Right-wing bullshit item of the day; they claim that the ARRA is more expensive than the Iraq war based on a CBO report.

It looks like they're counting future spending for ARRA, but not counting future spending for continuing costs in Iraq.

And of course they're not pointing out that a big chunk of ARRA costs was the tax cuts they demanded.

http://cbo.gov/ftpdocs/117xx/doc11705/08-18-Update.pdf

Pretty damn good. I'm curious to see why the far right will claim it's a combination of Hitler and Pol Pot, but from my sane eyes it sounded solid. Made me wish he'd take to the mic a little more often.

I don't even know what that means: "combat mission is over." Obama says he's removed almost 100,000 troops from Iraq, but two thirds of that number have been added to Afghanistan. And still there are 50,000 troops and hired guns in Iraq for another fifteen months; but the 'combat mission is over.' So much crap. And the defense budget continues to cost us almost a trillion dollars a year to keep this going, and going, and going.... No confidence.

I really REALLY wish he would take more credit, draw more distinctions, stop fudging important differences.

For crying out loud, George Bush gave the same speech, what, seven years ago? And he did it on the deck of an AIRCRAFT CARRIER wearing a CODPIECE-EQUIPPED FLIGHT SUIT and under a freaking BANNER!

I dunno, Obama's the master of rope-a-dope, and I know a "do-nothing Congress" might suit his own electoral purposes just fine. But this was an occasion to point out that HE ended the war, that HE brought home 100,000 (!) troops, that HE has got us on course to do the same thing in Afghanistan next year, and that the Republicans did not and would not! In fact -- and as everybody knows perfectly well -- quite the contrary!

But no, he called Bush, and made nice, and blah blah re-energize industrial infrastructure investment blah ... what was that again? Oh yeah, yay troops!

Yeah, it's only August. But they seem to be working hard on losing!

Obama is very very gracious. It's a good thing I'M not president...I'd kick 'em in the balls. I'm mean.

@bleh:

You read it here first: here's his rope-a-dope (and MAN I wish he'd do a little more short-term thinking--it drives me batshit!). It's 2012. He's up for re-election, and the Dems are looking at taking back the House and increasing the hold in the Senate. "I ended TWO wars started by the previous administration. . ."

The troops pulled out 2 weeks ago and they decided to wait until today for... this? The GOP would have had a parade and fireworks display to celebrate the occasion - just like Bush Sr. did after Gulf War I. The midterms are two months away and America was left yawning about a withdrawal the Left has been screaming for since March of 2003! Has Obama been getting enough sleep? Is he disappointed that they're coming home? Where's the excitement, especially given the fact that he obviously had to work his butt off to meet this timetable as promised.

"Where's the excitement, especially given the fact that he obviously had to work his butt off to meet this timetable as promised."

Just a guess but I'm going to go with 2011 when we pull out for good. At that point there should be a day of celebration for those that fought and died there.

@Kiweagle: where's his excitement? are you serious? there are STILL troops there in Iraq, and THE AFGHAN WAR IS STILL GOING ---- HEEELLLOOOO!!!

the families are excited and that's all that matters right now. You should be happy for the families. In addition, biden and stephen colbert will be teaming up to do something I think next week. I think. you might want to check comedy central. I hope I didn't miss it.

What a wonderful Imperial bureaucratic functionary.

@Ali & H.Finn: Are you kidding me? Have you already forgotten what it has taken to just get this far? Bush got handed a withdrawal on a silver platter by his father, Baker and their flunkies and he still chose another surge instead.

Obama achieved this not just during an election season, but two months before people go to the polls - play it big or go home.

Need I mention that 7 years after "saving the people of Iraq", they still don't have the level of electricity or women's rights they had before the invasion. Amazing what a trillion dollars has achieved...

Total Bullshit!

In 1970-71 Nixon/Kissinger and company sold the big lie to the American public--"No ground combat troops in Vietnam." Total Bullshit--I was there in 1971, rifle platoon leader lst Cav 2/8 BCO, Blackfoot platoon, and our BN motto, " The best defense is a good offense!"

Obama and company are selling the same Bullshit!

"@Ali & H.Finn: Are you kidding me? Have you already forgotten what it has taken to just get this far?"

Yeah, a new and competent bureaucrat...

Kiweagle...do you get sarcasm?

Historically, the unprovoked invasion of Iraq will be viewed as a crime, a crime that has taken the lives of tens of thousands of innocent human beings. The administration has declined to hold anyone accountable. And now, in this speach, after praising the chief perpetrator of this crime as a patriot, Obama proclaimed that it is "time to turn the page." The man is a coward.

It was a masterful speech and a beautiful tribute to the Troops.

The Imperial Legions continue to stand "watch on the Rhine." As a good friend of mine, an ex-Marine young enough to be my son, said: "We'll be there for so the rest of my life, mark my words."

I am so totally pissed off that after 45 years of working for change in this country, I am left in 2010 with the alternative of voting for the worst Democratic Governor in the history of the State of California for Governor again, versus a goddamned Republican "Bitch of Belsen". And in 2012 I am stuck with voting for The Good Emperor Obummer against whichever Republican barbarian makes it to the top of their dung heap.

Emperor Obummer makes me long for the days of Tricky Dick Nixon, who was more liberal than the Good Emperor is. How awful is that????

@H.Finn: Duly noted. The dry and lilting tones of such humor are often lost in translation when limited to text *chuckle*.

"The man is a coward."

No. I think the problem is that the man is a Christian; the kind that takes the teachings of Jesus seriously. Turn the other cheek; forgive your enemies; pray in secret; be a peacemaker; etc.
If you want to figure him out, should read the Sermon on the Mount-Matt 5-7.

TCinLA--please get out of my party. I've worked for change in this country just as long as you and I know the difference between Nixon and Obama. "The Good Emperor Obummer"?? Please--just go register with Nixon's party.

Maybe i am just to confused these days...don't know if the sarcasm drives the cynicism, or if it is the other way around.

TCinLA has a point jw456...Nixon's administration was much more liberal with concerns to many environmental and some social issues...as to character...Nixon was a power abuser, but because of years of executive orders and a shift to more executive privilege, much of what Nixon did is now acceptable behavior (to some extent). Clinton and Bush 2 did a lot to expand executive privilege. Bush one played by his own rules, and Reagan played the fifth, or just ignored the laws/rules like Nixon, who was also distrusted by many in his own party due to his overt paranoia, so he got away with much less then the 'beloved' Reagan. God, at least we could understand Nixon to some extent, the wing-nuts today..who TF knows...

I can't think of a recent president that has 'given back' privilege, no matter what party, certainly not the new one either. Even as Obama has to suffer through a host of inherited problems, he made the decision to do so when he took on this job...nevertheless he has decided to handle many of these problems in a manner not so much in keeping with his 'campaign' rhetoric, why people are surprised by that , I don't know, as no one could be expected to make all the changes at once.

On the other hand...to his dis credit, I believe he has surround himself by an over abundance of hard-line status quo power / money people, not enough progressives...that is to bad for us, and maybe in the end for him.

TCinLA - I think your name gives us a clue. Anybody living in that dump of a city is understandibly depressed. Get out and get some fresh air. You'll feel better.

It is not absurd to compare Nixon and Obama.

I would never say that they are similar Presidents because they are so different personality-wise. But, in absolute terms, you can make an argument that the Obama administration is further to the Right than the Nixon administration, largely because of the political shift within the country.

It is important to remember that the parties weren't nearly as polarized ideologically back then. Both parties had self-identified liberals and conservatives.

The one thing that I would say about Nixon is that he had an inferiority complex, disliked Ivy League elitists and would never have sold out average Americans to Wall Street Masters of the Universe.

The modern President that Obama most resembles is GHWB. They share a cultural allegiance with elite institutions, fail to inspire the base of their parties, and are slow to respond to the economic concerns of average American workers.