Obama’s Foreign Policy Judgment Gets an F-
John on May 30, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Allah has this clip along with some worthwhile analysis. I’ll just keep it short add my two cents.
Gotta hand it to O-ba-ma. The guy is good at saying what people want to hear. We’ve seen it over and over. But here’s the most significant example yet:
Back in January of ‘07 that was the easy line and Barack was leading the charge. Here it is on his website:
In January 2007, he introduced legislation in the Senate to remove all of our combat troops from Iraq by March 2008.
Barack had no doubt that the surge was going to fail. None at all. Now that reality has proven him wrong, he sends out his flunkies to move the goalposts, just as he’s done with the “no preconditions” meeting with Iran. Of course that pledge, made on television, was foolish but one could argue we don’t know what might come of it unless we try. Maybe a meeting with Ahmadinejad really will create a new age of good will.
Yeah, right.
But it’s a different story with the surge. The surge has worked. US deaths are down dramatically again this month. Best of all, we are winning against al Quaeda globally in part because we’re beating them in Iraq. The CIA confirmed this in no uncertain terms just today:
While cautioning that al-Qaeda remains a serious threat, Hayden said Osama bin Laden is losing the battle for hearts and minds in the Islamic world and has largely forfeited his ability to exploit the Iraq war to recruit adherents. Two years ago, a CIA study concluded that the U.S.-led war had become a propaganda and marketing bonanza for al-Qaeda, generating cash donations and legions of volunteers.
All that has changed, Hayden said in an interview with The Washington Post this week that coincided with the start of his third year at the helm of the CIA.
In short, because we stuck it out, the tide has turned in our favor and against the jihadists and lunatics like Ahmedinejad. Obama wasn’t just wrong, he was dead wrong on this. For a man running his campaign on “judgment”, he just blew the biggest issue facing the nation in a spectacular, undeniable way.
Related: If you’re certain Iraq is synonymous with failure, read this. Here’s the key line (as it relates to this post):
the likely Democratic nominee needs a plan for Iraq based on sustaining an improving situation, rather than abandoning a failed enterprise…Obama floated his strategy for Iraq last year, the United States appeared doomed to defeat. Now he needs a plan for success.
Obama was dead wrong.
[HT: Hot Air]
Category: Politics |
There is no antiseptic way to get out of Iraq, and the word “winning” used by McCain absolutely has no post modern understanding as in other military actions. It is an obvious attempt to appeal to the nationalistic fervor and the competitive spirit of sports consumed Americans.
The occupation of Iraq did not engender fondness for America, it did not provide revenue for the war effort, it has not established a democracy which is the envy of the Arab world, and it has not made the terrorists less strong.
It has provided an incredible recruitment tool and strengthened the arms of Iran. Driven by some tortured idealism about democracy, President Bush has had no sophistication, no nuance, no intellectual foresight, and no consideration of other views that may have provided some needed perspective and tempered his myopic and apocalyptic foreign policy.
And in 8 short years Bush has significantly destabilized the Middle East even further, played the fool for Putin, allowed gas to go from 1 dollar to probably 5 when he leaves office, oversaw a clandestine and in some ways corrupt administration, and generally reduced the status of America to a out of control imperialistic state.
Getting out of Iraq will be a delicate and dangerous undertaking and will leave chaos. There is no other option except to stay indefinitely. Choose you this day…
May 31, 2008 @ 5:00 amOther than that, it’s a shame he couldn’t run for a third term! :)
May 31, 2008 @ 5:04 amBTW – If you guys want a real hoot tune in to the Democratic committee as they decide about Florida and Michigan. Man I just love these things, and what tickles me most is that these people take this stuff seriously.
As I speak they are introducing people to the applause of the room. The brothers Grimm would be envious, this is so fairy tale-esque. I almost feel as though I am on drugs. I know, I’m having way too much fun here. Howard Dean is being cheered.
I will give you a post mortum report about this wonderful event.
May 31, 2008 @ 6:52 amIt’s all in the nuance.
May 31, 2008 @ 8:43 amRick Freuh:
Your pronouncements on Iraq and Iran are sophmoric. You appear blinded to events in both countries.
Bush’s decision to go into Iraq was a gamble that in fact may yet pay the desired dividends. Iran is screaming to get us out of Iraq so that they can dominate that country through the militias. Maliki’s Basra offensive has united Iraq in a profound way. The greatest long term threat to Iran is a Shia majority country on its border that respects the millia old Shia tradition of quietism and that has an open democracy. When Iran falls, so goes the single most destabilizing force in the Middle East.
As to the war in Iraq increasing terrorism and recruitment, the head of the CIA would seem to disagree. I invite you to my website which is just about wholly devoted to all of this. I would be more than happy to argue the facts with you on any of my posts that go directly to your assertions.
At any rate, VS, great post. Linked.
June 1, 2008 @ 9:44 amhttp://wolfhowling.blogspot.com/2008/06/interesting-posts-from-around-web-1.html
Let us imagine we never invaded Iraq.
*Saddam would be balancing Iran’s power.
*Al Quieda would not be nearly as entrenched in Iraq, Saddam feared them.
*We might have found Osama and his nest by now.
*We would not have gone into trillions of dollars of debt over the war.
*4000 Americans still alive.
*25,000 not wounded.
I would suggest that the most powerful weapon on earth is not the nuclear warhead. It is a pair of box cutters.
I know, sophmoric… :)
June 1, 2008 @ 10:06 amRick,
Good morning, brother. Headed off to church shortly but I have to take you to task on a couple of these…
First off, that’s a very short list. But at this moment it incorrect to say that it has not established a democracy. Iraq is a functioning democracy at this point. Will it be the envy of the Arab world? Given time, perhaps it will. Who are they competing against, after all…Turkey?
You’ve got to check out that CIA report. A year ago they agreed with your assessment, however the latest report says almost the diametric opposite. It says al Quaeda has been routed and is unable to recruit in Iraq.
By removing Saddam we made Iran the sole power in the region. That’s true. However, the Iranians were already funding terror before the invasion. They were a pariah state when Bush inducted them into the axis of evil. He was right then as their actions in Iraq have made plain.
Having not gone into Iraq (as you seem to believe was best) would not have relieved the world of the necessity of dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambition or their fondness for funding terrorism abroad. George Bush was not the cause of those things. But even if he were, blaming him doesn’t address the issue, it only makes smug liberals feel superior.
Not to put to fine a point on it, but voting for a clown like Obama will only exacerbate the situation. While he talks, those Iranian centrifuges will keep spinning away and it’ll be North Korea all over again. The Norks not only set off their own bomb, they were busy helping the Syrians build them as well. We don’t need a nuclear armed Iran transferring their tech to Hamas or Hezbollah. Please explain how nuance is going to solve the problem.
June 1, 2008 @ 10:06 amHey brother!
John – the day I believe the CIA in anything, poke a stick in my eye!! :)
June 1, 2008 @ 11:04 amJohn: You didn’t think Rick was going to take anything you said seriously did you?
People like Rick are devoted to defeat and nothing will change that.
June 1, 2008 @ 11:19 amHello John,
June 1, 2008 @ 5:09 pmThe happy heretic is back.
I used to enjoy poking fun a Rick when he was Henry and back then I didn’t agree with anything he wrote. I couldn’t agree more with his post today, though. This whole fiasco caused by Bush/Chaney is laid out quite clearly by Scott McClellan and in the simplest of terms for you John. Your mind, on this matter is like Al Capones vault. Closed and empty.
As before, I am going away for a very long time. However, before I go, I have a question, why are you ignoring Scotties revelations? Isn’t this topic more relevant than the fluff you keep turning out. Actually they are not revelations, because he is not offering anything that informed people didn’t already know.
Roger, I’ve been wondering where you’ve been hiding! If you don’t mind me asking…are you talking about my revelations? Given our history, I am wondering if I am the “Scottie” of which you speak?
Don’t be such a stranger. Come by again soon. I’ll try and put up a post that will give you plenty of motivation to vent your spleen and gallbladder on me.
Scott
June 1, 2008 @ 6:35 pm“Scotties” revelations seem like more pablum for the left. The man didn’t have these views until he was looking to sell books. Now suddenly he’s the president’s fiercest critic. Like Obama, he knows which way the wind is blowing.
By contrast, the CIA report is actual news that correlates with what’s actually happening in the real world at this point in time.
June 1, 2008 @ 8:18 pmWell, I for one still strongly believe that the invasion of Iraq was wrong, and no sufficient grounds have ever been found to justify it (that Saddam was evil is not sufficient grounds). However, I did think the surge was bound to fail, and may even have put that in writing somewhere on VS. So it’s hands up time, I was wrong on that – it’s certainly been more succesful than I could ever have imagined.
Scott – “vent your spleen and gallbladder on me.”
That sounds like something that should be on pay-per-view!
June 2, 2008 @ 1:26 amOf course violence would be reduced by more troops – that is a constant. However:
* Everything is relative. There are still 10 Americans a month being killed. If it had gone from 5 to 10 we would be complaing. Since it is down we are fooled into thinking “success”.
*The surge was supposed to provide cover for political gains within the government, they still remain gridlocked.
*Many terrorists groups are waiting for the surge troops to go home. It is a vicious cycle.
*As in Vietnam, we have learned nothing from unsophisticated idealism.
June 2, 2008 @ 2:48 am