BloggeRhythms

Todays another where despite the nation facing crises around the world, politics trumps competent, professional leadership in each and every case.

 

Rowan Scarborough reports in washingtontimes.com/news, that, “In a May 2013 speech to a military audience at the National Defense University, Mr. Obama railed against “W” Bush, portraying a law, “Authorization for Use of Military Force,” as dated and as a potential blank check to get the U.S. into wars.

 

He went on, “The AUMF is now nearly 12 years old. Unless we discipline our thinking, our definitions, our actions, we may be drawn into more wars we don’t need to fight, or continue to grant presidents unbound powers more suited for traditional armed conflicts between nation states.”

 

Now, today, Mr. Scarborough writes that “President Obama’s first initiated war against an Islamic terrorist group is authorized, the White House says, by George W. Bush-signed legislation that Mr. Obama has criticized and wanted to repeal since last year.

 

Since beginning airstrikes last month against the Islamic State, also known by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL, the White House has said it does not need congressional approval to carry out such missions. Last week, on the 13th anniversary of al Qaeda’s attacks on the United States, the administration announced why, saying President Bush’s Authorization for Use of Military Force resolution in 2001 is all the authority Mr. Obama needs.”

So, here we have a case where the foothold and control gained by “W” Bush’s efforts in the Middle-East were abandoned by the incumbent to appease his political base. Then, when that mistake became disastrous, whereas all advantages were lost due to current leadership ineptitude, “W’s” original solutions are now going to be applied again. And that result is tantamount to criminally stupid.

While the next subject isn’t one presenting the clear and present dangers of leadership failures, such as presidential decision-making in time of war by an inexperienced neophyte, it does demonstrate the perils of electing patently unqualified candidates to office.

David A. Fahrenthold writes in the Washington Post that, “Sen. Rand Paul wanted to eliminate aid to Israel. Now he doesn’t. He wanted to scrap the Medicare system. Now he’s not sure.

He didn’t like the idea of a border fence — it was expensive, and it reminded him of the Berlin Wall. Now he wants two fences, one behind the other.

And what about same-sex marriage? Paul’s position — such marriages are morally wrong, but Republicans should stop obsessing about them — seems so muddled that an Iowa pastor recently confronted him in frustration.”

Mr. Fahrenthold concludes that, “Paul has built a reputation as a libertarian ideologue, a Washington outsider guided by a rigid devotion to principle. As the prospect of a 2016 presidential bid looms larger, Paul is making it clear that he did not come to Washington to be a purist like his father, former congressman Ron Paul (R-Tex.). He came to be a politician, like everybody else.

And, Mr. Fahrenthold is absolutely right.

Then, aside from the growing problems caused by misguided policy in foreign policy, immigration, health care and the environment the Wall Street Journal “Opinion” column reports that, the inaugural ranking by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). puts the U.S. at 32nd out of 34 industrialized countries in the world. 

Much of the blame regards taxes, whereas, “A competitive tax code is one that limits the taxation of businesses and investment. Since capital is mobile and businesses can choose where to invest, tax rates that are too high "drive investment elsewhere, leading to slower economic growth," as the Tax Foundation puts it.

With the developed world's highest corporate tax rate at over 39% including state levies, plus a rare demand that money earned overseas should be taxed as if it were earned domestically, the U.S. is almost in a class by itself. It ranks just behind Spain and Italy, of all economic humiliations. America did beat Portugal and France, which is currently run by an avowed socialist.”

Which means that the nation formerly the financially strongest that the world had ever seen, and the driver and creator of capitalism, has now been reduced to almost third-world status in seven short years. A remarkable tribute to administrative failure at the top. 

And finally, today’s update on Bill Clinton’s wife.

Jonathan Martin and Amy Chozick write in the New York Times that, “In a speech that was her most overtly political since she left the State Department last year, Mrs. Clinton repeatedly hinted at her intentions. She laced her remarks with all manner of pregnant references to the state that kicks off the presidential nominating process and veiled asides about her plans.

“Hello, Iowa, I’m back!” she exclaimed upon taking the microphone, stretching out the “a” in “back” as she smiled in front of hay bales, an American flag and a John Deere tractor.”

So, while Bill’s wife thrills the crowd, pumps them up for another presidential run and double-talks them into hysteria, things look very good for her as far as campaign stops go. 

 

But, back in the real world, the foreign policy mistakes leading to the rise of ISIS happened on her watch as secretary of state. At the same time, the Benghazi investigation is beginning to heat up in Trey Gowdy’s investigative committee.

And then, all the things yet to be recalled from the past will be resurrected, including Whitewater, the Rose law firm, $100 thousand overnight futures trades, Vince Foster and the 900 FBI files of Clinton enemies that were "lost," to cite a few examples.

Thus what we have here is a tired old bag of history regarding a tired old bag.    

That’s it for today folks.

Adios