Tom Friedman's "Who’s Up for Building Bridges?": Another Bridge to Nowhere

In an op-ed in today's New York Times entitled "Season of Renewal", Thomas Friedman tells us it takes more than Republican negativism to thrive in the 21st century. My online response:

Friedman writes: "Obama-ism posits that we are now in a hypercompetitive global economy, where the country that thrives will be the one that brings together the most educated, creative and diverse work force with the best infrastructure — bandwidth, ports, airports, high-speed rail and good governance."

Poppycock. This is Tom Friedman putting words in Obama's mouth.

Obama-ism is escalating a disastrous war in Afghanistan, where a tin-pot dictator spits on U.S. efforts to free his country from the Taliban. Obama-ism is allowing hedge funds to continue to bleed the U.S. white. Obama-ism is telling the tyannical Islamic Republic of Iran, that whereas before I stated "Nothing is off the table", now you can go ahead and build your atomic bomb, which will set off a Middle East arms race with your Sunni Arab neighbors, as I pursue, sometime in the distant future, watered down sanctions. Obama-ism is creating a budget deficit that will destroy the value of the dollar, saddle future generations of Americans with hyperinflation and debt, and prevent any possibility of infrastructure renewal.

Who's Up for Building Bridges? Sarah Palin also favored a bridge to nowhere. Before building bridges, how about first a little common sense? Friedman tells us, "Obama is at least trying". Gratifying, but "at least trying" is hardly the basis for "building America’s bridge to the 21st century".