By Ben Shapiro
President Barack Obama's feckless, pathetically apologetic perspective on foreign policy has America's enemies celebrating their great good fortune in the election of this platitudinous, morally relativistic, Jimmy Carter carbon copy in the midst of battle. Less than a week into his term President Obama granted his first television interview as president of the United States to Al Arabiya, the Dubai-based television network part-owned by the Saudi government. In the interview, President Obama demonstrated with the utmost clarity that his understanding of the War on Terror is inversely proportional to his arrogance.
He started by humbling America before the world. "(A)ll too often the United States starts by dictating," Obama said, shame for his country dripping from his lips. "So let's listen." There was no call for the Muslim world, which has sponsored genocide after genocide, terrorist group upon terrorist group, to listen.
Obama apologized for President Bush's "Islamic fascism" terminology, equating Muslim terrorism with nonexistent terrorism by Jews and Christians: "the language we use matters. And what we need to understand is, is that there are extremist organizations -- whether Muslim or any other faith in the past -- that will use faith as a justification for violence. We cannot paint with a broad brush a faith as a consequence of the violence that is done in that faith's name." There was no call for the Muslim world to actively fight terrorism.
Obama repeated the Clintonian line that the Palestinian Arab-Israeli conflict could be solved by pressing Israel into negotiations with terrorists -- a foolish conceit that has cost Israeli and Palestinian lives. He talked about getting rid of "preconceptions" regarding the Israeli-Arab conflict -- code for embracing negotiations with Hamas. He pledged to talk with Iran -- on the same day that Iran's government spokesman branded the Holocaust "a big lie." He bought into the Muslim-sponsored notion that the Palestinian Arab-Israeli conflict lies at the heart of all trouble in the Middle East. He praised the one-sided Saudi peace plan as an act of "great courage."
Most sickeningly, Obama openly jettisoned his constitutional role as the caretaker for America's national interest. Instead, Obama posed himself as an honest broker between America and the Muslim world. "(T)he United States has a stake in the well-being of the Muslim world, that the language we use has to be a language of respect," he said. "I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries." Obama didn't stop there. He stated that his job is to speak for the Muslim world, defending them from Americans' negative perceptions: "And my job is to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world is filled with extraordinary people who simply want to live their lives and see their children live better lives."
No, Mr. President. Your job is not to communicate to the American people that the Muslim world harbors us no ill will. That is their job. The Muslim world must demonstrate with its words and actions that they do not wish America replaced with an Islamic state. They must demonstrate that they do not support terrorism against America and our allies.
Your job is to protect and defend the United States of America. That is your sworn duty.
And you abrogate your sworn duty every time you go on Arab television stations and apologize for America's foreign policy. You abrogate your sworn duty every time you force American allies to negotiate with terrorists. You abrogate your sworn duty every time you pledge to protect the interests "not just of the United States, but also ordinary people who right now are suffering from poverty and a lack of opportunity" -- the same ordinary people who elect Hamas, prop up the Ayatollahs, supported the Taliban, recruit for al-Qaida, and live off of the beneficence of Hezbollah. Not all Muslims are "extraordinary people," and the interests of suffering Muslims do not always align with American interests.
On Nov. 4, 2008, Americans elected their first international president. They elected a man who does not seek to preserve American values. Leftists perceived George W. Bush as an imperialist for American interests; by the same token, Obama is an imperialist for "global interests." In a war to save America from implacable foes, Obama's Global Interest Imperialism dooms American exceptionalism to the ash heap of history. With it may go the last, best hope of Earth.
3 comments:
This is American ignorance at is finest. Thinking that America ought only think of itself is the world view that causes turmoil in nations we find disagreement with. Should Obama do as his predecessor did and only think of our interests at the cost of the interests of foreign nations America will soon find herself without allies and facing eradication. This blatant attack on the presidents character is quite sad, showing that the bigots, racists, and cowards still have a voice in this great land of ours. Shapiro criticizes Obama for his apologetic candor in the interview with Al Arabiya, when even a complete imbecile could see that if we do not approach with an outstretched hand rather than a fist we will get nowhere in the middle east. Shapiro is, put quite frankly a raging extremist who would see us decimate the middle east before even considering negotiations with them.
Yours truly,
V
Oh come on! First off, don't think for a second that this "blatant attack on the president[']s character" is anything compared to what Bush suffered through.
Now onto the actual policy issue. The outstretched fist sure has kept us safe for the past 6+ years. Although I'd like to avoid military action as much as possible, I see no way of solving the problems in the Middle East without it. They DO NOT have ANY sense of international law or decency. We can negotiate all we want, but don't think for a second that we can rely on any Arab nation to keep its word. The number one job of the president is to defend the Constitution of the United States. If that takes the "decimation" of the Middle East, then so be it.
Mr. Keller...I think you rather enjoy throwing out controversial fish to opinionated sharks.
So yeah, Bush and Obama both have had and will have very sad, tragic and undeserved attacks on their characters. No one cares (they're public leaders? duh?).
Personally, I think Mr. Shapiro's got some good points. It is Obama's job to protect us, not to speak peace policies for countries who should speak them for themselves.
I was indeed disturbed by the rampant racism (religionism?) throughout the whole article, and I truly believe in the value of negotiation. The times are changing, and America will most likely not remain on top. America needs to learn how to balance it's safety and self-interests while still remaining vital economically and politically in the ever-shrinking world.
Negotiation, peace and international cooperation need to be striven for, but still remain second to the security and internal functionality of the US.
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