Romney Was Right

[Shady]

Remember way back during the presidential campaign, when Mitt Romney stated that Russia was America's number one geopolitical foe? And the media went crazy in disbelief, and treated it like a monumental gaffe?

Well, looks like Mr. Willard Mitt Romney was 100% correct. Whether it's anti-gay legistlation, supporting Syria, supporting Iran, Edward Snowden, etc, Russia most definitely IS America's, and probably the West's number one geo-political foe. Should we expect any apology from the mainstream media that ran gleefully with the gaffe meme? Of course not. It's yet another example of the mainstream media working overtime to get the bumbling Obama re-elected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVznmmamtKY

Gotta love MSNBC asking why is Mitt Romney making us fear Russia? LOL. From an openly-gay anchor no less. Um, I hope they've apologized to Mitt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCrebJAajCI

And the bumbling Obama in this clip throws out the hilarious line, "the 1980's want their foreign policy back." Well, I wonder how the bumbling Obama feels about Russia now. Didn't the Obama administration just cancel a meeting with Russia as a show of protest over recent issues? Sounds like 1980s foreign policy, eh Barack. Amateur. You're lucky you have a mainstream media always looking to go to bat for you. Just ask Candy Crowely.

[Moonlight Graham]

Now you can make the argument more strongly. But rewind to when Romney made that comment and things were a bit different. With things going further downhill in Syria, Snowden, and the other things you mentioned, relations with Russia have deteriorated since then. A year ago Iran was seen by many as the #1 state threat to the US because of strong nuclear posturing and US/Israeli war drums hammering (that have since seemed to die down greatly for some reason). Other than supporting some rogue regimes and a less-than-fully democratic government, Russia wasn't causing as much trouble a year ago.

BTW, I think Obama is right in that terrorists are the #1 geopolitical threat to the US. I'd rank Russia, Iran, and N.Korea next. Not sure which order, but I'd think future war with Iran or N.Korea is much more likely than war with Russia.

Edited August 28, 2013 by Moonlight Graham

[cybercoma]

Wait, Russia's a threat and you're concerned about a media apology?

[kimmy]

Remember way back during the presidential campaign, when Mitt Romney stated that Russia was America's number one geopolitical foe? And the media went crazy in disbelief, and treated it like a monumental gaffe?

Well, looks like Mr. Willard Mitt Romney was 100% correct. Whether it's anti-gay legistlation, supporting Syria, supporting Iran, Edward Snowden, etc, Russia most definitely IS America's, and probably the West's number one geo-political foe. Should we expect any apology from the mainstream media that ran gleefully with the gaffe meme? Of course not. It's yet another example of the mainstream media working overtime to get the bumbling Obama re-elected.

Anti-gay legislation makes Russia a geopolitical threat? haha, no.

Supporting Syria? America and Russia/the USSR have been picking opposing allies around the world for decades. This is nothing new.

Snowden? First it was "haha, I'm not going to be scrambling the jets to go after a 29 year old hacker." Now apparently putting us on the brink of World War 3? Suuure. Say, if Luxembourg gives Snowden permanent amnesty, will Luxembourg then become America's greatest geopolitical foe?

The greatest threat to America? Willard and his golfing buddies.

-k

[dre]

In Syria and Iran Russia is doing the exact same things that the west has been doing for decades. Supporting a theocracy in Iran, just like we support in Saudi Arabia, and supporting a dictator in Syria that is taking on Islamic fundamentalists, like the west has done in many other cases.

Hard to blame Russia for coming up against the west in these two cases, but our stances on all these things are so unpredictable and unprincipled.

[sharkman]

Remember way back during the presidential campaign, when Mitt Romney stated that Russia was America's number one geopolitical foe? And the media went crazy in disbelief, and treated it like a monumental gaffe?

Well, looks like Mr. Willard Mitt Romney was 100% correct. Whether it's anti-gay legistlation, supporting Syria, supporting Iran, Edward Snowden, etc, Russia most definitely IS America's, and probably the West's number one geo-political foe. Should we expect any apology from the mainstream media that ran gleefully with the gaffe meme? Of course not. It's yet another example of the mainstream media working overtime to get the bumbling Obama re-elected.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVznmmamtKY

Gotta love MSNBC asking why is Mitt Romney making us fear Russia? LOL. From an openly-gay anchor no less. Um, I hope they've apologized to Mitt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCrebJAajCI

And the bumbling Obama in this clip throws out the hilarious line, "the 1980's want their foreign policy back." Well, I wonder how the bumbling Obama feels about Russia now. Didn't the Obama administration just cancel a meeting with Russia as a show of protest over recent issues? Sounds like 1980s foreign policy, eh Barack. Amateur. You're lucky you have a mainstream media always looking to go to bat for you. Just ask Candy Crowely.

I think it's this kind of macro view that the typical voter, whether it be American or Canadian, is totally unable to grasp in this shortened attention span culture. Russia is indeed America's greatest foe and that Romney got it a year ago before it became more obvious is a sobering thought when compared to Obama. His dithering the last several months while chemical weapon use occurred repeatedly in Syria only made this latest attack viable to Assad while Russia aided and abetted by loudly denying Syrian guilt and stiff arming any outrage.

Let's sit back and watch what Russia does in response to the eventual bombing of Syria. Obama misread the terrorist threat and it looks like he's misreading Russia even now. This after misreading the recession and jobless recovery and his own inability to get a budget passed. Even the hated Bush managed to do that, and on far fewer vacations too.

Edited August 28, 2013 by sharkman

[Moonlight Graham]

BTW, I think Obama is right in that terrorists are the #1 geopolitical threat to the US. I'd rank Russia, Iran, and N.Korea next. Not sure which order, but I'd think future war with Iran or N.Korea is much more likely than war with Russia.

Wait, i'm going to add ignorant American voters (not all of them of course, just the ignorant ones) to the list of top geopolitical threats to the US. Those voters who have failed to keep their politicians and ultimately their political and economic system in check.

Obama isn't a horrible President, considering his contemporaries, and he's miles better than Romney would have been, but he represents the status quo in US federal politics and, beyond the occasional glimmer of "hope" (ie: Obamacare, supporting gay marriage), will not risk his position of power to stand up to the interest groups that control much of Washington, not to mention his own ridiculous party, nor will he dare try to implement/support real democratic electoral reform in the country etc.

[GostHacked]

China is a much bigger threat than Russia, but some very different reasons.

[Topaz]

China is a much bigger threat than Russia, but some very different reasons.

I agree 1000%, with China holding most the US 16 Trillion debt, Chinese will replace English as first language.

[GostHacked]

I agree 1000%, with China holding most the US 16 Trillion debt, Chinese will replace English as first language.

The debt they hold of the US is not as much as many think. However if a trade embargo ever happens on China, North America will see a huge drop in available goods. Seems like there are very few products NOT made in China these days.

Manufacturing has been outsourced to China over the past 3-4 decades. Tech manufacturing has been outsourced to China over the past decade. I am seeing more and more products of food from China in grocery stores than ever before.

The only thing that is still going strong in North America, and specifically the USA is the military contractors. The infamous 'Military Industrial Complex'. But I am guessing that depends on where the materials and other parts come from.

There is a huge void in North America, and it looks a lot like how the USSR was gutted. It has the potential to turn out much like the old USSR. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is now Russia. Perhaps the United States of America might end up to have a different name?

[Moonlight Graham]

I agree 1000%, with China holding most the US 16 Trillion debt, Chinese will replace English as first language.

Did you read your own thread? China only owns 2% of US public debt.

[TimG]

I agree 1000%, with China holding most the US 16 Trillion debt, Chinese will replace English as first language.

What planet do you live on?

English is spoken as a second language by more people than speak mandarin Chinese.

It is also much easier to learn (written and verbal) than Chinese.

The world needs a common language and it will be English until computer translation programs get good enough to eliminate the need for a common language.

[Moonlight Graham]

The debt they hold of the US is not as much as many think. However if a trade embargo ever happens on China, North America will see a huge drop in available goods. Seems like there are very few products NOT made in China these days.

China is a threat for sure, but more of a potential or hypothetical threat. China and the US have fairly stable relations, beyond some foreign policy tensions. But the economies of China and the US are completely interdependent. If China wants to drop a trade embargo on the US it will destroy the Chinese economy, and vice-versa. This will pressure China and the US to maintain friendly relations at all costs.

The real threat is China continuing to increase its economic power in the future, and eclipsing the US in terms of GDP etc. Eventually China may begin to push its military might around the world far more, and thus come into conflict with the US more. But again, their economic interdependence is very likely to prevent a kind of Cold War rivalry. As China continues to economically develop, and its population becomes more educated, there's also the increasing threat of this more educated populace beginning to demand more democratic reforms on the totalitarian Chinese regime, which would be a good thing...unless it turns into something like in Syria.

[guyser]

Note to Shady....Things change .

Further note to Shady...Milk used to be 10 cents a pint , its not now....hope the media comes around and personally apologizes to you.

[dre]

Did you read your own thread? China only owns 2% of US public debt.

China owns about $1.32 trillion in US treasuries. The US is in debt to treasuries and bond holders to the tune of about $16.7 trillion.

Thats more like 8 percent.

As for the suggestion that China poses a threat to our security, thats very unlikely. Same goes for Russia.

And the fact that either of these countries might oppose us in countries we have no business getting involved with in the first place, doesnt bother me at all.

Russias opposition to our proposed interventionalism in Syria is actually echoed by most Americans... So kinda of silly to suggest it makes them some kind of big foe.

The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that some 60 percent of Americans opposed direct US intervention in Syria’s ongoing civil war, and only 9% thought American should act directly.

We are about to engage in an unprovoked act of aggression against one of Russias allies. I dont imagine we would like it any better if they bombed one of ours.

[GostHacked]

Kerry then and now!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39dEtOFgSTQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0qP791uhiw

[Moonlight Graham]

China owns about $1.32 trillion in US treasuries. The US is in debt to treasuries and bond holders to the tune of about $16.7 trillion.

Thats more like 8 percent.

"As of May 2011 the largest single holder of U.S. government debt was China, with 26 percent of all foreign-held U.S. Treasury securities (8% of total U.S. public debt)." http://en.wikipedia....oreign_holdings

So the Chinese government owns 26% of 8%, which = 2% of total US debt. Unless they own more US debt I'm somehow missing, that's not a lot on the grand scheme, plus its an investment for China they'd lose if they got rid of them. Again, economic interdependence.

We are about to engage in an unprovoked act of aggression against one of Russias allies. I dont imagine we would like it any better if they bombed one of ours.

The Syrian government is not only crushing civil resistance against their own tyrannical regime, but it's now using macabre chemical weapons, allegedly, against it's own people to do so. That's against international laws and norms of war, and violation of the responsibility to protect. How is that NOT provoking the international community?

You also have to ask why Russia and governments like Syria and Iran are allies in the first place? A big reason is that they are each authoritarian regimes that Western democracies aren't too fond of, and tyrants gotz ta stick together yo!

Edited August 28, 2013 by Moonlight Graham

[sharkman]

I think you are reading the Chinese debt quote incorrectly. They appear to be saying that China holds 26% of US treasury securities, which is the equivalent of 8% of total US public debt. That jives with what I've heard elsewhere.

[Guest American Woman]

Yes, by all accounts, China (including Hong Kong) owns 8% of U.S. debt.

[kimmy]

For all the Republican cheerleaders who were howling that Obama might take military action without the approval of Congress, a reminder that Willard said he'd do the same, a year ago:

I can assure you if I'm president, the Iranians will have no question but that I will be willing to take military action if necessary to prevent them from becoming a nuclear threat to the world. I don't believe at this stage, therefore, if I'm president that we need to have a war powers approval or special authorization for military force. The president has that capacity now. I understand that some in the Senate for instance have written letters to the president indicating you should know that a containment strategy is unacceptable. We cannot survive a course of action which would include a nuclear Iran we must be willing to take any and all actions.

All those actions must be on the table.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/06/mitt-romney-says-he-could-wage-war-on-iran-without-congress-approval/258607/

Was Romney Right?

-k

[GostHacked]

Seven countries in 5 years.

[jbg]

With things going further downhill in Syria, Snowden, and the other things you mentioned, relations with Russia have deteriorated since then.

I think Romney's greater intelligence was demonstrated by his insight into Russia. History is basically memorialized by the expression "the more things change the more they stay the same." Romney gets that. Many here don't.

[Moonlight Graham]

I think you are reading the Chinese debt quote incorrectly. They appear to be saying that China holds 26% of US treasury securities, which is the equivalent of 8% of total US public debt. That jives with what I've heard elsewhere.

You're probably right, thanks for the clarification.

[GostHacked]

Yeah can Romney explain why things change yet stay the same? Can he quantify it in anyway? If it was not Obama going into Syria, it would have been whatever puppet president doing the dirty work.

Romney is part of a system that is the problem. He does not want change, he loves it exactly the way it is. No different than 99% of the politicians out there.

[Moonlight Graham]

Seven countries in 5 years.

That's a really good video. I went and found the whole interview, it was very enlightening.