Obama's Expanded War And Deficit

From the tomdispatch: 

"...In this period, al-Qaeda, a small-scale organization capable of immodest terror acts every couple of years and, despite the fantasies of Homeland and Fox News, without a sleeper cell in the United States, managed, with Washington’s help, to turn itself into a global franchise.  The more the Bush and Obama administrations went after it, the more al-Qaeda wannabe organizations sprang up across the Greater Middle East and north Africa like mushrooms after a soaking rain. 

It's not just Fox News. The President and the VP have repeatedly said "al-Qaeda is on the run." Not to miss a chance to defend their all-knowing leader the sycophants on liberal/progressive publications all too happily accepted this assertion as well. In fact, conservative outlets have been talking about the reality that al-Queda has not been defeated. So I argue he has it backwards here.


"...Since September 11, 2001, U.S. Special Operations forces have grown in every conceivable way, from their numbers to their budget.  Most telling, however, has been the exponential rise in special ops deployments globally.  This presence -- now, in nearly 70% of the world’s nations -- provides new evidence of the size and scope of a secret war being waged from Latin America to the backlands of Afghanistan, from training missions with African allies to information operations launched in cyberspace. 

In the waning days of the Bush presidency, Special Operations forces were reportedly deployed in about 60 countries around the world.  By 2010, that number had swelled to 75, according to Karen DeYoung and Greg Jaffe of the Washington Post.  In 2011, Special Operations Command (SOCOM) spokesman Colonel Tim Nye told TomDispatch that the total would reach 120.  Today, that figure has risen higher still. "

This makes magnificent mockery of the claim by the left that Obama is "cleaning up Bush's wars.' As you can see plainly he expanded the wars - including his non-Congressional approval of his attack on Libya and blustering talk on Syria before Russia pulled the rug from under Obama by playing peace-maker.

Just like the silly assertion the deficit has been 'receding.' Even though Obama increased spending at a more rapid pace than any President in history. The economy, foreign policy and the military are areas one can argue Obama has failed miserably.

Let's be clear here as I go on a small digression about the U.S. deficit. Obamacare will not save money and will add to the debt as it serves a tax to the middle class. All Obamacare does, once you wade through all the complex arguments, massive exemptions and exceptions rendering the law meek and laughable, is shift money from one pot and into another while calling it 'savings.'

It's similar to if you shift $500 from your line of credit to pay for your VISA. It's not a savings nor are you paying down debt. You may be saving on interest in this scenario but you still owe the bank $500. With the "savings" on interest you just made you go out and buy a toy.

"Although elected in 2008 by many who saw him as an antiwar candidate, President Obama has proved to be a decidedly hawkish commander-in-chief whose policies have already produced notable instances of what in CIA trade-speak has long been called blowback.  While the Obama administration oversaw a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq (negotiated by his predecessor), as well as a drawdown of U.S. forces in Afghanistan (after a major military surge in that country), the president has presided over a ramping up of the U.S. military presence in Africa, a reinvigoration of efforts in Latin America, and tough talk about a rebalancing or “pivot to Asia” (even if it has amounted to little as of yet). 

The White House has also overseen an exponential expansion of America’s drone war.  While President Bush launched 51 such strikes, President Obama has presided over 330, according to research by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism.  Last year, alone, the U.S. also engaged in combat operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Pakistan, Somalia, and Yemen.  Recent revelations from National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden have demonstrated the tremendous breadth and global reach of U.S. electronic surveillance during the Obama years.  And deep in the shadows, Special Operations forces are now annually deployed to more than double the number of nations as at the end of Bush’s tenure."

Obama is simply not what he seems on many levels. When he says his door is open or is ready to pick up the phone, it's quite possible he means the opposite is my hunch.

Aside from that, all this also reveals the strawman and even tu quoque tactic of blaming Bush is a cynical attempt to deflect blame from an administration set adrift.