I hadn’t realized that I still held a faint hope that Obama would “come out” as a progressive now that he has no re-election potential, but my disappointment upon hearing about Obama nominating John Brennan to be the director of the CIA made me realize I was still holding out hope.
I created this cartoon in response to hearing about the nomination of Brennan and hearing an interview with Al Jazeera journalist Sami al-Hajj, who spent six years at Guantanamo after being picked up like so much cattle in the first days of our war on Afghanistan.
To nominate someone who oversaw and took part in some of the most fundamentally depraved policies in American history to head the CIA, at a moment when the whole “War on Terror” – its logic, its logistics, its morals – has been thoroughly debunked, overturned and rejected – just seems like a cruel joke.
Obama apologists are in a state of denial not unlike people living with an untreated alcoholic. Denial has a certain opiate effect. Thus, my cartoon:
Credit: Deborah Kory and someecards.com (click picture for link).
I always thought that the darkest history of the CIA was funding an anti Communist war inn South America. Th CIA was merely protecting American economic interests, not protecting American civilians from attack. I wish the author understood the nature of today’s threats. Extremist Islamic terror groups such as the Taliban and AQ do not support one iota of human rights, nor so they respect life. And as a woman, the author of this blog must know the Taliban’s views on woman. They live in the dark ages.
I am sure the CIA have done a few things not to our liking, but they are also hunting down terrorist who do not live by any rules. Don’t forget that on 911 the human rights of hundreds and airline passenger and building inhabitants were not respected. Their war is unconventional and sometimes the CIA has to use unconventional means to fight.
I would like to know what Debra’s ideas would be on confronting AQ and the Taliban, Crying foul is not enough.
Indeed, he is not. How will we have any grounds to protest when other nations – say, China or Syria – send drone attacks into foreign territories to kill those they’ve deemed enemies? If we can do it, why can’t they?
Monte, I find your response pathetic, I mean rally pathetic, First of all, what NATO is fighting is not only a US enemy. do yo recall AQ user the protection of the Taliban murdering launching a attack in the US on 911? I think that justifies a military response in Afghanistan. of corse it carries into Pakistan, That is where they are hiding and trying to destabilize a very dangerous nuclear power. The Taliban are not only the enemy of the west, they are a out and out enemy of humanity. I mean look at them, this values and their conduct. Then look at where the fights taking place. It is the most potentially explosive part of the world. I know civilians are getting caught in two war. The Taliban use them as human shields. What does that mean to you? Can you imagine the Taliban taking back Afghanistan and then helping the Pakistan Taliban take control of a nuclear power? Do you? Tell us the truth
As for Syria, you don’t have ti imagine them doing anything, because they are doing it. WIthin their own birder, the Assad regime has murdered 60,000 citizens. Before the conflict is over, we may be seeing Assad use chemical weapons against it’s own citizens.
The US is not Syria, nor is it China. The intent in Afghanistan is a just outcome rather than a return to tyranny.
Obama? NOT a liberal? You cannot be serious.
Seriously Robert; he’s smack dab in the middle of the road politically and to the right of modern progressive thought in some of his actions.
Can one be a “liberal” and “pragmatic” at the same time? Can one be economically or socially liberal but follow realpolitik in foreign & military policy? Is that just too compartmentalized a way of looking at things and being? Is this what a “Rockefeller Republican” was, before the 1980’s the Christian Right hijacked the GOP?
Can one be “liberal” *and* misguided or mistaken? Or are liberals always right, never making mistakes when faced with tough decisions?
Do we have all the information he does?
From a more personal / spiritual perspective, how do we give people the benefit of the doubt / trust / not judge / compassion, while not being total fools or in denial?