I feel like I've just seen the ending of "The 6th Sense."

[Clio the Leo]

Inspired by....
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x8671169

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sixth_Sense#Plot_overview

Obama knew all along that Iran had a secret uranium factory. He may be more of a master strategist than his foes--and even his friends--have realized.

The key to understanding today's announcement on Iran is this: President Obama knew about the secret Iranian facility nine months ago. Before he began his strategy of engagement, he knew Iran was lying about its program. When he extended his hand in friendship, he knew Iran had built a secret factory to enrich uranium. Before he offered direct talks, he knew Iran was hiding a nuclear weapons breakout capability.

Each move was denounced as "weak" and "naïve" by the right. That talk looks foolish today. These were the moves of chess master, carefully positioning pieces on the board, laying a trap, and springing it at the opportune moment.


We now know that Obama was not acting on impulse, or philosophy or general principles, but on deep strategy. He knew better than his critics that Ahmadinejad could not be trusted. He just had a better plan for how to deal with him.



Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-cirincione/outmaneuvering-iran_b_300255.html

Remember when he sat down with Al-Arabiya for his FIRST interview as President?



It was because he knew.


Remember when he recorded the Nowruz "Happy New Year" message to Iran?



It was because he knew.


Remember when we got up early to watch him in Prague imploring the world to move toward nuclear disarmament?



So today I am announcing a new international effort to secure all vulnerable nuclear material around the world within four years. We will set new standards, expand our cooperation with Russia, pursue new partnerships to lock down these sensitive materials.

It was because he knew.


Remember when we got up again to watch him speak in Cairo? Remember how the wingnuts went crazy because every other word was "Holy Quran"?



There will be many issues to discuss between (the US and Iran), and we are willing to move forward without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect. But it is clear to all concerned that when it comes to nuclear weapons, we have reached a decisive point. This is not simply about America's interests. It is about preventing a nuclear arms race in the Middle East that could lead this region and the world down a hugely dangerous path.

It was because he knew.


Remember when the White House was able to get Twitter to put a planned outage on hold in order to accomodate the Iranian protestors?





It was because he knew.


Remember last week, when he told NATO allies he was scaling back plans to build a missle defense shield in Europe?



Publicly, Obama administration officials denied that the decision was about Russia. But privately in the Pentagon, officials said they believed Moscow could be persuaded to use its leverage to pressure Tehran. "It's not about Russia. It's about Iran and how do you deal with Iran," a Defense official said. "Who can deal with Iran? Russia."

It was because he knew.


Remember three days ago when we were laughing about how gleeful he seemed at the admission by President Medvedev that Russia was willing to support sanctions against Iran?









It was because he knew.





Some like to mock the notion of "Obama as Grand Chess Master." I would submit he knows FAR more about what he's doing than even we give him credit for.

Or in other words.......

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_BVGz7lWZUIY/SYEa3fyQLyI/AAAAAAAAURY/oqCGoP1tnwg/s400/Obama+hall+of+fame.jpg

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Very compelling...

I hope you're right...

K&R

[Hekate]

2. It's a pleasure to watch Pres. Obama when the pieces start to fall into place. Now about health care

... I know he can think about more than one thing at a time, and I still have my fingers crossed. :-)

Stay safe, Mr. President.

Hekate

[jgraz]

5. Unfortunately, healthcare is starting to look more like "The Happening"

[Hekate]

6. That remains to be seen. The US Senate is full of self-serving snakes, but we may still...

... end up with what we need. Maybe. We'll see.

hekate

[grantcart]

9. OK now that was funny

but if it gets passed with a public option then it was because he was doing it in three dimensions and we could only see it in two.

[Inuca]

18. Or one n/t

[jgraz]

29. No, if the public option passes it will be because we the people made it happen

If Obama was really the kung-fu jedi chessmaster people paint him as, we'd be passing Single Payer about now.

[ekwhite]

32. He doesn't want single payer

That would be too big a blow to his friends in the financial industry. What he seems to be working for is the best deal he can get for his friends in the insurance industry while still being able to take credit for "reform." That is why it is even more important to have pressure from the left insisting on the public option.

[jgraz]

35. As always, the question is not "Is Obama playing chess?"

It's "Who is he playing against?"

[kristopher]

59. Maybe you are not getting the message of the OP... nt

[ekwhite]

90. Maybe I'm not...enlighten me nt

[bertman]

62. A weak public option means nothing compared to the giveaway to the healthcare giants.

[grantcart]

53. now that is hilarious

[BREMPRO]

78. He didn't run and wasn't elected on a platform to pass single payer

So, that's not a mark off his kung-fu political skills. He is finessing the stakeholders and congress to meet his broad goals- including a non-profit public option- It's got to be there in my opinion for the mandate to be palatable to progressives and I think he knows that. He's got us closer than any other president who's tried to get health care reform and is facing off against some SERIOUS opposition in the form of billions of lobbyist dollars and Republican obstructionists. Credit is due.

[Cha]

103. Yeah, I knew someone like you would take all the credit.

PO asked for help and we're giving.

But, you don't get to take it all.

[jgraz]

104. God forbid we don't give due deference to Our Leader.

Really, sometimes I wonder if you actually comprehend what you're posting.

[Cha]

105. PO thanks you for your hard work..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x378751

[DevonRex]

40. Oh good lord. Can't you let ONE fucking thread saying something GOOD about Obama

pass without shitting on it? I guess not.

[jgraz]

44. We must only say good things about Our Leader. Only good. Only good. Only good.

[DevonRex]

47. How about sticking to the subject of the thread instead of hijacking it so you can trash him again?

For you, the line is "We must only say BAD things about Their Leader. We must only say BAD things about Their Leader. We must only say BAD things about Their Leader."

Because Obama is certainly not somebody you would call "yours." And I have yet to see you say anything good about him. And you DID hijack this thread just so you could shit on him again.

[jgraz]

61. Um...Dr. Hawking? Maybe you should re-read and see who brought up healthcare

I was doing this thing called "replying to a post". And -- now this might seem strange to you -- I was replying to the actual subject matter instead of posting a hysterical rant about someone saying bad things about my presidential binkie.

[Bette Noir]

48. That "Our Leader" crap isn't going to make you any friends.

We get enough of that from the right.

When he does something bad, we criticize. When he does something good, we can and should praise.

[DevonRex]

49. That poster would NEVER say anything good, so he/she hijacks

the thread just so he/she can say something bad. Again.

[Seldona]

66. Double-plus good! Comrade.

[emilyg]

94. Hide your head in the

sand. It's the easy and acceptable way on DU.

[Cha]

68. Sure, from your

point of view.

[jgraz]

82. Yeah, cuz I'm the only one who feels that way

:eyes:

[Cha]

102. So? Ya got

company.

[HopeOverFear]

3. Excellent

[Parker CA]

4. Wonderful post, Clio. And not only did he spring the trap on them now, but he did so in front

of the world with two close allies at his side. He is no fool. Every move is deliberate, and the idea of the big picture rather than the day to do is the reason he's able to pull these moves off. A day to day worrier can't plan strategy like this.

I'm impressed, and continue to enjoy watching this man work.

[DearAbby]

7. AWESOME POST

Absolutely outstanding post :applause: OUTSTANDING!

[lamp_shade]

13. +1

[Odin2005]

8. This guy is DA MAN!

:D

[Patchuli]

10. K&R with pleasure!

And any FOOL unrecommending this thread should slap themselves NOW.

[boppers]

11. I think the media also ran waaaaay overboard on this one.

The story: Iran has enrichment facilities. (We already knew this). They disclosed a new facility location (That the US intel system already knew about). The IAEA will now wander through, and make sure everything's ok.

So, the talking heads, who apparently know *nothing* about science, lost their minds. It's not a bomb making facility (those are almost impossible to detect, I've been in one.... actually, the very first one. It was a few shacks, in the middle of New Mexico desert. Nuclear weapons are actually kind of low-tech.) The disclosure was about an enrichment facility, a place where they spin gas. Not exactly a threat worth freaking out over.

Why would they hide such a thing? Well, they do have a regional neighbor that has a history of terrorism, murdering people and destroying buildings, if any neighbor dares to conduct experiments that basically combine fluoride and dirt, spin the resulting gas, and thus get specific products from dirt.

[bertman]

63. Thank you, boppers, for a cogent explanation. Of course the media ran overboard. That's

what they do.

[lapfog_1]

12. Uh, it's been reported by the lady that does the news (Ratner?)

for Thom Hartmann (I can't remember the news service she works for, but it's great!)...

Obama was briefed on this after he was elected but long before he took the oath of office.

so, yeah, he knew. More important... BUSH KNEW TOO... and did nothing.

[Ineeda]

15. Bush doing nothing, in this case.

was probably a good thing. Otherwise our children would probably be occupying and dying in Iran too.

[lapfog_1]

43. True... but you know that when the teabaggers

figure out that Obama "knew" this information for 8 months or more, and he did nothing about it, they are going to howl (like they always do). So we need to put it out there that their hero, W, also knew about it and did nothing.

[lillypaddle]

14. Thanks for posting

k&r

[tekisui]

16. That is some strong diplomacy.

And, very well done. I think the revelation with a host of nations at the UN was brilliant. None of this cowboy, go it alone, toss gas on a fire bullshit.

Measured and well-thought out. I have thoroughly impressed with the Obama Administration's diplomatic abilities.

[Jennicut]

17. Yes, that is the most important thing out of all of this...the ability to forge a partnership

with other countries. They must really appreciate Obama after Bush and his ability to bring them together on this.

[madmom]

34. Gee, would that be called "a coalition of the willing" ?

[sybylla]

19. Damn straight!

SO and I were watching Rachel cover this last night and he said he gets the feeling Obama could beat Spock in three dimensional chess.

Okay, so that's totally geeky, but felt so true. I had goosebumps as Rachel was tying it all together. Day 257 that I'm glad we no longer have the chimp around to fuck things up.

[rosesaylavee]

20. Great summation... esp the visual aids!

I am very impressed by this man and so grateful that he is in charge. NO, he's not perfect and not addressing everything I want him to yet. But I do have hope... which is more than I have had for the past 10 years.

[PatSeg]

21. Great post!

[Pisces]

22. Unfortunately self serving dems just want to critique the Pres. He is working for us

and some just want the immediate gratification of having Obama shove his fist down some Repug throats. Instead he gives the knockout punch in all due time.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

23. .

:D

[rvablue]

24. K&R! n/t

[me b zola]

25. Excellent post

recommended

[Phx_Dem]

26. Some people -- okay, most -- may be surprised by his strategic mastery,

but I'm not one of them. President Obama is not one to do anything on the fly, without thinking through all the angles and countermoves. He's not blusterous and doesn't act on impulse, unlike his predessors (Presidents Bush & Cheney).

Bush & Cheney were probably apoleptic that Obama wasn't immediately chastising and threatening Iran, because they knew about the secret uranium-enriching site and they knew Obama knew. I'm surprised Dick didn't blurt it out on Meet the Press in his zeal to discred President Obama. They did everything right out in the open -- no planning, no strategies, just blusterous threats and condescending tones. Look where that got us. Two of the "axis of evil" nations, who previously did not have nuclear capabilities are now closer than ever to being able to build and/or launch a nuclear weapon. Thanks for nothing assholes.

[branders seine]

27. so far, with the (major) exceptions of the occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan,

I like Obama's foreign policy very much. Very much indeed. To be an effective force internationally AND try to rehabilitate our international reputation is no mean challenge. He is doing very well.

I hope he is playing some kind of rope-a-dope on Afghanistan and Iraq, but it doesn't seem like it, and people are dying every day.

Foreign policy? I like what I see.
Domestic and economic policy...? Not so much.

[spanone]

28. the right will NEVER give this President a shred of credit

[scheming daemons]

30. To hell with the right... I'd be satisfied if the doomers here on the LEFT would "get it"

[Richardo]

33. ..

:thumbsup:

[DevonRex]

38. Hear hear! nt

[mzteris]

74. Amen!

I'm about sick of opening DU and hearing how "bad" Obama is . . .

He's not perfect, and he's not going to do EVERYthing *I* personally want him to do, he's not going to be ABLE to do everything he/we want him to do - but jfhc - what do the ijuts on here WANT? Bush, Cheney, and Rove back in the WH? Do they WANT some dictatorial @ssh@le who is going to lie and cheat and steal to get what HE wants and damn the rest of the world, the rest of the Americans?

I really think he is TRYING to be AMERICA's President (whether some want him or not).

And as he's shown - he's a LOT damn smarter than the people who doubt him. And you know, sometimes, you can't DO what you want, sometimes there are other factors - factors that the average American may never even KNOW about - that prohibit doing exactly what you may want done. Sometimes, ya gotta do things you don't want to do, don't agree with, because to do otherwise just might prove disastrous, ya know?

[Prophet 451]

31. "I love it when a plan comes together"

*chomp cigar*

Sorry dude, someone had to say it.

[nolabear]

36. Seems to me the problem with the information era

is that talk doesn't equal information. Don't get me wrong; I'm a communication JUNKIE, but over time I have learned a lot about human psychology and the natural inclination to filter out things that don't reinforce our world view. It serves two purposes; to bind us together with people of similar world view and to protect us, when that view is the result of trauma, from ever trusting enough to be traumatized again. It's very hard to take a trusting, wait-and-see attitude when you've been hurt, whether by an uncaring government, a selfish private sector (insurance companies, Big Pharma, AIG, etc.) or attacks from those who realy DO want to hurt us. So we all get together and chatter about our fears, and then react as though the fears are facts. I do it too. But it's ultimately harmful, sometimes in little ways and sometimes in big. With Obama, I trust him, not to be perfect, but to be smart and to do the best he can. Don't know how it'll work out, but I'm hopeful today.

[HopeOverFear]

57. +1

[HowHasItComeToThis]

75. YES

[chervilant]

93. Just as I remind my students,

I remind everyone I know who will listen: our species is now experiencing growth and change exponentially. We've generated more information and verbiage in the last five years than in all the past 5,000 years combined!

So, when I start to feel overwhelmed by the pain and fear I've experienced during the past nine years (and, Cheney tops my list of the criminal corporate megalomaniacs who deserve a one-way ticket to the ICC...), I reread something Gandhi said:

"When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love has always won. There have been tyrants and murderers and for a time they seem invincible but in the end, they always fall -- think of it, ALWAYS."

[firedupdem]

37. K&R n/t

[Fire1]

79. And how long have "we" known this???? LOL!!!!!! n/t

[Peacetrain]

39. K&R

[wryter2000]

41. I didn't know any of the details

But, I knew the admission was a major victory. I'madinnerjacket had no reason to "confess." The guy has no shame whatsoever. He couldn't be shamed into making an admission. The fact that he did was a huge concession to our side.

[jenmito]

42. Wow-I just got a tear in my eye...

reading this post. So many people HERE mock him and the "chess master" meme. Meanwhile, those of us who trusted him were right. It's sad that he's fighting people in his own party along with those on the "other side of the aise."

K&R. :hi:

[lunatica]

45. Thanks to Joe Cirincione for connecting the dots

Very good piece.

Yes. He knew even as a candidate.

[Bette Noir]

46. Our Mr. President is the smartest guy in the room,

And I can't think of another who looks better in a dark blue suit.

edited for can't type

[BlooInBloo]

96. "Our Mr. President is the smartest motherfucker in the room,"

I corrected your typo. You're welcome.

:P

[winyanstaz]

50. great..so when will he call Israel out for their secret nukes????

We dont hear much about that now do we.

[WinkyDink]

87. When Iran disarms?

[winyanstaz]

92. umm disarms?

They dont have any nukes as of yet...sheesh..

[FirstLight]

51. Right ON!

I missed Rachel Last night but am sooooo glad I got to read this post!
I agree wholeheartedly and Iran is only the tip of the iceberg.
Obama knows what he WANTS
- the green jobs, responsible populace, economic recovery and healthcare portions of domestic policy, (and so much more)
- the ending of war(s), re-establishment of American honor, and beating the wierdos in Korea and Iran at their own game on the world stage...


I do think he is the Jedi Master many of us think he is...and that he also happens to be a dedicated father who is lucky enough to be in a place of enough power to change the WORLD for the better interests of HIS children and their entire generation.

He is a generational thinker, and that is a very big chessboard

and I am rooting for him 100%

[RJDem]

52. LOL! thanks for the drama...

But didn't EVERYONE know Iran was FOS on this and has been for years? Isn't that the reason why the right wing has gone ballistic on Obama when he reached out to perceived allies of Iran? I don't disagree with his objective of returning our reputation to that of an honest broker in world affairs, but it's more like common sense than sixth sense. And it remains to be seen how effective his plan will be. Something tells me it's going to take a lot more than just some huggie speeches to overcome the damage done by junior.

[babylonsister]

54. Great post, Clio!

'Because he knew'...perfect!

[cliffordu]

55. Here's the message:

Underestimate this man at your own peril.

That goes doubly for all you health care panic people.....

[DevonRex]

58. Well, surely we don't have any of *those* on this board, do we? Oh, wait...

I guess there are 1 or 2 after all. And then we have the fake panickers who simply pretend to be panicky but really just want yet another chance to bash and trash. They're so funny.

[cliffordu]

60. Yes they are.

[BlooInBloo]

99. Some people never learn.

[ellie]

56. My dad would have loved Obama

It's too bad he didn't live long enough to see it. On the other hand, I doubt he would have survived the W. administration without suffering a massive stroke from screaming at the TV. Reagan nearly did him in as it was. (He died in 1998.)

[Cha]

69. I know..I wish my Mom were still

around..she would love PO, too. She also missed bush+cheney..leaving the Planet in '97.

She would have been fun to talk to about our Orwellian nightmare years and the ensuing Perfect Storm:patriot::patriot:

[ellie]

76. Exactly

When 9/11 happened, I wished that my dad was alive so we could talk about. He was very intelligent and knowledgeable about world affairs. God I miss him!

[BlooInBloo]

100. Same with my mom.

[bertman]

64. So, what happens when the inspectors find that it's a processing plant and not a weapons

facility? Does Iran get to have civilian nuclear power like the rest of the world or not?

Won't Israel have a national stroke if Iran is allowed to have nuclear ANYTHING?

[Common Sense Party]

91. It's definitely a weapons facility.

Question is, what will the President do when Israel wants to take it out?

[ShortnFiery]

109. No we're not supposed to be aware that there's ZERO evidence of a "weapons" plant.

We're supposed to be adoring President Obama's intelligence as the Masters of War drum up "manufactured consent" for strikes on Iran. :eyes:

http://cyberfaith.blogspot.com/2009/04/noam-chomsky-speaks-out-on-iran.html

The basic point was explained very candidly by Henry Kissinger. He was asked by the Washington Post why he now claims that Iran does not need nuclear energy so it must be working on building a bomb, while in the 1970s he insisted forcefully that Iran needs nuclear energy and the U.S. must provide the shah with the means to develop it. His answer was pure Kissinger: “They were an allied country” so they needed nuclear energy. Now they are not an ally, so they do not need nuclear energy. As for Israel, it is an ally, more accurately a client state. So they inherit from the master the right to do as they please.

The IAEA has the authority, but the U.S. would never permit them to exercise it. The new U.S. administration has given no indication that it is any different.

[gordianot]

65. The best post of the year.

Books will be written about this week and the first year.

[newtothegame]

67. Haha wow, pathetically desperate. n/t

[Bobbie Jo]

70. K&R

Watch and Learn. :kick:

[elleng]

71. Thanks for this, and

'even we give him credit for' not all that much, unfortunately.

[Kadie]

72. K&R n/t

[Turbineguy]

73. Thank You.

Ignore the wingnuts. They have no understanding. Their views have been stunted by 8 years of idiocy in the Whitehouse (actually, longer). Mr. Obama as it turns out, has a quality sorely lacking in American politics: subtlety (as I suspected all along).

We have just witnessed the Game Changer.

And the Repubs have just themselves on "iggy".

[Sugarcoated]

97. It pleases me so to know with certainty

that the Drugster and Hanutty shit their pants when this went down.

[Kermitt Gribble]

77. I don't know about the whole 'chess master' thing but

the Obama Admin sure has a graceful approach to foreign relations - very refreshing compared to the non-existent foreign relations of the previous admin.

[Scurrilous]

80. K & R

:thumbsup:

[RoccoR5955]

81. K & R

[Hutzpa]

83. You need to add this also Clio

makes perfect sense....

An excellent summation. :thumbsup:

[redqueen]

95. lol

Nice one.

[femrap]

84. As much fucking money that we spend

at the Pentagon, on satellites, on CIA spies, mercenaries, etc. we damn well had better known about the 'secret' plant. Geez.

I'm sure they knew that we knew.

But it's all starting to sound like a deja vu that I heard eight years ago....but this time Israel is ready to go. And if they don't get what they want, is there a false flag far behind?

[ShortnFiery]

110. +1

:thumbsup:

[RoyGBiv]

85. This is an excellent post n/t

[ZombieHorde]

86. I don't understand the whale picture. Will you explain it to me? nt

[Robb]

88. It's the Twitter logo thingy

I'm slightly ashamed to know that. :D

[Clio the Leo]

106. In addition to being the Twitter thingy........

....... I Googled a search for "Twitter" and that image came up. I liked the idea of the little Twitter birds trying to pull off this MASSIVE undertaking. That's exactly what was happening in Iran, so that's why I used that one.

However, the name of the image is "twitterfailwhale" so it may represent something I'm not aware of. lol

[ProSense]

89. Very cool. n/t

[BlooInBloo]

98. Has anybody actually *asked* Obama whether he plays chess?

:rofl:

[FrenchieCat]

101. I know for sure that he plays poker!

[stevenleser]

107. K&R times 100000000!

Thanks Clio!

[Gwereeya]

108. Barack Machiavelli

I love it!