Is President Obama Kicking The Syrian Chemical Weapons Can Down The Road?

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U.S. Kicks Syria Chemical Weapons Can Down The Road -- Charles P. Blair, Special To CNN 

Syria’s civil war is the first to engulf a country armed with weapons of mass destruction. Understandably, the unfolding cataclysm precipitated by that country’s collapse has prompted new levels of uncertainty and risk.

But where exactly does the Obama administration stand on managing the various threats posed by Syria’s chemical weapons?

 An April 25 letter from the White House to members of Congress included the Obama administration’s seventh notice threatening unspecified but “significant” action if the al-Assad regime crossed the “red line” on chemical weapons activity.

But by remaining mute on what specifically constitutes a chemical weapon in the context of its “red line,” and by characterizing the mounting evidence of chemical weapons use by Syrian military forces as requiring “credible and corroborating facts” validated by the United Nations, the administration clearly wants to avoid (or at least delay as long as possible) substantive action against the regime. Yet there are obvious risks to this “wait and see” approach.

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My Comment: Getting involved in the Syrian conflict .... without sending in ground troops .... will still involve thousands of soldiers .... naval and air force resources that are already stretched .... tens of billions of dollars .... a national and international political push for support .... laying the groundwork and marshal;ling the massive resources that will be needed for the post-Assad era .... and more important for President Obama .... a dramatic shift away from his own national agenda.

President Obama is not only kicking the "can down the road" .... he is trying his best to kick the "can OFF the road".

President Obama's Prudence On Syria Has Become A Strategic And Moral Failure

Red Lines As Red Herrings In Syria -- Richard Cohen, Washington Post

Watching PBS’s “NewsHour” the other night, I caught a debate between two academics about whether the United States should intervene in Syria. The British, French and Israelis say that Damascus has used chemical weapons, although Washington is not as sure. (Do you think George Tenet could find out?) So in the meantime the president will adhere to his policy of doing next to nothing and thus ensure that the war continues. One of the academics wanted America to intervene while the other did not. He kept saying, “We don’t need another war in the Middle East,” having apparently not noticed that one is already underway in Syria. In the movie, he will play Barack Obama.

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My Comment: A brutal editorial from (of all places) The Washington Post. And Richard Cohen is right .... the money quote from his commentary is the following ....

.... Obama’s policy regarding Syria has been a strategic failure. More perplexing and more alarming, it has also been a moral failure. It has permitted — or at least not impeded — the deaths of upward of 70,000 people and created a humanitarian calamity with more than 1 million refugees. The region is being destabilized. People are living in misery. I can assure them that Washington is studying the problem.

President Obama: Why No "Red Lines" For Iran

Obama On Iran 'Red Lines': No Leader Wants To Tie His Hands -- Haaretz

In a conference call to 1,200 U.S. rabbis for Rosh Hashanah, the U.S. President said there was 'no daylight' between U.S. and Israel policy on Iran; meanwhile, Romney slams Obama's comment that Egypt is neither 'enemy or ally.'

In a conference call for Rosh Hashanah organized by a number of U.S. Rabbinical associations, U.S. President Barack Obama referred to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comment about the lack of U.S. "red lines" on Iran, saying that "no leader wants to tie his hands" and set conditions.

Coming in the wake of his video message for the Jewish New Year, Obama spent about 40 minutes in the conference call with 1,200 U.S. rabbis.

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My Comment: From a certain perspective I can understand President Obama's position on "no red lines". You cannot tie and/or limit yourself to a "red line" position that may limit your actions or force you to act when you are not ready to. Having said that .... it must also be noted that by not imposing timelines and "red lines" you then run the chance of having the other side take you for granted and/or not seriously listening to your proposals or actions.

In the end .... I guess it always comes down to credibility. Agree or disagree .... I always knew that when President George Bush made a commitment to a red line and/or laid out a list of actions that the U.S. would pursue if their demands were not met .... I knew that he was going to do it. No ifs or buts. I can say the same about President Clinton in the last years of his Presidency, President Bush Sr., President Reagan, etc... . But for some reason President Obama does not carry that presence as much as his predecessors did .... and I guess that is where the doubts and question from our foreign allies come in .... and this debate to have "red lines".

Are these doubts justified .... probably not. President Obama has unleashed the drones and special forces against Al Qaeda that President George Bush could only dream about. He has also involved the U.S. in numerous wars and conflicts .... a number that even shocks me when I tally it all up .... a tally that is in fact unprecedented in modern American history. Hell .... he has even issued orders for assassinating U.S. citizens living abroad who are supporting terror actions .... this is not a weak-kneed President.

But it is also true that Iran is a different story. Because of Iran's size, I have doubts that President Obama will use military force to limit their nuclear program .... such a conflict will be too messy with no sure outcome. I do not even know what the exit strategy for such a conflict would look like .... and I strongly suspect neither does anyone else. Hence .... one good reason on why this war of choice should give us pause.

Instead .... if Iran is on the march to develop nuclear weapons ..... I believe that real sanctions (blockade, cutting off Iran's central bank from global financial clearing houses, etc.) will come into play .... and I have confidence that President Obama will be the one leading this charge. Is this enough .... I hope that we will not need to find out.

President Obama`s War Strategy

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden shake hands with the troops following the President's remarks at Fort Campbell, Ky., May 6, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Obama’s Way of War -- Reuel Marc Gerecht, Weekly Standard

Is Barack Obama a warrior president? Not in the British tradition, of course, which gave us Winston Churchill, with his crazy cavalry charge against Sudanese spears, or the more cerebral Harold Macmillan, shot to pieces in World War I, lying in the blood and the mud reading Aeschylus. Obama is a post-Vietnam president: He walks in the footsteps of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, who took different paths away from the jungles of Southeast Asia but later sent Americans into harm’s way in foreign wars. He is—if we are to believe his campaign ads, his vice presi-dent, and a recent breathless encomium in the New York Times—a commander in chief more in line with “Teddy Roosevelt than Jimmy Carter.” He is a “gutsy” guy, who has “embraced SEAL Team 6 rather than Code Pink.”

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My Comment: President Obama is calculating that large scale wars are a thing of the past. That technology and weapons of mass destruction makes huge standing armies obsolete and .... in a world where economics rule .... very costly to maintain.

I personally think that they are wrong .... but since we are going down that direction, I can then only hope that I am wrong.

Why Did President Obama Get The Nobel Peace Prize?

Warrior In Chief -- Peter L. Bergen, New York Times

THE president who won the Nobel Peace Prize less than nine months after his inauguration has turned out to be one of the most militarily aggressive American leaders in decades.

Liberals helped to elect Barack Obama in part because of his opposition to the Iraq war, and probably don’t celebrate all of the president’s many military accomplishments. But they are sizable.

Mr. Obama decimated Al Qaeda’s leadership. He overthrew the Libyan dictator. He ramped up drone attacks in Pakistan, waged effective covert wars in Yemen and Somalia and authorized a threefold increase in the number of American troops in Afghanistan. He became the first president to authorize the assassination of a United States citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, who was born in New Mexico and played an operational role in Al Qaeda, and was killed in an American drone strike in Yemen. And, of course, Mr. Obama ordered and oversaw the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

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My Comment: Ouch!

Critics On President Obama's Governing Style Are Making Their Opinions Known

Is President Obama a loner? REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

Obama The Loner -- Chris Cillizza, Washington Post

The Post’s Scott Wilson penned a provocative piece over the weekend that cast President Obama’s current political problems through the lens of his loner tendencies.

Wrote Wilson:

This president endures with little joy the small talk and back-slapping of retail politics, rarely spends more than a few minutes on a rope line, refuses to coddle even his biggest donors. His relationship with Democrats on Capitol Hill is frosty, to be generous. Personal lobbying on behalf of legislation? He prefers to leave that to Vice President Biden, an old-school political charmer.

Time and again in our reporting over the last few months, this strain of thinking has come up — and the deeper President Obama’s political troubles grow, the more often we hear it.

In the wake of President Obama’s press conference last Thursday, there was considerable skepticism — bordering on contempt — for his assertion that now was the time for the Senate to pass his jobs bill.

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My Comment: What is my take .... politics is a team sport where working together is more of a requirement than an option. The advantage for President Obama is that he is the President, and the bully pulpit is his. But this advantage can only take him so far, and if the economy does not improve by this time next year .... even all of his allies and supporters will not be enough to give him a second mandate.

Where Is The President?

President Barack Obama tapes the weekly address, White House Photo, Lawrence Jackson, 10/7/11

Aimless Obama Walks Alone -- Michael Goodwin, New York Post

The reports are not good, disturbing even. I have heard basically the same story four times in the last 10 days, and the people doing the talking are in New York and Washington and are spread across the political spectrum.

The gist is this: President Obama has become a lone wolf, a stranger to his own government. He talks mostly, and sometimes only, to friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett and to David Axelrod, his political strategist.

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My Comment: What strikes me is that his own party is deserting him. With the election only a year away, there is no eagerness for Democrats running to be associated with him .... hence their back-tracking on his "jobs bill". In the area of defense/war/security .... his style is 180 degrees opposite from President Bush's. While President Bush was in contact with his military commanders in the field on a daily basis .... President Obama (from what I have been told) only converses with his commanders sporadically .... and even then .... not at all. If this is the case .... this is not good .... and when one thinks of the other crises that we are now facing .... downright worrisome.

Donald Trump .... when asked what was President Obama good at .... remarked that he was only good at getting elected. Unfortunately for the U.S. .... it looks like he is right.

Update: A friend of mine just remarked that he got Bin Laden .... and maybe his leadership approach is the right one. Hmmm .... no. The structure, strategy, resources, and operational guidelines to get bin Laden were in place long before Obama was elected President. Where he deserves credit is when the intelligence/security chiefs came up to him to get his A-OK to proceed when bin Laden was located .... which to his credit .... he then gave it to them.

Is President Obama Failing As Commander In Chief (A Commentary)

President Barack Obama talks with Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., left, and Rep. C.A. "Dutch" Ruppersberger, D-Md., in the Situation Room of the White House, March 25, 2011. The President briefed a bipartisan, bicameral group of Members of Congress, many of whom joined via conference call, on the situation in Libya. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Obama Failing As Commander In Chief -- Robert D. Blackwill, Politico

The Obama administration deserves credit for its foreign policy achievements.

There has been no successful terrorist attack on U.S. soil. President Barack Obama and his colleagues have, thus far, skillfully handled the popular eruptions in Tunisia and Egypt — though those crises are far from over. They strengthened sanctions against Iran regarding its nuclear weapons program; reset U.S.-Russia relations and completed the New START Treaty. They have begun to deal effectively with the rise of Chinese power; continued, after a slow start, the transformation of U.S.-India relations, and signed a bilateral trade accord with South Korea. They also modernized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization with summit agreements on a new strategic concept and ballistic missile defense.

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My Comment: I read commentaries critical of President Obama all the time .... I also read commentaries that support the President. But what is surprising about this post is that it is coming from the Politico .... a news organization site that has always been very supportive of the President.

Read it all.

President Obama As A War President (A Commentary)

Antiwar Senator, War-Powers President -- John Woo

Like all of his predecessors, this president has realized why the Constitution vested certain powers in the executive branch: Only it can act with dispatch.

President Barack Obama has again flip-flopped on national security—and we can all be grateful. Having kept Guantanamo Bay open, resumed military commission trials for terrorists, and expanded the use of drones, the president has now ordered the U.S. military into action without Congress's blessing.

Imagine the uproar if President Bush had unilaterally launched air attacks against Libya's Moammar Gadhafi. But since it's Mr. Obama's finger on the trigger, Democratic leaders in Congress have kept quiet—demonstrating that their opposition to presidential power during the Bush years was political, not principled.

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My Comment: My views on President Obama as a 'War President' are mixed at the moment. There is a part of me that wishes he was more quick and determined .... but another part of me appreciates the time and patience he places himself in before making a major decision when it comes to using force. I guess the true assessment on his Presidency is when he is out of office, and we can then properly assess his Presidency without the media spin that is now occurring within his administration.

President's And Their Egos. Which President Does President Obama Remind You O f

Obama's Presidency Joins The Fray -- Fouad Ajami, Wall Street Journal

Americans prefer a leader who does not stand aloof from the weight and the lessons of our history.

In May of this year, President Obama brought together a group of presidential historians for what was supposed to be the first of many meetings. By available accounts, he was curious about the rise of the tea party, curious as to whether there had been precedents for this sort of backlash against the established order. He listened to these experts of the American presidency, but was prickly and didn't give anything away.

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My Comment: In my book .... he is unique. Elected on a radical agenda, he has not hesitated to expand government into areas that has shocked some .... or applauded by others. His Achilles heel is the burgeoning U.S. debt, and the inability to sustain it. While he (and his supporters) may believe it will correct itself with minimal consequences .... I do not share that sentiment. Expect fireworks in the coming two years as the credit worthiness of the U.S. government, states, and municipalities come into question .... and the unwillingness (or inability) of President Obama to confront it.

Is President Obama Delusional On The Abolition Of Nuclear Weapons -- A Commentary

U.S. President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Barack Obama holds up his medal and diploma as he poses with Nobel Committee Chairman Thorbjorn Jagland, left, at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at City Hall in Oslo on Thursday. REUTERS/John McConnico

Dangerous Nuclear Illusions -- Roger Cohen, New York Times

LONDON — A world without nuclear weapons sounds nice, but of course that was the world that brought us World War I and World War II. If you like the sound of that, the touchy-feely “Global Zero” bandwagon is probably for you.

I’m an optimist in general but a pessimist when it comes to nations’ shifting pursuit of their interests. Humans, not states, have consciences. President Barack Obama’s commitment in his 2009 Prague speech “to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons” was a fine sentiment but a political mistake.

The idea went down well with the Norwegians, who awarded Obama a Nobel Peace Prize he should not have accepted, but overall this prospective peace blossom has wilted faster than a flower in the Scandinavian night.

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My Comment: I usually .... correction ... I always disagree with Roger Cohen's commentaries in the New York Times. But not this time. Imagine my surprise when I browsed through his opinion piece, and found myself in complete agreement .... he writes what I have been saying since President Obama was elected 2 years ago .... and he writes it more eloquently.

Has President Obama disappointed his supporters .... definitely. Is he in trouble politically .... he is getting there. Will Roger Cohen vote for a Republican .... I doubt it. But his opinion piece is a symbol that there is now a seismic shift in the mass media's perception of President Obama, and a sign that he will be in trouble when he runs in two years for a second term.

How The World Sees President Obama -- A Commentary

World Sees Obama As Incompetent And Amateur -- Mort Zuckerman, U.S. News And World Report

The president is well-intentioned but can't walk the walk on the world stage.

President Obama came into office as the heir to a great foreign policy legacy enjoyed by every recent U.S. president. Why? Because the United States stands on top of the power ladder, not necessarily as the dominant power, but certainly as the leading one. As such we are the sole nation capable of exercising global leadership on a whole range of international issues from security, trade, and climate to counterterrorism. We also benefit from the fact that most countries distrust the United States far less than they distrust one another, so we uniquely have the power to build coalitions. As a result, most of the world still looks to Washington for help in their region and protection against potential regional threats.

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My Comment: Another liberal pundit throwing President Obama under the bus.

As a Canadian whose nationality is Russian and who has lived in China, I can only give my own impression of what people in these countries are saying. In China .... President Obama and his government is treated with disdain (in the media, public announcements, and around the dinner table). He is perceived as a colored man, a racial distinction that many in China feel very uncomfortable with (yes .... racism does exist in China), but what makes the situation even worse is that President Obama's administration is following a policy of economics that is discredited in China. High spending, enormous deficits, bigger government .... this may be the trend in the U.S., but in China (an ex-communist country .... yes .... I am saying an ex-communist country) this is frowned upon. Throw in China's own problems .... President Obama then becomes the perfect bogeyman.

Russia is slightly more complicated. They are not in competition with the U.S., but leaders like Russia's Putin have made their opinions very clear .... they do not understand President Obama's economic policy, and they feel that The U.S. has abdicated certain important international relationships and understandings. Missile defense in Eastern Europe, sanctions and hostility towards Iran, support for Georgia, permitting Afghanistan's drug lords to produce and ship heroin to Russia and other satellite countries .... Russia perceives this as a wrong strategy, and what is worse is that unlike President Bush, President Obama is not listening to them. Even President Obama's roasting of BP and the disaster that BP has caused in the Gulf of Mexico is producing comment in Russia .... BP is the #1 foreign oil company that operates in Russia. Their participation in opening and developing new oil fields is regarded to be crucial for Russia's long term oil strategic needs, and any action that will impact this development is viewed with alarm and suspicion in Moscow.

As to Canada .... the honeymoon is over. A buy U.S. policy (and not Canadian) violates important free trade agreements between the two countries. President Obama's pursuit of policies that have failed in Canada has also produced a "roll of the eyes" response from many in this country. Universal medicare, government intervention in the economy and into our everyday lives, high taxes .... as Canadians we have bought the t-shirt more than once, and we have always been disappointed.

As to what is my take .... I think President Obama is focused on what he perceives is really the number one issue .... transforming the U.S. into what he perceives it should be. As to foreign policy .... it is there but for him it is not the priority. Hence .... disappointment abroad .... but he is doing exactly what he said he would do in his books and during the presidential campaign .... focus on the biggest prize of them all .... the U.S.A.

Why Haiti Matters -- President Obama

From Newsweek:

In the tragic aftermath of Haiti's 7.0 earthquake, images of the disaster break our hearts and remind us of the fragility of life. What America must do now—and why.

In the last week, we have been deeply moved by the heartbreaking images of the devastation in Haiti: parents searching through rubble for sons and daughters; children, frightened and alone, looking for their mothers and fathers. At this moment, entire parts of Port-au-Prince are in ruins, as families seek shelter in makeshift camps. It is a horrific scene of shattered lives in a poor nation that has already suffered so much.

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My Comment: Long time readers of this blog know that I have always had a special relationship with Haiti. A business associate of mine was born in Haiti, and I was in the country in 1994.

I know that President Obama's words will be appreciated by the Haitian people .... but it will be his future actions that people will remember. My suggestion .... he should take heart of the following editorial from Investors Business Daily .... U.S. Must Help Haiti Embrace Markets.

The aid will be appreciated, but it is establishing the conditions for economic growth and development that will make the difference in the long term .... and it will be that legacy that he should be remembered for.

Obama Can't Say Who We're At War With -- A Commentary

WASHINGTON - JANUARY 07: U.S. President Barack Obama makes remarks in the State Dining Room on the attempted terror attack on Christmas Day January 7, 2010 at the White House in Washington, DC. A Nigerian man has been charged for attempting to blow up a Northwest Airline flight while it was about to land in Detroit on Christmas day. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

From The Orange County Register:

Not long after the Ayatollah Khomeini announced his fatwa against Salman Rushdie, the British novelist suddenly turned up on a Muslim radio station in West London late one night and told his interviewer he'd converted to Islam. Marvelous religion, couldn't be happier, Allahu Akbar and all that.

And the Ayatollah said hey, that's terrific news, glad to hear it. But we're still gonna kill you.

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My Comment: Mark Steyn knows how to put it bluntly and succinctly.

President Obama On 60 Minutes

Why This War?

Obama Defends Afghanistan Timetable Plan -- CBS 60 Minutes

Gives His First Extensive Interview Since the Announcement of His Troop Build-Up in Afghanistan

(CBS) As President Obama approaches his first anniversary in the White House, some of the public's enthusiasm for his ambitious agenda at home and abroad is on the wane. While he helped avert a worldwide financial collapse, and may well achieve his goal of health care reform during his first year in office, the U.S. economy is still very weak with double digit unemployment, and his approval ratings are at the lowest point of his presidency.

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Web Extra From 60 Minutes: Afghanistan and Pakistan
Web Extra From 60 minutes: What Pakistan Must Do

Transcript: President Obama, Part 1
Transcript: President Obama, Part 2

More News On President Obama On 60 Minutes

Obama calls Afghanistan troop decision his toughest yet -- L.A. Times
Troop surge 'most difficult decision' for Barack Obama -- Times Online
Afghan war decision toughest of presidency: Obama -- AFP
Obama: Success of strategy evident in a year -- AP
Obama: If war strategy fails, I'll change course -- Freep/AP
President Obama tells '60 Minutes': If Afghanistan strategy doesn't work in a year, I'll change it -- Daily News

The Europeans Are Starting To Wonder Where Is President Obama When It Comes To Afghanistan -- A Commentary

Photo: Getty Images.

Obama Must Provide Better Leadership on Afghanistan -- Spiegel Online

An Editorial by Claus Christian Malzahn

Afghanistan and Pakistan are being shaken by attacks, and the Taliban is dictating the course of the war. US President Obama has been silent about the situation for far too long and European countries like Germany and France are correct to demand better American leadership on the issue of Afghanistan.

The most important piece of news from the most recent meeting of NATO defense ministers was that there was no news.

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My Comment: The Europeans are getting very nervous. They probably do not understand him, and are trying their best to categorize him in a way that they did with President Bush.

They are not going to succeed .... hence the nervousness.

President Obama is no President Bush, and his policies and actions are going to reflect these difference .... if not now .... I am sure they will be made very clear soon.

U.S. Foreign Policy Is Adrift -- A Commentary

President Obama in the Oval Office on Wednesday. Pete Souza/The White House

Where The Mild Things Are... -- Foreign Policy

Secretary of State Clinton went to Russia to discuss the possibility of putting sanctions on Iran. The Russians pushed back hard and publicly. The State Department weakly responded that they hadn't come to Moscow looking for anything in the first place.

The Iranians taunt us with their open nuclear ambitions and we don't have much to credibly offer in the way of sanctions (see above) and so we find ourselves grasping at straws in terms of an international dialogue with them. We are forced to take proven liars at their word because there is no realistic Plan B.

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My Comment: If the person who wrote the above commentary is an Obama supporter (he says that he is) .... President Obama is in a heap of trouble with his base.

How To Take Down A Great Power -- A Commentary

Photo: Lucius Aurelius Commodus

From The American Thinker:

Unlike Augustus or Caligula, Lucius Aurelius Commodus was not an emperor who made a strong impression on modern consciousness. Until the release of the film Gladiator, a heavily fictionalized version of his reign, most Americans had never heard of him. In the film he comes across as quite a compelling figure thanks to a first-rate portrayal by Joaquin Phoenix.

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My Comment: I do not share the writer's viewpoint that there are similarities between President Obama and Lucius Aurelius Commodus .... yet.

But the article is still an enjoyable read, and is one of the many reasons why I have always been a fan of history .... what has happened in the past will be repeated in the future over and over and over again.

Besides .... all hail Baracus Husseinus Acornius Marxius Ditherus Abortius Taxius Narcissus Diddlius Squattius Telepromptus Obammus does have a certain ring to it.

American Presidential Weakness On Full Display In Front Of The World Stage

U.S. President Barack Obama (L), first lady Michelle Obama and Chicago 2016 CEO Pat Ryan (R) leave the stage after their presentation in support of Chicago as the host city for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Copenhagen October 2, 2009, Chicago were the first city eliminated from voting for the 2016 Olympics on Friday, despite the unprecedented support given to the bid by President Obama and the first lady. REUTERS/Charles Dharapak/Pool

Chicago Loses Olympics To Rio -- Chicago Sun Times

COPENHAGEN — Chicago got the Olympic elimination blues handed to it in shocking fashion this morning — getting bumped out of the race in the first round as Rio de Janiero went on to win the Summer Games for 2016.

The Brazilian city made a passionate pitch for the 2016 Summer Games and will now make history as the first South American city to host the global sporting event.

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My Comment: I do not even know where to start.

One .... U.S. media corruption and bias was on full display in real time. As a Canadian who watches American news, I had to stop myself from throwing up on a few occasions. The hubris .... the arrogance .... the ego .... it was too much (even for me).

Two .... I was old enough to witness the efforts and work that Montreal had to go through in successfully getting the 1976 Olympics. What Chicago (and the White house) tried to do was not even close .... not close at all.

Three (and more importantly) .... what is President Obama doing there? A President does not go to a unique and special international event unless everything has already been prepared and the final outcome determined. The Office is too important to be tagged with failure or humiliation, especially with wars and conflicts braking out all over the world.

What I see is failure and humiliation, and what is worse, is that almost everyone outside the United States is now reveling in this put down and humiliation.

My prediction .... this failure will be a metaphor of President Obama's weakness .... but something tells me that he probably does not even care.

2nd Comment: Being a Montreal tax payer who got saddled with a multi-billion dollar debt from our 1976 Olympics .... count yourself lucky Chicago .... the Olympics are not worth the money and effort for getting essentially a two week party.

3rd Comment: New York Times buries this story in the Sports Section!!??!! Sighhhh .... I am also old enough to remember the New York Times when it was a great newspaper, not what it is today.

The Obama Doctrine -- A Commentary

President Obama speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington. Larry Downing / Reuters

From The New York Post:

AFTER a mere 100 days, the "Obama Doctrine" for our foreign and security poli cies has emerged. And it's terrifying.

The combination of dizzying naivete, dislike of our allies, disdain for our military, distrust of our intelligence services and distaste for our own country promises the worst foreign policy of our lifetimes.

That includes President Jimmy Carter's abysmal record of failure.

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