countries and India — Pakistan’s arch-rival.

A debate is brewing over Obama’s 16-month timeline for withdrawal from Iraq, where 143,000 US troops are currently deployed.

Following their meeting with Obama on January 21, Gates and Mullen shied away from endorsing the accelerated timetable. Gates cautioned that the session was just “the beginning of a process of evaluating various options.”

Gates and Mullen have stressed that a series of elections in Iraq make this an important year for stabilizing the country.

Provincial elections are scheduled for January 31, marking the first time that Iraq’s Sunnis will be going to the polls in large numbers after boycotting the last elections in 2005.

Obama will face the demands of the military joint chiefs, who want to ease the stress on their forces deployed on both fronts for several years, and those of General Raymond Odierno, commander of US forces in Iraq, who worries that a precipitous withdrawal could threaten security gains there.

US Marines Corps Commandant James Conway said he was ready to send “20,000 or less” Marines to Afghanistan, where about 2,200 Marines are currently deployed. He cautioned however that “anything you put into Afghanistan must necessarily come from a reduction of the number of Marines in Iraq.”

Under an agreement signed between Washington and Baghdad in November, the US military is due to withdraw its combat troops from the country by the end of 2011.

In his first formal interview as president earlier this week, Obama told the pan-Arab Al-Arabiya television network his administration would be more actively engaged in Middle East diplomacy than Bush.

He told the Muslim world that “Americans are not your enemy,” and pledged that his administration would “do a more effective job of reaching out, listening as well as speaking to the Muslim world.”





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Wolfy Wolfenstein asked:


Politics and Religion are the two subjects that stir up passionate hatred more than any other subject. And it’s true that most people, if you disagree with them on politics or religion, will get very ugly about it.

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toodaloo asked:


It seems that politics (US) makes everyone so hostile. People never want to discuss the possibility of their view being wrong. They get mad, shout a few names, and claim the other person is bad.
I almost wish were a communist state or had a dictatorship that declared that it was illegal to talk about our government so people would just shut up.

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James William Smith asked:


The media reaction to the recent ABC Presidential debate in Pennsylvania was almost unanimous. Television moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos were widely ridiculed for not asking a single question on an issue of political substance for more than the first fifty minutes of the Presidential debate. Indeed, there was not a single question on health care, the war in Iraq, the economy, illegal immigration, social security, or any other of the important challenges and issues facing America today.

Instead, for nearly the first hour of the debate, the voters heard questions concerning Barrack Obama’s recent dubious comments on small town America. In addition, the ABC moderators focused several questions on Obama’s relationship with his pastor, the controversial Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Another debate question concerned whether Obama loves the American flag and why he does not wear flag pins on his suit lapel. Still another question concerned Barack Obama’s relationship with the former radical leader of the “Weathermen“, William Ayers.

While some of the criticism of the coverage of the Democrats Pennsylvania debate is certainly valid (especially troubling were the continued camera shots of Former First daughter, Chelsea Clinton), the questions posed by the moderators in those first fifty minutes were exactly the types of questions that the American voter now needs answered in order to vote for or against Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama.

It is evident that the country is aware that Barack Obama is to the left of the American political center on most of the major issues. It also appears from the public opinion polls that much of the American public would currently support an inexperienced, liberal, Democratic politician in the 2008 Presidential election. In fact, the polls indicate that if an election between John McCain and Barack Obama was held today, it would certainly be very close.

So a pertinent question in the mind of the American voter is really just how far to the left of center are the politics of Barack Obama? The ultimate answer to that question will probably decide the 2008 Presidential election. Therefore, the questions in the first fifty two minutes of the ABC Presidential debate, while not about national issues, were certainly not frivolous and actually quite important.

Consider that Barack Obama is running for the highest office in the land on a very short political record. He has been a United States Senator for just three years. Prior to that he was a State Senator in Illinois. His political record is short and his voting record appears carefully designed with a future campaign for a high office in mind.

In announcing the reason for his candidacy for the Presidency, Barack Obama said: “What’s stopped us is the failure of leadership, the smallness of our politics, the ease with which we’re distracted by the petty and trivial, our chronic avoidance of tough decisions”. His oratory sounds wonderful until one examines his actual record as an Illinois State Senator. That record indicates that he voted “present,” (effectively sidestepping many important issues) nearly 130 times. It is a political voting record that gives little insight into today‘s presidential candidate. It is also a voting record that is in conflict with the words of the man.

As a result, in the minds of the voters, there are really two distinct Presidential candidates named Barack Obama. Which of the two is the actual candidate is the biggest question the voters must answer between now and election day. The fact is that the Barack Obama who cannot win is the candidate who secretly agrees with the diatribes of his pastor, Jeremiah Wright. He also supports Louis Farrakhan, William Ayers, and other extreme activists of the American left. The Barack Obama who cannot win is the candidate that makes elitist comments about small town America and its guns and religion. The Barack Obama who cannot win is the candidate that continues to backpedal and apologize for gaffes and communication errors.

However, the Barack Obama who can win the 2008 Presidential election is the candidate who uses his considerable communication skills to unite the nation. Also, he must be a candidate who transcends partisan politics and wants real reform in Washington, D.C. He would learn quickly from his limited experience and cannot vote “present” on the major issues of the day. He may not be an elitist, but should be the candidate who has shown great skill in the management of his heretofore successful Presidential campaign.

Is Barack Obama a unique, thoughtful politician who can transcend party politics and use his considerable oratory skill to lead the country and reform Washington DC.? Or is Barack Obama a far left of center, elitist candidate who secretly admires the dubious diatribes of his radical pastor, and who condones the actions of a violent underground leader of America’s past?

Historically, American political reality concludes that the former Barack Obama can win the 2008 Presidential election, while the latter Barack Obama simply cannot. It certainly would be a lot easier for the voters during the next several months if the real Barack Obama finally stood up.



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Aaron Cohen asked:


Yeshiyah Amariel, a recognized Orthodox Jew of Hispanic (Cherokee) American descent, is all about Torah, unity and support for Israel.  His slender form, Chassidic styled black suit, black hat, and dark skin to match would give the first impression that he was a Black Hebrew or Ethiopian Jew, but there is much more to him than meets the eye.  He is a contributor to AIPAC, member of United Jewish Communities, and has also lived in Israel for several years as a volunteer for an Israeli archaeologist, the Nature and Park Authority and other worthy causes.  He has been involved in translations of artifacts and excavations of Tel Arad, which is considered the only archaeologically discovered “BYT-YHWH” in Israel, and received recommendations from colleagues to attend any university in the country to become an archaeologist.  He is also currently studying to take exams to receive semicha from the Chief rabbinic’s office in Israel. 

Amariel’s family are among the Native American tribes that many historical figures, such as the 1800s Jew Mordecai Noah, regarded as brothers to the Jewish people and a lost tribe of Israel.  In 2005 Yeshiyah’s father was published in a Jerusalem Post article by Sheera Frenkel that traced their family’s Jewish links through Cherokee roots and also spoke concerning his translation of the ancient Hebrew Tanakh into English (referred to as the first of its kind).  Howshua Amariel (Yeshiyah’s father) is also a rabbi who sits on a Torah-based judicial committee of black Jews with Rabbi Capers C. Funnye Jr., cousin of Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (Senator Barack Obama’s wife).

In our interview, Yeshiyah Amariel claimed that his grandfather knew Senator Obama back when he was originally running for the Illinois State senate.  Amariel added “My grandfather told us that we should support Obama because he has good intentions.  And given Obama’s record of support toward Israel since he has been in the US Senate, I was inclined to agree with my grandfather.”  “From my work, I have received letters of recommendations from Rabbis, Jewish community leaders, and Orthodox Israeli Jews in support of my goals to become an official rabbi in the State; but it wasn’t easy” said Amariel, stating that it took years for them to know that he was sincere in his objectives.  He imagined that the same would be for Obama and decided to offer his assistance.  So Amariel called the Obama Headquarters in Chicago and volunteered directly with officials and offered his aid to anything he and other supporters in Israel could give.  “When we called the operators were excited to hear from Americans calling from Israel to volunteer for the movement for change.”  “From then I got in contact with Obama’s Mid-East and Jewish advisor Eric Lynn and let him know that we were starting this ‘campaign’ in Israel to support Obama.  I also urged him that Obama should consider a visit to Israel and if he did we would be there to show our support.”

On the political scene, Amariel is a member of Democrats Abroad in Israel, and the lead manager and strategist for the “Israel for Obama” campaign started in Israel.  His group of American Israelis helped comfort Jews and Israelis to the idea of an Obama presidency and organize Americans living in Israel to vote for Barack Obama.  One of the members of the group Samson Altman-Schevitz also lived in Chicago and knew Michelle Obama when she served as the Associate Dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago.  They have a blog on Obama’s official page, but beside that Yeshiyah is also a member of other pro-Obama Jewish groups in the United States like Orthodox Jews for Obama and Jews for Obama (whom have supported their efforts in Israel).  After Senator Obama’s visit to Israel, Yeshiyah and his group have received letters of cooperation with DA Israel chair Joanne Yaron and DNC supported Middle-East regional director Bob Barad in Italy.

Amariel also has written and received at least two letters from the Senator concerning his positions on Iran (Sanction bills passed), Israel (his commit to their continued aid) and the Palestinian conflict (to abstain from additional fighting that could prevent the peace process).   Yeshiyah hopes to provide the Israeli people with a direct link to the Illinois senator to better understand his positions when concerning Israel and the Jewish people.  He also wants to establish this connection for average Israelis to express their views from the grassroots.

“We interview American Israelis all over Israel” stated Amariel as he referred to their ‘IsraelforObama’ YouTube Channel.  “…the number one reason why most Jews we talk to have a good opinion of Obama is because of the idea of unity within his campaign’s message.  Some believe that kind of idea of harmony may be what the Middle East could use to become peaceful.  I believe it’s what should be used to bring Jews together around our common goals.”

 

Sources:

Barack Obama Israel for Obama blog [http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/IsraelforObama]

American’s Election HQ; Wednesday, July 23, 2008; “Obama Calls for ‘Lasting Peace’ in Israel, Warns of Iranian Threat” by FOXNews.com.   [http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/07/23/obama-defends-israels-right-to-self-defense-says-hell-work-for-peace/]

TIME Magazine; Wednesday, Jul. 23, 2008 “Obama Tours Holocaust Memorial” By AP/DAVID ESPO [http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1825777,00.html]

Barack Obama  Orthodox Jews For BO group [http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/OrthodoxJewsForBO]

The Philadelphia Jewish Voice- Democrats Abroad Israel; Bridging the Gap between Israel and America Israeli-Americans: The Hyphenated Citizens. [http://www.pjvoice.com/v31/31200groups.aspx]

Democrats Abroad Israel  [http://www.democratsabroad.org/group/israel-jerusalem-area]

 



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Ocüpado asked:


During the election, Politics talks about the election, but so does the Election section. After the election, Politics goes back to regular politics, but so does the Election section.

I don’t get it.

Bonus Question: Why do you prefer hanging out here as opposed to the Politics section?

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ufvutkfuvyuvu asked:


or passionate, in a non-horny sort of way.

I try to care, like other people do,
but almost everything in politics is so much bigger then me.

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Anthony asked:


Note that I do not ask about ALL answers, I only ask how you perceive answerers to YOUR OWN questions.

I would not give you my own estimate when in Y!A politics, but in science sections I think that about 80% of answerers to my questions know what they are talking about.

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Eric R asked:


Or do you pay attention to politics each and every day, from the local govt, all the way to the White House?

Do you pay attention to worldwide politics as well?

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LJ’s Back! asked:


Obama says he is different, a new type of politician. So, what’s so new about him? Is his foreign policy views different than past democrats? Are his views on gay marriage, abortion, and school vouchers different than past democrats? Are his views on energy independence, taxes, and the economy different than past democrats? Is he more patriotic than past Democrats? Does he refuse to throw race into the election, unlike past Democrats? What makes him so unique and so different than a Jimmy Carter or a Walter Mondale? What makes him different from a John Kerry or a Michael Dukakis?

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