He touched on all the topics that he needed to which is all he could do since these types of speeches don't allow candidates to get too far into the weeds due to time constraints. I'm sure the specifics for both candidates will be addressed in the debates.
U.S. Presidential Race: Official Thread
- Thread starter Raoul
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran are here to talk about a frustrating 2 points dropped at Crystal Palace. They then discuss the regeneration of Old Trafford. Finally, Nik is joined by special guest Michael Statham from the Football Oranje podcast - who gives us a more in depth look at our EL opposition FC Twente, and then runs through the (many) Dutch connections currently at United.
He touched on all the topics that he needed to which is all he could do since these types of speeches don't allow candidates to get too far into the weeds due to time constraints. I'm sure the specifics for both candidates will be addressed in the debates.
Does he heck.
He rejected the ''Surge'' of troops in Iraq, the same surge which has gone a long way to improving the situation over there.
The most ridiculously stupid thing he said was that he would go after Osama Bin Laden and get him. Does he not realise that popping over into the tribal areas of Pakistan to capture/kill him would seriously destabilise a country which really does have WMD?
If the fundis get their hands on Pakistan's nuclear arsenal, we'll see ''change'' alright and it certainly won't be pretty.
Probably, still another three months to go i guess [after god knows how many beforehand.
Don't know how the Americans stand such a marathon.
Don't know how the Americans stand such a marathon.
Absolute rubbish. He talked about the Iraq invasion being a distraction, which of course is true.
So we'd have killed/captured Osama Bin laden by now if it wasn't for the invasion of Iraq!?!?
You know the region well so you must be able to accept that going into Pakistan to get Osama would seriously destabilise the country?
True, his stance on the surge was quite an error, and McCain being a proponent from earlier on to his credit.
I suppose it is rather the focus on Afghanistan, the view that it is where the fight should always have been most severely fought and should be where our attention lies today. Ian commentators on Fox News opposing the idea of a similar surge to what was employed in Iraq, being used in Afghanistan.
Your premise is a bit ignorant since there's no need to invade Pakistan to get Bin Ladin. There are many reasons why the Iraq invasion was bad for a America - the irresponsible diversion in resources being at the top of the list, not mention a degradation of international credibility. Therefore yes it was a mistake.
It's going to be interesting to hear what government programs he plans on "fixing" or getting rid of. Government programs are near impossible to kill. And how does he plan to go to the cave to get Osama? Pakistan won't want to hear that. And think his energry plan seemed a bit obvious. Every politician is saying pretty much the same thing. That being said McCain is going to have a very hard time separating himself from Bush and he has to do that. That's a tough task. I'm betting he'll talk a lot about health care (how expensive the Hilary plan is), lack of experience and tax issues.
A very Hardy >
You neo-cons are seeing your final days...
It was a stadium FULL are screaming supporters. I can't remember a political moment that rivals this, in my 43 years.
I can see why you might be weepy.
Tears of joy, tears of joy....
The speech has made me even more confident, if that was possible, of my man coming out victorious.
The need for a surge is a culmination of the Bush administration's political blunders in the previous 4 years of the war. Therefore, to use its success as an anti Obama talking point is off the mark since Obama opposed the very idea of going into Iraq in the first place. In that regard he got it right.
I heard the Dems and press are trashing Denver, hope this costs them the state
Pedant.
Ok, if we send a bomb over to Pakistan to kill him, do you not think that it would seriously destabilise the country?
Too right they won't, neither would most sensible people.
You're once again making assumptions about how we would get Bin Ladin. There are many ways to skin a cat.
OMG, the latest polls are showing that Indiana could be in play (this is prior to the convention so not including any bump Obama gets from it). There is only about a point difference between Obama and McCain. For those who do not know American politics, Indiana is a completely red state so this would be a huge shock if it went blue.
Indiana and Virginia are both in play - both traditionally Republican.
Oh I can't wait to hear what the other ways are.
I'm sure the Bush administration has been overlooking your bright ideas for the past seven years.
Oh I can't wait to hear what the other ways are.
I'm sure the Bush administration has been overlooking your bright ideas for the past seven years.
Well they clearly have since 2003.
Regarding tonight's speech, yeah there was some of the same old rhetoric but some specific promises were made that differentiates him from McCain:
1.) Tax cuts for 95% of working families
2) End dependence on foreign oil IN TEN YEARS
3) Investment in renewal energy of I think he said 150 Billion
4) Investment in education of about the same amount (can't remember the figure)
5) Tax cuts for companies who create jobs in America rather than offshore
6) A health care plan that reduces people's premiums who already have insurance and gives affordable insurance to those without any
7) Legislation to stop Insurance companies from discriminating against high risk patients
8) Out of Iraq in 16 months
A few other promises were made but to suggest that he didn't give specifics about what he intends to do is just plain out and out lying. It was just a speech of course and you can't give too many details but it sounds a hell of a lot better than what McCain is offering.
1.) Tax cuts for 95% of working families
2) End dependence on foreign oil IN TEN YEARS
3) Investment in renewal energy of I think he said 150 Billion
4) Investment in education of about the same amount (can't remember the figure)
5) Tax cuts for companies who create jobs in America rather than offshore
6) A health care plan that reduces people's premiums who already have insurance and gives affordable insurance to those without any
7) Legislation to stop Insurance companies from discriminating against high risk patients
8) Out of Iraq in 16 months
A few other promises were made but to suggest that he didn't give specifics about what he intends to do is just plain out and out lying. It was just a speech of course and you can't give too many details but it sounds a hell of a lot better than what McCain is offering.
Yeah but Virginia is less of a shock I think!
Isn't that Jim Webb whack job from Virginia? It's never been a banker for the repubs.
Very True. I'm sure they will delve into the specifics of each issue once the Republican convention ends and both candidates hit the trail and the debates.
1) I doubt it but we'll see. Lets not forget, maybe he wants to separate from old politics but the rest of Washington probably doesn't. Money still talks.
2) Unrealistic. I would love to see it as I work in the biofuel industry but not gonna happen in 10 years.
3) Who's paying for this?
4) Same as 3.
5) Could see this happening but is it enough to offset the savings to the company?
6) Another one that would be shocking if it happend. The cost to employers would severly cripple small businesses.
7) Good idea. But what does high risk mean?
8) Maybe but it sounds as that what the Iraqi gov't wants anyway so not new news.
This thread is about the Presidential Race, and Virginia has not gone Democratic since 1964.
Well they clearly have since 2003.
Now now Raoul don't be shy.
The floor is open to you.
Your alternative methods of killing/capturing Osama, please?
Dont be a WUM.
Yeah I dont see it happening, doctors will be up in arms if it affects their pay and the insurance companies are too powerful to go against. Yeah and high risk means so many things, but what does he mean smokers and drug addicts should get good rates.
As for America being off foreign oil in ten years
unless we found an economical way to tap the oil shales reserves in the MidwestThe margin of victory has never been considerable. Webb's election to the senate shows that there is a significant democrat presence in the state.
Have a look at this site - http://www.270towin.com/ - McCain really has to hold serve in Indiana and Virginia, and still has work to do in Florida. Naturally if he loses Florida, the other two wont matter as much since thats a 27 point swing.
Yes but Webb is an anomaly in that he is a former Republican who switched parties. There is good reason to believe that VA is legitimately in play this time around since Tim Kaine and Mark Warner and Webb are all popular figures who will support him.
You've answered my question anyway. There aren't any alternatives otherwise the Bush administration would have tried them.
Of course there was initially some hope that the Pakistanis themselves would deal with him, but a severe lack of will among the Army made that hope redundant long ago.
You've answered my question anyway. There aren't any alternatives otherwise the Bush administration would have tried them.
Of course there was initially some hope that the Pakistanis themselves would deal with him, but a severe lack of will among the Army made that hope redundant long ago.
The entire emphasis should have been on Afghanistan in the first place. I recall being in Afghanistan in 2003, when during the initial days of the Iraq invasion U.S. troops in Afghanistan were puzzled as to why we were going into Iraq. I supported the Iraq invasion in the lead up due to lingering post 9/11 rage, but in retrospect its been a massive mistake. What should have happened from the outset is a "Surge" in Afghanistan, coupled with intense diplomatic pressure on Pakistan to use its own military to squeeze the tribal regions, as well as other asymmetrical tactics. This would have prevented the Taliban/Al-Qaeda resurgence that we are seeing today and will have to deal with tomorrow.
we could let you talk politics over every airwave in the world and within a few hours he'll be surrendering, or blowing up another building, either way he'll be out of hiding.
The surge was a great tactical move, but doesn't quite solve the problem - it's temporary, and at the end of it you're still in Iraq.
Bad judgement on Obama's part, but I've not heard McCain's ideas for getting out, whereas Obama has at least laid out the blueprint.
Killing / capturing Osama is a red herring designed to please red meat national security hawks. It's revenge for 9/11, nothing more.
You want to sort out Al-Qaeda, you need to rebuild both Afghanistan and Iraq (as well as the Middle East, but either candidate has a snowball's chance in hell of doing that). Iraq can probably be best done with a light hand, Afghanistan needs huge numbers of extra soldiers. And you need to get Pakistan to do something.
The Republicans haven't tried being apologetic to US allies and asking them nicely and contritely to get them out of a bind. This is worth trying. I can see Obama doing it, and McCain has a remote possibility of doing it. To say that the Bush administration have tried all options available to them is false. They've tried all options available to them without being flexible enough to think outside their ideology.
I can tell by your stutter, that you are confident...
'Tears of joy, tears of joy.... '
'Now now... '
The days of neo-conservative politics have proven to be a great hinder to the American people and a do not believe I have to describe the USA's standing in the world...
You can kick back and ask people all you want, 'If you don't like the current policy of Slaghter the Mass to pave the way to Democracy, or come up with your own solution' all you want...
It will no longer mean anything.
Oh, when Barak becomes President... with all the 'no solution' crap spewed from the neo-cons such as yourself, you aren't allowed to be critical of Obama/Biden. You didn't bother to push for alternative solutions under Bush/Cheney, thus you have invalidated your ability to effectively contribute to a constructive forum of domestic and foreign policy. (This will be in effect for a minimum of two terms)
We will be locking the Coto gates til' 2016, and we'll be flying you in to share a house with Calired. Stock up, my friend.
The investments into renewable energy and education are feasible if you take off the bulk of the pork. Bear in mind that the total figures bandied about are not an annual figure, but total investment.
Also if you look at the specifics of Obama's healthcare plan, the payments aren't that onerous for small businesses (they are onerous for private health insurers, which should force them to wake up a little). Firstly, he's trying to cover the bulk of uninsureds with a government scheme part-funded by levies on small businesses who buy into the plan. The key word is part, and the challenge is to find a balance that will not over-burden small businesses and will not drain government coffers too much. The second part of the plan involves making healthy people with private insurance cross-subsidise everyone else through a regulated private insurance market. This is fine - you can't have a universal health-care plan otherwise. The US simply doesn't do this, when it should have long ago, if universal healthcare were important.
The bottom line is that despite being vague (a necessary evil at this stage in the campaign), Obama is making some quite concrete promises which seem affordable. They aren't free - there will be some cuts in other types of spending - but they seem feasible.
I understand that a lot of Obama's policy promises don't have the great sound-bitey folksy quality that some of McCain's promises (and most of George Bush's promises in earlier elections) do, but there are really some quite substantial blueprints being laid out here. All you have to do is pay attention.