And You Wonder Why?

As the United States Operation in Iraq enter the next to last phase, extracting all of our operational personnel and equipment associated with “Operation Iraqi Freedom” out Iraq and gets them to Kuwait for preparation and transport back to CONUS, we the people of the United States do not know what this side trip down the rabbit hole has really cost the country.

Something we know with an exacting precision.  We know that at the end of Sept 2011, a total of 4,483 members of the United States Armed Forces were listed as Killed in Action.  We know that at the end of Sept 2011 a total of 32,200 members of the United States Armed Forces were listed as Wounded in Action.  Concerning these individual what we do not know and will never know is the associated misery and suffer that was a result of their loss.

That is not the only thing the United States Government cannot determine with any certainty.   The other is the  dollar cost of the trip down the rabbit hole.  The Bush Administrations initial published estimates was $60,000,000,000 (60 Billion Dollars).  The current administration has published estimates of the cost in the range of $845,000,000,000 (845 Billion Dollars).  We only missed the Bush/Rumsfeld estimated number by a factor of 14.  Although now it looks more like a WAG (Wild Ass Guess).   Some might argue that it should be a SWAG, but that for another rant.

If we could get an accounting of the cost to within normally accepted margins of error, 10%, 1%, or .01%, and the current number of 845 Billion Dollars is closed the “Actual Cost” we are looking at anywhere between 84.5 Billion Dollars to 84.5 Million Dollars of error in the number being provided.

And you thought that Accounting was precise, well as far as the Federal Government is concern you are very sadly mistaken.  Now as no other time in the history of the United States have the prophetic words of Everett Dirksen, Republican Senator Illinois, 1950-1969, have been more salient to the nation and our current circumstance.  Three come immediately to mind.

“We are becoming so accustomed to millions and billions of dollars that "thousands" has almost passed out of the dictionary.”

 “A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money”.

Probably his most prophetic statement is

“I have said, with respect to authorization bills, that I do not want the Congress or the country to commit fiscal suicide on the installment plan.”

Which is exactly what the Congress and the administration have done since 2003.

Off the book expenditure for the Wars on top of the existing DOD Budget are as follows:

Fiscal Year	Billion Dollars
2003	78.5
2004	107.5
2005	82.0
2006	72.4
2007	170.0
2008	190.0
2009	130.0
2011	159.3

For those of you that are counting via the installment plan for fiscal suicide the Congress and three Administrations (Bush Terms 1 and 2, Obama 1) have spent or authorized 994.7 Billion Dollars that we did not have, that we did not commit existing revenue streams to cover, that we did not commit additional revenue streams to cover.  And you wonder WHY.

Barack Hussein Obama has not been a BAD President!

Yes Mr. Alter, Barrack Hussein Obama has not been a BAD President, but by the same token he has not be an Outstanding President, Excellent President, or Good President.  He might be an Average President, or a Mediocre President, and maybe even a Poor President.  But is Barack Hussein Obama a Bad President? NO.

My bet at this time he is somewhere between Average and Mediocre, but he is putting up quite a fight to be Mediocre.  He is but one of the 544 that have a direct say in the path that the United States takes.  It takes at least 295 individuals to be with you to be able to make any change, and Barack Hussein Obama, does not have enough of the 544 individuals on his side, and in all probability he never will have enough.  He is getting a great deal of help from the other 543 individual in quest to be Mediocre.

No body starts out trying to be mediocre, it just happens.

For an individual who used Audacity in the Title of a Book

First a definition to refresh our memories.

Audacious: Intrepid Boldness, Bold or arrogant disregard of NORMAL restrains.

Synonyms: Brash, Brazen, Hutzpah.

With all due respect and admiration to William Shakespeare Act 3, Scene 2 of Julius Caesar, let me say that Barack Hussein Obama, is a very nice, and decent, honorable man.  I am sure that he is a pleasant conversationalist.  He is intelligent; He is caring; He has a sense of Justice; He is a man of Letters.  Not withstanding all of this his actions, or more precisely his lack of action to date concerning the United States Economic Crisis he should not be considered to be Audacious, or to have any audacity, by any rational individual.

It is said the Barack was impressed with “Team of Rivals”, and supposedly how Lincoln lead or managed from behind during the civil war.  That some how he made the group not only work together, but that every member of the group was an equal to the tasks, and all were contributors.  The book is a good read, but for many students of the civil war it did not fill in any missing blanks, and in some cases completely glossed over some of the real documented problem with cabinet.  The comment in John Hay diary in the summer of 1863 is one of the primary pieces indicating that all was not well in the team.  Hay relates that Lincoln had to resort to “tyrannous authority”, and that “most important things he decide & there is no cavil."  The two major reasons that Lincoln won the civil war were he had the logistics systems to support his troops in the field, and he finally found some General who could fight.   Jefferson Davis, never had the logistics system to support his troops, and he ran out unoccupied territory, and out of Generals who could fight.  The Civil War was a war of attrition.

If we are looking for an individual who will clearly defined Goals.  If we are looking for an individual who can clearly articulate these Goals.  If we require an individual who can formulate a strategy and effectively communicate the Strategy to achieve these stated Goals, then to date Barack Hussein Obama has not demonstrated that he is that person.

One can lead from the rear, and that is fine, but one must have a clearly defined goal, and then one must create and communicate to all what the strategy is for achieving these goals.  I have not heard Barack clearly define any goals on any subject, other than to keep on keeping on, or if we just hang on it will all get better some day.

It appears that Barack Hussein Obama has adopted a path to re-election, which will present to his opponents a record of actions that cannot be assaulted, since to date his record is quite absent of any real actions to assault.

The one true weapon in the arsenal of the President of the United States that Barrack Hussein Obama has fail to use is the “Bully Pulpit” as of 30 June 2011 the president has only had 3 News Conference, he has had numerous one on one interviews, but they are not quite the same as the man coming out and being pushed across the networks at the same time.

In 2010 in an interview with Diane Sawyer, Barack Hussein Obama made the following statement “I’d rather be a really good one-term president than a mediocre two-term president”.  It appears that the other possibility have never been articulated by the president, and they are a mediocre first term president, and good second term president, or mediocre first term president and no second presidential term to judge.

From my position up till now it really looks like he trying to make this last option into reality.  The economy is in bad shape, and other than some platitudes about feeling our pain, his lack of leadership on the issue almost borders on malfeasants.  We have a sucking chest wound and rather than plug the hole and keep the lung from collapsing he would rather collapse a lung and have a really compromised economy for an extended period of time, rather than do anything to remediate the situation.  To date these are not the actions of a man with audacity.  I do not hold out much hope that the term audacious will be even with the loosest of interpolations be applied to the job plan Barack Hussein Obama is to be announce in the coming weeks.

For an individual who used audacity in a book title Barack Obama appears to be the antsiest of one who is audacious.