Gates's book.

[No Elephants]

I have been clear that I have not been a fan of Obama's nominees, starting with his first, namely, Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff. However, I think the no-SCOTUS nominess that bothered me most were Gates, Geithner and maybe Bernanke.

With the two most important issues facing him in 2008 being the wars in the Middle East and the economy, Obama chose Republican and Kissinger protege, Geithner, for Treasury and re-appointed Gates at Defense and Bernanke to head the Fed.

Now, Gates has published a book in which he does not spare Obama or Biden. Gates has praise for Hillary, except that both she and Obama confessed to him that they had opposed the surge in Iraq because they were running for President at the time.


http://nbcpolitics.nbcnews.com/_news/2014/01/07/22218326-gates-dings-obamas-leadership-bidens-foreign-policy-chops?lite


If true, I cannot imagine anything much more damning than suggesting that any candidate for President based a stand on war policy upon personal ambition, rather than conviction that a course was best for our troops, the nation and the world. I also cannot imagine many things more foolish than Democrats admitting something like that to a Republican who is highly likely to write a book.

[Enthusiast]

1. Maybe they were willing

to talk among friends. I'm growing weary of Republicans masquerading as Democrats.

[No Elephants]

2. It's the enlightened, fashionable way to go. "Pragmatic" liberals.

Aka, Republicans.

First, the DLC said, "Vote for Democrats! They're just like the Republicans you've been voting for.

Anti-poor fiscally responsible, no tax increases, etc. But also pro-choice and pro-civil rights.
You'll love them."

Then the Republicans went further right, to prove there was a difference between them and Democrats.

Then, Democrats pursued them to the right; and Republicans got even more extreme.

Then, a Bushite started No Labels, soon joined by lots of Clintonites.

They declared both Tea Partieers and liberals "toxic." Because, after all a uniparty is the sensible, non-toxic way to go.


Now, more and more uniparty think tanks are cropping up.

But, to get back to the original point: not long ago, I posted how Kennedy, who was supposed to be THE affordable health care advocate in Congress admitted that he had blocked Nixon's health care plan because he (Kennedy) wanted a Democratic President to get credit for it.

Inasmuch as we now know that Kennedy wanted to be President one day, maybe Kennedy himself was the Democratic President Kennedy had in mind when he blocked Nixon's plan. And then, Carter said that Kennedy also blocked his (Carter's) health care plan. By that time, we know that Kennedy himself was the Democratic President Kennedy had in mind.

Meanwhile, people without Kennedy's inherited wealth and/or privlege were suffering, going bankrupt and dying--and the country was going further and further right, so that we eventually got a health care plan that was well to the right of the one proposed by Nixon (and I suspect Carter, though I have not investigated what Carter had in mind). That is quite a price for America to pay for one man's desire to make history as President.

Now we learn that people who wanted to be Commander in Chief opposed a surge in Iraq because of their personal political ambition.

Both examples go well beyond "mere" politics in my mind. Either example makes Macbeth's personal ambition look like a philanthropic, IMO.

I wonder what else has been done by Governors, members of Congress, Presidents, etc. because of personal ambition that they have not confessed, like Kennedy, or have not been ratted out, like Hillary and Obama. We did suspect that Bush started the Iraq War at least in part because war time Presidents have always been re-elected. What else? The mind cringes.

[Enthusiast]

3. The Bush cronies also

made a fortune on cost-plus no bid Iraq War contracts.

I like this "uniparty think tanks". You have that nailed.

[No Elephants]

4. In his book, Gates mentions that Bush never went back on his decision to

invade Iraq. I gather that Gates mentioned that as a positive.

I can't stand war.