Think back on the last few years, and consider some of the events that have happened.
1. Today, the USA gave up the fight against Castro's carnival of horrors in Cuba. The move provides Castro with an urgently needed source of hard currency, enough to enable the regime to stay in power in Havana. In exchange, Cuba did not agree to stop funding terrorists in South America. Cuba did not agree to grant any sort of freedom to the Cuban people. Cuba did not agree to stop spying on the USA. Cuba did not agree to take any action which might promote peace in the world or liberty for the Cubans. No, in exchange for president Obama providing a lifeline for the Castro regime of brutal thugs, Cuba agreed to NOTHING. It is not that the USA got a bad deal. It is, rather, that America just gave up.
2. Also today, it was conclusively demonstrated that the hack against SONY and the threat of terrorist attacks against movie theaters showing "The Interview" came from the North Korean government. In response, president Obama has done nothing. Here too, Obama seems to have given up. Maybe something will be done in the near future, but that is unlikely.
3. In the last month, Islamic terrorists have slaughtered over a hundred little children in Pakistan. They have also killed innocents in Sydney. They have attacked families in Israel. They have killed hundreds or thousands in Syria and Iraq. All that America has done is to carry out some desultory air strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In the nearly five months that those airstrikes have been underway, the USA has carried out fewer airstrikes than we used against Iraq during the first two days of the Gulf War. We cannot say that Obama is doing nothing. The truth, however, is that he is doing next to nothing. Obama announced in August that America would train and arm the "vetted moderate rebels" in Syria. Since then, nothing has been done; no training, no arms shipments, no nothing. In July, Obama promised arms to the Kurds, the one group that actually fights against ISIS in Iraq. So far, no heavy weapons have been given to the Kurds by the USA. It is another area in which Obama just gave up. Alternatively, it is one of those areas in which Obama was telling lies and never intended to do much of anything in Syria or Iraq.
4. In the last month, the USA has managed to threaten the imposition of sanctions on our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel. Get that? The sanctions against the murderous thugs in Havana who arm terror groups in South America, who "export revolution" across the globe, who deny even the most basic human rights to the people of Cuba and who steal enormous sums for their own enrichment have to go according to Obama. On the other hand, when dealing with our democratic friend Israel who fights daily against terrorism, Obama wants sanctions. Maybe Obama has not given up; he may have just lost his mind.
5. Here in the USA, there have been two grand jury decisions regarding situations in which two men were killed by police. There is no indication at all that the death in Staten Island had anything to do with race. Even the family of Eric Garner, the dead man, say that they see nothing racial in what happened. In Ferguson, Missouri, there is no denying that there is a racial component, but that was thrust into the mix by the people protesting the death of Michael Brown. There is nothing to indicate that the police officer had any racial motivation in what happened. For his part, president Obama nevertheless still talks about these two situations in terms of race. He lectures about the feelings of the communities of color which distrust the police. Now Obama surely knows that by making statements of this sort, he validates that fear and distrust. The president could have used his office to try to minimize that reaction. Instead, he went in the other direction.
So what is really going on here? Is Obama just out of his league? Is this intentional? Are those who say that Obama wants to undermine the USA correct? I never accepted that view, but it sure seems correct given recent events. Truly, what is going on?
1. Today, the USA gave up the fight against Castro's carnival of horrors in Cuba. The move provides Castro with an urgently needed source of hard currency, enough to enable the regime to stay in power in Havana. In exchange, Cuba did not agree to stop funding terrorists in South America. Cuba did not agree to grant any sort of freedom to the Cuban people. Cuba did not agree to stop spying on the USA. Cuba did not agree to take any action which might promote peace in the world or liberty for the Cubans. No, in exchange for president Obama providing a lifeline for the Castro regime of brutal thugs, Cuba agreed to NOTHING. It is not that the USA got a bad deal. It is, rather, that America just gave up.
2. Also today, it was conclusively demonstrated that the hack against SONY and the threat of terrorist attacks against movie theaters showing "The Interview" came from the North Korean government. In response, president Obama has done nothing. Here too, Obama seems to have given up. Maybe something will be done in the near future, but that is unlikely.
3. In the last month, Islamic terrorists have slaughtered over a hundred little children in Pakistan. They have also killed innocents in Sydney. They have attacked families in Israel. They have killed hundreds or thousands in Syria and Iraq. All that America has done is to carry out some desultory air strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In the nearly five months that those airstrikes have been underway, the USA has carried out fewer airstrikes than we used against Iraq during the first two days of the Gulf War. We cannot say that Obama is doing nothing. The truth, however, is that he is doing next to nothing. Obama announced in August that America would train and arm the "vetted moderate rebels" in Syria. Since then, nothing has been done; no training, no arms shipments, no nothing. In July, Obama promised arms to the Kurds, the one group that actually fights against ISIS in Iraq. So far, no heavy weapons have been given to the Kurds by the USA. It is another area in which Obama just gave up. Alternatively, it is one of those areas in which Obama was telling lies and never intended to do much of anything in Syria or Iraq.
4. In the last month, the USA has managed to threaten the imposition of sanctions on our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel. Get that? The sanctions against the murderous thugs in Havana who arm terror groups in South America, who "export revolution" across the globe, who deny even the most basic human rights to the people of Cuba and who steal enormous sums for their own enrichment have to go according to Obama. On the other hand, when dealing with our democratic friend Israel who fights daily against terrorism, Obama wants sanctions. Maybe Obama has not given up; he may have just lost his mind.
5. Here in the USA, there have been two grand jury decisions regarding situations in which two men were killed by police. There is no indication at all that the death in Staten Island had anything to do with race. Even the family of Eric Garner, the dead man, say that they see nothing racial in what happened. In Ferguson, Missouri, there is no denying that there is a racial component, but that was thrust into the mix by the people protesting the death of Michael Brown. There is nothing to indicate that the police officer had any racial motivation in what happened. For his part, president Obama nevertheless still talks about these two situations in terms of race. He lectures about the feelings of the communities of color which distrust the police. Now Obama surely knows that by making statements of this sort, he validates that fear and distrust. The president could have used his office to try to minimize that reaction. Instead, he went in the other direction.
So what is really going on here? Is Obama just out of his league? Is this intentional? Are those who say that Obama wants to undermine the USA correct? I never accepted that view, but it sure seems correct given recent events. Truly, what is going on?
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