Typical Obama

Obama outlines sweeping goal of nuclear-free world from AP via Antiwar.com

Sounds great. A nuclear free world. And this is what I mean by typical Obama. Obama is always very good at telling us about the problems we already knew we faced. And on the vague level of sound-good talk, he always shines. A 'nuclear-free world' sounds wonderful.

So, what's the first steps towards getting there?

He offered few details of how he would accomplish his larger goal and acknowledged that "in a strange turn of history, the threat of global nuclear war has gone down, but the risk of a nuclear attack has gone up."

Like I said, typical Obama. When you look behind the pretty words to see what he's really proposing, there's nothing there. Typical Obama. "All hat, no cowboy" is a phrase I've learned since I headed west.

In this case, as the world's leading nuclear power, the obvious thing for the US to do is to start taking unilateral steps to reduce its own nuclear weapon stockpiles. We have so many of the damn things, we could easily do this while still not affecting "America's security". Besides, from which country in the world are we protecting ourselves with these evil things?

But no, Obama puts no details into his proposal. Here's some obvious ones that he could have put out there ....

• Stopping the development of new nuclear weapons that the US began under Bush
  
• De-targeting the strategic nuclear weapons we have. Its hard to believe that nearly 20 years after the fall of the Soviet Union we still have these things on a hair-trigger alert status. Why?
  
• Unilateral cutbacks by the US in our nuclear weapons forces and stockpiles. We have plenty to destroy the world many times over. Why not give up some of those as a first step to try to lead the rest of the world to the goal Obama says he wants to achieve?
  

This is typical Obama. On the surface, it sounds very good. But, there's nothing real behind it. And by now, we should have all learned that Obama is very weak on following through with these things that sound good. We've had close to two years of this from Obama. Two years worth of speeches that sound good, but which have nothing behind it. And by now, we should know that Obama never does anything.

Don't believe me. Go talk to all those union-activists who worked on his last campaign under the very minimal promises of a new law that would make organizing a union a fairer process. Go ask them how the EFCA is going?

Watch Obama's actions. This is all just hot-air, and by now we should all know not to pay any attention to Obama's hot air. Watch for actions. So far, they are missing. Except for the real reason he's made this speech which is that he is continuing the same war-mongering bluster towards North Korea that was the Bush policy. With no real actions, the rest of the speech is just feel-good cover for that continuing Bush policy.

Hot-air speeches with no details, but which sound really good. While at the same time, continuing Bush's saber-rattling and war-mongering. Welcome to Obamaland.