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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Alighieri who wrote (542727)	1/10/2010 11:02:12 PM
From: i-node	Respond to of 1578557

>> If Obama was president when the 911 attacks took place, under the same circumstances, his polls would have shot up just as W's did. Nonsense. The support for Bush was based on his absolute, immediate understanding of what had happened. Americans wanted the threat stopped (almost ALL Americans believed another attack was imminent as of the end of '01), and they DID NOT want to hear America be BLAMED for the 9/11 attacks. But the American people wanted someone who UNDERSTANDS why 9/11 happened. Obama has been totally confused about it since 9/19, when he wrote the following. ============================ Certain immediate lessons are clear, and we must act upon those lessons decisively. We need to step up security at our airports. We must re-examine the effectiveness of our intelligence networks and we must be resolute in identifying the perpetrators of these heinous acts and dismantling their organizations of destruction. We must also engage, however, in the more difficult task of understanding the sources of such madness. The essence of this tragedy, it seems to me, derives from a fundamental absence of empathy on the part of the attackers: an inability to imagine, or connect with, the humanity or suffering of others. Such a failure of empathy, such numbness to the pain of a child or the desperation of a parent is not innate; nor, history tells us, is it unique to a particular culture, religion or ethnicity. It may find expression in a particular brand of violence, it may be channeled by particular demagogues or fanatics. Most often, though, it grows out a climate of poverty and ignorance, helplessness and despair. We will have to make sure, despite our rage, that any U.S. military action takes into account the lives of innocent civilians abroad. We will have to be unwavering in opposing bigotry or discrimination directed against neighbors and friends of Middle-Eastern descent. Finally, we will have to devote far more attention to the monumental task of raising the hopes and prospects of embittered children across the globe – children not just in the Middle East, but also in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and within our own shores. ================================== I would point out that Prince Alwaleed gave Rudy a check for $10M which Rudy then refused after the Prince placed blame with Americans just as Mr. Obama did. Mr. Obama apparently didn't approve of GWB's progress against AIDS -- more than any president's to date, and a more direct effort; he didn't appreciate GWB's raising the "hopes and prospects" for Iraqi children (and, as it turns out, perhaps Iranian children as well). If anyone ever squandered political capital it is Barack Obama. He came to office with more poiltical capital than any president I can remember, it was totally undeserved, and it has been squandered.