Afghanistan Surge, Obama's Surge, Kyoto Treaty, Obama Carbon Emissions, Bush Carbon Treaty
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Wednesday September 23, 2009
Today's Zinger:
Leadership Is Acting In Charge, Accountability Is Being In Charge.
The Morning Briefing:
I had planned to publish a review of the first eight months of the Obama administration, but this mornings paper caused me to delay that article and comment on two recent developments. First, President Obama has made another speech and in this one he takes credit for accomplishing more to reduce carbon emissions in his first eight months in office than has ever been done in the history of the United States. Secondly, President Obama may finally have his first real executive decision. The war in Afghanistan requires an additional 40,000 troops or we may not be able to win the conflict. Will he authorize the increase in troops.
We all know how President Bush declined to sign the international Kyoto treaty to reduce carbon emissions and address fears of man-made global warming. The far left, and many in the media, branded Bush as ignorant and more concerned about business and its profits than the environment. Yet, in 2005 President Bush secured agreement with China, India, South Korea, Australia and Japan (these countries representing 50% of the world's population) on a path forward to deal with climate change that avoided the economically disastrous implications of the Kyoto protocol, yet this accord got more recognition in Britain and France than it did in the U.S. media. Zinger looks at the 2005 agreement and President Obama's self-declaration of success on carbon emissions.
General McChrystal, head of the military operations in Afghanistan, is calling for 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2010 or we run the risk of losing the war. President Obama criticized the Bush administration, and McCain, for their focus on Iraq and made a campaign issue over the fact that we need to focus on Afghanistan and win. He said the failure in Afghanistan is not an option. But to succeed, his General on the ground has offered an unsettling assessment that will force the President to make a very difficult decision. The President must go against his base and support more troops on the ground or he must go against his campaign rhetoric and risk being labeled an incompetent leader of the military should we pull out of Afghanistan without success. Will the President have the political will to win the war in Afghanistan? This is a George W. Bush moment. Just a few years ago, in the midst of declining public support and increased deaths in Iraq, President Bush made the difficult call to support the surge of troops in Iraq, while his opposition, the Democratic Party, was setting him up for failure by voting against any and all legislation for Iraq and declaring the "war is lost". Zinger looks at President Obama's first real test.
Who Said It:
"Be Careful What You Wish For, Lest It Come True"
The Discussion:
Climate Change
"I am proud to say that the United States has done more to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution in the last eight months than at any other time in our history." These words from President Obama." Sometimes I think the President confuses speeches or legislation with results. This is what happens when a professor is put in charge of something. They think an idea or decision is as good as a real result. President Obama "closed Guantanamo Bay" and we all rejoiced. But did he close Guantanamo? No, he decided to close Guantanamo. President Obama signed legislation on a cap and trade bill that taxes carbon emissions and declared that this effort will reduce our carbon footprint. But did he really change anything about our carbon footprint?
It is true that carbon emissions declined over the past year. This also occurred in 2006, 2001 and 1991. If the President wants to take credit for the current recession and higher fuel prices which are the real reason for the decline in carbon then he can rightfully say that he has done something to control carbon emissions. The last two recessions (1991 and 2001) had the same effect. The only year that U.S. carbon emissions declined, while the economy grew, was 2006, according to the Energy information Administration.
President Bush did not sign the highly publicized Kyoto Protocol which attempted to regulate carbon emissions through taxes and payments. President Obama would not sign Kyoto either. Kyoto penalized the United States and other developed countries while allowing developing countries to avoid controls. The treaty would have had a dramatic impact on our economy while allowing countries like India and China (with about half the worlds carbon pollution) to grow unchecked. Those countries that did sign the Kyoto Protocol set specific targets for carbon reduction. Not surprisingly there has been no progress by these countries to meeting their targets. Kyoto will come and go like the Sana Ana winds, a lot of hot air but no real change and no damage either.
What has not been reported is the accord reached by China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the United States in 2005. The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate focuses on sustainable growth. Rather than taxing economies for their pollution, the Partnership incorporates new technologies to support growth in a more responsible way. This quote from Tony Blair:
"...My thinking has changed in the past three or four years. No country is going to cut its growth. [China and India] are not going to start negotiating another treaty like Kyoto. What countries will do is work together to develop science and technology. … There is no way that we are going to tackle this problem unless we develop the science and technology to do it. ... How do we move forward, post-Kyoto? It can only be done by the major players coming together and pooling their resources, to find their way to come together."
China recently said that they are going to take a more aggressive posture on climate change. Their approach is through technology, not taxation.
Afghanistan
The economic stimulus package was signed into law by President Obama, but the bill was prepared by members of Congress. The cap and trade bill was signed by President Obama, but it was driven by Congress. The Health Care legislation thus-far has been prepared by Congress. President Obama has delegated much of his legislative agenda to Congress, but now he must decide on how to deal with the war in Afghanistan. It will be his decision. His party members will leave him hanging on this one. They don't want to touch this political football. If they come out in support of this recent request for 40,000 more troops they will be ostracized by their constituents that believe the war is unjust and not winable. If they decline to support the measure and the United States leaves Afghanistan with the humiliation of a loss, they will be blamed.
This is exactly the challenge faced by George W. Bush. The American people were fatigued with the war in Iraq and support was waning. The Democratic Congress was doing everything possible to declare defeat in Iraq. If President Bush had decided to send more troops to Iraq and then failed, his legacy would be clear and the United States role in the world would change forever. Bush made a very courageous decision to send troops and defy Congress. President Obama is faced with the same dilemma, only this time over Afghanistan and this time with his own political party.
I believe Obama's challenge is even greater than Bush's in that Afghanistan is known as the world's Vietnam. Afghanistan is a military quagmire. For centuries invaders have been repelled due to the terrain and tactics of the Afghan armies. George W. Bush felt that taking the battle to the Taliban in Iraq was far more winable than fighting in the Afghan mountains. Besides, the people of Iraq had a functioning society that could be reassembled with a diverse economy. Afghanistan has never had a functioning government and the society was led by tribal leaders. The economy is based on opium.
Obama's campaign rhetoric is going to come back to haunt him. Zinger believes that Obama will attempt one of three strategies to get out of the mess that he is in.
1) Declare a change in strategic direction. We will fight in Pakistan or we will use more drones but we will not commit large numbers of new troops. The President knows he does not have the political support to withstand higher casualty counts.
2) Partially fulfill the request with fewer troops and change the focus to civilian centers. Obama may choice to abandon the outer reaches of Afhanistan where the fighting is tough and the death rate high. This may ultimately lose the war but it will be easier to gain support in the near term.
I do not see President Obama authorizing 40,000 more troops to an effort that even he doesn't fully believe can be won. He reminds me of a dog chasing a car. He pursued the Afghanistan agenda for the past two years. Now that he has it, what is he going to do with it.
Who Said It:
Edgar Allen Poe
"Be Careful What You Wish For, Lest It Come True"
Today's ZingerToon:
Daryle Cagle, 2009 Cagle Cartoons
Recent ZingerKing Articles:
Articles can be found under “Recent Articles” in the purple sidebar. Older articles can be found in the archives that are stored by month. These are found at the bottom of the purple sidebar. Here is a list of the most recent articles.Click here to access the archives www.ZingerKing.com
Missile Defense in Czech Republic and Poland
Escalating the War in Afghanistan: Pelosi and Obama
President Obama's Speech To Congress Regarding Health Care
Part I: Implications of a Radical Change in Life Expectancy
Zingers Alternative For health Care Reform
The Tug Of War Of Special Interest Groups and Health Care Reform
Credibility Of The Administration Is Challenged
Taming The Angry Mobs
Creating A Free Market Alternative to Government Health Care
Cash For Clunkers
Culturalism versus Racism in America
The Revolving Door of Politics: Franken, Palin, Biden
You can access these and other articles at www.ZingerKing.com
Shameless Request For Support:
ZingerKing operates without advertising or government funding (obviously). The purpose is to inform and educate its readers about economic and political issues that affect our lives.
Help ZingerKing grow. Have you Zinged someone lately? Please forward a link to ZingerKing to a friend, family member or neighbor. If you enjoy reading the Zinger please subscribe (see the subscribe box at the top of the article in the purple side band). Subscribers receive the "Morning Briefing" when published with a link to the full article. Periodic alerts are sent to subscribers only with important updates and insights into critical issues. Your email address will not sold to others and will not be shared.
Write To Us:
You can comment on any article by clicking on the comment button at the bottom of each article or you can write to us at ZK@ZingerKing.com
____________________________________________________________________________
Wednesday September 23, 2009
Today's Zinger:
Leadership Is Acting In Charge, Accountability Is Being In Charge.
The Morning Briefing:
I had planned to publish a review of the first eight months of the Obama administration, but this mornings paper caused me to delay that article and comment on two recent developments. First, President Obama has made another speech and in this one he takes credit for accomplishing more to reduce carbon emissions in his first eight months in office than has ever been done in the history of the United States. Secondly, President Obama may finally have his first real executive decision. The war in Afghanistan requires an additional 40,000 troops or we may not be able to win the conflict. Will he authorize the increase in troops.
We all know how President Bush declined to sign the international Kyoto treaty to reduce carbon emissions and address fears of man-made global warming. The far left, and many in the media, branded Bush as ignorant and more concerned about business and its profits than the environment. Yet, in 2005 President Bush secured agreement with China, India, South Korea, Australia and Japan (these countries representing 50% of the world's population) on a path forward to deal with climate change that avoided the economically disastrous implications of the Kyoto protocol, yet this accord got more recognition in Britain and France than it did in the U.S. media. Zinger looks at the 2005 agreement and President Obama's self-declaration of success on carbon emissions.
General McChrystal, head of the military operations in Afghanistan, is calling for 40,000 more troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2010 or we run the risk of losing the war. President Obama criticized the Bush administration, and McCain, for their focus on Iraq and made a campaign issue over the fact that we need to focus on Afghanistan and win. He said the failure in Afghanistan is not an option. But to succeed, his General on the ground has offered an unsettling assessment that will force the President to make a very difficult decision. The President must go against his base and support more troops on the ground or he must go against his campaign rhetoric and risk being labeled an incompetent leader of the military should we pull out of Afghanistan without success. Will the President have the political will to win the war in Afghanistan? This is a George W. Bush moment. Just a few years ago, in the midst of declining public support and increased deaths in Iraq, President Bush made the difficult call to support the surge of troops in Iraq, while his opposition, the Democratic Party, was setting him up for failure by voting against any and all legislation for Iraq and declaring the "war is lost". Zinger looks at President Obama's first real test.
Who Said It:
"Be Careful What You Wish For, Lest It Come True"
The Discussion:
Climate Change
"I am proud to say that the United States has done more to promote clean energy and reduce carbon pollution in the last eight months than at any other time in our history." These words from President Obama." Sometimes I think the President confuses speeches or legislation with results. This is what happens when a professor is put in charge of something. They think an idea or decision is as good as a real result. President Obama "closed Guantanamo Bay" and we all rejoiced. But did he close Guantanamo? No, he decided to close Guantanamo. President Obama signed legislation on a cap and trade bill that taxes carbon emissions and declared that this effort will reduce our carbon footprint. But did he really change anything about our carbon footprint?
It is true that carbon emissions declined over the past year. This also occurred in 2006, 2001 and 1991. If the President wants to take credit for the current recession and higher fuel prices which are the real reason for the decline in carbon then he can rightfully say that he has done something to control carbon emissions. The last two recessions (1991 and 2001) had the same effect. The only year that U.S. carbon emissions declined, while the economy grew, was 2006, according to the Energy information Administration.
President Bush did not sign the highly publicized Kyoto Protocol which attempted to regulate carbon emissions through taxes and payments. President Obama would not sign Kyoto either. Kyoto penalized the United States and other developed countries while allowing developing countries to avoid controls. The treaty would have had a dramatic impact on our economy while allowing countries like India and China (with about half the worlds carbon pollution) to grow unchecked. Those countries that did sign the Kyoto Protocol set specific targets for carbon reduction. Not surprisingly there has been no progress by these countries to meeting their targets. Kyoto will come and go like the Sana Ana winds, a lot of hot air but no real change and no damage either.
What has not been reported is the accord reached by China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the United States in 2005. The Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate focuses on sustainable growth. Rather than taxing economies for their pollution, the Partnership incorporates new technologies to support growth in a more responsible way. This quote from Tony Blair:
"...My thinking has changed in the past three or four years. No country is going to cut its growth. [China and India] are not going to start negotiating another treaty like Kyoto. What countries will do is work together to develop science and technology. … There is no way that we are going to tackle this problem unless we develop the science and technology to do it. ... How do we move forward, post-Kyoto? It can only be done by the major players coming together and pooling their resources, to find their way to come together."
China recently said that they are going to take a more aggressive posture on climate change. Their approach is through technology, not taxation.
Afghanistan
The economic stimulus package was signed into law by President Obama, but the bill was prepared by members of Congress. The cap and trade bill was signed by President Obama, but it was driven by Congress. The Health Care legislation thus-far has been prepared by Congress. President Obama has delegated much of his legislative agenda to Congress, but now he must decide on how to deal with the war in Afghanistan. It will be his decision. His party members will leave him hanging on this one. They don't want to touch this political football. If they come out in support of this recent request for 40,000 more troops they will be ostracized by their constituents that believe the war is unjust and not winable. If they decline to support the measure and the United States leaves Afghanistan with the humiliation of a loss, they will be blamed.
This is exactly the challenge faced by George W. Bush. The American people were fatigued with the war in Iraq and support was waning. The Democratic Congress was doing everything possible to declare defeat in Iraq. If President Bush had decided to send more troops to Iraq and then failed, his legacy would be clear and the United States role in the world would change forever. Bush made a very courageous decision to send troops and defy Congress. President Obama is faced with the same dilemma, only this time over Afghanistan and this time with his own political party.
I believe Obama's challenge is even greater than Bush's in that Afghanistan is known as the world's Vietnam. Afghanistan is a military quagmire. For centuries invaders have been repelled due to the terrain and tactics of the Afghan armies. George W. Bush felt that taking the battle to the Taliban in Iraq was far more winable than fighting in the Afghan mountains. Besides, the people of Iraq had a functioning society that could be reassembled with a diverse economy. Afghanistan has never had a functioning government and the society was led by tribal leaders. The economy is based on opium.
Obama's campaign rhetoric is going to come back to haunt him. Zinger believes that Obama will attempt one of three strategies to get out of the mess that he is in.
1) Declare a change in strategic direction. We will fight in Pakistan or we will use more drones but we will not commit large numbers of new troops. The President knows he does not have the political support to withstand higher casualty counts.
2) Partially fulfill the request with fewer troops and change the focus to civilian centers. Obama may choice to abandon the outer reaches of Afhanistan where the fighting is tough and the death rate high. This may ultimately lose the war but it will be easier to gain support in the near term.
I do not see President Obama authorizing 40,000 more troops to an effort that even he doesn't fully believe can be won. He reminds me of a dog chasing a car. He pursued the Afghanistan agenda for the past two years. Now that he has it, what is he going to do with it.
Who Said It:
Edgar Allen Poe
"Be Careful What You Wish For, Lest It Come True"
Today's ZingerToon:
Recent ZingerKing Articles:
Articles can be found under “Recent Articles” in the purple sidebar. Older articles can be found in the archives that are stored by month. These are found at the bottom of the purple sidebar. Here is a list of the most recent articles.Click here to access the archives www.ZingerKing.com
Missile Defense in Czech Republic and Poland
Escalating the War in Afghanistan: Pelosi and Obama
President Obama's Speech To Congress Regarding Health Care
Part I: Implications of a Radical Change in Life Expectancy
Zingers Alternative For health Care Reform
The Tug Of War Of Special Interest Groups and Health Care Reform
Credibility Of The Administration Is Challenged
Taming The Angry Mobs
Creating A Free Market Alternative to Government Health Care
Cash For Clunkers
Culturalism versus Racism in America
The Revolving Door of Politics: Franken, Palin, Biden
You can access these and other articles at www.ZingerKing.com
Shameless Request For Support:
ZingerKing operates without advertising or government funding (obviously). The purpose is to inform and educate its readers about economic and political issues that affect our lives.
Help ZingerKing grow. Have you Zinged someone lately? Please forward a link to ZingerKing to a friend, family member or neighbor. If you enjoy reading the Zinger please subscribe (see the subscribe box at the top of the article in the purple side band). Subscribers receive the "Morning Briefing" when published with a link to the full article. Periodic alerts are sent to subscribers only with important updates and insights into critical issues. Your email address will not sold to others and will not be shared.
Write To Us:
You can comment on any article by clicking on the comment button at the bottom of each article or you can write to us at ZK@ZingerKing.com
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