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Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Rich Galen :: Townhall.com Columnist
Meanwhile, in Iran...
by Rich Galen
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With unemployment at 10.2%, what will happen by the end of Obama's first term?



Look. I understand the enormous outpouring of grief for Michael Jackson. Just as I understood the reaction to the death of Princess Di.

I lied. I don't understand either one.

In fact, I asked a group of people yesterday afternoon if they could explain to me the public's fascination with deeply flawed people who die prematurely. I got blank stares so, to lighten the mood, I said, "I have the 'deeply flawed' piece down cold, but I think I blew right past the 'premature dying' thing."

Hearty laughter all around. On second thought, it might have been nervous chuckles all around because everyone left right after that.

While every network except USA (which, in a delicious irony of counter-programming ran Law & Order: SVU episodes all day) covered the Michael Jackson memorial service, other things were going on in the world. One of the things going on was a luncheon at the offices of the Center for Strategic & International Studies featuring the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen.

Adm. Mullen had just returned from Russia where he had accompanied President Barack Obama on his summit in Russia for what was supposed to have been yet another outpouring of national gratitude like a nation full of 13-year-old-girls at a Beatles concert in 1964 for Barack Obama having deigned to spend time with them.

However, the New York Times of all journals, headed its coverage of the trip: "For Jaded Russians, Obama's Star Power Does Not Translate"

Reporters Clifford J. Levy And Ellen Barry, wrote:

Crowds did not clamor for a glimpse of him. Headlines offered only glancing or flippant notice of his activities. Television programming was uninterrupted [so] devotees of the Russian Judge Judy had nothing to fear. Even many students and alumni of the Western-oriented business school where Mr. Obama gave the graduation address on Tuesday seemed merely respectful, but hardly enthralled.

What? How great is this? My quandary of "where will I go when I leave the United States" is over. I can pack up all my cares and woes and move to Novocheboksarsk where men's eyes apparently don't roll back in their heads and women don't swoon at the mere mention of the name of Barack.

Whew. I can cross that off my to-do list for tomorrow.

It seems that the intergalactic love affair with Barack Obama may be cooling elsewhere, as well. A new poll by Quinnipiac University shows that Obama's approval rating has dropped from 62% in May to 49% in this poll.

Oh. This poll was taken in Ohio which, as you know, is the Novocheboksarsk of middle America. Continued...
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About The Author

Rich Galen has been a press secretary to Dan Quayle and Newt Gingrich. Rich Galen currently works as a journalist and writes at Mullings.com

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(22 comments so Far)
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Reply # 1
Date: Jul 10, 2009 - 2:40 PM EST
Thank you for clarifying
I think I get it now: you insist it CAN be done, but you have no plan as to HOW.

Are you a member of Congress, by any chance?
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Reply # 2
Date: Jul 10, 2009 - 10:56 AM EST
Reading 101 for Grumpy
Poor Grumpy, First he states that we cant put ground troops in Iran.

I say in my opinion we CAN put ground troops and take any ground we set our minds to. However I warn that once we take the ground what we do next would be key because we would get major pushback from the Iranians in an unconventional style to say the least.

I also point out that any plan would be joint in nature and use all 4 of our main services.

Grumpy takes me to task questioning the ability of the Navy forces and tells me to look at a map. I point out that Iran has two major coastlines. I never once propose using the Caspian Sea although it is there. Somehow grumpy reads that I have made such a proposal.

Then grumpy claims that you cant run ships through the strait of hormuz. I point out that we run ships through there all the time. I certainly proposed no plan to run an invasion fleet through there while we are under attack although i would point out that before we attack we could certainly preposition forces in the Gulf. I would not however put that forth as a PLAN just stating it could be done.

Grumpy seems to be stuck in old times. For Example he says "If you want to fight a ground war in Iran you first get a neighboring country to ally with you, then you start building rail lines."

Well I do agree that a neighbor to ally with is useful but "rail lines" Really?? Did we use Railroads in Kuwait or Iraq? What about Afghanistan? Did we have a lot of neighbors helping us stage forces before we took over Afghanistan?

lastly I offered no plans for an Invasion of Iran but somehow grumpy thinks I did. I merely stated we could which is totally different then saying HOW to do it and that we SHOULD do it.
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