He inherited a senseless war in Iraq and it would exasperate the problem unfortunately now pulling troops out to quickly. Although I am cautious on expantion in Afghanistan I do believe this is where the heart of the problem lies as well as an unstable Pakistan.
Indeed, he may have inherited a senseless war, but that does not change the fact, that leading is much different then campaigning, and as we can see now, and as you surely know as a serviceman, you cannot just simply pull troops out without there being severe consequences. He promised much mroe than he could deliver on that front, and our troops will be there for quite a while.
I think that Obama has done virtually nothing thus far, in the most important area, which is Pakistan...which is now sliding towards complete chaos...the Taliban is now 65 miles from Islamabad, and i do not think anyone needs to be told the dangers inherent in the Taliban gaining control of a country with nuclear weapons.
that is on the verge o happening.
frankly, in the grand scheme of things, Afghanistan is totally unimportant and strategically insignificant...Pakistan is where the vital interest is, and Obama had better get a grip on this *FAST*.
between Pakistan and Iran, these two situations are more dangerous than anywhere else...
and so far, he has done zero on either.
North Korea has been a thorn in our side for sometime we must utilize the Chinese better to stifle their rhetoric and work to reunite the two Koreas once the North’s Leadership is gone.
easier said then done. whose rhetoric will be stifled? the NOrth Koreans? When will their leadership be gone? That is not happening any time soon. How do you propose we rid North Korea of their leadership, and military upper echelons who control the country in order to reunite the two Koreas?
we are in no position to stifle their rhetoric, we couldn't even get them officially condemned at the UN because of the Chinese and the Russians.
As for Guantanamo, having served there I must remind you again he inherited this mess from the previous administration who not since the escalation of the Vietnam Crisis did more to help line the pockets of their political and financial cronies than any other time in our history. Halliburton is just one such identity who beat the war drum to a huge profit.
as for Guantanamo, i would hardly consider it a "a mess" in the grand scheme of things. It is certainly not comparable to major interests around the world.
Yes he has done more in the first 100 days to bring our European allies back to the table and this was both necessary and smart.
what exactly has he done to "bring our european allies back to the table" though?
NATO was not going to dissolve.
Neither the french or the germans were particularly enamoured of his ideas...just because they are fawning over him, does not mean they will do what we want.
so far, France and germany have balked at his economic ideas, and when he said that Turkey should belong to the EU, the French told him to keep his nose out of their business.
he can be nice and charming, but that does not change the facts, that it is his responsiblity to advance AMERICAN interests...not European ones. Europe is enamoured of him because they believe they will be able to get him to do what THEY want from the USA...not what we want from them.
Bush may have been an idiot, but it is the job of the president of the united states to advance American interests...not european ones, not south american ones and not asian ones, unless those interests align with ours and help to advance ours.
Frankly, I do not care about European security anymore, or missile defense in Europe.
let them handle it. If they don't want to be in Iranian missile range eventually, let them handle it.
all our troops should be brought home from Europe, Asia, the Middle East etc. let the rest of the world handle its problems.
american troops should defend america and nobody else anymore. It is not worth it, financially andm ore importantly in the lives of americans lost.
Again he is a true leader not shucking off the blame but accepting it and giving credit when and where credit is due. As a Reconnaissance Marine NCO, I was required to lead using 14 leadership traits I believe that Mr. Obama is doing just that too!
Justice, Judgment, Dependability, Initiative, Decisiveness, Tact, Integrity, Enthusiasm, Bearing, Courage, Knowledge, Loyalty, Endurance
while i certainly admire your service in Force Recon, and laud your efforts and appreciate them, i don't see Obama using all those at all in terms of his foreign policy...
some? yes, perhaps? all...can't really agree on that.
I have not seen any Dependability, Judgment, Initiative, Decisiveness, Tact, Bearing, Courage, Loyalty or Endurance...just yet, in terms of major foreign policy.
aside from some overseas visits and photo ops, i have seen very little to suggest any types of major breakthroughs.
So I would ask that he and his administration be given a little longer to prove their metal especially after the last eight year debacle.
Semper fi delis
just as an aside, one must "prove their mettle" not their "metal" (mettle means courage and fortitude, spirit, or inherent quality of character)
once again, thanks for your service, regardless of opinions or disagreements :smile: