Obama--Born To Follow

After over a year in office the American people are beginning to conclude that President Obama is a follower not a leader. His technique adhering to a script provided by others did win the presidency for him, but has doomed his administration... His opponent GWBush brought down the economy embroiled the US in least two deadly and expensive wars.
Obama accelerated the Bush year’s debacles and in a short time he even heaped more woes on our nation.

BP OIL CATASTROPHE IN GULF-- Obama appointed Ken Salazar who had an oily background; he was sensitive to exploitation of oil on land, but in the sea, he was wide open to all comers; he failed to purge Big Oil clones from his Department of Interior and in a master stroke of bad timing, he came up opening more areas to off-shore drilling; this was a few weeks before BP's gusher on the bottom of the sea. It becomes clearer each day
that Salazar like BP' is part of the problem and not of the solution

Caught with his oil drilling regulatory and enforcement pants down, the BP accident hit Obama like a bomb shell. His recent advocacy of" Drill Baby Policy” off shore made him appear even more foolish... His first response was an ostrich with his head in the sand; his second was to play Hamlet and treat the event surrealistically; then he finally played Greta Garbo--"he vented to be alone" and let BP fix the mess it made; after more agony.
He finally assumed responsibility; but curiously played follow the leader with BP calling the shots.

In his dagger dance to set policy, he apparently did not understand BP wanted to cap the well, capture the flow, not to stop the flow if it endangered the heath of the bonanza well. BP sought to save the well; as a result, the Gulf was contaminated and this continues as of the writing

plugging the eruption on the sea bottom is a matter of dumping tons of, high density material or ingots on the erupting hole. If in the early 1970s the Glomar Explorer lifted a Soviet missile submarine from 16, 000 ft in the Pacific, why can we not drop and overwhelm, stuff a small pressure cavity at 5000 feet? The reason is you endanger the production of the well. Meanwhile the Gulf is screwed big time. The American public should understand Obama's choice and the consequences. He said he is responsible. Do not expect him to commit Seppuku on the map of the Gulf.
He is not a samurai for certain.

HEALTH CARE-our president followed Big Pharma and Big Insurance; his healthcare does not even appear mandatory. Without a public option, it is not competively priced and prices will soar as drug and insurance companies push for over 30 percent profits. The process has already begun.

ECONOMY--he followed Bankers and Wall Street advice--saved major banks, but Main Street is still without loans that stifles growth-- unemployment continues to rise over 10. He has resisted serious economic reforms.

AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ WARS ET.AL...Our Commander Chief apparently follows orders from his military subordinates rather than gives them. He listened to commanders on Afghanistan and increased troop strength with sad results. Last week it was reported that our puppet-off-the-string Karzai has lost faith in the US and NATO ability to win and wants to deal with the Taliban.

Pentagon geologists recently discovered a trillion dollars worth iron.
Copper and lithium deposits in Afghanistan.--doubt that now we will ever depart that tortured land. Now the military/industrial complex can make a resource argument to remain, despite the fact the US may have to occupy all of Eurasia to get deposits out. Bad things always happen on the Grand Trunk Road and in the Kyber Pass.

As things continue to deteriorate in Iraq, commanders are hinting to remain past withdrawal deadline to train Iraqi security forces-- GULP-SAVE US PATREAUS. General, if you have not succeeded by now, forget it. Last weekend in an assault on Central Bank in Baghdad 26 were killed and scores wounded--attackers took bank records--hmm, whatever happened to the neocon's pet Iraqi banker. Ahmed Chalabi ?

WAR ON TERROR....We keep killing number three of al Qaeda, but never get number one or two-why? Obama’s drone operations in Pakistan are killing people-sometimes innocent ones that have a major blow back. Pakistan insurgents launched failed operation on Times Square--next time they may score tragically. Obama has expanded the war to Pakistan, but without sapping terrorism. Taliban in Pakistan are destroying US supply convoys at an unacceptable rate. Last week over 50 trucks carrying NATO/US fuel and supplies were reportedly destroyed near Islamabad in one attack. Attackers escaped. Dollar damage was not reported. Three quarters of NATO US military supplies pass through Pakistan. Obama is certainly taking bad advice from someone on his terrorism program with his careless use of drones in Pakistan.

Let us face it. With few exceptions, most politicians are not leaders. They are followers controlled by campaign donations and self interest. Obama despite following the chaos of GW Bush and thumping the McCain/Palin boobs had nowhere to go but up. So he really had to try hard to stay in a downward spiral. BORN TO FOLLOW. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret.