Congratulations Mr Obama!
- Thread starter ricardo9000
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People in general are really energized here in the US of A, after last night's results. The end of McCain came last night when Pennsylvania voted for Obama, it was down hill for the REDS from there. The Barack acceptance speech was somber (no effing balloons, no fireworks..) the citizens of the US os A know that the healing has began...YES,we can, is the new mantra. And boy, is it great to be in the middle of this all! The experience is something.
The most important thing is people came out to vote.
Unless you are a member of a minority group, this statement will not probably mean a whole lot to you but....we (minority) finally have the audacity to hope (for things to get better).
And next year when US of A celebrates the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth (and for all his accomplishments), it will be a senator from Illinois that is seated at the White House, imagine that!
And now the parlor games in Washington begins....
The most important thing is people came out to vote.
Unless you are a member of a minority group, this statement will not probably mean a whole lot to you but....we (minority) finally have the audacity to hope (for things to get better).
And next year when US of A celebrates the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth (and for all his accomplishments), it will be a senator from Illinois that is seated at the White House, imagine that!
And now the parlor games in Washington begins....
Smartypants
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I hope that all the millions of Obama people dont get violently pissed off if the change in the US, is for the worse not for the better, but I guess he can always just blame it on Bush 
perry
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As much as it is good to have a change of government it it strange how this has panned out . I do not support George Bush in any way and have found him to be the most divisive political leader of the modern times.
Watching the congratulation speeches of McCain and Geoge Bush they seemed to be gushing in their congratulations which seems to be out of character for the both of them.
Also am I the only one who believes that it was strange that the Republicans presented such lacklustre canditates as MCCain and Sarah Pallin to win this vital election for the Republicans.
There is a lot more than meets the eye here and my philoshophy is to be deeply cynical
Watching the congratulation speeches of McCain and Geoge Bush they seemed to be gushing in their congratulations which seems to be out of character for the both of them.
Also am I the only one who believes that it was strange that the Republicans presented such lacklustre canditates as MCCain and Sarah Pallin to win this vital election for the Republicans.
There is a lot more than meets the eye here and my philoshophy is to be deeply cynical
ricardo9000 said:
Yes Sir, congratulations on your new elected position as Pres Elect USA.
You made a lot of promises, many which you will be unable to fulfill, however I am only interested in 3 of those which are:
1/ Iran and a U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq: 1st promise;
Mr. Obama you have promised to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq, and you stated you do not intend to leave any residual force. However you forgot the Iranians. If you follow this course you will open the door for the Iranians.
Iran’s primary national security interest is containing or dominating Iraq, with which Iran fought a long war. If the United States remains in Iraq, the Iranians will be forced to accept a neutral government in Iraq. A U.S. withdrawal will pave the way for the Iranians to use Iraqi proxies to create, at a minimum, an Iraqi government more heavily influenced by Iran.
Apart from upsetting Sunni and Kurdish allies of the United States in Iraq, the Iranian ascendancy in Iraq will disturb some major American allies — particularly the Saudis, who fear Iranian power. The United States can’t afford a scenario under which Iranian power is projected into the Saudi oil fields. While that might be an unlikely scenario, it carries catastrophic consequences. The Jordanians and possibly the Turks, also American allies, will pressure Mr. Obama not simply to withdraw. And, of course, the Israelis will want the United States to remain in place to block Iranian expansion. Resisting a coalition of Saudis and Israelis will not be easy.
This will be the point where ? Mr. Obama’s pledge to talk to the Iranians will become crucial. If he simply withdraws from Iraq without a solid understanding with Iran, the entire American coalition in the region will come apart. Mr. Obama has pledged to build coalitions, something that will be difficult in the Middle East if he withdraws from Iraq without ironclad Iranian guarantees. He therefore will talk to the Iranians. But what can Obama offer the Iranians that would induce them to forego their primary national security interest? It is difficult to imagine a U.S.-Iranian deal that is both mutually beneficial and enforceable.
Mr. Obama will then be forced to make a decision. He can withdraw from Iraq and suffer the geopolitical consequences while coming under fire from the substantial political right in the United States that he needs at least in part to bring into his coalition. Or, he can retain some force in Iraq, thereby disappointing his supporters. If he is clumsy, he could wind up under attack from the right for negotiating with the Iranians and from his own supporters for not withdrawing all U.S. forces from Iraq. His skills in foreign policy and domestic politics will be tested on this core question, and he undoubtedly will disappoint many.
The Afghan Dilemma: 2nd promise;
Mr. Obama will also need to address Afghanistan next. He has said that this is the real war, and that he will ask U.S. allies to join him in the effort. This means he will go to the Europeans and NATO, as he has said he will do. The Europeans are delighted with Obama’s victory because they feel Obama will consult them and stop making demands of them. But demands are precisely what he will bring the Europeans. In particular, he will want the Europeans to provide more forces for Afghanistan.
Many European countries will be inclined to provide some support, if for no other reason than to show that they are prepared to work with Mr. Obama. But European public opinion is not about to support a major deployment in Afghanistan, and the Europeans don’t have the force to deploy there anyway. In fact, as the global financial crisis begins to have a more dire impact in Europe than in the United States, many European countries are actively reducing their deployments in Afghanistan to save money. Expanding operations is the last thing on European minds.
Mr. Obama’s Afghan solution of building a coalition centered on the Europeans will thus meet a divided Europe with little inclination to send troops and with few troops to send in any event. That will force him into a confrontation with the Europeans in spring 2009, and then into a decision. The United States and its allies collectively lack the force to stabilize Afghanistan and defeat the Taliban. They certainly lack the force to make a significant move into Pakistan — something Mr. Obama has floated on several occasions that might be a good idea if force were in fact available.
He will have to make a hard decision on Afghanistan. Mr.Obama can continue the war as it is currently being fought, without hope of anything but a long holding action, but this risks defining his presidency around a hopeless war. He can choose to withdraw, in effect reinstating the Taliban, going back on his commitment and drawing heavy fire from the right. Or he can do what we have suggested is the inevitable outcome, namely, negotiate — and reach a political accord — with the Taliban. Unlike Bush, however, withdrawal or negotiation with the Taliban will increase the pressure on Mr. Obama from the right. And if this is coupled with a decision to delay withdrawal from Iraq, ?Mr. Mr Obama’s own supporters will become restive. His 52 percent Election Day support could deteriorate with remarkable speed.
The Russian Question: 3rd promise;
At the same time, Mr.Obama will face the Russian question.
The morning after Mr. Obama was election, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced that Russia was deploying missiles in its European exclave of Kaliningrad in response to the U.S. deployment of ballistic missile defense systems in Poland. Mr. Obama opposed the Russians on their August intervention in Georgia, but he has never enunciated a clear Russia policy. We expect Ukraine will have shifted its political alignment toward Russia, and Moscow will be rapidly moving to create a sphere of influence before Obama can bring his attention — and U.S. power — to bear.
So I am waiting patiently for you to act.