New Year 2010 –Bring it On!

At midnight New Years Eve, Latino countries dismiss the old year symbolically by tossing water into the streets over the balconies of their old Spanish Colonial homes. Alas, despite efforts tossing them out, the old problems persist, always returning as if propelled by a boomerang. In 2010 expect dismal continuity rather than dramatic change for the better.

A year ago as President Obama took power there was an air of hopeful optimism; that he could bring order out of the GW Bush political and economic chaos left behind after 8 years of Republican misrule. Instead of positive buoyancy, this commentary sadly will hang black crepe over the next year. This pessimism is confirmed by an Obama slide in the polls to below 50% coming down from over 65% favorable when he took office; confidence in his leadership slips more daily.

Obama was characterized by a columnist recently using a variation of a Mohamed Ali simile: HE FLOATS LIKE A BUTTERFLY BUT DOES NOT STING. One thing for certain, Obama sure likes to float in a Airforce One. The country is still waiting for someone to feel his sting over the Ft. Hood terrorist attacks and the Israeli rejection of continued colonization of Arab land. His limp reaction to the gate crashing of a White House was a patting the Secret Service on the head and ordering the agency to do better – he is earning his nom de guerre, BAMBI, by his failure to fire inefficient members of his administration.

Now the misbegotten Home Land Security has failed to pick off a terrorist before he activated a bomb aboard a commercial flight; fortunately the bomb failed to detonate. By the way, just as the 9/11 hijackers, the terrorist bought his ticket in cash and had no baggage... Can we expect another pat on the head for Napolitano, head of Home Land Security? After 40 billion in funding and all the misery inflicted by TSA at airports on passengers, the poor things still cannot get it right by stopping bomb carrying terrorists from boarding aircraft.

Disaster was signaled early for the Obama administration by his selection of Clinton hacks to run his administration. At the same time he jettisoned fresh blood by his failure to appoint Dean for domestic issues and curb Brzezinski’s influence in foreign policy established during the campaign.

This Clinton gang wrecked US manufacturing and with it the destruction of US jobs with its NAFTA agreement. GW Bush followed up with horror trade agreements with China, so there is plenty of blame to go around.

The way it is working out, Obama is Bambi domestically with his flaccid stimulus packages, uncontrolled printing of dollars, sweetheart bailout of banks and turning another cheek to terrorists. But he is a raging bull when it comes to war. He uses lethal unmanned drones as if he is playing Nintendo games; he just used them to smack targets in Yemen. His war in Afghanistan has been widened with large increases in forces and foolish nation building. He is increasingly playing his deadly Nintendo game in Pakistan which has intensified the insurgent activity in that country. Question remains: Who will increase terrorism against the US more? GWBush or Obama?

In Iraq our puppet Maliki is seriously challenged by Sunnis, his Shiites and the Peshmerga Kurds. Insurgent activity is escalating as US troops drawdown and SAVEUS PETRAEUS’ policy of bribes flounders with the release of detainees and non payment; after Abu Gharib and Fallujah II do not expect a residue of good will from the Iraqi people. Last count there are still about two million Iraqi refugees outside the country with an estimated 100,000 Iraqis killed.

Maliki is facing rising violence but has continued to refuse US combat assistance. There is still about 150,000 mercenaries feeding off the US trough. The remaining 115,000 troops are packing up to redeploy. My sense is that Obama will find an excuse to continue the US occupation after the deadlines have come and gone.

There continues to be serious system order and discipline problems in the US ground forces, especially in the Army. Efforts to stem pregnancies, female sexual abuse and rapes are failing. Even male homosexual rapes are on the upswing despite a failure to report many of them. For whatever reasons, suicides are at one of the highest historic levels; traditionally, this has indicated failed military leadership. If do not ask, do not tell policy is eliminated as Obama has promised, order and discipline will be prejudiced even more; the Marine corps commandant reportedly has indicated he will not comply if there is a new policy. Expect more turmoil in the ranks.

Next year with Obama will be continued grief. About the only group Obama has pleased is the White House Press Corps; it does not have to camp out at seedy Crawford, Texas where it followed GWB, only to be tortured by his bucolic ticks. Now it goes to sunny Hawaii in the winter with Obama. SEE YAH AT THE LUAU PAL..THE MAI TAIS ARE ON ME. Happy New Year. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.