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This is a completion to a submission that somehow got away from me, and an attempt to explain that

Reader comment on item: Obama's Diplomatic Acrobatics

Submitted by Ron Thompson (United States), Sep 14, 2013 at 23:10

Because it appears that nobody has taken Obama's semi-threat to use force seriously ….. except Putin and Assad, maybe we should hold off on the severity of condemnation for a little while.

This has happened before. I remember when nobody took Reagan's 'Star Wars' seriously …. except the men in the Kremlin. And look what that eventually produced.

It would be ironic and maybe even 'unfair' if Obama's stumbling approach actually led to a good result, but let's wait just wait a bit and see. After all, nobody wants to put partisanship before a good result for the country.

My own candidate for "worst" would be the man who came into office clueless about el-Queda, and after 8 months of continued indifference presided over the worst terrorist attack in American history, with 3,000 lives lost.

He then followed the fall of the Towers with the immediate statement that "Islam is a religion of peace", a statement which he has never since altered.

What trajectory has our national policy been on since he established that policy? Has that unchanged policy helped or hindered the infiltration of stealth Jihadist forces into the CIA, FBI, Homeland security, throughout our military, and police forces all over the country (except perhaps in New York City)?

And then he invaded Afghanistan, not merely to punish and eliminate the Taliban and el Queda, but then to stay and "nation build". However, because of failing to understand or proclaim that there was no hope whatsoever of accomplishing such a goal unless we also identified the religious/political/legal/military utterly amoral creed of Islam as our enemy and the fount of terrorist Jihadism, we have spent almost 11 years there, only to be on the verge of losing there, while also having markedly hastened the destabilization of nuclear-armed Pakistan

After if those three events were not enough, he than invaded Iraq, at an eventual cost of 4,000 more lives, the net effect of which was to give Iran the opportunity to become the regional superpower and attain nuclear weapons.

And of course we are also watching Iraq in the grim process of coming apart at the seams.

The effects of the Iraq decision are far from over, either fiscally ($1 or $2 trillion dollars wasted, with more to come for decades with maimed veteran costs), in terms of empowering Iran, and of course that penultimate Bush decision also explain the reluctance of the American people to approve even a limited operation against Assad.

So with that record of George Bush behind us, with its effects so powerfully continuing, perhaps we should leave the jury out just awhile longer before deciding on the "worst in modern times".

Submitting....

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Reader comments (38) on this item

Title Commenter Date Thread
This is a completion to a submission that somehow got away from me, and an attempt to explain that [445 words]Ron ThompsonSep 14, 2013 23:10209752
Response to Ron Thompson [377 words]AKdocSep 23, 2013 10:19209752
reply to AKDoc [544 words]Ron ThompsonSep 25, 2013 21:56209752
Obama's Incompetency in Executing Sound Foreign Policy [154 words]RexSep 14, 2013 15:31209743
Obama is the best [8 words]shanSep 14, 2013 08:15209737
The Litany of Misdirected, Gutless Presidents [323 words]Mark WerfelSep 13, 2013 23:33209730
1Disastrous policies, neutral outcomes [248 words]Dan SimonSep 13, 2013 16:37209724
Cruel (and revealing) pix [4 words]FFSSep 13, 2013 01:05209681
Too bad Eugene Rostow is no longer around to advise. [266 words]Wallace Edward BrandSep 12, 2013 22:56209678
1What a disaster [73 words]dhimmi no moreSep 12, 2013 19:27209672
2Reasons to support Syrian rebels [432 words]PrashantSep 13, 2013 06:52209672
Another candidate for "worst'? [101 words]Ron ThompsonSep 14, 2013 22:25209672
Bush and history [20 words]dhimmi no moreSep 18, 2013 07:35209672
1Capturing the Essentials of Failure [247 words]Bill PaxtonSep 12, 2013 14:53209670
Moving on [56 words]David W. LincolnSep 12, 2013 13:31209669
Never before... [17 words]james sorianoSep 12, 2013 13:24209668
1Very strict critics [348 words]AlexandrosSep 12, 2013 11:45209667
how about the Saudis or Turkey taking care of Syria? [373 words]lippySep 12, 2013 10:17209665
Diplomatic Acrobatics [372 words]StephenSep 12, 2013 04:52209661
Election reform idea to minimize the impact of failing administrations [116 words]PezDispenserSep 12, 2013 04:47209660
6President Obama and Syria [216 words]Ilbert A. PhillipsSep 12, 2013 03:02209659
Epic Failure [91 words]TomSep 16, 2013 10:30209659
Obama's Diplomatic Acrobatics [15 words]steven LSep 11, 2013 23:46209656
1The True Apology To The World [192 words]Mike RamirezSep 11, 2013 23:08209651
Re: Obama's Diplomatic Acrobatics [27 words]Rich McMahonSep 11, 2013 22:20209650
3Fall of Rome [144 words]jamesSep 11, 2013 21:38209648
1.. and its modern-day empire [134 words]Brigitte in ParisSep 22, 2013 07:47209648
1No, it isn't just Obama [159 words]SoloviewSep 11, 2013 21:27209647
Comment for Geekmom [172 words]CassandraSep 14, 2013 06:51209647
WHAT TO SAY ? [17 words]Susan KSep 11, 2013 21:21209646
end game for Obama's style of peace making, [320 words]rodney allsworthSep 11, 2013 20:13209645
1Still better then Bush [71 words]
w/response from Daniel Pipes
BillSep 11, 2013 19:15209643
Really Bill? No one wanted the Iraq war? Looks like at least 72% of the people did. [21 words]geekmomSep 13, 2013 16:45209643
not true that 72% "wanted" war [105 words]Ron ThompsonSep 14, 2013 23:22209643
crowds [62 words]Gunther H. SciffSep 11, 2013 18:44209641
YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW [99 words]JACQUES HADIDASep 11, 2013 18:38209640
Image Caption [17 words]Mike RuebnerSep 11, 2013 18:12209639
He is the Emperor with no clothes [7 words]Robin RosenblattSep 11, 2013 18:12209638

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