Category Archives: Foreign
Widows and Orphans
In the wake of the ISIS attacks on Paris, the leader of the free world retaliated vigorously against his enemy – Republicans. He struck hard against anyone who questioned whether terrorists might surf a wave of Syrian refugees into America.
His weapon of choice was sarcasm:
“Apparently they are scared of widows and orphans coming into the United States of America,” Obama said of the GOP. “At first, they were too scared of the press being too tough on them in the debates. Now they are scared of three year old orphans. That doesn’t seem so tough to me.”
Widows and Orphans
Hours later, as French security forces closed in on a terrorist hideout, a woman outfitted in a suicide belt blew herself up.
The head and spine of Europe’s first female suicide bomber flew through a window and landed on the street outside when she blew herself up during the siege of Saint-Denis.
ISIS Nuisance
John Kerry thinks terrorists might have had cause for murdering cartoonists but the attack on Paris is beyond the pale. He backpedalled his statement but here it is. At least he didn’t croon “You’ve got a friend”.
He based his presidential campaign in 2004 on the idea that Islamic jihad is just a nuisance. President Obama feels the same. He wants to close Gitmo and prosecute Islamic jihadists though the US court system.
President Holland feels differently. Freedom fries anyone?
Update:
This analysis by John Lloyd of Reuters says it’s not only an act of war, ISIS is an “existential threat”.
What Obama’s Not Interested in Doing
French President Hollande pronounced France at war and promised to destroy ISIS/ISIL.
At a press conference today President Obama could barely be bothered to answer questions about his ISIS strategy. He seemed sedated. There was plenty of his customary “what we’re not going to do” line of lecturing. As in, “What I’m not interested in doing is posing or pursuing some notion of ‘American leadership’ or ‘America winning,”’
He spoke in a sort of monotone and mentioned how busy he is. Here’s a You Tube of the speech.
Trump and Carson Foreign Policy
The two Republican front runners are better at brain surgery and bluster than foreign policy.
In the last debate Donald Trump was asked about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. He went on about Chinese currency manipulation. Rand Paul piped up that China isn’t a partner in the deal. In fact the point of the deal is to contain China.
You knew that, right? Neither did I. But The Donald claims he did. The WSJ has its doubts about that.
So does Charles Krauthammer:
Ben Carson had an awful night — the Chinese intervening in Syria? But it was bookended and thereby saved by two good moments: an early answer, the preemptive “Thank you for not asking me what I said in the 10th grade,” and his closing statement about the suffering in the country being overcome by America’s inner strength.
Trump shares with Carson the GOP’s vast anti-politics constituency, now fully half of the Republican electorate. Carson’s antidote to the nation’s failed politics is moral strength. Trump’s is unapologetic brute strength.
Trump did not have a particularly good night, either. He was again at sea on foreign policy. And when asked about the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the 12-nation trade deal he opposes root and branch, Trump did his riff on the Chinese economic menace — to which Paul calmly pointed out that China is not party to the TPP. Indeed, the main strategic purpose of the TPP is precisely to contain China by binding its Pacific neighbors to the United States, thus blunting Beijing’s reach for regional hegemony.
Never mind. As long as the anti-politics mood prevails, neither Trump nor Carson is even dented by such policy misadventures.
Veterans Day
Camp Arifjan Kuwait
Thank you to all who’ve served, from my 92 year old father-in-law in the greatest generation, to all the men and women I’ve met overseas this year. 
Since it’s Veterans Day it seems like a good time to reflect on two trips I made this year to visit troops in Kuwait, Djibouti, Turkey, and Iraq. The trips were sponsored by the USO and featured members of the National Cartoonists Society. We were there to draw and help build morale.
Our visits were promoted in advance so we’d often arrive at a facility with people lined up waiting for us. Each person took a seat at tables opposite a cartoonist. Then we drew. 
Good Morning from a guy who teaches Arabic to our troops
My method was to talk to the person while observing facial features. I’d try to get to know something about his or her background while trying to provoke a smile or frown. All the while I was drawing in ink and processing the information I was getting. If all went well I ended up with a caricature in a gag cartoon that had something to do with the person’s real life. And if it really went well I didn’t have to ask to be reminded of the guy’s name. Then I signed the cartoon to him, with thanks for his service.
Usually they love it. 
They told me all kinds of stuff, mostly about family at home, what their jobs are in the service, and what they hope to do when they get out. Sometimes they’d whip out an iPhone with pictures. I’ve drawn whole family portraits from cell phones and iPads. One guy asked me to draw a picture of his little boy born in Spain, except his wife lives in England. Whatever makes ’em happy.
It’s an intense process requiring serious concentration from an easily distracted cartoonist. It’s also really rewarding. For the most part these are special people doing a hard job they volunteered for far from home. They don’t get much recognition and they don’t complain. At least not to the cartoonist.
Veterans Day
So this Veterans Day I’d like to thank all who’ve served, especially the ones who took time to talk to me. 
