Victor Davis Hanson is sounding the clarion call that our current administration is making a mess of our alliances and that the appeasement vibes emanating out of the White House is merely emboldening our enemies. These are dangerous times to be a friend of the United States. Hillary Clinton and the shadow Secretary of State Samantha Power, are going to be responsible for the deaths of so many good people who loved and trusted America.
by Victor Davis Hanson
Not being George W. Bush while apologizing for America’s purported sins is not a foreign policy.
Ronald Reagan came into office with the idea of rolling back the Soviet Union. Reagan hoped that such an evil empire might collapse from its inability to match a newly confident United States.
George H. W. Bush sought to oversee a peaceful dissolution of the Soviet empire, the reunification of Germany, and a new Western-led world order that thugs such as Manuel Noriega or Saddam Hussein could not disrupt.
Bill Clinton pushed Western-inspired liberal globalization to lift the Third World out of poverty.
After 9/11, George W. Bush sought to keep America safe from another round of Islamic terrorism while promoting Middle East constitutional government as a way of weakening Islamic terrorism.
But what exactly does Barack Obama wish to accomplish abroad?
In interviews and speeches, Obama emphasizes his nontraditional background and his father’s Islamic heritage. Apparently, he hopes that by reminding the world that he is not George W. Bush, America will be better liked.
But without a strategic vision, “Bush did it” leads nowhere — given that most of the world’s problems predated and transcend Bush. Obama doesn’t seem to understand than wanting people to like America is only a means to an end, not a policy in itself — and an especially dubious means, given the character of many nations in the world today.
Nor does Obama comprehend that global tensions often reflect fundamentally different views of the human condition, rather than simple miscommunication or clumsy diplomacy — and so can’t be solved by serial apologies.
[...]
In all these crises, trashing George W. Bush, reaching out to enemies and taking friends for granted is not proving to be a coherent foreign policy. Instead, it is a prescription for a disaster not seen since 1979, when another messianic American president thought he could charm the world by making our enemies like us.
And we all know how that ended.
Read the rest here: “Bush did it” is not a foreign policy
Tags: Victor Davis Hanson
He isn’t really for anything. His foreign policy has been about “not” being Bush since before his election. The left is ideologically bankrupt. After the implosion of communism, they have largely been for nothing but violence, hate and regression without any final aim; the destruction is not even a means, rather it is the goal in and of itself.
Barry’s foreign policy is not incoherent, its nonexistent.
@ We Are Government:
Hey did you check out my Aznar post?
I figure you would be interested since you are in Europe.
This was a mistake and Naive on Bush’s part. This idea has proven to be a failure. Only in Iran did the people really want Freedom and Obama shitted on them.
Yes, I did. Despite what people say here, the Spanish caved and elected the government that Al-Qaeda wanted. Aznar would have won. Zapatero is an idiot. I have a friend who met him and says he’s just as dumb in person as he sounds in the media.
Concerning your post, it is finally a relief that somebody gets it. Many Europeans have the naive belief that if they give the Moslems Israel, then things will return to normal. They won’t, and Aznar nailed it. Failure to support Israel 100% is only inviting more attacks, not only there, but here as well. If Europe had blasted the Turks and Hamas, then Israel wouldn’t currently be dealing with more flotillas. Aznar has it right. After Israel, then Europe is next. Great post.
As usual, Hansen nails it. I do disagree about Clinton, though. Bill Clinton allowed a million people to be butchered in Rwanda. He and the UN actively conspired to keep it out of the public eye until it would be too late for public outcry to effect it. At best, he simply didn’t care that Africans were being butchered like cattle.
At best.
To say that his legacy is “Bill Clinton pushed Western-inspired liberal globalization to lift the Third World out of poverty.” is to ignore that fact. That is disappointing, though the actual thrust of his article is correct.
@ Rodan:
It was GW’s Neville Chamberlain moment. Sincerely wished, but ultimately futile and destructive in the end.
Rodan wrote:
And still is. I’ve barely heard a peep out of the guy. Turkey is currently performing military manoeuvres in Iraq as well, and I haven’t heard a word about it from the MSM. I think our stated goal should be regime change in Iran. The Mullahs are scared sh’tless now and should now that we are not going to jump in and save them from failing.
@ Iron Fist:
Clinton was more interested in getting his cigars flavored.
That second post was a response to your question; fingers still moving faster than my brain.
@ We Are Government:
Hamas, Hizballah and Al-Qaeda, The Muslim Brotherhood and others have made it clear, Spain is next!
Hey you like how I describe the Spanish Right’s transformation from Falangist Anti-Jewish attitudes to Staunch Pro-Israel?
It’s funny how times change and people change.
@ We Are Government:
Iran was the key, if it had fallen that would be a game changer. I would rather be allied with a Pro Western Iran, than the Saudis or Turks.
Rodan wrote:
Even a neutral Iran would have been a major paradigm change.
@ We Are Government:
Actually he wasn’t running. It was Mariano Rojoy who was. Aznar didn’t run because he wanted Spain to get away from the Latin Caudillo/Caesar/Strongman attitude. Obviously his job wasn’t done.
@ Rodan:
I actually found that quite interesting. I wasn’t aware of when or how the transformation took place. The Spanish left is rabidly anti-semitic and rabidly anti-Israel. The left in Europe is actually completely unhinged. The average European leftist resembles the worst of the worst as depicted by Zombie in these Bay Area idiotfests. As someone who has visited Spain several times, and dearly loves the country, I hope they can get on the right track again.
Portugal was also somehow quite similar. I have a friend who is a Portuguese Jew who said that they were quite welcome in the “right wing” dictatorship there as well.
That was probably one of the best posts I’ve seen in a while. It is nice to hear about people in Europe who realize which planet they are living on.
@ We Are Government:
It is interesting. keep in mind that while America didn’t let in Jews in the 30′s, many Rightwing Regimes in Latin America like Trujillo in Dominican Republica, Baptista in Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and even Leftwing ones like Peronista Argentina, welcomed the Jews with open arms.
Barry’s foreign policy: shake the Brits down.
@ We Are Government:
Iran was the next logical target. Once we were established in Iraq, with troops in a more or less pacified Afghanistan, Iran was ripe for the taking, but two things intervened. They did not find stockpiles of WMD in Iraq (everything had been moved to Syria), and no one anticipated the shere treachery of the Democrats. Certainly I didn’t, and I generally think very lowly of Democrats. The ruthless malevolence of their efforts to cause the United States to lose the War in Iraq make the 1862 copperheads look like the staunchest of patriots. Who can forget Dick Durbin (D-al Qaeda) calling our troops Nazis? They gave Iran political cover more valuable that divisions of tanks or batallions of fighter aircraft. They got their goal. They have had, for the last almost two years, complete control of the government with the exception of a very narrowly divided Supreme Court. We can see what they’ve done with what they bought at such tremendous cost. Iran will get atomic weapons. And that means not merely war, but nuclear war is almost inevitible in the Middle East.
We Are Government wrote:
He’s for handing the US off as a broken country, which will have seen it’s greatest decline since the 1930′s all while looking the other way, and blaming the other guy.
@ Iron Fist:
Exactly!
hey will you be listening to the show tonight?
@ Rodan:
Yeah, you’re right. I had forgotten about that. The Popular Party. I had completely forgotten about the other guy. I think this one act of cowardice has doomed Europe to far more terrorism than if they had refused to bow. I think this was definitely a game changer for the wrong side. They showed how weak some in the West could be.
As far as Iran, you are exactly right. This would have been a major victory for the West in its struggle against Islamism. This was one of the worst missed opportunities in decades. I’ve thought a lot about this, and particularly in reference to the Cairo speech. He should have pointed out what Iranians already now; they are their own worst enemies. Khomeini himself said that the land could burn as long as Islam came out triumphant, and he certainly meant it.
It sickens me to think that they Mullahs had their planes gassed and waiting last year, but somehow they are still here.
@ We Are Government:
we can thank Barack Hussein Obama!
@ Rodan:
I might. What’s on tap?
@ Rodan:
As well as the right wing regime in Portugal. I know an Israeli who wanted to do an MA thesis on left-wing anti-semitism here in Hamburg; the board told her that that subject was not possible at all because as everyone knows, anti-semitism is a product of the right. The Left is ideologically bereft; they have nothing left.
We should have had Nuremburg trials after the wall came down.
@ Iron Fist:
This was disgusting. They were actively routing for the enemy, which as near as I can tell, is called treason and is still a crime. They sold out their country for political posturing.
@ Mashiki:
I’m surprised; I’m not sure he wants to hand the country off at all. It looks like he wants to subjugate us to the UN and then move on to be Super-Special teh won of the world.
portland oregon city council voted unanymously to oppose AZ SB 1070. I’ll have the info up later today.
@ Rodan:
I’m sure that all the families who have had to continue to struggle under the Mullahs’ yoke thank us daily. This could have been bigger than the wall falling, and Obama rushed to prop up the thugs he wanted to negotiate with.
BO’s foreign policy consists entirely of alienating our allies, sucking up to our enemies and making war on our own states, Arizona and Louisiana.
Kirly wrote:
i have just had it. except for RARE occasions or business trips which i am forced to go on, i’m not leaving the state. these bastards can kick us out of the freaking country for all i care. at least then we can defend our border ourselves and thumb our noses at these idiots.
Kirly wrote:
I’m surprised it took this long to vote, Seattle only took a couple of days after the law was signed, but then the council is probably all stoned from the medicinal marijuana they’ve been smoking.
Rodan wrote:
Barry with have a lot to answer for when the reckoning happens.
@ We Are Government:
THat was deliberate. Obama knows exactly what he is doing, and he is accomplishing exactly what he has set out to do. He has had a bit more trouble getting his radical agenda through Congress than he expected, but, as Stupak showed clearly, the Dems will deliver for him when he asks. The only thing he hasn’t anticipated is the Tea Party movement, and the resurgance of the Republican Party. The proletariat aren’t cooperating with him at all. We are too stupid to STFD and STFU and let him get on with his grand transition of America into something different. We may have the temerity to remove the Democrats from Power in November. I don’t know what he’ll do then, but I think it is safe to say he’ll be pissed.
Kirly wrote:
When “The Big One” comes to the west coast, you’ll remember who your friends aren’t.
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
I think he’ll be another Carter; one term and will spend his autumn years writing books about how peace in our time was possible if only we’d passed cap and trade and punished the Jews a bit more.
Iron Fist wrote:
I want a front-row seat for that!
@ Iron Fist:
CNN actually said that the reason his speech didn’t go over well was because it was too difficult for his “audience” to understand. In other words, the problem isn’t his, it’s just because we are too stupid. And people wonder why the MSM is struggling to keep their lights turned on.
We Are Government wrote:
Barry has far surpassed Carter for mendacity and fecklessness. Barry is carving out totally new territory for what it means to be a horrible Chief Executive.
I just got home. I had a bite. Turned on the Yankee Game. And low and behold i see we are talking about Foreign policy. Who knew we had a foreign policy? So I did a little research and finally found a statement of our Policy under Obama:
The future belongs to us!
We Are Government wrote:
Us rubes understood all too well the speech, hence the poor reception of praises for Thug Socialism.
A nationwide alert has been issued for 17 members of the Afghan military who have gone AWOL from a Texas Air Force base where foreign military officers who are training to become pilots are taught English, FoxNews.com has learned.
The Afghan officers and enlisted men have security badges that give them access to secure U.S. defense installations
Ah no worry, what could possibly go wrong?
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
Agreed. The stakes are much higher now, and he is failing with flying colors.
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
If you disagree with Obama, you are ignorant and a racist. This is what passes for civility from the Democrats.
FurryOldGuyJeans wrote:
Hey us shit kickers understand. It’s just after beating the wife and having sex with my cousins, I was just plain tuckered out
@ Nevergiveup:
one day, we will learn…one day
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
It is a typical leftist argument; if you don’t agree, you’re stupid. The just can’t comprehend that anyone could disagree with teh won due to ideological reasons.
Iron Fist wrote:
I am an equal opportunity bigot, I hate everyone the same.
And coming from the Left I take such as a badge of honor.
BP Oil Spill: Against Gov. Jindal’s Wishes, Crude-Sucking Barges Stopped by Coast Guard
59 Days Into Oil Crisis, Gulf Coast Governors Say Feds Are Failing Them
But the Coast Guard ordered the stoppage because of reasons that Jindal found frustrating. The Coast Guard needed to confirm that there were fire extinguishers and life vests on board, and then it had trouble contacting the people who built the barges.
Oh yeah, great reason. Hey during WW2, didn’t we order all shipping across the Atlantic halted if their kitchens and bathrooms weren’t clean?
We Are Government wrote:
I can fully comprehend someone disagreeing with my world view, so now who is stupid and making ad hominem attacks?
Rhetorical question, you don’t need to answer.
We Are Government wrote:
Barry, the Political Hindenburg.
@ Nevergiveup:
Barry and the Left don’t want the spill cleaned up, doing so would interfere with their agenda.
Putin boasts new jet fighter better than U.S. plane
MOSCOW
Thu Jun 17, 2010 5:26pm EDT
(Reuters) – Prime Minister Vladimir Putin climbed into the cockpit of Russia’s newest fighter jet on Thursday and said it would trump a U.S.-built rival, the F-22 Raptor
Well no doubt. In the infinite wisdom of Obama and Gates, I mean after all we shit canned the F-22????
@ Iron Fist:
Bloomberg’s reasoning for allowing the 9/11 Mosque
Aznar’s reasoning to support Israel.
Obam forcing BP to give up 20 Million
BP Oil Spill: Against Gov. Jindal’s Wishes, Crude-Sucking Barges Stopped by Coast Guard
The 2010 Midterms.
Plus Hillary saying Arizona might be sued.
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
You can understand which is why you’re not a leftist. Since the fall of communism, the left has run completely on bumper sticker slogans and driven itself primarily by ad hominem attacks. They still haven’t come to grips with the fall of the USSR which was a visible failure of their ideology.
@ Rodan:
C ool! Sounds like a good lineup. I’ll try and check in. I’ve also got to spend some time with my Old Lady. She twisted my sore little arm
@ Kirly:
No surprise there.
I was talking to a lawyer yesterday about this, and she said something interesting: if an entire state tried to boycott another state, it would be clearly unconstitutional on – savor the irony – commerce clause grounds. With municipalities boycotting, it’s a bit more ambiguous, but a legal argument could be developed that they are also constitutionally barred from a boycott of a state. Has anyone in AZ discussed this? All these cities could be jointly and severally sued if a case could be made.
Rodan wrote:
It seems more logical to me to sue states that refuse to enforce federal laws than those that do.
That sounds like a good lineup!
@ We Are Government:
I never was a leftist. I was always an ornery independent and free thinker. Rs and Ds both don’t like me.
Like I really give a sh*t?
FurryOldGuyJeans wrote:
Well I guess that cuts down on the junk mail asking you for money ha?
@ Nevergiveup:
Clusterbugger.
Rodan wrote:
You’re low by a factor of 1000.
snork wrote:
Yeah but they all have tome grandstand by slamming BP on TV in congressional hearings???????
@ Nevergiveup:
I never get asked for donations, but since all of my representatives are Ds, local and federal, I get junk mail telling me why I should keep them at the pig trough snarfing down all the tax monies they extort.
snork wrote:
A billion, A Million? What’s the difference, eventually those commie bastards in DC are gonna want it all
Nevergiveup wrote:
Like they were going to let that crisis go to waste? You think these donkeys are stupid or something?
snork wrote:
With the final figure being 10,000 larger than the current shake-down at the very least.
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
I was a leftist, but had my share of conflicts with them. What really turned my thinking around was living in France and seeing how socialism can run a country into the ground without a lot of its citizens even realizing what is happening.
@ Nevergiveup:
The way this Congress is spending, soon even billions will be chump change.
We Are Government wrote:
And always making excuses of how it is the fault of others, not themselves.
The Obama war against Louisiana continues: Against Gov. Jindal’s Wishes, Crude-Sucking Barges Stopped by Coast Guard
Something about their papers not being in order.
John King on CNN right now has a much better news show than Shepard Smith on Fox. This cannot be right. I don’t like the guests on CNN but John Kings reporting is pretty evenhanded and his style is far superior to Sheps.
FurryOldGuyJeans wrote:
And how things might be rough, but it is truly because we don’t have real Socialism yet, but when we get it, things will be great.
@ Nevergiveup:
You think our political elites would actually, and correctly, attach the blame upon themselves, even a smidgen?
Silly rabbit!
snowcrash wrote:
Shemp is such a doofus and tool. He needs to get down to the Gulf so he can get all weepy.
*SPIT*
@ We Are Government:
I take that back, I was at one time a Progressive.
For all of about 5 microseconds as I sorted out how vacuous the thinking of the Left truly was.
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
Which is part of the reason why the left likes Islam. Society done it.
Imma victim of circumstances.
snork wrote:
not that i have heard but now, if i have anything to say about it, they will be talking about it! i have a lot of words.
i phoned every official there
http://www.portlandonline.com/auditor/index.cfm?c=27481&a=191877
they are clueless. SB 1070 makes racial profiling illegal. morons.
@ Kirly:
Facts only confuse Leftists.
@ Kirly:
If you’ve never been to Portland, it’s where Haight-Ashbury moved to when the rent got too expensive. They’re too stoned to answer the phones.
snork wrote:
Dang it! GET. OUT. OF. MY. MIND!
snork wrote:
So what yur saying is that the IRS Telephone support is also based there?
We Are Government wrote:
you poor thing. i’ve been to france on business trips more times than i care to remember. it always smelled like pee.
snowcrash wrote:
i turn the TV off when shep is on. or geraldo. or juan williams. and sometimes oreilly too.
Kirly wrote:
If your list grows anymore, ya might as well just leave it that “Barbara Streisand Oldies But Goodies” channel?
\
snork wrote:
i have been there but i shall NEVER return again. i mean it. i’ve had it with this bullshit.
Nevergiveup wrote:
ack! not miss shut up and sing! never!
Kirly wrote:
Sounds like your in mood to do some damage tonight? Get ready to rumble!
Nevergiveup wrote:
oh. is there a radio show tonight?? i forgot!
yeah, i was sick on Sunday. i’ve really stored up a great deal of rage here. it might be best if i just listen.
snork wrote:
hey BuzzSawMonkey! what do you think of this?? i want to make it happen! I’m mad as hell and i’m not gonna take it anymore!
Kirly wrote:
No, your on roll. Let it all hang out.
huckfunn wrote:
zero is doing everything he can to create the most damage possible.
He is punishing the states on the Gulf Coast.
He is sorely mistaken if he thinks he can break this country.
@ snork:
The Commerce Clause has been used to push some of the most egregious governmental intrusions on the American people’s lives in the past, about time to use it for good instead of evil.
Rodan wrote:
Roden did someone call Rick Barber? I don’t even know if you got my email?
@ Kirly:
Just for you, your tax dollars at work. It’ll piss you off. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya
Iron Fist wrote:
yeah. they were already talking about this on local radio and i saw it on a local news website. un freaking believable.
just got this in my email from AZ State Senator Russell Pearce, hero of SB1070
http://www.banamnestynow.com/
the Obama Amnesty scheme
@ Kirly:
100 squirrls == $1 million
That is ten grand a squirrl. Unreal. When I see things like that, I have no pity for the government functionary that whines that they don’t have enough money.
Iron Fist wrote:
Actually, that’s our tax dollars at work. This is being funded with federal money:
And then there is this:
I don’t know that I beliueve that these people have a free speech/freedom of assembly right to do this. Number onw, it is freedom to peaceably assemble, and I don’t know that assembling for the purpose of plotting the overthrow of the government qualifies. Or for recruiting Jihadis, which these guys aren’t even trying to disguise is their purpose. I havce to say, I wouldn’t shed any tears if some of the local gang-bangers happened to, in a fit of patriotism, strafe the place or something. For that matter, Daley was talking about what a terrible threat gun owners would be in his city. Apparently he has no such problem with Jihadis visiting.
@ Iron Fist:
Even the Brits who are the worst appeasers consider Hizb ut Tharir to be terrorists.
@ Grimcargo:
Yes M got it, Macker will call to coordinate.
He will do the interview Sunday.
10,000 times $20 billion is $200 trillion – too much, you’re high by three orders of magnitude…
FurryOldGuyJeans wrote:
You know the old saying that if you aren’t a liberal in your 20s you don’t have a heart, and if you are one in your 40s you don’t have a brain? Well, I never had a heart, since classical liberalism ain’t what they meant. My first persidential vote (at 21, as I recall) was for Goldwater.
OT: Interesting commentary on a local police punches jaywalker incident.
http://www.rainiervalleypost.com/?p=23257
2 women got caught jaywalking and tried to assault the arresting officer. Jaywalking in Seattle is a no no most other cities I lived in it wasn’t a big deal. Seattlites need their hands held a lot.
Again who does Obama see as allies? China? Iran? Palestine? He is all fluff and bluff. Most of these foreign leaders would have him for breakfast. He is all about destabilizing the US economy so he can create a proletariat of poor. I am sure he gets his rocks off on the oil disaster. A nice opportunity for him in private.
Do you think Obama is setting aside time tonight to watch the NBA finals instead of working issues? The whitehouse is a part time job for him. I think he is surprised that he won the election. Still a deer in headlights.
Kirly wrote:
Sorry Kirly. Didn’t mean to ignore you but I had a phone call.
France has a stench that could only be removed with napalm. I have hardly been more miserable than when I lived there. I spoke with our Rabbi’s wife about this last weekend. Her daughter lived there for 3 years and said the same thing. The people are just unbelievably anti-social. It is no surprise that a French author wrote the phrase “Hell is other people.” Living there, I certainly understood what he meant.
Empire1 wrote:
My problem was a lack of knowledge. The leftist media spin is extremely strong, and coming out of a University, you aren’t always equipped with the knowledge of how economies work. Leftist talk about “helping the poor” makes sense when you are idealistic. Of course we all want to poor to be better off. It didn’t take long in France to see how incredibly broken parts of their system is. They have a great public transport system, but what good is it if few people have a job to go to? The rhetoric about helping the poor seems empty when you realize that the one thing that could truly help the poor, adequate jobs, just doesn’t exist there. They have created a permanent underclass of people who have no idea what it is like to be a part of productive society. I don’t think that is very helpful for anyone.
@ nil stooge:
Whatever, go find somebody else to nitpick.
FurryOldGuyJeans wrote:
I wasn’t doing it for your benefit – rather for the benefit of anyone reading you who might not realize you’re off by a
nitfactor of 1000…@ nil stooge:
Whatever, go find someone else who gives a shit about you nitpicking everything people say. I sure don’t.
nil stooge wrote:
And guess what, dipshit, I did mean what I said. US$200 TRILLION.
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
Well okay, you lonely, goo-goo eyed loser, you meant $200 trillion. I didn’t realize BP was worth that much.
@ nil stooge:
You are one offensively condescending prick. Thanks for reminding how repulsive you can be.
@ FurryOldGuyJeans:
Man, you can dish it out but you have trouble with the first bit of personal invective don’t you. You’re still up multiple ad hominem scatological slurs on me poor baby.
I would like to tell a story about what I discovered while looking at the state directory, but i am afraid I will be found out before I get any work. Can I tell this to someone else who can forward the information to the others?
It is rather eye-opening and scary coming from my state. Some of you know where but please don’t let it slip in this thread.
Iron Fist, do you still have my email address? I could fill you in on it and maybe you could pass along the information; although the scope of it I am not sure of?