From a cross and not entirely coherent reader:
I realize conservatives hate Obama so much you guys would oppose him if he said Mother’s Day is a wonderful idea, but your 2 posts about democracy, and his nuke position are a bit over the top.
Is it your contention that we can’t say ANYTHING about US democracy because we have to compare ourselves to the most repressive and backward regimes on the planet? It’s self evident to anyone (but apparently not to conservatives) that, yes, the US isn’t perfect. But we have to muzzle this because of the Kazakhs?? Have you guys taken leave of your senses? Besides, I thought we now lived in a socialist state.
And regarding nukes, given the fact Obama is killing our enemies at a record rate with UAV’s, it seems to me he’d have no hesitation about nuking an enemy under certain circumstances. But, that’s only evidence and data. It doesn’t fit the conservative party line, so I guess you guys won’t consider it.
Regards to Cosmo and crew.
Me: Too much nonsense here to get too deep in the weeds. But I do like getting email like this because it balances out some of the email I get from folks saying I’m too kind to Obama. As for the merits here, where to begin? “We” can say anything we like about democracy (even though president Obama has a habit of saying he wants his critics to stop talking and of suggesting their objections are illegitimate). Obama was derogating American democracy not for America’s benefit but for Kazakhstan’s. Somehow the reader seems to have missed the context entirely.
As for using the UAVs to kill terrorists — for which Obama deserves praise, even on Mother’s Day! — I’m at something of a loss as to how that proves his willingness to use nukes. Maybe, the continuum from targeted killings to thermonuclear war is more seamless than I can grasp. I guess I need more evidence and data.
As for the conservative party line, Obama has gotten quite a bit of praise from the right for the assassinations, along with some confusion as to why he considers it outrageous to put terrorists in Gitmo and give them a military trial but perfectly fine to execute them from a safe distance with no trial whatsoever.