A front page article in this past week-end's edition of the Wall Street Journal "Behind Obama's About Face on Syria" states that the President:
"----personally rebuffed a proposal to arm the rebels despite appeals from David Petraeus, then-director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Hillary Clinton, then-Secretary of State.-----senior British officials had been agitating for months for the U.S. to do more in Syria-----King Abdullah, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also argued to Mr. Obama that the U.S. was allowing three of its chief historic rivals in the Middle East-Iran, Russia and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah-to dominate the battlefield in Syria and help President Assad push back recent rebel gains."
In a related editorial, "Dabbling in Syria", the following comment is made:
"All of which suggests that Mr. Obama still doesn't appreciate the strategic stakes in the Syrian civil war. Russia, Iran and Syria want to create an arc of influence from Iran to the Mediterranean while demonstrating to America's regional allies that the U.S. is a retreating power that lacks the will to support its friends."
Anyone paying attention for the last two years could have predicted with some certainty that lacking meaningful involvement by the U.S., Russia, Iran and others would take advantage to promote their own ends.
During the "Arab Spring"(where our involvement was hesitant and insufficient) radical forces gained the upper hand in Egypt and Libya. And in Iraq and Afghanistan, moderate groups have been in danger of being overwhelmed by extremists after we withdrew from a combat role.
The delay in providing arms to the Syrian rebels may be too little and too late. One can reasonably assume that we would have acted sooner had we not been in the middle of an election. A fair question is whether this President has subordinated our role in the world to political expediency.
We have witnessed since this Administration's start, the tendency to deny responsibility for all manner of bad news (unemployment, deficits, IRS malfeasance, attacks on journalists, Benghazi, NSA data mining etc.). What ever happened to Harry Truman's observation: "The buck stops here."? Or the need for a president to lead, to be decisive when required, to honor the Constitution (and the Office of President) and to be honest and straight with us? In short, to be "presidential".
As we have stated in prior posts, Obama is a community organizer in the tradition of Saul Alinsky. He is clever but is he wise? Based on his record, his background and commitment to a far left ideology, he is not and cannot be an effective president in the mold of most of his predecessors. He has "dabbled" in foreign affairs, is unserious about many of our problems and lacking in executive experience. Or put more succinctly, he is an amateur at a time when we need serious and expert leadership.
"----personally rebuffed a proposal to arm the rebels despite appeals from David Petraeus, then-director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and Hillary Clinton, then-Secretary of State.-----senior British officials had been agitating for months for the U.S. to do more in Syria-----King Abdullah, Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal and Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan also argued to Mr. Obama that the U.S. was allowing three of its chief historic rivals in the Middle East-Iran, Russia and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah-to dominate the battlefield in Syria and help President Assad push back recent rebel gains."
In a related editorial, "Dabbling in Syria", the following comment is made:
"All of which suggests that Mr. Obama still doesn't appreciate the strategic stakes in the Syrian civil war. Russia, Iran and Syria want to create an arc of influence from Iran to the Mediterranean while demonstrating to America's regional allies that the U.S. is a retreating power that lacks the will to support its friends."
Anyone paying attention for the last two years could have predicted with some certainty that lacking meaningful involvement by the U.S., Russia, Iran and others would take advantage to promote their own ends.
During the "Arab Spring"(where our involvement was hesitant and insufficient) radical forces gained the upper hand in Egypt and Libya. And in Iraq and Afghanistan, moderate groups have been in danger of being overwhelmed by extremists after we withdrew from a combat role.
The delay in providing arms to the Syrian rebels may be too little and too late. One can reasonably assume that we would have acted sooner had we not been in the middle of an election. A fair question is whether this President has subordinated our role in the world to political expediency.
We have witnessed since this Administration's start, the tendency to deny responsibility for all manner of bad news (unemployment, deficits, IRS malfeasance, attacks on journalists, Benghazi, NSA data mining etc.). What ever happened to Harry Truman's observation: "The buck stops here."? Or the need for a president to lead, to be decisive when required, to honor the Constitution (and the Office of President) and to be honest and straight with us? In short, to be "presidential".
As we have stated in prior posts, Obama is a community organizer in the tradition of Saul Alinsky. He is clever but is he wise? Based on his record, his background and commitment to a far left ideology, he is not and cannot be an effective president in the mold of most of his predecessors. He has "dabbled" in foreign affairs, is unserious about many of our problems and lacking in executive experience. Or put more succinctly, he is an amateur at a time when we need serious and expert leadership.
Norm, Great article! You hit the nail square on the head. Obama is cleaver like the "old West" snake oil salesmen. Actions speaking louder than words has become a lost phrase to those who have and continue to support this failed and flawed leader. $100M African trip, Moochelle and her 30 rooms in Ireland.....meanwhile, the people's house, the White House, is closed to tours due to the sequester.....Obama is the leader that never was......Nobel Peace Prize? We often wondered how the German people could have been so foolish with Hitler yet in this day and age, with all the resources, the people in this country took "STUPID" to levels never seen in politics......God have mercy on the USA.....KD Hey, I like that: the leader that never was.....sadly, how true!!!!KD
ReplyDeleteRight on with this post! Along with the matters you have listed I would add the ability of this administration to play upon the gullibility of too many Americans. I cite the fact that spokespersons are lauding the election of a "moderate" as President in Iran. Has no one looked at the blood stained resume of that man? While administration persons applaud, Iran chuckles and goes on its merry way.
ReplyDeleteThe level of seriousness in the current state of this country has risen to an alarming level. It continues on a path of moral and financial irreversibility. Its foreign policy is in shambles. It spite of the fact that the name of God has been stricken from our schools, our public events it is only that Name that will save us.
The seriousness of it all is seen now as congress members are deciding not to run again. In short: We have run amuk!
Good response Sandy. Did you see today BHO says the proposed law re: no abortions after 20 weeks is a threat to women's rights? As I have said before, unborn turtles have more rights than un-born humans......The writing was on the wall during the last democrit convention when this party and their delegates, denied adding God to their platform three times in voice vote. Think of the damage done to the morals/principles in this country just since 2009. Heck, Obama is even making abortion obsolete with the availability of morning after pills to girls of any age. Look how Obama "reached out" to the NBA gay player....Obama never gave Tebow any mention....Gay marriage, embraced by Obama. The only success in leadership Obama has shown has been to lead the moral decline of the USA and the assault against religious liberty. I will never again trust the "mainstream media" either.....without their support, this failure would have never defeated Hillary.
ReplyDelete