Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Obama Cycles the Middle East




I’m sitting here doing some work on my PC and half-listening to the TV when Barry’s news conference comes on from Jordan. Obama continues to to cop into the McCain-Bush position but the worm turns slowly. In typical LSAT writing prompt fashion, he outlines a few facets of the issue for the adoring media mob sweltering in the sun. Obama looks very uncomfortable in the foreign setting and you can attribute it to the sun streaming into his eyes. There is no looking into the far-off distance, a pose favored by the sycophant Obama press. This is not Chicago and he is not with Brian Williams and Katie Couric. A reporter prompts him on the “timetable” and whether things have improved in Iraq. Yes and no, but the timetable still stands in spite of the military accomplishments. Barry sees himself as a visionary leader:

“My job is to set a vision, a strategic vision. I strongly believe it is American’s strategic interest to initiate phased withdrawal. It is consistent with what the Iraqis have been saying,” he says.

Yeah, but you wouldn’t have been able to go to Iraq if not for the deep sacrifices of the valorous troops. And there would be no President Maliki. Barry does concede one thing:

“There is a reduction of violence...”

But then he goes on trying to snatch failure from the jaws of victory, all so that he can fulfill his bounding personal ambitions. For the benefit of his American base of support, he again mentions the “16-month timetable”, the persistent slogan of the campaign, along with “change you can believe in”. How about a “timetable you can believe in?” Because lawyer Obama once again wobbles in response to a question pertaining to the potential for bloodbath at a premature withdrawal?

“I’ve said in the past…and this not new (Really?)… if there is resurgence of ethnic violence, I’d reserve the right to intervene…hopefully with the help of the international community.”

Yeah, well the time for getting the “international community” on board was when you failed to convene a single meeting of the European Foreign Relations committee you were appointed to handle. Since Barry is so fond of timetables, I’d like to suggest a few other timetables he might consider:

• Timetable for affordable heating oil.

• Timetable for alternative-fuel vehicles.

• Timetable for withdrawal from Afghanistan.

• Timetable for housing market recovery.

• Timetable for resolution of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

• Timetable for Iran to drop nuclear plans.

Timetable to get real and cut the B.S. Did Obama really tell us that “there has been bloodshed” there and “a U.S. president cannot…uh…snap his fingers…and uh…fix the problem (Arab-Israeli)…? Wow, we are being schooled! And was it just another LSAT test “problem”?

Compared to his appearances several weeks ago at AIPAC, Obama’s remarks seemed unusually sympathetic to the Arab street. His remarks and tone were critical of the Israeli position, not surprising for a candidate who absorbs the views of his environment.

There was the usual language of the left with regard to the “Palestinians” :

“If the Palestinian people feel oppressed, they get frustrated and…”

It’s hard to believe he said “oppressed” and that he believes Israeli oppression is the chief reason for the conflict, causing “frustration” which leads to violence. Shades of Rev. Wright. The oppressed “chickens came home to roost” in the atrocities of 9-11. This is a fundamental belief in the Obama universe.

Mixed in with the avalanche of Barry’s clichés was the usual barrage of Obama’s verbal gaffes. Obama is helpless without a prepared script, and his inexperience and tendency to get flustered is evident when he has to work off the cuff. Everyone was too polite to correct him when he said:

“Israel is a strong friend of Israel”…

I will correct him. America is a strong friend of Israel (for sixteen months). And of Iraq (for sixteen months). And of any democracy in the Middle East (for sixteen months).

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