First Conservative - Political Humor and Obamatudes

Political Humor - Top Ten Foreign Policy Disasters

President Obama, in keeping with his vow to take rapid action, has used just over 100 days to drastically damage American foreign policy as well as US defense.   Following his Apology tours to Europe and Latin America, President Obama believed that the tone of US relations had been changed.  Based on reaction from Europe and the rest of the world, this seems to be true. 

From the European and Latin American Apology Tours to His release of prisoner photographs, the President has shown himself to be weak and unwilling to confront adversaries (except evil Republicans). 

World leftists generally hailed Obama’s Apology Tour as a first step in removing the United States as the world’s worst bully.  World terrorists hailed the Tour as proof that the United States was again an open target.  The President’s rationale seems to be that if we get other nations to like the US, these other nations will be more likely to help the US in the future.   When the President returned from Europe without a commitment of troops for Afghanistan, this should have proven to Him that the strategy failed. 

Through all the apologizing and about-facing, the Obama administration has proven that it is more interested in third world public relations than it is in protecting the United States.    Obama’s embarrassments span the globe.   The following are the top ten recent embarrassments achieved by the Obama foreign relations team:

10.  Closing Guantanamo - Obama announced on day 1 that Guantanamo detention center would be closed.  The world was then asked to take some of the battlefield combatants into their own jails.   Even after Obama’s Apology Tour, no nation stepped up.    Democrats also resisted the effort to close Gitmo and provided the President with a convenient excuse for keeping the center in operation.  By withholding funds required to close the base, the President must keep it open.  Out of a record budget and Stimulus, Democrats couldn’t find the relatively small amount of money required to close the detention center.   Obama at least temporarily, fell back on the Bush administration plan to try those held using Military Tribunals.  It is interesting that Democrats would use ‘budget frugality’ as a reason to avoid keeping a promise to their leftist base.

9.  “Torture” - President Obama embarrassed himself by incorrectly citing Winston Churchill in regard to interrogation tactics.  Churchill’s public face may have said that no torture was used, but the British Isles were on the ropes – protected only by a thin sea channel from the Nazi war machine.  You can bet the Brits used whatever tactic they needed to get information.  Much of this experience in prisoner interrogation was gained through generations of conflict when the UK ruled Ireland.   

8.  Swine Flu – Mexicans are still laughing at the incident in the Basilica in Mexico City where Secretary of State Clinton asked who painted the image of the Virgin Mary.  This incident was followed by the outbreak of Swine Flu which allowed Team Obama to create yet another crisis.  President Obama’s team, ably assisted by His lapdogs at CNN, played up the drama in order to show the administration’s ability to handle a public health crisis.  However, this made the Mexican health authority look bad and in the end only damaged His reputation south of the border.  Obama tried to right the wrong by having a Cinco de Quatro Party at the White House.

7.  Hugo Chavez – What more can be said about Hugo Chavez?  The Venezuelan tub of lard shook hands with the President at the Latin American conference.  When he returned to Caracas, Chavez dished out yet another lengthy anti-American diatribe.  Obama still hasn’t responded.   Obama has yet to, read the book Chavez gave him - Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent – thinking that it is some kind of cookbook usually exchanged by Latin American guests.

6.  Daniel Ortega – Ortega also delivered a lengthy verbal smack-down of the United States to Obama’s face.  Obama viewed the incident as an exchange of ideas.  Unfortunately, Obama never exchanged an idea of his own.  He didn’t issue any statements because no teleprompter was present.

5.  Sustained Despotism – Allowing relatives greater freedom of travel to Cuba was heralded as a great step forward by the Castro brothers.  The President Himself needs to schedule a trip to Havana to learn first-hand how a despot subjugates his people for such a long period of time.

4. Nuclear Proliferation – Iran  – Hoping that the Mullahs and their lunatic President Ahmadinejad would like the United States enough to give up their nuclear weapons program, President Obama was heartened to learn that the Iranians would be open to negotiations.   As long as the negotiations take longer than it would to complete the Iranian nuclear bomb, the Mullahs are fine with talking. 

3.  Weapons Proliferation - North Korea –When informed that DPRK intended to launch a test missile over Japan, Secretary Clinton called the test ‘provocative.’  Following the launch, Clinton reiterated that the test was ‘provocative.’  North Korea as well as Japan are still trying to figure out just what was provoked.  So far, nothing has happened.  Japan is preparing her own defense.

2.  Pressuring Israel – Mistreating an adversary sometimes works out.  Mistreating one’s most loyal ally is unforgivable.  Apparently informed this week by Rahm Emanuel that Israel must give up her nuclear arsenal in exchange for an Obama promise of security and a two-state solution, the Israelis went quiet.    The Israelis fully understand the value of an Obama security guarantee.    Look for the Israelis to remove the Iranian nuclear threat as soon as is practicable.  The Israelis are preparing their own defense.

1.  Bewilderment in Pakistan – Last year, then Senator Obama was one to insist that Pakistani General Musharaff step down and be replaced by a civilian government.  Unfortunately, that government cut a deal with the Taliban allowing the Islamic militants control over a sizeable chunk of that country.  The Taliban expressed its gratitude by trying to subjugate the rest of northern Pakistan.  Obama is trying to find someone in the Taliban movement to talk to and be nice with so the radicals won’t attack us.  Oh… and to keep them from getting their hands on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.

Hillary Clinton this week embarked on a long road trip to bring the new message of Hope and Change to the world.  To celebrate, the North Korans are preparing to fire a missile - capable of hitting portions of the US - in her general direction.  Calling North Korea’s expected missile launch a “provocative act,” the North Koreans are sure to shrink from their test and invite Bruce Springsteen to play a concert in Pyongyang.    Clinton’s next mission is to visit the campus of Notre Dame to smooth the way for President Obama’s commencement speech later this spring. 

Diplomacy requires skilled interpersonal negotiation but effectiveness ultimately depends on the existence of a credible action in the event one party violates the rights of the other.  As Obama certainly doesn’t express the courage to confront evil or to present a credible threat to our potential enemies, the North Koreans are shaking in their shoes over Clinton statement of disapproval. 

The Obama model of diplomacy adheres much more to the 20th century European version which simply requires two parties to talk until an agreement is reached.  Should no agreement be reached, the parties agree to additional talk.  They then talk until no agreement is reached again and the entire process is repeated.  It is no surprise then that European negotiators rarely achieve anything.  In the case of North Korea, Clinton will express disapproval, the North Koreans will fire their missile over ally Japan’s territory, and Clinton will call the action regrettable.  Of course this will accomplish nothing other than to encourage those that have evil intentions towards the United States, to continue in their work.  It will also cause our allies - such as Japan -  to lose trust in the United States.

The United States as the only remaining superpower is by default the only nation capable of negotiating from a position of strength.  President Obama - as implied in his campaign -  has determined not to use strength in negotiations as it would be out of touch with the rest of the world.  Europe, Australia (who are to be commended for being one of the few other nations with the will to fight terrorism) and Japan however, count on the United States to be a strong ally.  Now that Obama is withdrawing US strength from most negotiating situations, Japan, Australia and Europe are getting nervous and North Korea, Iran and Muslim terrorists are preparing for action.  Perhaps a silver lining to all this is that Europe and other allies are seeing the need to become stronger.  French President Sarkozy has recently stated his intention to re-involve France in the military arm of NATO.  At least the French understand that if Obama is standing down in his obligations as leader of the western world, that someone - particularly a nuclear capable French Republic, will need to stand up and defend it.  Who would have thought a few years ago, that France might soon supplant the United States as the courageous defender of western civilization?  Vive La France!

This is what Hope and Change means to the international community.  It means that terrorists now have the Hope and our allies have to deal with the Change.  As Hillary visits Mexico this week, the drug cartels that run the country are sure to be intimidated by her words.