Putting aside the fact we're talking about real world events, and not video games, reading about tonight's GOP debate about Foreign policy made me think of this ad for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 thats been all over the TV and internet. 'Disclaimer: Yeah, the slogan 'there's a Soldier in all of us' really irks me when in reality less than 1% of Americans have served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Sam Worthington's 'Vet' is precise, measured, focused, and effective. 'Noobs' Jonah Hill and Dwight Howard are spray-and-pray, reckless, loud and obnoxious. Only succeeding in getting themselves killed and wreaking unnecessary collateral damage.
That is what the choice will be next fall. Between a President who has proven himself again and again as an effective commander-in-chief and diplomat-in-chief, vs. a candidate with no experience and speaks in kneejerk slogans if he/she's lucky enough to remember them.
Friendly reminder to how Barack Obama has managed global affairs:
Rescued a Sea Captain from Pirates
Rescued Journalists from Kim Jong-Il
Stuck a missile in the tailpipe of Awlaki's SUV
Stuck a computer virus in Iran's nuke facilities
Caught 10 Russian spies on American soil.
Freed 4 American spies from Russian soil.
Convicted the Lord of War in a New York Court
Put the 'Prince of Marbella' away for life in a Washington DC court
Convinced Russia and China to enact the toughest sanctions ever on Iran, North Korea, and Libya.
Rescued Haitians from the Rubble of Earthquakes
Rescued Japanese from the destruction of a Tsunami.
Awarded the first living Medals of Honor since Vietnam.
Set timelines for ending the two wars that have gone on longer than Vietnam.
Brewed a Beer for a Marine
Watched Basketball on an Aircraft Carrier
Brought torture to an end at the CIA
Brought Don't Ask Don't Tell to an end in the military
Brought every American home alive and safe from Libya.
Captured/Killed the LEADERS, not #2s and #3s, but head honchos of Al Qaeda in Iraq, Islamic State of Iraq, Ansar al Islam, East African Al Qaeda, the Pakistani Taliban, Islamic Jihad Union, Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Al Qaeda in Indonesia, Al Qaeda in Aceh Province, Fedayeen e Islam, and others.
Buried Gaddafi in the Desert
Buried Bin Laden in the Ocean
On the other hand, Mitt Romney once attacked Obama for saying he'd kill Bin Laden in Pakstan if he had to. Herman Cain doesn't know China has had nukes for 50 years. Michele Bachmann doesn't know where Libya is on a map. And Rick Perry thinks our three biggest enemies are Iran, China, and.....ummm....oops.
So yeah...go get 'em noobs.
Sun Nov 13, 2011 at 8:15 AM PT: A few I overlooked:
-Ratified the 'New START' nuclear arms reduction treaty with Russia that reducing by hundreds the number of nuclear weapons aimed at the United States.
-Set a new guideline for the use of nuclear weapons. Promising never to deploy cet weapons against any country that both has no nuclear weapons and is in good standing with the Non-Proliferation Treaty. This is a powerful deterrent against countries trying to join the nuclear club in the first place.
-President Obama lifted the 22-year old travel ban on people living with HIV/AIDS.
- Successfully lobbied the government of Serbia to arrest and extradite to the Hague the last of those wanted for war crimes related to the Bosnian conflict. Including the butcher of Sarajevo, General Ratko Mladic, responsible for the murder of 8,000 Albanian men and boys at Srebernica. At once bringing closure to the region and paving the way for Serbia to join the EU.
-Supported UN intervention which brought down Ivory Coast dictator Laurent Gbagbo, who after losing an election had taken to butchering his opponents and shelling civilian areas with artillery.
-Done his part to nourish and grow the Arab Spring, which has sofar overthrown three long-time dictators, brought meaningful democratic elections to Tunisia, civil institutions to Libya, and weakened/isolated the brutal terrorist regime of Bashar al Assad.
-Carefully managed the drawdown of US forces in Iraq from 130,000 when he first came into office to zero in a few weeks time. In such a manner that it sustained security gains, continued to hammer Al Qaeda in Iraq, and greatly reduced American casualties. Fewer Americans have been killed in Iraq in the nearly three years since Obama took office than died in the last year of the Bush administration.