Victor Davis Hanson Questions Obama's Political Past

[gx240]

@thaglund1 So using products produced by corporations means you have to mindlessly support them? Take a look where your shoes and clothes are made. They're probably made in China. Does that mean you support a communist dictatorship that uses political prisoner and slave labor? If not, you're being a hypocrite, right?

[jkjl234]

its funny how this guy says this about obama, but he is a bush croney and probably will never admit that bush CHEATED his way into the presidency. what a joke.

[Rorschach65]

@jkjl234

You have about the intellectual sophistication of a ground squirrel. Are you able to address the subject at hand, or do you always feel it is valid to meet a point by criticizing an irrelevant third party?

[jkjl234]

@Rorschach65 you want me to address this ridiculous subject? what's wrong with not believing in American exceptionalism? IT DOES NOT EXIST. we may have more moral principles than other countries, but we are NOT ordained by god to lead the world and dominate in every facet of life. we need to work with the rest of the world to move forward. that is what obama has said, and this bable about his character and his associations is racism and bigotry. this guy is a bush fanboy asshole. please

[Frankcastle522]

@jkjl234 Actually Hanson is a Democrat, but he is also a realist.

[cb44ever]

@jkjl234 how is it racist you take your cue from jimmy carter the biggest turncoat in presidential history the man who said he'd decriminalize marijuana til one of his staff was caught doing cocaine not this you think he did cocaine . you look for a conspiracy than when something is clear you dont accept it so someone criticizing obama's friends is racist but kanye saying bush hates black people isnt? how bout the fact obama goes to a church that the priest THAT calls 4 destruction of peoples?

[cb44ever]

@jkjl234 bush isnt pres anymore how long are you gonna bring up bush this is what uneducated people say too make themselves feel like intellectuals . you really think your cool too be like every1 else and never look into it . conspiracy , conspiracy : as long as its bush . bush was stupid there Isaid it now what pseudo intellectualism can you peddle

[deathtrapdeath]

Obama is the biggest fraud in American history. He represents the liberal well.

[smujismuj]

This guy has all the intellectual prowess of a church pew.

[cleverandruthless]

Actually, his book Carnage and Culture is brilliant, as is his article on the battle of Delia. He just decided to become a pundit, and is thus way out of his wheelhouse. Too bad, but I'd still rather hear from him than Glenn Beck. :)

[AtlasShruggery]

Hanson was a cheerleader for Bush's idiotic invasion of Iraq. He has no credibility now.

[EasyEs]

Right because everything must be viewed from he historical window of 5-10 years.

[socalcraigster]

@AtlasShruggery - On the invasion of Iraq, you are naive to say the least. Shame on you!

[AtlasShruggery]

@socalcraigster

Naive? Were you also a cheerleader for Junior Bush's idiotic invasion of Iraq? Did you cheer when Junior went prancing around in his flight suit declaring 'Mission Accomplished'? Maybe when you've held a job and paid taxes for a few years, you'll understand.

[cb44ever]

@AtlasShruggery hereb we go again everything about bush .. how bout 1 yr of obama admin killed with predator drones more civillians in afghanistan than 8yrs in iraq and afghanistan wit bush anything to blame bush and impune obama how bout obama allowing corporations to pay 4 his campaign a law he passed how bout that espionage and corruption no wait thats racist . you also cheer the killing of 10s of thousands of kurds , opression and all the worst of man . saddam was evil ! invasion was inept

[AtlasShruggery]

@cb44ever

Cons keep trying to equate Bush's lies about Iraq with Obama cleaning up the mess that Junior and his Neocons made. Just ain't so.

Interesting that you mention the Kurds. When Ronald Reagan heard that Saddam Hussein had gassed the Kurds with the weapons that Reagan had sold Iraq, Reagan nearly missed his afternoon nap.

There are many evil dictators in the world, many of whom were installed and supported by RepubliCons. It's not our job to rid the world of them.

[olgadel1]

@AtlasShruggery You are a cheerleader for sex slave traders. A tax attorney who defends the lowest forms of life. Is the family proud of you?

[8data]

He also published Autumn of War (2002)

He is a good Scholar, not a good polemicist.

He joined the war call, and perhaps that is the problem I have with him, and that Canard has cost US a lot, Al-Sadr and his followers still want US out, and the Middle East is no safer than it was before we went in and the trade deficit gives China more and more leeway.

[cleverandruthless]

I agree: his history books are great but I saw him on Bill Maher, BORING.

[ewrh78]

to all Obama fans (i prefer him too):

1 don't judge before thinking

2 listen to the argument (see entire clip)

3 think

4 stay honest

5 figure out if an argument legitimate

6 don't reject a argument because it is uncomfortable

7 learn

[jammineggz]

FORA is not becoming a right-wing mouthpiece and is in fact a strong part of what is good with the Web.

Yes this guy in the vid is a tool but how about instead of criticizing the speaker or those that allowed him to speak, just make sure that viewers are raised smart and aware enough to see through anyone's bs to begin with. Freedom of speech means exactly freedom for the kind of speech you do not agree with.

[quicksite]

I'm all for Freedom of Speech. But life is short, so I make the best determinations I can of the credibility of sources who publish those voices.

I see that some of FORA's staff are from CSPAN. Well they already do the job & do it perfectly, after 25 years of refining the craft. Just because FORA offers "longform" speeches vs soundbites, it doesn't automatically make their editorial judgment any good at all. If this is the best they can offer up for a conservative view, "thanks but no thanks"

[FightDPower]

In what way is this guy a tool? Please explain.

[roborob676]

they cant.. they just cant stand when facts are stated against their MAN.. This guy has been the most protected political figure in this country's history.. He or his dronelke supporters just dont take criticism( truth) well..

[Mon4ch0]

People change, that's why he changed his mind.

[ZankDigiTrash]

the man is telling the truth! sorry that you can't accept it!!

NO McCain is not the choice either so check out real caring candidates who don't lie to your face such as Nader and Dr Paul

[cobwebhead]

I guess Hoover doesn't require intellectual honesty from it's fellows.

[quicksite]

acchh! MORE ForaTV extremist video.

You know what, ForaTV, you're not improving the dialogue in America by just exchanging a NEW SELECTION of "he said/ she said" alternating partisan videos for the current crap that cable news runs every day & night. It's that very premise that's broken the very concept of debate in America. That PARITY of time = the best way to present information fairly and accurately to consumers.

You're not doing any service to America by this kind of programming.

[quicksite]

(cont'd) In fact, I'm beginning to suspect that FORA TV is the new face of Republican Think Tanks, version 2.0 ... Giving the illusion of balance -- in the same way Fox News does -- as a way of conning people into assuming you're balanced and have no agenda.

Just because one night you show Naomi Klein, then show this kind of speaker means nothing in terms of intellectual credibility.

This is the NEW FAUX methodology for bringing extremist right-views to mainstream America - as phony balance.

[djdickydan]

What a tool!

Palin abusing her power is worrisome ...

Nothing worrisome about Obama ...

[Redfingers]

I'm not talking about Acorn or Ayers, I'm talking about Obama's alleged association with them.

[Redfingers]

Wow. A guy from Stanford U spewing the bullshit he presumably picked up from the McCain campaign? Haven't the fact checkers in the media and on the net already defused those accusations about acorn and Bill Ayers? What the fuck?

[danieleriskay]

"Haven't the fact checkers in the media and on the net already defused those accusations about acorn and Bill Ayers? "

No, they haven't. Because it's a fact that Acorn is nothing but a bunch of criminals and Ayers is scum.

[eirefrance]

Actually, it isn't a fact at all that ACORN is a bunch of criminals. It IS a fact that they go out of their way to point out registration fraud, that they fire those involved, and, unlike Republican organizations, they have never been connected to voter fraud. It IS also a fact that I get to make fun of you for being an idiot. Idiot!! Haha, idiot!!!

[bllardw]

Stanford should drop this moronic guy Hanson.....he does not add to the intellectual atmosphere.

[8data]

He is still a good Fellow for Hoover

Niall Ferguson as well

Stanford is not so academically rigorous in the humanities

Condi is no brilliant Scholar in Foreign Affairs

but she is still very compelling, and so is Hanson

but their world view and ideas has not given us advantages this century and USAs Government is full of causus belli without any advantage to us as Citizens

will there be any great impact for USA as the greatest economy on earth-fast forward to 2040 and see anglo-america unravel

[terpis]

this is the weakest nonsense I've ever seen this guy spew. Always considered him as a knowledgeable wingnut.

This is...there's no there there. Politics can be a nasty thing. So what? Hansen can be an apologist for, like, genocidal Western Civ, but Obama's playing hardball in Chicago Democratic primary politics, this has him all shook up.

Right.

[CharlesVarney]

ACORN has been very forthcoming about the problems. They were the ones who told us about the fraudulent registrations. ACORN was, in fact, the ones being defrauded. And unless the ficticious names on the forms somehow manifest themselves to vote on Tuesday (which would take an act of God), then nothing will ever come of it.

Note: If Mickey Mouse somehow shows up with valid ID to vote for Obama... I think we know whose supposed to win the election. Hey, I might even start going to church.

[mikezephyr]

it's telling that this douchebag comes from the Hoover Institute.

hoover is the bush of the 30s and it's no coincidence that both brain-fuck presidents were passionate free-marketeers that facilitated state energy to distribute political resources from public welfare to corporate dominance leading to economic depression and radicalizing the working class.

[StevenJames1010]

IS ANYONE RUNNING AGAINST OBAMA?

[Ivanschulz]

Every campaign operates this way, blame the system. Integrity in voting? I wonder if this guy complained about Florida in 2000. What a clown.