Afghanistan Front News

MOD: Has announced the name of the British Soldier that was killed on Tuesday in Afghanistan, the Soldier was “ Private Martin Simon George Bell from 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment ”. Our thoughts are with the family of Private Bell.

The Left and the State of the Union Speech

Guardian: A article in praise of the Obama’s State of the Union Speech but you really see the truth with the following lines, “ ( Obama’s) going to have to draw those lines in the sand some time. In this speech, he merely put that task off for another day. ”. In other words folks the left was not jumping with joy about the speech, as POTUS gives the impression of moving to the middle, and the word is impression, the Speech does recall the Big Government of LBJ. The Republican House will not pass anything that smells of another economic stimulus, the Republicans at end of day have the money strings, the new House members know that if they are seen to cave to Obama they will be looking for a new job in 2012. Thus expect the Obama White House to give the IMPRESSION that it is moving to the centre but it will face with a reality of a Republican House will that keep ObamaCare on the air, there will be hearings, the US voter does not want BIG GOVERNMENT. Overall the speech gets a D+ for performance but F- for content, this was a missed opportunity by POTUS to move to the centre, poll ratings can go up and down!

Egypt the next IRAN = 1979?

The Obama White House is getting worried by the protests in Egypt, the Obama Administration can not afford for Egypt to go the way of Iran, or be under the influence of Iran, the White House has stated the following on the recent protests, “ As we monitor the situation in Egypt, we urge all parties to refrain from using violence, and expect the Egyptian authorities to respond to any protests peacefully. We support the universal rights of the Egyptian people, including the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. The Egyptian government has an important opportunity to be responsive to the aspirations of the Egyptian people, and pursue political, economic and social reforms that can improve their lives and help Egypt prosper. The United States is committed to working with Egypt and the Egyptian people to advance these goals. ” This logic does recall the flawed policy of Jimmy Carter, thinking that a change of Government in Tehran could be managed, Egypt can not allowed to be become another Iran due to flawed understanding of a US President. But to be fair to President Obama, he does restate the words of Bush 43 and Reagan when it comes to freedom, the statement states the following, “ More broadly, what is happening in the region reminds us that, as the President said in Cairo, we have an unyielding belief that all people yearn for certain things: the ability to speak your mind and have a say in how you are governed; confidence in the rule of law and the equal administration of justice; government that is transparent and free of corruption; and the freedom to live as you choose – these are human rights and we support them everywhere. ”. Lets hope the above statement does not come back to haunt the Obama Administration, Jimmy Carter was a bright President but he was lost when it came to foreign policy, hence the hostages held in Iran and the invasion of Afghanistan by the USSR. Lets hope Obama is not another Carter.

Obama’s State of the Union Address - Foreign Policy

When it came to Foreign Policy it was short and not much on detail, here is an ironic comment if you think about the problem that Obama is having in bringing terrorists to trial, “ And America’s moral example must always shine for all who yearn for freedom and justice and dignity. ” Lets be clear some of the terrorists that the US holds will never be released, some will never see a Court, the US intelligence networks have made it clear that some of these individuals are a major threat to the US security but due to the structure of trials they will never get their day in Court and can never be freed. The President stated the following on Iraq, “ Look to Iraq, where nearly 100,000 of our brave men and women have left with their heads held high. …..American combat patrols have ended, violence is down, and a new government has been formed. This year, our civilians will forge a lasting partnership with the Iraqi people, while we finish the job of bringing our troops out of Iraq. America’s commitment has been kept. The Iraq war is coming to an end. ”. Only a fool would leave Iraq after the costs in the lives of US and UK Armed Forces Personnel, if the US follows through with its plan to leave in 2011 it is handing Iraq over to Iran, does it want Iran with its powerful army and aims to be a nuclear power in control of Iraq. President Obama should recall the cost of Iran to Jimmy Carter. On Afghanistan, it snow Obama’s War, the President stated the following, “ We’ve also taken the fight to al Qaeda and their allies abroad. In Afghanistan, our troops have taken Taliban strongholds and trained Afghan security forces. Our purpose is clear: By preventing the Taliban from reestablishing a stranglehold over the Afghan people, we will deny al Qaeda the safe haven that served as a launching pad for 9/11. Thanks to our heroic troops and civilians, fewer Afghans are under the control of the insurgency. There will be tough fighting ahead, and the Afghan government will need to deliver better governance. But we are strengthening the capacity of the Afghan people and building an enduring partnership with them. This year, we will work with nearly 50 countries to begin a transition to an Afghan lead. And this July, we will begin to bring our troops home. ” God this sounds like LBJ and the Vietnam War, no one person with an ounce of understanding of history thinks the Afghanistan War is going well, its not, it never will, but the US is struck in Afghanistan due to Pakistan, its weak nuclear armed neighbour. On Pakistan President Obama stated the following, “ In Pakistan, al Qaeda’s leadership is under more pressure than at any point since 2001. Their leaders and operatives are being removed from the battlefield. Their safe havens are shrinking. And we’ve sent a message from the Afghan border to the Arabian Peninsula to all parts of the globe: We will not relent, we will not waver, and we will defeat you. ” It has been reported that Tony Blair wished he had read history at University, well Obama should have dropped out of Harvard Law and read some British Imperial History, the above statement would not have been uttered by someone with a brief knowledge of politics and history of the region. Thus folks a D- for POTUS when it comes to foreign policy in the State of Union, if your Iran, North Korea, the terrorists you will see Obama as weak and easy to roll, never a good image for a President running for re-election.
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　
　

The State of the Union Address - Live Commentary

Guardian: Read the latest from the State of the Union Address. ( UK)

The New York Times: Read how the LIBERAL New York Times views Obama's Speech. (US)

State of the Union Address - You Decide

Guardian: Read President Obama’s State of the Union Address, it has been released by the White House. As for quick read, its over long, to stressing of Big Government, does Obama thinks he is LBJ and this is the time of the Great Society of the 1960s. It will be interesting to see how the Republicans react to a majority of the speech, the Foreign Policy aspect is short on Iraq, Afghanistan and more important Iran. This just might have been a missed opportunity by President Obama.