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Opening Arguments

So, who's shocked?

I was taken to task recently by an acquaintance for saying I find listening to President Obama pointless since I don't believe a single thing he says. I now await an apology:

Barack Obama misled Americans for his own political benefit when he claimed in the 2008 election to oppose same sex marriage for religious reasons, his former political strategist David Axelrod writes in a new book, Believer: My Forty Years in Politics.

“I’m just not very good at bullshitting,” Obama told Axelrod, after an event where he stated his opposition to same-sex marriage, according to the book.

Axelrod writes that he knew Obama was in favor of same-sex marriages during the first presidential campaign, even Obama publicly said he only supported civil unions, not full marriages. Axelrod also admits to counseling Obama to conceal that position for political reasons. “Opposition to gay marriage was particularly strong in the black church, and as he ran for higher office, he grudgingly accepted the counsel of more pragmatic folks like me, and modified his position to support civil unions rather than marriage, which he would term a ‘sacred union,’ ” Axelrod writes.

[. . .]

As a state senate candidate in 1996, Obama filled out a questionnaire saying “I favor legalizing same-sex marriages, and would fight efforts to prohibit such marriages.” But 12 years later as a candidate for president, Obama told Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church that marriage could only extend to heterosexual couples. “I believe that marriage is the union between a man and a woman,” Obama said at the time. “Now, for me as a Christian — for me — for me as a Christian, it is also a sacred union. God’s in the mix.”

After two years in office, Obama began telling reporters he was “evolving” on the issue, and supported the repeal of the Clinton-era Defense of Marriage Act.

Yes, yes, I know, most politicians do these sorts of things -- it's the nature of the beast that they will say whatever it takes to get them from one opinion poll to the next. So letting Obama's deception evolution get to me is merely an indication of my own political prejudice. Feel free to insert "Bush lied, people died" in here.

But he's just so damn smug when he throws out his whoppers. "I'm just not very good at bullshitting." Oh, please.

Comments

Joe
Fri, 02/13/2015 - 6:55pm
09/18/2002,  Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense (before Congress) “We do know that the Iraqi regime has chemical and biological weapons. His regime has amassed large, clandestine stockpiles of chemical weapons — including VX, sarin, cyclosarin and mustard gas. … His regime has amassed large, clandestine stockpiles of biological weapons—including anthrax and botulism toxin, and possibly smallpox.” (presentation to Congress) 10/7/2002, George W. Bush, President “The Iraqi regime . . . possesses and produces chemical and biological weapons. It is seeking nuclear weapons. We know that the regime has produced thousands of tons of chemical agents, including mustard gas, sarin nerve gas, VX nerve gas.” 11/14/2002, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense “I’m glad you asked. It has nothing to do with oil, literally nothing to do with oil.” 11/15/2002, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense “Five days or five months, but it certainly isn’t going to last longer.” 01/10/2003, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense “… something under $50 billion for the cost. How much of that would be the U.S. burden, and how much would be other countries, is an open question.” 02/08/2003, George W. Bush, President “We also know that Iraq is harboring a terrorist network headed by a senior al Qaeda terrorist planner. This network runs a poison and explosive training camp in northeast Iraq, and many of its leaders are known to be in Baghdad.” 03/16/2003, Dick Cheney, Vice President “My belief is we will, in fact, be greeted as liberators. . . . I think it will go relatively quickly, . . . [in] weeks rather than months.” 03 / 19 / 2003.  Start of Iraq War 03/22/2003, General Tommy Franks “There is no doubt that the regime of Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction. As this operation continues, those weapons will be identified, found, along with the people who have produced them and who guard them.”  03/27/2003, Paul Wolfowitz, Deputy Defense Secretary “There’s a lot of money to pay for this … the oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years…We’re dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.” 03/30/2003, Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense “We know where they are [Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction]. They’re in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.”   Lets not forget the monetary cost of the war.   Iraq War Statistics Data Total amount of approved taxpayer spending on the Iraq War through 2011 $1 Trillion Total amount of money lost or unaccounted for from the Iraq War $9 billion Total amount of money lost in unaccounted for or stolen equipment $549.7 million Total amount of U.S. taxpayer dollars earmarked for the reconstruction of Iraq $6.6 billion Total amount of Halliburton overcharges classified by the Pentagon as Unreasonable and Unsupported $1.4 billion Total number of bombs dropped on Iraq during the Shock and Awe Campaign 4,845 Total amount of monthly spending during 2009 on the Iraq War $7.3 billion Total amount of U.S. spent monthly on Iraq War in 2008 $12 billion   The above the GOP says we can afford but money for schools, food and heating assistance to our less fortunate citizins, fixing our roads or keeping promises made to Social Security is a budget buster. But most importantly, lets never forget the lies that led to 4489 servicemen and women's uncalled for deaths.

 

Rebecca Mallory
Mon, 02/16/2015 - 12:25pm

Joe, let's add to your list:

 

1) "It is clear, however, if left unchecked Saddam Hussein will increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons."  Hillary Rodham Clinton, 10/10/2000

 

2)"I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to this country."  John Kerry 10/9/02

 

3) "We all know that he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country."

  Al Gore 9/3/02

 

4) "We have know for many years Saddam is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." Ted Kennedy 7/2/02

 

5)" He had ignored the mandates of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them" Democrat Senator Carl Levin 9/19/02

 

6) "Saddam Hussein has been in engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to the countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process."

Nance Pelosi  12/16/98

Joe,  you should read Judge Silberman's article in the Wall Street Journal. It might clarify some things for you.

Joe
Mon, 02/16/2015 - 12:44pm

No Becky, you should read my posting in the letters section inder "Why is Brian Williams being flogged publicy", it will clarify a few things for you.

Leo Morris
Mon, 02/16/2015 - 3:34pm

Ah, the tu quoque logic fallacy or, as we like to call it on the editorial page, the "so's your old man" defense. But, of course, the attempt to justify a lie by citing other lies is an acknolwedgement that there has indeed been a lie. We could go back and forth all day citing the lies and hypocrisies the other side while overlooking the ones on our own side. And these days, alas, we probably will.

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