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Quote of the Day

March 21, 2011, 12:36 pm

The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.

--  Barack Obama, December, 2007

Tags:
Category: International Affairs

10 Comments

  1. MJ:

    Sarah Palin may not understand the Bush Doctrine, but Obama surely does. The Constitution? Now that's another matter.

    March 21, 2011, 12:47 pm

  2. Dan:

    There is a litany of things presidents said before they became president that they later came to regret as president. This includes Obama in 2006 saying that Congress should not authorize a rise in the debt limit. Or George. H.W. Bush calling Reagan's tax plan "Voodoo economics." Speaking of Bush, how about, "Read my lips - no new taxes!"

    March 21, 2011, 12:50 pm

  4. caseyboy:

    It was Obama's promise of "transparency" that I find most offensive. This is the most secretive administration in many years. Recess appointments, policy Czar's, backroom deals with favored corporations, etc.

    Hope and change, my xxx!

    March 22, 2011, 6:54 am

  5. Daublin:

    Torture springs to my mind, as do off-shore prisons.

    One that stings me is Iraq. I've been asking what Bush should have done differently than support the fledgling democracy and draw down over time. For all the complaint's about Bush, Obama is doing exactly the same thing.

    Dan: true enough, but this case seems a bit extreme. These are core planks of Obama's platform. Transparency, budget, Iraq, peace, torture, due process.

    March 22, 2011, 7:25 am

  6. Grant:

    Dan:

    This is a consistent problem with politics and politicians. They are all exactly the same. This should lead people to believe there is a fundamental flaw with the system, instead they just repeat calls of "throw the rascals out!" every few years... and replace them with the same breed of rascal.

    March 22, 2011, 7:32 am

  7. Dan:

    Grant,

    I agree that politicians are extremely prone to talking out of both sides of their mouths, and I agree Obama is being hypocritical in this case.

    But I don't expect myself to always be consistent in my viewpoints and in what I say year after year. Sometimes I change my mind. Luckily, no one is cataloging everything I ever said to throw it back at me in the media when I say something slightly different. That is the tough thing about being in the public eye.

    Sometimes it's politically expedient as a politician to say something that contradicts something you said in the past. But I'd like to think someone, even a politician, can change their mind on an issue because they really have given it a lot of thought and feel they were wrong in the past, and not have their feet held to the fire due to re-thinking their stance.

    We need thoughtful people to run for office, not Rush Limbaugh/Nancy Pelosi types who ever budge on an issue or try to see the other side. But the current system discourages thoughtful people from participating in politics.

    March 22, 2011, 10:16 am

  8. Dan:

    I wish I could edit my posts. I meant "never" budge on an issue, not "ever."

    March 22, 2011, 10:17 am

  9. Neo:

    According to a White House readout of a Monday night call between Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the two leaders .. “underscored their shared commitment to the goal of helping provide the Libyan people an opportunity to transform their country, by installing a democratic system that respects the people’s will.”

    But in Cairo 2009, Obama said ... "The fourth issue that I will address is democracy. I know there has been controversy about the promotion of democracy in recent years, and much of this controversy is connected to the war in Iraq. So let me be clear: no system of government can or should be imposed upon one nation by any other."

    Both of these were made since he was Pres**ent Obama.

    March 22, 2011, 8:48 pm

  10. IgotBupkis, President, United Anarchist Society:

    You missed the follow up quote The Big 0 released last week:

    The President does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.
    – Barack Obama, December, 2007

    What? You thought I was SERIOUS about that? Jeez, duuuude!! I was just demagoging, man!!
    – Barack Obama, March, 2011

    March 23, 2011, 11:42 am