Category Archives: Obama

by Barry Kelly | September 30, 2013 · 8:23 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS-77 THE ADVISOR

OBAMA’S WAY

The Advisor was shaken. It was after 2:00 AM and the Secret Service just called to say the Boss was on his way down. He turned the coffee pot on and got himself together. He could go to sleep most nights rather quickly but, after 82 years it took a while to wake up and function. Sometimes he wished for a schedule. It would never happen. The Journals told the story. Presidents seek advice where and whenever they like. That’s partially why the institution of the Advisors had lasted so long.

I think I must be the least effective of all the Advisors, he thought as he found two coffee mugs. The President listens but never takes my advice. I have no agenda. Protecting this bastion of liberty from all attackers is my agenda. Now for the first time an Advisor knows that the President has his own unique agenda that requires, in his words, “The transformation of America.” After five years the ugly shape of the transformation is becoming visible. That transformation if successful will mean the end of individual liberty in the world. Can I and should I help him to accomplish this goal?

The advisor paused. I have to. It’s my mission. I took the oath of office willingly and he was elected twice by the people. The question is if the people elect a man to be their leader, is that enough? I would argue that freedom can be lost through the tyranny of the majority. We fought for the right to establish a free Republic of the people, for the people, and by the people. We have now or soon will have a majority of voters who seem to favor a Democracy over a Republic. These are very different concepts. The President’s core supporters are the people who believe in an elite leadership of the masses who will lead the nation toward a managed equality and world government.

The Advisor was pouring coffee when the heavy steel door swung open and the President came in wearing a warm-up suit. He looked trim and healthy but very tired. Rather than his usual civil greeting, he said, “I’m pissed. Everywhere I go people are trying to tell me what to do. Even my own staff. At least down here nothing I say gets discussed the next day by some pompous talking head. I hate them. Especially those of the left. They should know better. This mess with Iran, Syria, and Russia has everyone chasing their tails or trying to step on mine. Damnit, on top of that the right wing radicals in the Congress are fighting ‘The Affordable Care Act and raising the debt limit. Obamacare is the damn law. I like to put them all in the Gitmo place they love so much.”

“Mr. President, how can I serve you?”

“I’m tired of talking. I want to ask you questions and just listen.”

“I’ll answer as if I was burdened with the same issues, which in my way I am. Okay?”

“Yes. My first question is how would you handle Iran’s nuclear weapons program?”

“I would not focus my entire efforts on stopping Iran from becoming a nuclear power. The issue is greater and has more points of danger. Iran’s unshakeable commitment to developing nuclear weapons is driven by their goal to dominate the Middle East in one Muslim Shia state ruled by Iran. Nothing the West can do will change this national goal. The best weapon against Iran is to motivate the Sunnis to actively provide an roadblock to Iran’s aggression. Syria is a pawn in that struggle. Assist the Sunnis in their effort to secure Syria for the Sunni sphere of influence. Hamas, Hezbollah, and a large part of the Jihadist movement would be weakened. Yes, I know al Qaeda is basically Sunni. But Iran is far more dangerous than the stateless organization of al Qaeda. No effort of yours to diplomatically stop Iran’s messianic drive to acquire nuclear weapons will do anything but give Iran more time to weaponize. Negotiation with them with the goal of exposing their treachery and rallying the Sunnis …in the end a military strike will be necessary. But get the Sunnis actively on your side first.”

“What about the budget issues and The Affordable Care Act?”

“That is an easier problem. You can solve that because you are the problem. Never mind the Alinsky theology about using every issue to diminish the opposition. Alinsky was never president. You are. Some issues must be solved. The American people do not trust a president that cannot solve important problems. You, yourself, have delayed and modified parts of The Affordable Act several times. Because it needed fixing. You stretched and maybe broke the law doing so. But that is another issue. Your problem is, do you want to give Americans better health care or do you want to use control of the health/medical industry as a big step toward socializing America? You can’t have it both ways. Negotiate health care with the Congress, both Houses. There are good things in Obamacare. Keep the good and modify the rest. Your ratings will soar and the budget crisis will disappear. The choice is yours.”

“That’s enough for me. I need to get some sleep. I’m not finished. I’ll work up to listening to more of your analysis. It helps me deal with my Republican enemies.”

The President took a last drag on his cigarette and walked out the door with an almost imperceptible over the shoulder wave to The Advisor.

The above is a fictional account of a meeting that never took place. Too bad.

The author has 27 years of Government service, including two years serving President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s as an

advisor. Considering today’s volatile political situation, you are encouraged to share this on Facebook and to click the “like” button below. Comments and dialogue are welcome.

Historic phone call between Obama, Rouhani caps Iran’s big week at UN (csmonitor.com)
Syria Crisis Yet to Derail Iran Nuclear Talks (ipsnews.net)

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Filed under Alinsky, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, fiscal cliff, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, political solutions

Tagged as Iran, Obama, Obamacare, politics

by starediting | September 9, 2013 · 10:54 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS – ADVISOR 74

WHAT THE RUSSIANS WANT

The Advisor had done some research in the history of Russia’s struggle to compete with British seapower and later the United States. The czars as well as Mr. Putin, who believes he is a czar, understand the need for the Russian fleet to have a warm water port. Without an all-weather port the Russians cannot extend their power much beyond their own borders. The Advisor thought, it is precisely this kind of knowledge the President does not have. Nothing in his background prepared him to understand the real world which is that nations act in their own interest. If you don’t understand this central reality, your foreign policy is composed of reactions to events you really don’t understand. Like it or not, his mission required him to educate as well as advise President Obama.

The Advisor knew the President seldom took his advice but he was enough of a scholar to listen thoughtfully and enough of an ideologue to follow his collectivist doctrine. The President would be down here within the next hour. I’ll ask him if he will allow me to present my research. Right on schedule, the ancient steel clad door opened and the President strode in. “Good evening Mr. President. The coffee is ready. Take what ever seat you want. I did some research this week and, if you will permit, I will give you the bottom lines.”

“Well, I thought your advice was just the result of your eight decades of life. I’m intrigued that you include research. So go ahead.”

“Thank you. Why are the Russians so hard to work with in the disaster we call Syria? Russia has no common border with Syria. Syria has no supply of oil or minerals. They have no exports Russia wants or needs. Yet Russia is sending game-changing weapons to Syria and, if their past behavior is any guide, they have or will also send technicians and weapons specialists to Syria. Putin knows there is no one to stop him. Certainly not any Arab or Persian State. Israel can’t without our help. The Euro powers are too focused on themselves to risk capital and blood for anyone else. I have no special insight to U.S. Russian policy but I do remember you whispering to President Medvedev before Putin took the presidency again, asking him to tell Putin you would have more flexibility after the election. Putin is a Czar. He only understands strength. Your secret message to Medvedev told Putin you were in a weak position. In Syria he believes you will not oppose Russia’s historical push to have a warm water port.

“Without a warm water port their fleet is frozen in, bottled up in the Black Sea or cruising far beyond their supply base for many months of each year. Again there is no proof I know of but the Soviet push into Afghanistan in the 1980s was another step in their bumbling efforts dating back to the Czars to gain a corridor to warm water. Syria has dangled a warm water port in the Mediterranean called Tartous. The Russians have already done significant development projects in this port. They really don’t much care who rules Syria as long as Tartous is firmly in Russian control. The Russians will do whatever is necessary to ensure they do not lose control of this port. They have never been so close in recent history to the control of a warm water port. A Syrian regime friendly to the United States that would exercise real control over Tartous is not acceptable. Putin, today, has no respect for America. He only understands strength and has no use for words that are mere rhetoric.

“There is more at stake in Syria than the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad from Syria. I don’t think your Administration understands the historical power that motivates Putin to capture an all-weather port. That single feat will mark him as the greatest of all Russia’s Czars. A warm water port at no cost in blood or treasure. A remarkable achievement.”

“You’re telling me Russia’s end game in Syria is for a seaport?”

“Yes. Of course, they don’t mind throwing all Western powers out of the Middle East.”

“No one on my team will believe your analysis.”

“Try some military scholars. They will tell you the same thing,” The Advisor said, as the President was getting up to leave. “Mr. President, maybe you need some different people on your team.”

The author has 27 years of Government service, including two years serving President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s as an

Meeting with President Reagan, Vice President Bush, Deputy National Security Adviser Frank Carlucci and General Colin Powell in the Oval Office.

advisor. Considering today’s volatile political situation, you are encouraged to share this on Facebook and to click the “like” button below. Comments and dialogue are welcome and helpful. Find and connect with the author on Goodreads.

Eight Decades of Insights 73-advisor (factsandfictions.com)
Eight Decades of Insights 65 (factsandfictions.com)

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Filed under Afghanistan, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Medvedev, Obama, Putin, Russia

Tagged as Obama, Russia, Syria, warm water port

by Barry Kelly | September 2, 2013 · 2:25 pm

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 73-ADVISOR

SYRIA

It was after midnight when the Advisor answered his red line phone and heard the codeword indicating the President was on his way. Minutes later, the President opened the steel door off the tunnel between the White House and the Treasury. As soon as he stepped in, he said, “I need a cup of your special coffee and a cigarette.”

“It’s poured and waiting for you. It’s late and you must be tired. Do you want to sit at the table or in my little conversation nook?”

“Lead me to the softest chair. I am beat. This Syrian thing has gotten out of control. All my advisors have spoken with their usual, on the one hand or the other comments they think are helpful advice. I decided to come and see you. I seldom like what you tell me but you make me think and clear up the fog of political chatter.”

“Thank you, Mr. President. You by now know that I like to start from the beginning. The Syrian problem was out of control during your first term with people from your Cabinet and key Progressive congressional figures rushing out to Syria and coming back with stories like the message Secretary Clinton brought back about President Assad being a reformer your administration could work with. As you understand, Mrs. Clinton is out of her element in the demanding nature of international diplomacy. She represented you and left you with a mess. A mess that now has little chance of turning out well for the nation and your presidency.”

“I understand and agree with you, but the decision I have to make is simply whether I should authorize a limited strike against Assad and under what conditions.”

“With all respect, Mr. President that is not the decision confronting you. It is much deeper and more complicated. The time when limited support to the opposition would have made a difference was at least two years ago. That window is now closed. Don’t think Syria. Think Iran and Russia. Syria is a weak arm of Iranian power in the Middle East. Syria’s role for Iran is primarily as a conduit for supplies to Hezbollah. Without that safe passageway for Iranian aid to Hezbollah, the ability of Hezbollah to control Lebanon and threaten Israel would vanish. On the Russian side, their primary interest is in securing a warm water port for their fleet. Ostensibly they now have one in Syria that is even now supporting a Russian naval presence in the Mediterranean. For that reason Russia will not allow you to get UN support for any military action in Syria.”

“The Russians must know I’m not going to invade Syria. I’m only planning on a limited strike.”

“Again with respect, Mr. President, there is no such thing as a limited strike. You can order a limited strike, but your opponents, understanding the lack of enthusiasm for another war in the Arab world resulting in a flood of body bags and an outflow of our treasure, can respond in a way to expand the conflict. Then you will feel a response is necessary. For example, if one or two of our ships are attacked and sunk, you will have to respond in self-defense. This will not be a Ben Ghazi where you can do nothing. Your choices are limited. You can do nothing. You can do a limited cruise missile strike and hope for the best or you can destroy Assad’s air power and punish Syria for using chemical weapons and give the rebels a much better chance to overthrow Assad. Whatever you decide, the power position of the United States in the Middle East has been seriously eroded.

“There is one other option. Take the problem to the Congress and blame them for whatever happens. They can be made to be at fault, no matter what they decide to do. This is an Alinsky-ite dream. The issue is never the issue. Use all issues to destroy the obstacles preventing you from seizing total power. Your former Secretary of State who wants to replace you will be pleased. Your decision can damage your influence in the Progressive Party. If Secretary Kerry had any thoughts of seceding you as President, you have destroyed that possibility for him. He took the bait and now looks like the man who turned on his country in the Vietnam War.”

“It amazes me that you can sit down here in a modern cave and have so many insights. You even understand my anti-colonial bias. I do not like to use American military power to restore western power in the Middle East. I can’t bring myself to attack Syria with only the French, with their legacy of subjugating Syria in the Colonial period, as an ally. What would you do in my place?”

“That is too hypothetical even for me. When in doubt, doing nothing is often the best choice. Remember the sarin gas killed approximately a thousand people in a terrible agony that was captured by the cameras. Assad’s forces killed a hundred times that many prior to the chemical attack. My last comment is where did Assad get that quantity of chemical weapons? He certainly didn’t produce them in Syria. Do you think a large part of them came from Iraq? The country that had no weapons of mass destruction even though they used chemical weapons against the Kurds and Shias. Mr. President, my best advice is to surround yourself with people who live in the real world, not in some virtual world they can control with propaganda and an endless mantra of untruths chanted in unison to the American people.”

By the author of the Jack Brandon novels. The author has 27 years of Government service,

including two years serving President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s as an advisor. Considering today’s volatile political situation, you are encouraged to share this on Facebook and to click the “like” button below. Comments and dialogue are welcome and helpful. Find and connect with the author on Goodreads.

Russia, Syria, and a warm water port: http://factsandfictions.com/2013/06/10/eight-decades-of-insights-55/
Mr. President!!! the Gop Is Offering You the Perfect Out on Syria. Take It!!! (xbjllb.typepad.com)
Hezbollah declares state of high alert (aworldchaos.wordpress.com)

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Filed under Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, political solutions, Progressives

Tagged as assad, Obama, Syria

by Barry Kelly | August 29, 2013 · 8:00 am

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 72 – THE ADVISOR

THE PRESIDENT’S POLICIES

It had been three weeks since the President had left the Advisor to deal with a crisis. The Advisor was still pondering how to see the world from President Obama’s viewpoint. If he could manage to see the world through the same lens maybe he could be of more help to the President. Three weeks ago the President had sounded enthusiastic about answering some of the same questions The Advisor of 1932 asked President Roosevelt when he, too, was struggling to find common ground. The Roosevelt Journal of 1932 was open on the Advisor’s desk when the phone rang. He picked it up and heard the codeword that meant the President was on his way down. The Advisor rushed to put on a fresh pot of Sumatra Roast and to get out a pack of the President’s favorite cigarettes. He just finished arranging the small conference table when the door swung open and the President stepped in. He crossed to his seat at the table and murmured to the Advisor, “Everywhere I go there is a table or a seating arrangement with a place preordained for me to sit. At least here I can sit anywhere. Right?”

“Yes, Mr. President, you can sit anywhere. In our lore, this is part of the Oval Office.”

“Except that I can’t bring any guests.”

“Of course you can. I just won’t be here.”

“The last time I was here, you asked if you could ask me some of the same questions one of your predecessors asked President Roosevelt. If it was okay with FDR it is okay with me. I believe you asked me what I meant by my phrase, ‘transform America.’ Is that right?”

The Advisor nodded and said, “Yes and take your time. I believe the answer to that question is the foundation of your polices.”

“Yes. It is. But not many of my own staff understand. By transforming America I mean getting this great nation on the right path to benefit all Americans and all the people in the world. I believe we have been following a wrong path for years, displaying our power and our wealth as a license for intervening in the sovereign affairs of other nations. Who do we think we are, gathering far more than our share of wealth and using most of the world’s energy to increase our wealth and power? The right path for this nation is to take the lead in distributing our national wealth to all the nations of the world and to unilaterally reduce our military strength so all the world can see we no longer have the power to dominate. Our future is to be a responsible member of the United Nations and give up deciding what we should do in our own interests. You see, leading from behind is the promise of the future. It is this soft power we have lacked. America has a deep history of the establishment and failure of utopian societies.

“By really sharing our wealth and equalizing opportunities so no one can control more than their fair share of wealth, we will bring into being the real promise of freedom, not for the individual, but for all the people. One person, one vote, one party is the real promise of democracy. In my time as President, I will do all I can to distribute wealth, first nationally and then internationally. I will, at the same time, redirect our military by reducing its man power and weaponry.

“The only real law is international law applied to both people and nations. Why should an act be criminal in some country and not in others? What is fair about that? It is an honor to have the United Nations Headquarters in America. I will channel more and more of our wealth and security policies through the UN. The early utopians did not think big enough and did not have the necessary ruthlessness to protect, defend, and spread their philosophy. I do.”

“Mr. President, thank you for explaining your policy of transformation. I’m now in a better position to give you advice whenever you come down to see me. Like yourself, most Presidents don’t need or want strategic policy advice. In the journals, most have sought tactical advice to further a program in support of their broader policy goals. I would like to talk with you the next time you can come about the obstacles you see in your way to achieving ‘transformation.'”

The President was already standing, crushing his cigarette and remarked, “The lawyer in me enjoys our sessions. No one makes me think the way you do. Now I have to go.”

The Advisor watched the door slowly close and lock. He said aloud, “It’s all in the open now. I must be careful to understand his core beliefs before giving any advice. Like some of my trail-breaking Advisors of times past, I’m truly frightened.”

By the author of the Jack Brandon novels. The author has 27 years of Government service,

Meeting with President Reagan, Vice President Bush, Deputy National Security Adviser Frank Carlucci and General Colin Powell in the Oval Office.

Eight Decades of Insights 68 – the Advisor (factsandfictions.com)
Eight Decades of Insights 65 (factsandfictions.com)

EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS 71 THE ADVISOR

REPUBLIC OR DEMOCRACY

It was cold in the Advisor’s underground office. He thought, I shouldn’t complain. The long line of advisors before me lived under more Spartan conditions.

The Advisor journals from during and before the Civil War were full of the trivia of each Advisor coping with circumstances of a harsh existence. He sometimes regretted that an Advisor two decades ago had blocked up the fireplace because some Advisor under stress in a crisis might begin destroying the sacred journals by throwing them in the fireplace. (Saving the journals when the British burned Washington is quite a story.)

One thing was sure. The Advisor journals told a different history of Presidents’ past than the words recorded in the media or popular books. No historian could reconcile the two. His own journals recorded a different history of President’s Obama’s reign than any history book selected by the Teacher’s Union or a University Board ever would. Since President Obama didn’t visit him very often, seldom would be a better description, he had time to put a few hundred pages of his own analysis and insights into the journals.

His pen began moving across a blank page of a new journal.

Presidents never seem to realize they form a continuous chain through time. Their actions or inactions cause ripples across the continuum of time. There have been a few straight lines through the history of the nation that have affected all. The direct election of senators and the President and the process of centralization and the resulting expansion of government through the Commerce Clause accelerated the shift of power from the states to the national government.

President Obama, in his virtual world, thinks he has the power and will to change history by his push to “Transform America.” What is happening started long before his tenure. There are many people with political experience in the Legislature who fail to understand or even be aware of the changes occurring in the nation’s constitutional fabric. Others in Congress, in both parties, support the unfettered march to centralization and all power to the people.

In a Republic, there are checks and balances between the people and the selection of their President. These checks are real. In a Republic, the modern brown shirts like Acorn, under any name, would not have as much influence. The President would be elected by state legislatures via the Electoral College. The senators by the state legislatures. Powers not expressly granted to the federal government would remain with the states. The existence of the Electoral College also protects the small states from being excluded. Who would bother to campaign in the states with small populations without the existence of the Electoral College?

A democracy demands the rule of one person, one vote. There is nothing else. No checks. No balances. The huge difference is that under a republic the needs of the nation come first. In a democracy, the principle of one person, one vote is supreme. When the people begin, as many historical scholars have predicted, to vote benefits for themselves and when the takers can out vote the givers, individual freedom and the nation are in danger. The absolute rule of the majority has an ugly side most people do not want to know about. My fear is that when they finally see it, it will be too late.

The Advisor pulled a book out of the stack he had recently read and said to himself, “I hope the message in this book reaches all Americans before it is too late.” The book is “Liberty Amendments” by Mark Levin.

By the author of the Jack Brandon novels. http://www.factsandfictions.com. The author has 27 years of Government service, including two years serving President Ronald Reagan in the 1980s as an advisor. Considering today’s volatile political situation, you are encouraged to share this on Facebook and to click the “like” button below. Comments and dialogue are welcome and helpful. Find and connect with the author on Goodreads.

Meeting with President Reagan, Vice President Bush, Deputy National Security Adviser Frank Carlucci and General Colin Powell in the Oval Office.