Category Archives: Politics

by Barry Kelly | July 21, 2015 · 7:14 am

INSIGHTS 218 THE ADVISOR’S TURN

The Advisor thought back to the last time the ancient vault door had opened to the president’s touch. I was very hard on the president, he thought. I’m supposed to be his confidant and even his helper. I’ve failed in those regards. Perhaps more than any of my esteemed predecessors. They all had problems. Presidents are not easy to work with. But how can I help him if he listens but never takes my advice? I swear at times I think he comes here as if he was a Catholic going to confessional. It’s not something he likes but he believes he must do it. I feel for his above-ground advisors. He is not a happy president. I’ll step back today if I get the right opening.

The Advisor glanced up at one of his many screens and saw the President was approaching his door. He checked to make sure the coffee was ready and the ashtray was on the table, then walked over to the door as Chris, the President’s constant Secret Service companion, swung open the door for his commander-in-chief.

“Mr. President, come in please,” the Advisor said, smiling. “I look forward to your visits. I seldom get a chance to talk about important issues. When you’re here, that’s my only chance.” The two men sat down in their usual seats and the President lit a cigarette. “If you don’t mind, Mr. President, I’d like to ask you why you come to see me.”

The President smiled and took a drag. “Sometimes I ask myself the same question.” He blew out a puff of smoke before answering. “I come down here because among all the people I meet with, you’re the only one who tells me exactly what you believe. You have no political or personal agenda and frankly you are much smarter than the others and you never leak information that either helps or hurts me. So the time I spend with you is like playing political chess. You give me a safe opportunity to sharpen my messaging skills. Now please, continue with your stream of criticism. I’m ready.” The President sat back in his chair, a sly grin on his face, and took another drag from his cigarette.

“Well, you must be feeling good. You’ve had a number of victories recently. So let me begin with you successful negotiations with Iran. Your citizens are nearly all bewildered. Some of the political lemmings take the sound bites and pass them on. I found it interesting that the conservative wing of America is comfortable debating substance while the further left you go, the less willing people are to debate issues. Instead, they attack the messengers and not the message they carry. So your Congressional power base, with a few exceptions, will not argue with the tenets of the Iranian agreement. They will focus on attacking the debaters. You have brilliantly given them the ideal message: ‘There was no other option. Either this agreement or war.’ As simplistic as that defense is, it is working and will continue to work. You know, as the intellectual you can be, that there were and are scores of different approaches. By going to the United Nations with the lifting of sanctions on nuclear activity as well as lifting embargoes on conventional weapons, you have made Congress irrelevant. Your progressive message in the election period can now paint the Republicans as being anxious to go to war with Iran rather than giving diplomacy a chance.

“Here again the left will be attacking the anti-Iran agreement people and not debating the agreement issues. Therefore you have already used the issue and now have a winning strategy.”

The President smiled, ground out his cigarette and said, ” You are too smart. I’m thankful you’re buried in this underground chamber with your unique political insights. I don’t mind this. I’ll give you more time. It’s like being in a safe time warp.”

The above is a fictional account of a meeting that never took place, but it could have.

The author’s latest Jack Brandon novel, ISIS Quiet Justice, is available at your local book store and in ebook format from Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Follow the author on Twitter at @factsfictions80.

1 Comment

Filed under Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, Obama, political solutions, Progressives

by Barry Kelly | July 15, 2015 · 8:38 pm

INSIGHTS 217 — THE ADVISOR REACTS TO IRAN NUCLEAR AGREEMENT

The Advisor stared at his wide-screen monitor. He was astounded. He knew this president better than nearly anyone else and he was shocked at the concessions the Secretary of State had willingly made to the Iranian regime. What didn’t the secretary understand about the nature of the regime? Just two days ago the top leaders had attended a rally where the attendees chanted “DEATH TO AMERICA, DEATH TO ISRAEL!” How much clearer can it be?

Iran is by far the largest supporter of terrorism in the world. Today they control, or nearly control, events in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, and Iraq. The Persian Empire is alive and growing. If not stopped, they will get nuclear weapons and they will use them. There is nothing in the agreement that will prohibit them. Sanctions are gone. Russia and China will not agree to reimposed sanctions on the best customer they will ever have for their military weapons systems. A weak America suits their national interests. What message is sent by the agreement with Iran and the president’s decision to cut 40,000 troops from an already weakened military? America will soon be at pre-WWII military strength levels while Russia and China are greatly increasing their military strength.

The Advisor knew talking about the truth with the president was of no use. But he wanted to get his thoughts and reactions into his ledger for the benefit of future generations, if any.

Surely Congress won’t approve this agreement. In legal and historic terms this is not an agreement, it is a treaty. All treaties have to be submitted to the Senate for approval. Not with this one. It is essentially an executive order in different clothing. Here, both Houses by a two-thirds vote will have to disapprove the agreement with Iran after the president vetoes the disapproval of both houses reached by a simple majority vote. This deal is a done deal. The old centrist Democratic Party is gone, taken over by the progressive elements who have moved the party to the far left.

My successors may see this era more clearly in the future than it is now perceived by most Americans. They will have clear evidence to what happens when the majority in a democracy vote for a president whose vision of America cannot be reconciled with our heritage or national interests. All this president’s actions are aimed at destroying the American economy, its domestic and international status, the strength of American military might, individual freedoms, the two-party system, and the balance of power doctrine embedded in the three separate but equal branches of the government. He even wants to destroy the beliefs held by the people that we are a nation of laws and with hard work and talent, social mobility is achievable. America may last for hundreds of years but the dreams will be extinguished along with “The Lights of the Shining City on a Hill.”

The Advisor slammed his ledger shut. He felt helpless.

The above is a fictional account of the writing of a legendary but fictional advisor.

“ISIS: Quiet Justice,” a new Jack Brandon novel by Barry Kelly dealing with ISIS in America, is now available nationwide from your local book store. This is the fifth novel in the “Justice”series. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

1 Comment

Filed under foreign policy, Intelligence & Politics, Iran, Obama, Politics, Progressives

by Barry Kelly | July 3, 2015 · 7:38 am

INSIGHTS 216 –ADVISOR/ NOT THE ADVICE THE PRESIDENT WANTED

The Advisor picked up where he was the last time the president came down to his underground chambers. He was surprised the president was back and wanted him to continue with his discussion of the advice he would offer to the person who succeeded him next year. He had to give the man full credit for coming back for more. They were settled at the conference table. The Advisor said, “Should I continue?”

“Yes. You’ve listened to my defense of my policies over the years, I can put up with some more of your ideas, however outdated and inappropriate for the modern era of internationalism and governments who serve to give the people what they want and deserve. It’s time the ‘haves’ paid their fair share. But go on, please; this is your time.”

“When you were elected, you inherited a very bad economic problem largely brought on by the so-called housing bubble. The housing bubble was directly caused by government intervention in the housing financial market in the form of government loan guarantee agencies, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. These two government agencies pushed bad loans into the housing loan business that eventually caused a recession. This was not totally a Democrat Party error. The Republican president lost or misplaced his veto pen. The resulting response was a financial policy that inhibited economic growth. Current federal regulations, the closing of local banks, and taxation levels are preventing the growth of small businesses. Dodd Frank is a terrible bill and needs to be phased out. It is causing local banks to close and leaving no place for small businesses to get loans. The Federal Reserve system has seen its time. It should be in an advisory role, not an executive role.

“America’s educational system is getting worse, not better. The people to blame are those people who have run our educational system for the last several decades. The national government has no business controlling education. They have made a mess out of the system that is in the hands of an entrenched union that no longer puts our children first. Their first priority is the growth and power of the union and the well-being of all teachers regardless of their ability. Let the states and local governments be responsible for educating their citizens and make school choice a reality for all parents.

“Civilian control of the military is a cherished part of our Republic but no president should be permitted to destroy the force that defends us all without a strong national debate. Cutting back our military to fit some anti-colonialist ideology and putting White House staff in control of the details of military operations is dangerous and has failed every administration that has tried it. Civilian control does not mean civilian management of military tactics.

“The conduct of foreign affairs requires a strong national negotiating team, led by a strong, respected president. Today, we don’t have negotiations. We have a system of gradual appeasement. Serious national security issues from the Middle East to Russia to China are being ignored. Foreign nations, including our allies, have no respect for our word. Our Iranian policy is understandable only from the Iranian side. They get everything they want, including Iraq, and all we get are empty promises. Only a strong, involved president working for American interests can deliver foreign policy agreements that provide security to the nation.”

The president stared hard at the Advisor. “Are you going to send me a strong letter as well?”

“Not yet, I haven’t finished.”

“Never mind. Enough! I’m grateful you are kept down here in this hole. You would be a helluva critic if allowed out. Goodnight. I will be back to allow you to finish.”

The above is a fictional account of the writing of a legendary but fictional advisor.

INSIGHTS 215 — THE ADVISOR’S TURN

As soon as the president came in, the Advisor could tell he had a surprise planned. Seated at the table with his customary cigarette, the president said, “The last time I was here, I told you my behind-the-scenes plan for America. I could tell it bothered you. Today, I’m going to give you the floor. I want to hear what you think the next president should do.”

The Advisor smiled a knowing smile. He had suspected that eventually the president would give him the floor. The president is a man who likes to talk, and to hear himself talk, but politics over time had taught him the importance of listening, too. The Advisor folded his hands together and placed them on the table in front of him and took a breath before speaking.

“If the next president is from the progressive wing of the Democratic party, he or she will basically follow in your footsteps no matter what counsel I — or anyone else — provide. So let me talk about what I expect from a conservative president, should he win the next election.

“Firstly, I would not advise him or her to abandon health care. The nation’s citizens need affordable and excellent medical care and that means restoring the doctor/patient relationship without government control or constant regulation. Let the states be the government that intrudes, if necessary, into the doctor/patient relationship. If the motive for health care regulation is to improve care and reduce costs instead of bringing one-seventh of the economy under government control, popular bi-partisan pieces of legislation are possible. Nothing comprehensive. One piece at a time. When that piece starts working, add another piece. Allow insurance companies to compete across state lines. Limit tort proceedings. Patients and physicians are more important to national health than trial lawyers.

“Then onto energy. A broad energy policy can come from the government. But not management or the selection of what kind of energy is developed. This is a clear case for letting the free market decide. Large parts of the EPA and the Department of Energy need to be abolished. They are the enemies of energy self-sufficiency. We now have the energy resources and reserves to be the world’s primary producer of oil, natural gas, and gasoline. The development of these resources is clearly in our national interest and will allow America to use its resources to ensure world peace. With the support of both parties, America can have economic growth and prosperity for its citizens without endangering the environment.

“Immigration policy emanating from the federal government should be broad and general in nature. A couple of decades of presidential promises to secure our southern border have only been rhetoric. It is time the border is secured. After that we can have incremental legislation to establish a fair process for everyone who desires to come here. I feel strongly that they must learn English and American history. Let the legislature debate the process for dealing with illegal residents who are here now and have been for some years. Whatever the outcome it must be the result of bipartisan legislation. Not the court which is acting like a non-elected legislature of nine people or a presidential directive using executive powers not granted to the executive by the Constitution.

“I see you are looking at your watch. It might be better to break now and continue later with the rest of my recommendations to your successor.”

“Yes, I agree. There is also a limit to how much of this traditional version of America’s role I can handle in one sitting.” The president huffed a puff of smoke from his last drag and smashed out his cigarette, not letting the door hit him on the way out.

The above is a fictional account of the writing of a legendary but fictional Advisor.

“ISIS: Quiet Justice,” a new Jack Brandon novel by Barry Kelly dealing with ISIS in America, is now available nationwide from your local book store, This is the fifth novel in the “Justice”series. Follow the author on Twitter @factsfictions80.

1 Comment

Filed under Barry Kelly, Conservative views, Eight Decades of Insights, Intelligence & Politics, Obama, oil, political solutions

by Barry Kelly | June 16, 2015 · 7:01 am

INSIGHTS 212 — THE ADVISOR AND THE PRESIDENT’S “HIDDEN’ LEGACY

Advisor's vault door

The Advisor wasn’t pleased with the way The Council controlled and published his essays. They took far too much time to publish them and many had been censored or slightly rewritten. At times, they said, his essays were so unique that people would wonder about the sources of the essays. The title under which The Council published his essays had grown upon him. EIGHT DECADES OF INSIGHTS wasn’t bad and the web page was very well done. It came right up when he Googled it. The pages of the website made it sound as if a group of elderly scholars sitting around a gentleman’s club had pooled their collective wisdom and published it for the benefit of the American people. The images used called up the deep roots of American history and their fierce rallying around the banner of freedom. Actually, it was better than he could have done. If only they weren’t so fearful and bureaucratic.

He busied himself with tidying up and getting ready for the president’s sudden notice that he would come down after ten o’clock tonight. At ten he heard the coffee finish brewing and a few minutes later his screen showed the president and Chris, his Secret Service escort, coming down the subterranean passageway. Like most people, the president was a creature of habit. He always sat in the same chair, pulled the ashtray a bit closer, and lit his cigarette with the same series of steps, the tapping of the pack to get a single cigarette to pop out of the pack, a few quick taps of the cigarette’s tobacco end, a strike of the wooden matches he liked to use, and the deep satisfied inhale of the blessed nicotine-filled smoke. Only then was he prepared to talk.

“Tonight, I want to go over my accomplishments going into my last phase of the presidency. I know nothing I say will leak out of here, unlike my above-ground world where everyone is thinking ‘spin and leak.’ My first goal was to seize as much of the economy as I could from the private sector and bring it under the control of the central government. The first big move was the Affordable Care Act where I brought nearly 7 or 8 percent of the economy under government control. I chose Cabinet officers who would follow my lead without question and begin to craft and disseminated a deluge of regulations to destroy capitalism and the free market. Nothing as big as my health care move but perhaps more effective due to the incremental steps of agencies like the EPA, Treasury, the IRS, and Energy.

“Most of my moves went unnoticed by most but they have been very effective in inhibiting national energy production. The constant delay of the Keystone Pipeline, even against the wishes of organized labor, has sent a clear message. Now we have to kill the recent surge of natural gas and oil, through fracking and drilling in privately owned land. I don’t want the United States to become energy self-sufficient. Nor do I want to use America’s potential to be a major exporter of natural gas, gasoline or crude oil be used to further American nationalistic foreign policy objectives. I want to end Western domination and change the existing world order. Iran and Russia are pleased and the Sunni old world order is very unhappy. Good!

“My efforts to further spread America’s wealth through international agreements on climate change and international trade agreements needs more pushing but they are progressing. Both of these measures will enhance the strength of the United Nations and world law. I will continue in the next year to support Iran, China, Russia, and Cuba in ways that level the world playing field and re-distribute wealth.

“The last, large, and most important step in diminishing America’s power to project selfish nationalistic goals is still incomplete. Even though I have severely weakened the American military, it is still far too strong. In what’s left of my tenure, I will continue to weaken America’s military so that they cannot do anymore evil in the world.

“You have been very quiet. Any comments?”

“No, Mr. President. I believe you are aware that your goals are unique for an American president in our history.”

“Yes, I am and am proud to be doing what so many have neglected. I’ll be happy to discuss this with you next week. Now I have to go.”

“Goodnight, Mr. President.”

The above is a fictional account of the writing of a legendary but fictional Advisor.