Army Private Barry Obama

[Sam_Adams]

Isn't he noble. He would have gone into the Army if only there was a war to kill in maaaaaaaaaaaaaan.

But, since there wasn't a war going on when he got out of high school he decided that there just wasn't enough action going on in the Army for a young Barry.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/2700555/Barack-Obama-wanted-to-join-the-US-military.html
"And I actually always thought of the military as an ennobling and, you know, honourable option. But keep in mind that I graduated in 1979. The Vietnam War had come to an end. We weren't engaged in an active military conflict at that point. And so, it's not an option that I ever decided to pursue."

[nataskaos]

Isn't he noble. He would have gone into the Army if only there was a war to kill in maaaaaaaaaaaaaan.

But, since there wasn't a war going on when he got out of high school he decided that there just wasn't enough action going on in the Army for a young Barry.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/uselection2008/barackobama/2700555/Barack-Obama-wanted-to-join-the-US-military.html

and?
I know loads of people that joined the military because of 9/11, and back in the day, because of desert storm. Lots of people want to join to shoot people.

on the flip side, I know lots of people that won't join because of the war.

another non-issue.

[patbattlefield]

He would have been better off not saying anything. Now he looks like a pandering douche.

[Sam_Adams]

He would have been better off not saying anything. Now he looks like a pandering douche.

The article brings up the point that ole Barry never mentioned his contemplation of serving in the military in his two memoirs.

You know, Barry must be really important because he not only published a memior but he put out two of them all about himself.

[silentbob8201]

He would have been better off not saying anything. Now he looks like a pandering douche.

What do you mean looks like?

[ih8Uboo-boo]

maybe he could have helped these guys out...

liAShkUQDvc

[Begbie]

"And I actually always thought of the military as an ennobling and, you know, honourable option. But keep in mind that I graduated in 1979. The Vietnam War had come to an end. We weren't engaged in an active military conflict at that point. And so, it's not an option that I ever decided to pursue."

Yeah, there was only just this minor conflict in Iran where a bunch of warring Iranian rebels took the US Embassy hostage and demanded the Shah be returned and they felt America was aiding the old regime and that we were planning an attack on those rebels.

Oh yeah, and there was this thing called the Cold War...I dunno, it had something to do with the Soviets.

Eh, not exciting enough to sign up for, huh Barry?

[Arch Stanton]

The article brings up the point that ole Barry never mentioned his contemplation of serving in the military in his two memoirs.

You know, Barry must be really important because he not only published a memior but he put out two of them all about himself.

But, never took the effort to pen one law or piece of legislation, even as a State Senator

[LiddyRules]

Oh yeah, and there was this thing called the Cold War...I dunno, it had something to do with the Soviets.

Eh, not exciting enough to sign up for, huh Barry? It isn't as exciting. As Obama put it, "I wanted to stick my knife into the heart of my enemy. Turn it 90 degrees, and hear his death gasp as the light disappears from his eyes."

[patbattlefield]

Wherever Hillary is she is smiling right now watching Obama's campaign go down in flames.

[DonTheTrucker]

With the condition that the Army was in after Vietnam, I wouldn't blame anyone for not wanting to go in. Of course Obama's reason was pure hatred of all things American, so I don't buy this story.

[Southpaw]

But, never took the effort to pen one law or piece of legislation, even as a State Senator

False.

Lugar-Obama Nonproliferation Legislation Signed into Law by the President

WASHINGTON – President Bush today signed the Lugar-Obama proliferation and threat reduction initiative into law.

Authored by U.S. Sens. Dick Lugar (R-IN) and Barack Obama (D-IL), the Lugar-Obama initiative expands U.S. cooperation to destroy conventional weapons. It also expands the State Department's ability to detect and interdict weapons and materials of mass destruction.

"The United States should do more to eliminate conventional weapons stockpiles and assist other nations in detecting and interdicting weapons of mass destruction. We believe that these functions are underfunded, fragmented and in need of high-level support," said Lugar, Republican leader of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

"The Lugar-Obama initiative will help other nations find and eliminate conventional weapons that have been used against our own soldiers in Iraq and sought by terrorists all over the world," said Obama. "The Nunn-Lugar program has effectively disposed of thousands of weapons of mass destruction, but we must do far more to keep deadly conventional weapons like anti-aircraft missiles out of the hands of terrorists."

"We want to ensure that our government has the capacity to deal quickly with vulnerable stockpiles of shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles, otherwise known as Man-Portable Air-Defense Systems (MANPADS). Such weapons could be used by terrorists to attack commercial airliners, military installations and government facilities here at home and abroad. Al Qaeda reportedly has attempted to acquire MANPADS on a number of occasions," said Lugar.

The Lugar-Obama initiative would energize the U.S. program against unsecured, lightweight anti-aircraft missiles and other conventional weapons. There may be as many as 750,000 man-portable air defense systems in arsenals worldwide, and the State Department estimates that more than 40 civilian aircraft have been hit by such weapons since the 1970s. In addition, loose stocks of small arms and other weapons help fuel civil wars in Africa and elsewhere and provide the means for attacks on peacekeepers and aid workers seeking to stabilize war-torn societies. In Iraq, unsecured stockpiles of artillery shells and ammunition have been reconfigured into improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that have become an effective weapon for insurgents.

"Lugar-Obama would also strengthen the ability of America's allies to detect and interdict illegal shipments of weapons and materials of mass destruction, a critical step in securing these weapons before they ever fall into the hands of terrorists that has not been a focus of current anti-terrorism efforts," Obama said.

Lugar and Obama traveled together to Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan in August 2005 to oversee a number of Nunn-Lugar projects. In Ukraine they saw a conventional weapons facility that is typical of the focus of the new legislation.

The Lugar-Obama initiative is modeled after the Nunn-Lugar program that focuses on weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union. Lugar and former Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA) authored the program in 1991. It has provided U.S. funding and expertise to help the former Soviet Union safeguard and dismantle its enormous stockpiles of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, related materials, and delivery systems. Among many accomplishments, the program has deactivated 7,000 nuclear warheads and reemployed 58,000 scientists in peaceful research. Ukraine, Belarus and Kazakhstan are nuclear weapons free as a result of cooperative efforts under the Nunn-Lugar program. They otherwise would be the world's the third, fourth and eighth largest nuclear weapons powers, respectively.

http://obama.senate.gov/press/070111-lugar-obama_non/


President Bush today signed into law S. 2590, the Coburn-Obama Transparency Act. The bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to create a website that allows citizens to know the recipients of all federal funds. Most commonly, federal funding takes the form of grants and contracts, which are often awarded with very little transparency. This new tool will provide for accountability and transparency at all levels of government, from the Executive Branch to the Legislative Branch.

Following the bill signing, Senators Coburn and Obama released the following statement:


“This legislation marks a small but important step in the effort to change the culture in Washington, D.C. American taxpayers soon will be equipped with a significant tool that will make it much easier to hold elected officials accountable for the way taxpayer money is spent. The army of bloggers, editorialists and concerned citizens who worked diligently to see this bill pass deserve all the credit and praise today,” the senators said.


President Bush said this today in his remarks on the legislation:


"This bill is going to create a website that will list the federal government's grants and contracts. It's going to be a website that the average citizen can access and use. It will allow Americans to log onto the Internet just to see how your money is being spent. This bill will increase accountability and reduce incentives for wasteful spending. I am proud to sign it into law and I am proud to be with members of both political parties who worked hard to get this bill to my desk."

http://coburn.senate.gov/ffm/index.cfm?FuseAction=LegislativeFloorAction.Home&ContentRecord_id=eb582f19-802a-23ad-41db-7a7cb464cfdb

[CougarHunter]

"I wanted to stick my knife into the heart of my enemy. Turn it 90 degrees, and hear his death gasp as the light disappears from his eyes."

I had that very thought about my boss about every 2 mins last night.

[fandango86]

Consider where he came from - Hawaii. For those of you who have never been there, many folks there still act like Pearl Harbor happened yesterday. I'm sure many people that grow up in HI consider serving in the military to avenge that attack in some way, or to honor the people who gave their lives. In the end he chose to go to college. Whatever.

[d0uche_n0zzle]

But, never took the effort to pen one law or piece of legislation, even as a State Senator

Not for nothing, but the less those jizz bags do legislatively, the less they fuck us.

Or at least that's how it's suppose to work. "whaa"

BHO is a phony piece of dog shit, but the military could have used another ditch digger.

[Razor Roman]

False.

Not for nothing, Southpaw... but why don't his supporters ever even mention these Bills when people say he's "done nothing."
I mean, it's not that he has literally done zero things, but he has not been a leading voice or advocate in the Senate for anything. Obama is just trying to ride public discontent to victory because he's the new kid on the block. He's not proposing anything different than Hillary, John Edwards, John Kerry, Dick Gephardt, Nancy Pelosi, John Corzine, Joe Biden, or any other Democrat would do if they were elected. And he has done nothing of substance to separate himself from anyone else. The reason he stands out of the pack is because, as his running mate said "he's black and clean cut and articulate"

Edit: Oh, one other thing. Obama said in his interview he had to sign up for selective service when he graduated HS. Apparently this was in 1979 - and selective service registration was not required at the time. It was instituted in 1980. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe something is confused here. But you know if McCain had said it, Wilm or Zona would have started a "senile McCain can't remember when he registered" thread.

[Arch Stanton]

Not for nothing, but the less those jizz bags do legislatively, the less they fuck us.

Or at least that's how it's suppose to work. "whaa"

BHO is a phony piece of dog shit, but the military could have used another ditch digger.

I thought of that, but it is pretty astounding that the guy has done nothing but give a speech once in a while.

[Southpaw]

Not for nothing, Southpaw... but why don't his supporters ever even mention these Bills when people say he's "done nothing."


I've seen people respond to that false claim with the facts before so I guess I don't know which Obama supporters you are referring to. It took about 5 minutes after Palin made that accusation in her speech at the RNC for it to be debunked by all over the blogs and it made its way into a news story about her inaccuracies.

[Razor Roman]

I've seen people respond to that false claim with the facts before so I guess I don't know which Obama supporters you are referring to. It took about 5 minutes after Palin made that accusation in her speech at the RNC for it to be debunked by all over the blogs and it made its way into a news story about her inaccuracies.

I hear surrogates all the time, for example guys like Lanny Davis, Susan Estridge, plenty of callers to radio shows, any of the Democrats you see as talking heads on TV news.

Again, I think you Obama supporters are mishandling this charge. Yes Obama has done stuff. The point is he hasn't done much of consequence, and pointing out these bills that didn't warrant a blip of media coverage don't really do much to help. I mean, w hat it says is "They're lying.... technically we have done stuff!!! See!!!"

[Southpaw]

I hear surrogates all the time, for example guys like Lanny Davis, Susan Estridge, plenty of callers to radio shows, any of the Democrats you see as talking heads on TV news.


Davis and Estrich were/are Hillary Clinton partisans and are both employed by Fox News so perhaps a vigorous defense of Obama doesn't take a priority over their self-interest in preserving their relationship to the Clintons or in undermining their Washington Generals-esque roles on HANNITY and colmes. Not sure what talk radio you're listening to but callers to Air America seem to be well aware of the legislation authored by Obama. Maybe the shows you're listening to screen out callers who seem willing and able to point out when the host lies shamelessly.

Again, I think you Obama supporters are mishandling this charge. Yes Obama has done stuff. The point is he hasn't done much of consequence, and pointing out these bills that didn't warrant a blip of media coverage don't really do much to help. I mean, w hat it says is "They're lying.... technically we have done stuff!!! See!!!"


I don't think it's "mishandling" to point out when McCain supporters LIE and say Obama has never penned legislation, especially when some of the legislation bearing his name will help keep America safe by preventing terrorists from obtaining weapons of mass destruction or conventional weapons that can be used against our troops. Contrast this with Senator McCain's record of authoring ZERO legislation related to WMD nonproliferation and its easy to see why the McCain campaign and it's supporters have resorted to lying about Senator Obama's record. And when they're not lying about Senator Obama's record they are lying about their own - calling themselves mavericks when McCain has supported George W. Bush 90% of the time, claiming they said "thanks but no thanks" for the Bridge to Nowhere when Palin endorsed the project while running for Governor, defended it when she was elected, and then didn't return the federal money when Congress pulled the plug. Obviously McCain and Palin think they can't win without lying about Obama and lying about themselves.

[weeniewawa]

Isn't he noble. He would have gone into the Army if only there was a war to kill in maaaaaaaaaaaaaan.


but which side was he going to join?