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TJP
Oct-26-2011 04:41
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Has President Obama become a joke?
Alan Hart Salem-News.comI am also wondering if Obama has any real grasp of the fact that largely because of his support for Israel right or wrong, America is becoming as isolated in the world as it is.
 U.S. President Barack Obama |
(LONDON) - Last Saturday in his radio address to his own people and over the internet to those around the world who still think he is worth listening to, President Obama said, “This week we had two powerful reminders of how we've renewed American leadership in the world.” That made me wonder which of the two d’s should be applied to him - duplicitous or deluded. (I won’t argue with any readers who might say that he is both because being duplicitous eventually makes you delusional. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is best proof of that).
According to Obama the two powerful reminders were the death of Muammar Gaddafi and the end of the war in Iraq. The day before his Saturday show the president declared the killing of the Libyan leader to be “momentous”; and he told his fellow Americans that the long and costly war in Iraq will be over by the end of the year and that all 40,000 U.S. servicemen and women still there “will definitely be home for the holidays.”
It could be that I am missing something but I can’t see how the killing of Gaddafi was one of two powerful reminders of renewed American leadership in the world. That said, one possible implication of Obama’s rhetoric is that CIA agents and their Libyan assets played a major role in bringing the Libyan pot to boiling point for regime change. If that was so, Obama’s unspoken message to his fellow Americans last Saturday was something like: “Trust me. I’m not a soft touch. I am more ready and willing than any of my recent predecessors to authorise whatever actions are necessary to destroy those who stand in the way of our foreign policy objectives.” (No doubt some of those who advise Obama are hoping that Iran will be the next target).
The only reason why all American servicemen and women will be leaving Iraq is Obama’s failure to persuade the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to keep US bases and several thousand troops there indefinitely on America’s terms. They were that American troops would not be subject to Iraqi law. (In each of the many countries country where American forces are based, the US insists on legal immunity for them, refuses to let them be tried by foreigners).
As Jonathan Steele pointed out in an article for The Guardian, the issue of legal immunity for American forces was especially sensitive in Iraq “after numerous US murders of civilians and the Abu Ghraib scandal in which Iraqi prisoners were sexually humiliated.”
The same article delivered what I think is a very sound judgement of America’s achievement in Iraq. Steele wrote:
“The final troop withdrawal marks a complete defeat for Bush's Iraq project. The neocons' grand plan to use the 2003 invasion to turn the country into a secure pro-Western democracy and a garrison for US bases that could put pressure on Syria and Iran lies in tatters... Their hopes of making Iraq a democratic model for the Middle East have been tipped on their head. The instability and bloodshed which the US unleashed in Iraq were the example that Arabs sought to avoid, not emulate... But the neocons' biggest defeat is that, thanks to Bush's toppling of Saddam Hussein, Iran's greatest enemy, Tehran's influence in Iraq is much stronger today than is America's.”
How that contributes to renewing America’s leadership in the world is beyond my comprehension.
In his radio address Obama the master of rhetoric also said, “After a decade of war, we're turning the page and moving forward with strength and confidence.”
I found myself wondering what his confidence is based on.
America is bankrupt (as are most if not all the nations of the Western world).
According to the latest polls, Obama’s job approval rating is somewhere between 36 and 42 percent, and likely to fall to an historic low if there is not significant progress on reducing unemployment (or at least halting its rise) and home ownership foreclosures.
And according to a CNN/ORC International poll, only 15 (repeat 15!) percent of Americans asked said that they trust the federal government to do the right thing most of the time.
On the foreign policy front the only two things America leads the world in are support for the Zionist (not Jewish) state of Israel right or wrong and targeted assassinations
I am also wondering if Obama has any real grasp of the fact that largely because of his support for Israel right or wrong, America is becoming as isolated in the world as it is.
I’ll conclude by saying that it gives me no pleasure to write about Obama in the way I am now doing. I was among the many who were initially inspired by his rhetoric and dared to invest some hope in the view that he would change America and the world for the better. I now think he was never going to be a president who could give substance to his soaring rhetoric because he was too inexperienced and too naive for the job.
So with regret my own answer to the headline question is “Yes”, he has become a joke.
Footnote:
As I write one of the questions I am asking myself is this. Is it possible that supporters of Hillary Clinton will seek to prevail upon Obama not to run for a second term, to clear the way for them draft her, to give the Democrats what they will believe to be a better chance of preventing the Republican Mitt Romney being the next occupant of the White House? Much might depend on how much of a boost Obama gets in the polls for bringing the servicemen and women home from Iraq. But obviously all bets will be off if the American and perhaps even the whole global economy crashes between now and the end of the year.
Alan Hart is a former ITN and BBC Panorama foreign correspondent who covered wars and conflicts wherever they were taking place in the world and specialized in the Middle East.
Over more than four decades Alan Hart enjoyed intimate access to, and on the human level friendship with, leaders of both sides including Golda Meir, Mother Israel, and Yasser Arafat,Father Palestine. (Others included Moshe Dayan, Shimon Peres, Nasser, Sadat, King Faisal, King Hussein—the list is long). He also participated at a leadership level in the secret politics of the search for peace in the Middle East (as an intermediary between Arafat and Peres when it was presumed that Peres was headed for leadership).
Alan recently announced the American edition of his epic book, Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews, Vol. 1: The False Messiah. This is Alan Hart’s epic three-volume journey through the propaganda lies and the documented truth of history as it relates to the making and sustaining of what has come to be called the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.
He blogs on AlanHart.net, and tweets on twitter.com/alanauthor
See also:
- President Obama’s opportunity to speak truth to power: Part 1
- President Obama’s opportunity to speak truth to power – Rahm Emanuel does it for him – Part 11
- Open Letter to President Obama: Change the Rules of the Game
- An Appeal to the American People
Zionism: The Real Enemy of the Jews. The sub-title of this volume is Conflict Without End? It takes the story from the 1967 war and the creation of Greater Israel to the present and the question: Is Peace Possible?
Will President Obama be allowed to deliver an acceptable amount of justice for the Palestinians in order to achieve peace for all and, if not, what’s the most likely future for the region and the world?<
"... immensely readable and a magnificent piece of work ..."
-- Clare Short, MP and Int'l Development Sec't in Blair Govt-
"... elucidates the dangers involved in the unconditional Western support for Zionism and its oppressive policies against the Palestinians."
-- Ilan Pappe, Leading Israeli revisionist Historian -
"... principled, ... historical, ... excellent, even heroic, in effort and scope."
-- Mark Bruzonsky, founder, MiddleEast.org; World Jewish Congress, first Washington Representative
End Israel's Unwarranted Murder of Kids
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COLLI October 27, 2011 4:50 pm (Pacific time)
As usual, Dr. Paul has nailed it cold! What is truly sad is the fact that there is no real and reasonable option available to us. There is no one right answer when analyzing those who have thrown their hats into the ring so far. As long as huge international banking controls both of the major political parties and corporate America, we will continue our downward spiral into the moral and economic abyss we have been heading toward for decades.
M. Dennis Paul, Ph.D. October 26, 2011 11:06 pm (Pacific time)
I like to think of jokes as being something that brings lightness and mirth to those who are witness to their existence and telling. In the case of Barack Obama, there is absolutely nothing "funny", nothing uplifting or mirthful about the devastation he and his minions have unleashed upon an already deeply troubled world. He conned a fearful populace into believing he would bring lightness to their existence. He once pointed fingers at the "right" for their use of fear tactics and now tells America to fear, deeply fear, the outcome should he lose the 2012 election. He struggles in his speeches to find words convoluting enough to give an appearance he remains concerned for that populace.. a transparent continuation of his failed conning. This is the only transparency he has brought to us. More than any President in history, he has established himself as an International Terrorist with no regard for the sovereignty of nations. Not even Zionist Israel compares. Both Alan and commenter Colli have stated the reality of harm manifested through Obama's Presidency and but a few of the very real reasons to hold no trust in either his words or deeds. Sadly, if the Democrats have only Hillary to offer as a savior for the party, there is no hope for America. Hillary sold her soul long ago and would offer nothing to this nation or the world in terms of compassion, humility or humanity. One has only to watch her reaction (laughter)to the murder of Gaddafi to see the depth of psychosis that has supplanted what was once only a semblance of integrity. The very unlikely possibility of this nation awakening fully to the need for genuinely independent and enlightened candidates to be offered for write in candidacy in the race for the White House, Congress and Senate, and the courage to elect them leaves this nation roasting in a decades old pit of hell with no ladder in sight.
Russel October 26, 2011 7:33 pm (Pacific time)
One of the President Obama's first promises after becoming President of the United States was a commitment to usher in a new era of unprecedented government transparency . Instead the Obama administration has exhibited what may be an unprecedented obsession with government secrecy including blocking numerous law suits by invoking the doctrine of "State Secrets." The administration has even come up with an interpretation of the Patriot Act which many in Congress who have seen it claim is overly broad and bestows more power on the Executive Branch than was intended by Congress when they passed it. _ _Unfortunately those in Congress who have seen this document are not permitted to divulge its content, and we, the public, cannot see it because the administration has chosen to classify it as a "State Secret." In other words, you might be doing something that the Obama Administration believes violates the Patriot Act, but you won't know it until they indict you for breaking a law you did not know existed (I might be breaking it just by penning and publishing this article). _ _http://www.opednews.com/articles/Transparency-In-Government-by-Jerry-Policoff-111025-906.html_
dw3lima October 26, 2011 4:39 pm (Pacific time)
What does it mean to state "Zionist (not Jewish) state of Israel"? Explain how one of the largest nuclear powers with an insatiable quest for land lives on so little area and has been giving land back for "peace" for decades.
You, like all other anti-semites, will feel the pain for the Palestinians until the fanatics come for you on your home turf. Read Rice's book...Abbas won't agree to peace until all 4 millions Pals can conquer Israel and remove it from the Middle East.
Go live there and see what you think. Until then, your views are perverse and only online with the media and not reality.
Editor: Wow, you really don't know who you are commenting toward, Alan is one of the UK's most famous reporters in the world via his years with The BBC and IT. Today his books on the subject are widely read and highly regarded, and, he was extremely close to all of the important developments in the history of the Middle east today. You are pro-Israel which means you back their apartheid laws that subject Palestinians to a totally different set of standards, and ethnic cleansing is the specialty of Israel, so watch the stones you throw friend, you are really out of your league here with your religion-based passion and hatred. Simply said, it is all about humanity, and the equal treatment of people.
Amanda Black October 26, 2011 2:40 pm (Pacific time)
Pres. Obama is just a "Puppet" as all have been since the Kennedy assassinations. There is a "Force" to abide by, or else.
COLLI October 26, 2011 6:15 am (Pacific time)
Consider this: For three years he has focused on trying to ram through long sought after Party projects rather than address those issues eating away at our countries economic stability. He has widened the divide that has always existed along Party lines. He has very visibly spent a great deal of time vacationing and playing golf during key times of trouble as if he did not really care. He has spent considerable time blaming anyone and everyone else for problems rather than getting serious about finding a solution for those problems. His choice of cabinet has been more questionable than not. He has allowed one of the poorer segments of our society (Social Security Recipients) to suffer the loss of a much-needed COLA for three years running only to reinstate it when the next Presidential election came into sight. He has ignored the plight of the Palestinian people and either intentionally or unintentionally supported the genocidal practices of the Israeli government. These things alone (and there are more such potential issues) certainly bring his wisdom, skills, and abilities into question. Anyone is apt to grasp at hope for a better tomorrow and he represented that hope. However, like most career politicians before him, the actions did not deliver on the promises. You hit the nail on the head Alan . . . he had insufficient experience and was too naive to be effective. An even larger problem is that he does not appear to have learned much during the three years he has spent in office and he appears to have done irreparable damage by his inaction in certain quadrants. He initially gave people a reason to dream and to hope but then played a huge and visible part in smashing that dream via broken promises and finger pointing. These things will not be forgotten and will almost certainly cause his bid for re-election to be viewed as a joke. Your thoughts regarding the Democratic Party asking him to step down and to replace him with Hillary may not be far-fetched at all, as he has certainly become detrimental to the Democratic Party and where he has figuratively fallen on his face and been generally ineffective, Hillary has done a somewhat credible job despite her obvious lack of humanity.
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