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Ramierez couldn't have summed it up any better. As I said in the post below, Obama's foreign policy is wholly dysfunctional. He is dangerous.
Showing posts with label Castro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Castro. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words
Obama - 180 Degrees of Wrong
Is Obama insane?
The democraticaly elected President of Honduras, Zelaya, makes an extra-Constitutional power grab even after the highest Court in Honduras rules it illegal. On the eve of that act, he is replaced during the final six months of his administration. That wasn't a coup. That was defense of democracy and the rule of law. It was ordered by a properly convened Court. It was supported by a democraticaly elected legislature. And now Obama is joining hands with Chavez, Castro and other enemies of the U.S. and of democracy to condemn the actions in Honduras and reinstate the President?
If you ever needed evidence that Obama should never have been let near the oval office, this completes the mosaic we saw begin over a year ago with Georgia, when their democratic regime came under assault from Russia. Obama did not come out in support of democracy then, not until he took a lesson from McCain. The lesson didn't stick. Two weeks ago, as Iranians were being brutalized and murdered in the streets by a regime that had just engaged in massive vote fraud, Obama sat silent and then, despicably, played down the importance of the revolt. Now, when a country acts to preserve its laws and Constitution against an extra-Constitutional assault from a rabid socialist following the Chavez model, Obama supports the one who was seeking to violate the constitution. Obama really does see the U.S. as the problem. He has no understanding of the intrinsic importance of democracy and the rule of law. He has embraced moral equivalence and is unable to discriminate friend from foe.
History is important, and true, the U.S. has been involved in more than one coup in Central and South America. History should inform all of our acts - but it should never hold us hostage. As Hot Air notes, it may be that, in some incredibly naive burst of deeply opaque motivation, Obama is trying to repair America's image by coming out on the side of Chavez, Castro et al. If so, it is inexplicably foolish.
This is bad - and holds the potential to get much, much worse. The last president that even approached this level of dysfunction was James Earl Carter, and he gave the world the Iranian theocracy. I do not know what Obama's legacy will be, but I fully expect it to be far worse.
For Obama's future reference on such matters, Charles Krauthammer provides a rule of thumb:
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Impeachment - Honduran Style; Obama Acts As To Be Expected
Honduras's Congress formally removed Mr. Zelaya from the presidency and named congressional leader Roberto Micheletti as his successor until the end of Mr. Zelaya's term in January. Mr. Micheletti and others said they were the defenders, not opponents, of democratic rule. It should be noted that Micheletti was also a member of Zelya's party. Although the Constitutional issue provided the impetus for this act by the Courts and military, underlying it was concern with the role of Venezuela's clown dictator, Hugo Chavez, in Honduran politics. The WSJ quotes retired Honduran Gen. Daniel López Carballo, who "justified the move against the president, telling CNN that if the military hadn't acted, Mr. Chávez would eventually be running Honduras by proxy." The WSJ further notes that this was "a common view Sunday." Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the action taken against Honduras' president should be condemned by everyone. It certainly sounds like the Hondurans played by the Constitutional rule book. Yet the U.S. seems to want to favor the Chavista's unconstitutional acts. You know, honest to God, watching Obama foreign policy is like watching the Keystone Cops.
Left wing Honduran President and Chavez ally Manuel Zelaya has been arrested by the military pursuant to a Court Order in a Constitutional crisis of his own making. The radical lefties - Chavez, Castro & the Obama administration - weigh in to support Zelaya.
President Zelya was, until today, in his second term as Honduran President. The Honduran Constitution provides a two term limit on the Presidency. Further, their Constitution provides a single method for amending the constitution - a 2/3rds vote of the legislative body in two consecutive regular annual sessions. Zelya had attempted to get around this by calling a country wide referendum. Honduras's highest Court ruled such a move illegal. Zelya continued ahead with the planned referendum, firing officials along the way who refused to take part in this extra-constitutional act. Accordingly, the Court ordered Zelya's arrest today and the military complied. At his own request, Zelya has been flown to Costa Rica. Fausta has the whole story.
This from the WSJ:
"What was done here was a democratic act," Mr. Micheletti, who was sworn in as president Sunday afternoon, said to an ovation. "Our constitution continues to be relevant, our democracy continues to live."
All of the rabidly left wing governments are attacking this arrest and the installation of a new President. Chavez, for one, is threatening war. The Obama administration has, according to the WSJ, "called the removal of President Zelaya a coup and said it wouldn't recognize any other leader." And Sec. of State Clinton goes one further. This from the WP:
She says Honduras must embrace the principles of democracy and respect constitutional order. . . .
Friday, May 23, 2008
"Senator, You're No Jack Kennedy"
. . . Theodore Sorenson, JFK's close aide and speechwriter, has said recently that Barack Obama is the natural successor to President Kennedy because of his skills as a speaker and his message of "hope and change." This idea has been augmented by endorsements of Obama by Ted and Caroline Kennedy. Read the entire post. Just to add, in his three years in office, JFK oversaw a vast expansion of our military involvement in Vietnam, the attempt at a coup in Cuba with the Bay of Pigs invasion, repeated failed assassination attempts of Fidel Castro, and the assassination of South Vietnam's President, Diem. It would be hard to find a more complete contrast between two individuals on foreign policy than Obama and JFK.
The title of this post is from a memorable quote from the late Sen. Lloyd Bensten, eviscerating Dan Quayle during a VP debate. But it could equally be the words of James Piereson, the author of a book on JFK, Camelot and the Cultural Revoltion, as he responds to those on the left who equate Barack Obama to JFK. Indeed, as he notes, the progressives of today have nothing in common with the hawkish liberals of old.
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This from Mr. Pierson in an e-mail posted at the NRO:
. . . From the standpoint of ideas and philosophy, there is little in Obama to remind us of JFK. Kennedy was a firm cold warrior who believed in the American mission in the world. His memorable inaugural address was entirely about foreign policy and the cause of liberty. Kennedy, in fact, tried to run to the right of Richard Nixon in 1960, blaming the Eisenhower administration for a "missile gap," the embarrassment of the Castro revolution next door, and the downing of a reconnaissance aircraft over the Soviet Union in May, 1960. He brought up comparisons to Chamberlain, Munich, and "appeasement." On the domestic front, while JFK is viewed as a hero of the civil rights movement, in fact he came around gradually to support a civil rights bill in 1963. Kennedy was in fact a cautious politician, unwilling to get too far ahead of public opinion on this critical issue.
The reason that JFK left such a powerful imprint on the liberal movement had little to do with his actual policies, which were generally centrist. President Kennedy’s legacy was more cultural than directly political: he spoke beautifully, (thanks to Sorenson) he drew on images from literature and classical culture, he was a young president in the midst of a burgeoning youth culture, he was a highly attractive man, he had a beautiful family, he was rich, he was an author, he hung around with Harvard professors and Hollywood stars and starlets. He practiced the old politics but with a decidedly new cultural approach. Lyndon Johnson was much more of a liberal in terms of policy, but his cultural persona (in contrast to Kennedy's) was of the old school.
This latter fact is the reason that some observers seen Sen Obama as the new incarnation of JFK. He seems culturally to be of an avante garde, like JFK, though his policies internationally and domestically have little in common with the late President's. This says less about Sen Obama or about JFK than about contemporary liberalism, which is far more concerned with style and one's posture toward the world than about actual policies.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
NYT Trying To Shore Up Obama On National Security
I think it's very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States. So apparently has Danny Ortega and several others. I think that people should understand that I will be Hamas's worst nightmare. . . . If senator Obama is favored by Hamas I think people can make judgments accordingly. McCain also is critical of Obama for his promise to meet unconditionally with Iran. Enter today NYT agenda journalist Larry Rother. In his article, Rother writes: . . . [I]mportant nuances appear to have been lost in the partisan salvos, particularly on Mr. McCain’s side. An examination of Mr. Obama’s numerous public statements on the subjects indicates that he has consistently condemned Hamas as a "terrorist organization," has not sought the group’s support and does not advocate immediate, direct or unconditional negotiations with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president. As to Hamas, Rother goes on to show where Obama has repeated condemned that organization. Yes, but McCain has never claimed anything to the contrary. What Rother studiously ignores is the "nuance" that Obama is picking up the enemies of America endorsements because those organizations see a chance to expand without American interference under Obama. Rother is being highly disingenuous in his argument. But then he goes into outright falsehood. Democratic Debate Transcript, CNN/YouTube - Council on Foreign Relations. Rother ought to hit Google for a quick fact check before he tries to write a canard such as this. It only makes Obama appear weaker than hs already is. And, in all honesty, I did not think that possible before reading this article.
The New York Times’s Larry Rother rewrites history and muddles the arguments in a NYT article aimed at shoring up the fatally weak foreign policy proposals of Barack Obama. Rother rewrites Obama’s position on Iran and wholly mischaracterizing McCain’s criticism of the "Hamas endorsement" of Obama. Bottom line, with the Messiah schtick gone, if Rother's article is the best defense the Obamakins can come up with, Obama's problems are huge and unsolvable.
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Obama’s foreign policy is suicidally naïve. His plans to hold unconditional talks with Iran portend to be every bit as disastrous as was Neville Chamberlain’s decision to hold similar talks with Hitler in the 1930’s. His plan to pull us out of Iraq even as we have all but destroyed al Qaeda and beaten back Iran’s proxies is equally as suicidal. There is a good reason a literal rouge’s gallery of nations and organizations – Hamas, Iran, FARC, Ghadaffi, Castro, Ortega – have given their "endorsement" to Obama.
Obama proposes a weak foreign policy with the first resort to unconditional talks, and rouges' gallery that have voiced support for Obama clearly believe they will be able to prosper under an Obama presidency. Given that each of these "endorsements" come from nations and organizations with goals wholly antithetical to the U.S., democracy, capitalism and the cause of freedom, that should give one great pause. And indeed, it is on precisely that ground that McCain has criticized Obama. This from John McCain a few days ago:
The claim that Obama does "not advocate immediate, direct or unconditional negotiations with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president" – and indeed, every other enemy of America – is more than a bit of rewriting of history. With a big hat tip to LGF, here is the transcript and the video. See if you can find the nuance.
QUESTION: In 1982, Anwar Sadat traveled to Israel, a trip that resulted in a peace agreement that has lasted ever since.
In the spirit of that type of bold leadership, would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?
OBAMA: I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them — which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration — is ridiculous.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Interesting News & Posts - 22 February 2008
The interesting news and posts of the day, below the fold.
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Art: St. George & The Dragon, Vittore Carpaccio, 1516
Before getting to the posts that have occupied the bulk of bandwith of late – comments on the NYT hitpiece on McCain and discussions of various aspects of Obamamania – here are several fine posts that bucked the trend:
At Sigmund, Carl and Alfred are some of the funniest posts I have read in a donkey’s age. First up, politically named golf shots. My favorite, the Ted Kennedy slice. It is an off course shot that doesn’t "quite make it over the water." And don’t miss the 25 Strangest College Courses.
And while on humor, TNOY has the top 9 reasons Fidel Castro decided to resign. My favorite, he is moving to America and running for president on the Democratic ticket to offer voters a more moderate choice.
Do you get the feeling he’s really enjoying himself? He should be. Ignored in the American press, the President who has done more for Africa than any of his predecessors is basking in approval and enjoying the fun.
Is the EU open and democratic? An Englishman’s Castle has Exhibit A.
Is a disarmed world a more violent world. Eric at Classical Values thinks so, as do I.
Oh Beautiful, for Spacious Skies, for Standard Missile 3's – a great post on the satellite shoot-down at Publius Pundit.
Soccer Dad tells us that the majority of Israeli Arabs support serving in Israel’s National Service Program. This says some very positive things about their political identity.
The left want us to believe there is nothing to fear but "fear itself." Talk about your jihadist with a real sense of irony . . .
Freedom of speech is a wonderful thing. It is what allows us to consider ideas, to hear reports of actions, and to identify reality. No wonder the Islamists do not care for it in the U.S. . . . And it would appear that the Islamist idea of free speech is rather one sided. If you want to know more about what is taught in Saudi / Salafi schools, see here.
This is pretty amazing. How to eliminate in the way of Allah. One wonders if the Koran says anything about the permissibility of using two ply.
So is black really a slimming color?
At the American Digest, a fascinating juxtaposition on marketing religion, secular and christian.
The NYT Hit Piece on John McCain
My take on the NYT hit piece that would not pass the journalistic standards of the National Enquirer.
An exceptional piece on the lobbyist influence from Tom MacGuire at Just One Minute
Gateway Pundit: Conservatives, including Rush, rally around McCain after NYT attack.
Poweline: The NYT upholds its standards.
Jules Crittenden: Does his usual humorous commentary along with a roll up that includes lefties diving into the deep end.
Don Surber: Circling the Wagons around McCain.
And the NYT reporters on the by-line seem to be circling the wagons themselves.
The NYT article is now at the center of a McCain fund raising pitch.
From Big Lizards, the AP runs a parallel smear portraying Cindy McCain as standing by her man, despite the pain of his Clintonesque misdeeds
Laer ponders the timing of the release and the lack of any articles on several questionable associations in Obama’s past. I am waiting for the article on the $10 million Obama has taken in donations from lobbyists.
Obamimania:
Karl Rove in the WSJ flays Obama’s policy positions in light of his rhetoric.
From Jules Crittenden, a cult member begins deprogramming. And will Barack be our first affirmative action President?
From PJM: Obama Unboud – The Man Behind The Myth; Assessing Obama’s Foreign Policy; the end of the Obama Honeymoon.
From Victor David Hanson – the Ivy League Populism.
Obama’s railing against lobbyists is hypocritical smoke. From Don Surber: Obama received $9,819,390 from lawyers and lobbyists. McCain $2,980,037.
From the Belemont Club: Is Obama the modern day McGovern simply awaiting his fall?
Fausta projects the results of Obama’s high tax policy by looking to Britain’s experience.
From Robert Samuelson: "The contrast between his broad rhetoric and his narrow agenda is stark, and yet the media -- preoccupied with the political "horse race" -- have treated his invocation of "change" as a serious idea rather than a shallow campaign slogan.
From JustOneMinute, Obama’s staffers spin Obama’s more ridiculous foreign policy obaminations after McCain criticism.
Kudlow at Money Politics looks at Pro-Business McCain vs. Populist Hill-Bama.
Dr. Sanity has a brilliant essay on identity politics and attempting to expiate racism by making racially motivated decisions.
The Whited Sepulchre attends an Obama rally – and is moved on a visceral level, even though his rational mind appears to still be intact. He remains unchanged.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Interesting News & Posts - 19 February 2008
A round-up of the interesting news and posts of the day, all below the fold.
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Art: The Birth of Venus, Francois Boucher, 1740
Fausta’s Blog is one stop shopping for the best in Castro coverage.
The Ace of Spades responds to five questions George Will poses for John McCain regarding the constitutional powers of the Presidency. As to the last one, I do not know of one SOFA Agreement that has ever gone through Congress, and I would be surprised if McCain believed that he was required to commit such an agreement to Congress for approval.
Googlemaps.ranger.patrol.com . . .well, not quite, but that's what it sounds like. There are reasons we have the most professional military in the world. Technology is an important part of it, even for grunts.
Gateway Pundit blogs on the Pakistani elections and Senators Kerry, Biden and Hagel spending time with radical Islamist leader and former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. A win for Sharif’s party would be a disaster for the U.S. So why am I not surprised that the three stooges should show up with Sharif?
According to Protein Wisdom, the Obama Scrutiny Cometh. Perhaps they can start with his incredibly punitive and far-reaching gun control proposals. I doubt if the scrutiny can come fast enough for Hillary though. Indeed, this picture says it all. I will take scrutiny whenever it may come, however, so long as I do not have to do compulsory prayer at the Church of the Latter Day Obama come November. Though I for one would never need the smelling salts during the service.
Brits are finding themselves between a Northern Rock and a hard place. One wonders just what each will get for their £3,500 . . . besides screwed. The one thing I doubt that they will get is good policing under Labour’s policies. Indeed, as one straight forward police inspector has written about the policies: "Things are considerably worse, considerably more stupid and much more confused." At least the police are responsive to the Muslims in Britain. Is this insane or what?
EU Press Freedom is taking an ominous turn. This is not surprising when one understands the concept of seditious libel and the ruling of the EU Court of Justice in the 2001 case of Connolly vs. Commission. The modern left has no respect for freedom of speech. There is no relationship between classical liberalism and those who call themselves "liberals" today.
From Islam in Europe: Twenty-one suspected members of a self-styled "gang of barbarians" will be tried in France for the kidnapping, torture and murder of a young Jewish man, Ilan Halimi, in 2006.
If you are going to make a living as a bimbo, don’t be an air-head like Sharon Stone and decry America to Arab newspapers, . . . be a minimalist like Lindsey Lohan.
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