Will America have any allies left once this guy gets done?

After today's disclosure that the Obama administration sold out the people with whom we once had a special relationship; our closest (soon-to-be formerly closest?) allies . . . the British, I have my doubts.  Apparently, in order to placate the bear, we agreed to tell the Russians about all the nuclear weapons that the U.K. keeps in its arsenal.  Information that the U.K. holds as a state secret.  (Link to story here.)

Obama's got to go.  The incompetence (it's either that or anti-Americanism and I prefer to think positively) must end.  January 20, 2013, can't get here fast enough.  I just hope that there's enough respect for the United States left by then to salvage a coherent positive foreign policy.

Too Close for Comfort

The radical Islamist regime in control of Iran and the radical Communist regime in control of Venezuela have a common foe - us - and have become fast friends.  So far, the friendship of these two states has been a nuisance but it is about to become downright dangerous.

According to this article, Die Welt, a German newspaper, has reported that "Iran is planning to place medium range missiles on Venezuelan soil."  Iran will be building a military base in Venezuela and placing sort and medium range missiles there.  "If a missile base can be opened in Venezuela, many US cities will be able to be reached."

The United States faced a similar threat in 1962.  Lloyd Benson once said, famously, that Dan Quayle was no Jack Kennedy.  Is Barack Obama?

NATO making a deal with the devil?

Word today that the United States and NATO have apparently agreed to "cooperate" with Russia and seem to be accepting Russia's permanent occupation of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia regions of the sovereign nation of Georgia, which the Bear invaded two years ago.  In exchange, Soviet-er-Russian helicopters will, once again be fighting in Afghanistan.  (Anybody remember Rambo III?)

Have we made a deal with the devil?

Any chance that the Obama administration will support the Iranian opposition movement this time?

I doubt it.  (Link to story here.)

Hugo Chavez's new toys . . .

No need to be alarmed, though.  Democrats are in charge of America's foreign policy and everyone loves us now.  Right?

(Link to story here.)

Trust . . . but verify

From the Washington Times:  "The United States is about to lose a key arms-control tool from the closing days of the Cold War -- the right to station American observers in Russia to count the long-range missiles leaving its assembly line."  (Link here.)

The Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START I) expires on Saturday and the Obama administration has chosen not to (or been unable to) extend the monitoring agreement, though they blame George W. Bush.  

Whoever is to blame, this is a bad idea.  Ronald Reagan was right.  "Trust but verify."

Obama makes decision on Afghanistan . . . whoops . . . not so fast. White House says Obama still indecisive.

CBS News reported today (link here) that President Barack Obama had made a decision - finally - to heed the advice of General Stanley McChrystal (given in September) and send about 40,000 more troops to Afghanistan.

McChrystal, and the boots on the ground, must have been pleased.

But the feeling was short-lived.  This evening the White House issued a response saying, "reports that President Obama has made a decision about Afghanistan are absolutely false."  (See previous link.)

Nope.  No decision yet.  Isn't it about time that this guy learned to be a decider?

Or is this decision, like so many others, above Barack Obama's pay grade?

Do you remember when . . .

the Nobel Peace Prize meant something?

Do you remember when it was awarded for actual accomplishments?

Alas, no more.  This year's prize has been awarded to Barack Obama (link here) whose list of actual accomplishments as president includes . . . well . . . we'll have to get back to you on that.

Whatever credibility the Nobel Prize committee had left after presenting the 2007 Peace Prize to Al Gore is now up in smoke (sorry for the carbon footprint).

Who is running the White House these days?

The Dalai Lama is in Washington this week and, for the first time since he started visiting the U.S. in 1991, America's president has refused a White House meeting.  (Link to story here.)

It begs the question, doesn't it.

May you live in interesting times.

Today, Iran (which is, of course, only pursuing nuclear technology for peaceful purposes) "test-fired missiles with sufficient range to strike Israel, parts of Europe and American bases in the Persian Gulf." (Link to story here.)

Will Jimmy Carter please shut up?

It seems like former president Jimmy Carter has been in the news as much in the last week as he was in 1978.  First, he belittled opposition to Barack Obama as racist.  I didn't worry much about that, though, and chalked it up to the ramblings of a washed-up, liberal has-been who is enjoying a return to the limelight mostly because large numbers of Americans aren't old enough to remember what a horrible job he did as president.

But now Carter is criticizing his country, our country, abroad and in support of a South American dictator.  Talking about a coup staged against Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, Carter told a newspaper in Columbia that, "I think there is no doubt that in 2002, the United States had at the very least full knowledge about the coup, and could even have been directly involved."  (Link to story here.)

If Carter was merely a private citizen, that would be one thing.  Every American is entitled to his or her own opinion - even if it is baseless or outrageous or anti-American.  But Carter is not merely a private citizen.  As a former president, he is, like it or not, a representative of the nation everywhere forever.  And his words are giving aid and comfort to an enemy.  

It is time for Jimmy Carter to shut up and fade away.

Obama Abandons Allies

Today, on the seventieth anniversary of the Soviet Union's invasion of Poland, Barack Obama announced that the United States would not (though promised by his predecessor) build a missile defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic.  (Link to story here.)

Update 9/18/09 . . . The front page of a Polish newspaper today screamed "Betrayal!  The U.S. sold us to Russia and stabbed us in the back."  (Link to story here.)

What happens when you place a "community organizer" in charge of U.S. foreign policy? (Part 2)

Part 1, back in March, showed one of America's foes taking advantage of Barack Obama's foreign policy naiveté.  (They're still at it, by the way.)

Now, in Part 2, we see America's friends "betrayed . . . irked . . . slighted" as the Obama administration considers pulling the plug on Bush administration plans to protect Central Europe with a missile defense system and fails to send a top official to Poland for the commemoration ceremony recognizing the beginning of World War II.

While Democrats quarrel with the "Bush Doctrine," the Obama Doctrine seems to be developing into "dialogue" with our enemies, capitulation, and snubbing of our allies.

Barack Obama . . . the spoiled brat

It is good to know that Barack Obama and his administration think the same way about foreign relations as domestic policy . . . they want things their way, and they want them NOW!  

After passing a massive bailout bill through Congress faster than any human being could read it, and attempting to force a massive healthcare change through before the August recess, Obama's State Department is now demanding that ousted Honduran officials and that country's ousted president, Manuel Zelaya, agree to reinstate Zelaya to set up a coalition government . . .  "now."  (Link to story here.)  Or what, we'll cry and scream and throw a tantrum?

Is it me or are the Obamites acting like spoiled children?  Has Obama ever been told "no" before?  Or is he so used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants it, that he thinks he's entitled to it now?

Australia's Prime Minister sees the end of American pre-eminence in the Pacific

"The biggest changes to our outlook . . . have been the rise of China, the emergence of India and the beginning of the end of the so-called unipolar moment; the almost two-decade-long period in which the pre-eminence of our principal ally, the United States, was without question."  -Joel Fitzgibbon in an Australian national defense review.  (Link to Wall Street Journal article here.)

Fitzgibbon's assessment is honest and, unfortunately for America and the world, probably true.  Unless something is done soon and the country refocuses on its role in foreign policy.

What happens when you place a "community organizer" in charge of U.S. foreign policy?

A "secret" letter that Barack Obama sent to Russian president Dmitri Medvedev has been "exposed."  (Link to story here.)  In it, Obama offered to stop deployment of a missile defense system in Eastern Europe if Russia influenced Iran to drop its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.  

Medvedev's response . . . laughter.  Drudge is reporting that in a press conference today, Medvedev "welcomed 'positive signals' coming from the Obama administration" but also state that "haggling" was not "productive."  (Link here.)

Allow me to translate (please assume Russian accent when reading):  "Thank you, Mr. Obama, for expressing your willingness to sell Poland and your other 'friends' and 'allies' in Eastern Europe down the Volga.  But asking Russia to do you a favor and respond in kind, well, that's not an option.  Silly American."

Maybe Obama believed the campaign hype . . . if Americans simply elected him, the rest of the world would love us, fall in line, and do what we wanted, simply because of the "greatness" of Obama.

Silly American.

Ways Out of Iraq on the Horizon?

In 2003, a coalition of forces led by American troops invaded Iraq and successfully ousted the regime of Saddam Hussein.  Since then, the coalition, with dwindling inclusion from other nations, has occupied Iraq.  Our troops are there now fighting insurgents and supporting the democratically elected government led by Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

For months if not years, President George W. Bush has endured calls from the American left to withdraw or to set a date for withdrawal of our troops.  He has steadfastly opposed those calls because setting a departure date would likely embolden America's enemies and tell them how long they had to hold out before they could claim victory by outlasting the invaders.  I think Bush was right.

  

Once we got into Iraq, short of defeat, there were only two ways out . . . total victory or at the request of the Iraqi people through their elected government.  It seems now that one or both of those ways out of Iraq might be opening up.

First, see this story from the London Times:  joint forces of the U.S. and Iraq are driving toward "one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror."  Al-Qaeda in Iraq has taken a "last stand" in Mosul and appears to be on the verge of annihilation. 

Second, the Iraqi government seems on the verge of asking foreign troops to leave.  According to this Reuters story, Prime Minister al-Maliki is "looking at the necessity of terminating foreign presence on Iraqi lands."  He wants an understanding on withdrawal of troops or a timetable for withdrawal.

If the Iraqi government truly wants foreign troops out and can handle things on their own, then by all means, bring the troops home.  Americans should not be fighting or dying for Iraqi security if their own people are capable of doing the job.

George W. Bush Speech to Israel's Parliament . . . Well done.

A friend of mine recently lamented that when the next president takes office in January we would long for the "good old days" of George W. Bush.  The current president's legacy will be marred by his own appeasement of American liberals on most domestic issues, but some days I'm still proud to have voted for him.  

Today is one of those days.  In a speech before Israel's parliament marking the 50th anniversary of that nation's latest independence, President Bush delivered a remarkable speech.  It is too bad that the major media is focusing only on what it saw as a veiled reference to Barack Obama.   

Bush's speech deserves more.  It was not a political snipe.  It was powerful address from a man who, this day anyway, proved to be a statesman.  President Bush, believe it or not, we'll miss you.

The speech is excerpted below with my added emphasis.  If you would like to read the full text, click here.

Prepared Text of Bush's Knesset Speech
May 15, 2008 4:04 a.m.

As Prepared for Delivery: Remarks by the President to Members of the Knesset

The White House 
Office of the Press Secretary

(Jerusalem)

Shalom. Laura and I are thrilled to be back in Israel. 

. . .

We gather to mark a momentous occasion. Sixty years ago in Tel Aviv, David Ben-Gurion proclaimed Israel's independence . . . eleven minutes later, on the orders of President Harry Truman, the United States was proud to be the first nation to recognize Israel's independence. And on this landmark anniversary, America is proud to be Israel's closest ally and best friend in the world.

The alliance between our governments is unbreakable, yet the source of our friendship runs deeper than any treaty. It is grounded in the shared spirit of our people, the bonds of the Book, the ties of the soul. When William Bradford stepped off the Mayflower in 1620, he quoted the words of Jeremiah: "Come let us declare in Zion the word of God."  

. . .

Earlier today, I visited Masada, an inspiring monument to courage and sacrifice. At this historic site, Israeli soldiers swear an oath: "Masada shall never fall again." Citizens of Israel: Masada shall never fall again, and America will always stand with you.

This anniversary is a time to reflect on the past. It is also an opportunity to look to the future. As we go forward, our alliance will be guided by clear principles – shared convictions rooted in moral clarity and unswayed by popularity polls or the shifting opinion of international elites.

We believe in the matchless value of every man, woman, and child. So we insist that the people of Israel have the right to a decent, normal, and peaceful life, just like the citizens of every other nation.

We believe that democracy is the only way to ensure human rights. So we consider it a source of shame that the United Nations routinely passes more human rights resolutions against the freest democracy in the Middle East than any other nation in the world.

We believe that religious liberty is fundamental to civilized society. So we condemn anti-Semitism in all forms – whether by those who openly question Israel's right to exist, or by others who quietly excuse them.

We believe that free people should strive and sacrifice for peace. So we applaud the courageous choices Israel's leaders have made. We also believe that nations have a right to defend themselves and that no nation should ever be forced to negotiate with killers pledged to its destruction.

We believe that targeting innocent lives to achieve political objectives is always and everywhere wrong. So we stand together against terror and extremism, and we will never let down our guard or lose our resolve.

The fight against terror and extremism is the defining challenge of our time. It is more than a clash of arms. It is a clash of visions, a great ideological struggle. On one side are those who defend the ideals of justice and dignity with the power of reason and truth. On the other side are those who pursue a narrow vision of cruelty and control by committing murder, inciting fear, and spreading lies.

This struggle is waged with the technology of the 21st century, but at its core it is the ancient battle between good and evil. The killers claim the mantle of Islam, but they are not religious men. No one who prays to the God of Abraham could strap a suicide vest to an innocent child, or blow up guiltless guests at a Passover Seder, or fly planes into office buildings filled with unsuspecting workers.  

. . .

That is why the founding charter of Hamas calls for the "elimination" of Israel. That is why the followers of Hezbollah chant "Death to Israel, Death to America!" That is why Osama bin Laden teaches that "the killing of Jews and Americans is one of the biggest duties." And that is why the president of Iran dreams of returning the Middle East to the Middle Ages and calls for Israel to be wiped off the map.

. . .

Some seem to believe we should negotiate with terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along. We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: "Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided." We have an obligation to call this what it is – the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history.

. . .

That future will be a dramatic departure from the Middle East of today. So as we mark 60 years from Israel's founding, let us envision the region 60 years from now. This vision will not arrive easily or overnight, and it will encounter violent resistance from our enemies. But if we and future Presidents and Knessets maintain our resolve and have faith in our ideals, here is the Middle East we can see:

Israel will be celebrating its 120th anniversary as one of the world's great democracies, a secure and flourishing homeland for the Jewish people. The Palestinian people will have the homeland they have long dreamed of and deserved – a democratic state that is governed by law, respects human rights, and rejects terror. From Cairo and Riyadh to Baghdad and Beirut, people will live in free and independent societies, where a desire for peace is reinforced by ties of diplomacy, tourism, and trade. Iran and Syria will be peaceful nations, where today's oppression is a distant memory and people are free to speak their minds and develop their talents. And al Qaeda, Hezbollah, and Hamas will be defeated, as Muslims across the region recognize the emptiness of the terrorists' vision and the injustice of their cause.

Overall, the Middle East will be characterized by a new period of integration and tolerance. This does not mean that Israel and its neighbors will be best friends. But when leaders across the region answer to their people, they will focus their energies on schools and jobs, not on rocket attacks and suicide bombings. With this change, Israel will open a hopeful new chapter in which its people can live a normal life, and the dream of Herzl and the founders of 1948 can be fully and finally realized.

This is a bold vision, and some will say it can never be achieved. But think about what we have witnessed in our own time. When Europe was destroying itself through total war and genocide, it was difficult to envision a continent that six decades later would be free and at peace. When Japanese pilots were flying suicide missions into American battleships, it seemed impossible that six decades later Japan would be a democracy, a lynchpin of security in Asia, and one of America's closest friends. And when waves of refugees arrived here in the desert with nothing, surrounded by hostile armies, it was almost unimaginable that Israel would grow into one of the freest and most successful nations on Earth.

Yet each one of these transformations took place. And a future of transformation is possible in the Middle East too, so long as a new generation of leaders has the courage to defeat the enemies of freedom, make the hard choices necessary for peace, and stand firm on the solid rock of universal values.

Sixty years ago, on the eve of Israel's independence, the last British soldiers departing Jerusalem stopped at a building in the Jewish quarter of the Old City. An officer knocked on the door and met a senior rabbi. The officer presented him with a short iron bar – the key to Zion Gate – and said it was the first time in 18 centuries that a key to the gates of Jerusalem had belonged to a Jew. His hands trembling, the rabbi offered a prayer of thanksgiving to God, "Who had granted us life and permitted us to reach this day." Then he turned to the officer, and uttered the words Jews had awaited for so long: "I accept this key in the name of my people."

Over the past six decades, the Jewish people have established a state that would make that humble rabbi proud. You have raised a modern society in the Promised Land, a light unto the nations that preserves the legacy of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And you have built a mighty democracy that will endure forever and can always count on America to stand at its side. May God bless Israel.

Diplomacy, Jimmy Carter Style

-From the Christian Science Monitor, always a good source for cartoons.

Old Liberals Never Die . . . And Carter Won't Fade Away

In an disgusting slap at his country's current foreign policy and its sitting President, former President Jimmy Carter met with leaders of the Islamic terrorist group Hamas today.  Carter is a private citizen, of course, and has every right to hold whatever opinion he chooses and talk to whomever he wants to talk to but this public spectacle with Hamas had all the bells and whistles of an official state visit.  The visit aids Hamas and hopes to veil it in undeserved respectability.  It also hurts America's image.

Democrats and liberals may not like it much but George W. Bush is the the President of the United States and foreign policy is in his hands.  Jimmy Carter clearly doesn't like it at all.  The country cannot present itself to the world as schizophrenic.  We must speak with one voice in foreign affair - the president's voice - no matter who holds the office.

Traditionally, politics ended at the water's edge.  What happened to that tradition?  Jimmy Carter like anybody else can argue, debate and fight for changes in foreign policy here at home but to act against the wishes of the current administration and to visit terrorist leaders abroad is overstepping his bounds.

Douglas MacArthur famously stated that "old soldiers never die; they just fade away."  It is too bad that this old liberal can't seem to fade away.