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President Rocky

December 1st, 2009 at 11:54 pm David Frum | 32 Comments |

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Rocky Balboa, you’ll remember, didn’t exactly win the fight. He just survived the 15 rounds – which amounted to the same thing. Equivalently, the president’s message tonight to the Taliban: If you can last 18 months against the United States – you win.

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32 Comments so far ↓

  • ottovbvs // Dec 2, 2009 at 6:21 pm

    balconesfault // Dec 2, 2009 at 6:09 pm

    “And given our current model, Jefferson should have occupied Libya, had the Pasha killed, set up a provisional authority to manage the country, and stayed there as long as it would take to establish a democracy and ensure that no pirate ever found safe haven in that country again.”

    …..Sinz doesn’t like to push the similes too far!

  • MI-GOPer // Dec 2, 2009 at 9:46 pm

    Leave it to the troll tribe to highjack yet another thread and land it in the quagmire of Jeffersonian war strategy…. anything but discuss the errors of Obama’s trying on an ill-fitting but new Warrior in Chief head-dress.

    And people wonder why this site attracts so few conservatives or real GOPers interested in rebuilding the Party and the movement but features thread after thread of circle jerking far Left, democrat activist trolls? Wow.

  • sdspringy // Dec 2, 2009 at 10:51 pm

    Afghan is a no win. Politically this will kill Obama because 18 months will drag to 24 and then it will be 2012. Obama will have assumed the role of Bush, and the lefties, Code Pink, and Cindy Sheehans will be picketing the White House. To survive he will pull out, again playing into the Dem “Cut and Run” persona. Added to cumbling economy, no jobs, no “Cap & Trade”, and quite possible no “Healthreform”, Obama will seem to be a sidewalk preacher proclaiming salvation to a population that is walking past.

    Those who state that this is a 50 year war are correct. We would have to train an entire generation to accept moderate forms of government, not happening.

    As a result of Obama’s lack of spine, or too much mouth during the campaign he has locked himself into a no win situation. More Independents will leave the Dems, for they have not ended the war, and the Reps will win in 2012.

    Would you have thought just 9 months ago Obama would have fallen so far???

  • MR FACE // Dec 2, 2009 at 11:40 pm

    Sdspringy:

    I agree that your scenario above might play out.
    One problem. Who are the Reps going to nominate to run against Obama in 2012? They have no one.

  • sinz54 // Dec 4, 2009 at 11:05 am

    rbottoms: a.) We must never raise taxes by a single nickle to pay for any of it, and b.) While it is Armageddon at our door actually having the well off join the Marines to go fight instead of blogging about their manhood is completely unnecessary.
    Most of the posters on Redstate.com either have served in the military themselves, or have family members who have served.

    As I’ve posted before, America’s officer corps traditionally votes Republican.

    If there’s anybody who wouldn’t be caught dead in today’s military, it’s the affluent liberals of the Northeast and the West Coast.

  • sinz54 // Dec 4, 2009 at 11:08 am

    ottovbs: Sinz….the Taliban have no plans to launch attacks on America any more than Hussein did….and it’s the Taliban we’re fighting….get this clear in your mind because you betray a continuing confusion
    I’m not “confused” about that.

    The Obama Administration correctly regards Afghanistan as a “cork in the bottle” to keep al-Qaeda bottled up inside Pakistan. Allow the Taliban back into power in Afghanistan, and they may uncork the bottle and allow al-Qaeda safe refuge in Afghanistan again.

    The Taliban are religious fanatics, just as much as Osama bin Laden is. I see no way to negotiate any kind of deal with the Taliban against al-Qaeda that will stick. I’m sure Obama looked at that possibility and ended up having to dismiss it.

  • sinz54 // Dec 4, 2009 at 11:22 am

    balconesfault: “And given our current model, Jefferson should have occupied Libya, had the Pasha killed, set up a provisional authority to manage the country, and stayed there as long as it would take to establish a democracy and ensure that no pirate ever found safe haven in that country again.”
    That’s not too different than what Jefferson really did:

    Wikipedia: First Barbary War, 1801-1805:
    Preble attacked Tripoli outright on July 14, 1804 in a series of inconclusive battles, including a courageous but unsuccessful attack by the fire ship USS Intrepid under Captain Richard Somers. Intrepid, packed with explosives, was to enter Tripoli harbor and destroy itself and the enemy fleet; it was destroyed, perhaps by enemy guns, before achieving that goal, killing Somers and his crew.[citation needed]

    The turning point in the war came with the Battle of Derna (April-May 1805). Ex-consul William Eaton, who went by the rank of general, and US Marine First Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon led a mixed force of eight United States Marines and 500 Greek, Arab and Berber mercenaries on a remarkable overland march across the desert from Alexandria, Egypt to assault and to capture the Tripolitan city of Derna. This is the first time in history that the United States flag was raised in victory on foreign soil. This action was memorialized in a line from the Marines’ Hymn — “the shores of Tripoli.”

    Wearied of the blockade and raids, and now under threat of a continued advance on Tripoli proper and a scheme to restore his deposed older brother Hamet Karamanli as ruler, Yussif Karamanli signed a treaty ending hostilities on June 10, 1805.
    The major difference was that Karamanli caved in, making regime change unnecessary.

    Would Saddam have ever caved in similarly? That possibility should have been explored further before we invaded Iraq.

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