Author Topic: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect  (Read 721 times)

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Offline ms

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foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« on: December 13, 2008, 01:54:49 AM »


 
By ELISABETH BUMILLER
Published: December 13, 2008
MANAMA, Bahrain — Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned Saturday that foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect Barack Obama with a crisis in his first months in office and that Mr. Obama remained committed to the security of the Persian Gulf and American interests in the region.

Mr. Gates, speaking at a conference on regional security here, said that Mr. Obama and his advisers had done more extensive planning across the government for the transition than at any time he could remember and asserted that they would therefore be prepared from day one. Mr. Gates, who is staying on as Defense secretary, has worked for seven presidents. Mr. Obama will be his eighth.

After leaving Bahrain, Mr. Gates made an unannounced visit to Iraq, The Associated Press reported.

“So anyone who thought that the upcoming months might present opportunities to ‘test’ the new president would be sorely mistaken,” Mr. Gates said at the conference. “President Obama and his national security team, myself included, will be ready to defend the interests of the United States and our friends and allies from the moment he takes office on January 20.”

Mr. Gates was alluding to remarks made in the final days of this year’s presidential campaign by Mr. Obama’s running mate, Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr., Democrat of Delaware, who told supporters at a Seattle fundraiser in October that the world’s leaders would test Mr. Obama’s mettle as a young president, just as they did John F. Kennedy. Mr. Obama’s Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, pounced on the remark and opened a new line of criticism from Republicans that Mr. Obama was not ready for the presidency.

Mr. Gates, who did not mention President Bush in his address, told the delegates at the conference that he was bringing from Mr. Obama “a message of continuity and commitment to our friends and partners in the region.” He also told them to put the heated rhetoric of the presidential campaign aside.

“Though the American political process is at times tumultuous, and our open and vigorous debates might seem to indicate deep divisions, I can assure you that a change in administration does not alter our fundamental interests, especially in the Middle East,” Mr. Gates said. “Throughout my career in government, which began over 42 years ago, the security of the Gulf has been a central concern of every administration for which I have worked.”

In response to questions from audience members after his formal remarks, Mr. Gates said that although the Pentagon would be sending thousands of additional troops to Afghanistan over the next months, he was ultimately worried about the size of the American footprint on Afghan soil. The United States plans to add some 20,000 troops in Afghanistan in 2009.

“I am more mindful than most that with 120,000 troops the Soviets still lost, because they never had the support of the Afghan people,” Mr. Gates said, adding that “I think that after we complete these troop increases that we’re talking about, we ought to think long and hard about how many more go in.”


Offline Questor

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #1 on: December 13, 2008, 03:04:46 AM »
If I were the head of a foreign power trying to improve my country's stature in the world, I'd do a bit of testing. I'd at least ask for increased US foreign aid by concocting a good sales pitch. 
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Online magooch

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #2 on: December 13, 2008, 03:16:32 AM »
Okay, when is it going to be all right to start calling Osama a war monger, war criminal, invader, Hitleresk and all the other things that the Dumocrats called George Bush?

I'm not criticizing Sec. Gates, but al Qaeda will probably take his warning as a challenge and it shouldn't be a surprize if we get hit.  Again, the question then will be, would it be fair to say that the halfrican (Osama Hussein Obamanation) planned it? 
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Offline bilmac

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #3 on: December 13, 2008, 03:32:33 AM »
My momma used to say that Democrats always got us into wars. Being perceived by your enemies as weak is a good way to do that. Wash my mouth out with soap, but I almost hope we get into one to keep the Dems distracted from destroying the country from within.

Online magooch

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2008, 04:08:04 AM »
Good point, but don't count on it.  Dumbycrats have their agenda and will not be distacted from it by anything short of complete and utter disaster.
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Offline bilmac

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2008, 04:17:02 AM »
May be that a war would distract the people and give the Dems excuses for abusing the Constitution. They do best when the alphabet soup media stirs up some disaster for them to "solve" I kind of see a pattern developing.

Offline Troyboy

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2008, 08:54:45 AM »
Democrat this that and the other. Republican bla bla bla........ There all out get money and power. Wake up and smell the facts. You really need to vote on the man and what he stands for. Now is the time to change a us against them mindset and think about what is best for AMERICA
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Offline jcn59

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #7 on: December 13, 2008, 10:02:14 AM »
It doesn't set well with me to be called to task and told that we better think about what is "best for America", (you probably meant to say United States).  Among the reasons we distrust democrats is their demonstrated lack of respect for the constitution, particularly the 1a. & 2a..     We haven't forgotten that one of the reasons the 2a. was written was to allow us some means of protecting ourselves from OUR government. 

p.s.  we DO vote on the man and that's why WE didn't elect another Chicago/Illinois crook.  Maybe you did. 
Vote them all out, EVERY election!
 
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Offline myronman3

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #8 on: December 13, 2008, 12:05:22 PM »
here is what is going to happen....obama will not be able to keep the promises he made to the far  left and they will be enraged.  if you think they went after bush hard, wait to see what they are going to throw at this guy when they realize he aint going to do what he promised.   all you people that hate him should sit back, because i think it is going to be one helluva show.  watch the left eat their own.   
   as for myself, i am going to be skeptical, but fair.   

Offline ms

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2008, 12:29:53 PM »
here is what is going to happen....obama will not be able to keep the promises he made to the far  left and they will be enraged.  if you think they went after bush hard, wait to see what they are going to throw at this guy when they realize he aint going to do what he promised.   all you people that hate him should sit back, because i think it is going to be one helluva show.  watch the left eat their own.   
   as for myself, i am going to be skeptical, but fair.   
It ain't going to happen he's black.

Offline myronman3

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2008, 02:02:35 PM »
oh that fact will just make it that much nastier.   names like uncle tom, house ******, and other various gems will be hurled at him when the black community does not get their way.  mark my words.   

Offline CannonKrazy

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2008, 03:35:07 PM »
oh that act will just make it that much nastier.   names like uncle tom, house ******, and other various gems will be hurled at him when the black community does not get their way.  mark my words.   



I think this will happen also but it's going to be a long time coming. To many promises and not enough resources to go around.

Offline myronman3

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2008, 04:43:24 PM »
the funny thing is that if he does a horrible job, they will love him.  now if he does a good job,  they will demonize and hate him. 

Offline Troyboy

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #13 on: December 14, 2008, 03:25:53 AM »
It doesn't set well with me to be called to task and told that we better think about what is "best for America", (you probably meant to say United States).  Among the reasons we distrust democrats is their demonstrated lack of respect for the constitution, particularly the 1a. & 2a..     We haven't forgotten that one of the reasons the 2a. was written was to allow us some means of protecting ourselves from OUR government. 

p.s.  we DO vote on the man and that's why WE didn't elect another Chicago/Illinois crook.  Maybe you did. 
Evidently you havn't read my posts before the elections. Just a little info for ya

                                All Politicians are corrupt
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Offline jcn59

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #14 on: December 14, 2008, 05:18:57 AM »
You're absolutely right, Troy.

It was interesting to me to see the news yesterday to see the rioting in the streets in Kenya and I think the other place was Greece (?).  I haven't seen rioting here in the USA since the 60s & 70s.  Plundering for personal gain, yes, in the big cities when the power goes out, but that's different than rioting, isn't it?

Anyways, I'm surprised we haven't seen rioting (unlawful assembly ?) here despite the display of crooked politics and corporate execs robbing their stockholders in recent years.  I wonder how long before the victims  of crooked politics and CEOs (that would be us)  take part in a more effective, in-your-face type of protest?

In the Vietnam era we learned that government ignored peaceful protest and written dissent,  and the only way to get their attention & cooperation was to do something unpleasant.    Yes, I still write to my congressmen, fat lot of good that does, and they write back:  "thank you for contacting me, blah, blah, blah."  Then they do what they want for their personal gain, all this personified by that Blagojavich s.o.b..   Maybe these guys need another wake up call like Nixon and others got in the 70s.  Or maybe there's no limit on what they can inflict on the sheeple.  We'll see.
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Offline Heather

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Re: foreign powers should not try to “test” President-elect
« Reply #15 on: December 14, 2008, 05:19:27 AM »
The media attempting to reinforce to the world that they shouldn't try to test Obama is just asking the world to test him.  It is kind of like telling a kid they can't have any candy in the store before you go in.  You say it and make them want it and then they pitch a fit, whereas if you hadn't said anything candy wouldn't have even crossed their mind.  The world knows that any country is weakened during a transition of power, so why announce it and taunt others to take advantage of this fact.

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