Iran: Where Bush Failed, Obama Simply Wastes Time
Candidate Obama’s words on Iran have come back to haunt President Obama. Previously critical of the Bush administration’s Iranian policy, Obama has chosen to continue the status quo rather than implement his own strategy. Now several former Bush administration officials, requesting anonymity, tell PJ Media they fear the Iranians are now trying to run out the clock and that Obama must quickly implement a more aggressive policy to replace Bush’s.
President Bush attempted negotiations in July 2008, when he sent Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns to sit in on nuclear talks with Iran. The talks ended without an agreement. But shortly after becoming president, Obama attempted the same tactic of engagement, stating:
Strong countries and strong presidents meet and talk with our adversaries. We shouldn’t be afraid to do so.
His policy of engagement and negotiations has failed, just like Bush’s attempt did. A former senior Bush official notes:
The Obama administration’s attempted engagement to affect Iranian behavior was a big zero. All it did was give the Iranians another year to advance their program.
Obama has frequently talked about crippling sanctions, but has enacted nothing. The Bush administration did enact sanctions, encouraging the UN to impose three sets: May 2006, December 2006, and March 2007. Yet in talking about President Bush’s foreign policy, candidate Obama stated:
Unfortunately, I fear our once great influence is waning, a victim of misguided policies and impetuous actions. Never has the U.S. possessed so much power, and never has the U.S. had so little influence to lead.
As president, Obama has obviously not followed his own advice with sanctions: an end-of-the-year deadline was pushed back to January, then February, and then came May, with talk of weakened sanctions that might bring Russia and China on board. A former CIA analyst commented:
The Obama administration is saying we are open and receptive, and what has that meant? Nothing. Russia and China enjoy this struggle that affects the U.S. and its allies, and they are hoping that the problem is continually ignored. The new set of sanctions does not appear to be very powerful and has been very slow moving in getting off the ground.
If Iran gets a nuclear bomb, there will be an “incident” in the Middle East withing a year, possibly two, where Iran will actually use that bomb. Either they will use it directly or through one of their proxies, such as Hamas or Hezbollah, possibly even Syria. I have zero confidence now that the Obama administration is doing anything substantial to stop this, such as massive covert operations within Iran to either destabilize or overthrow the current government. And the Europeans are less than useless, they are actually enabling the Iranians to get the bomb. So Iran will get its ultimate weapon and there will eventually be a blast, maybe in Israel, maybe even in Iraq (Iran still has no love for the Iraqis after the Iran-Iraq War and grudges only get worse over time in the Middle East, not better).
Why am I so pessimistic about the future? Well, the mullahs in Iran are just as fanatical as the Taliban are in Pakistan, only the Iranians are Shia Muslims and the Taliban are mostly Sunni Muslims. But a radical Muslim fundamentalist by any name is still dangerous to the rest of humanity. So, to those people out there who say that if radical Muslims in Iran get a bomb it’s no big deal, why is the world then so worried about the Taliban taking over in Pakistan and getting their hands on Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal? As I said, a radical Muslim fanatic, whichever side of Islam they are on, will always be a menace to the rest of the world. Unfortunately, the rest of the world, including Obama, doesn’t really believe (or want to believe) that.
Western civilization won’t wake up to the historical realities of Islam – the religion of submission – until a mushroom cloud rises over Tel Aviv.
In the meantime we can find some comic relief in the notion that a loudmouthed know-nothing shlemazl like Obama would have the first clue about how to neuter Iran’s nuclear mania.
The Obama administration is America’s Trojan Horse!
It is time for the US to act unilaterally and in concert with our European allies to implement harsh sanctions against the Iranian regime. Both Russia and China have shown no willingness to cooperate on harsh sanctions. We should not implement nuclear weapon limitations with the Russians. We can only negotiate from a position of strength not weakness. We must show that we will not rule out a preemptive strike against Iranian nuclear facilities.
“because they might not truly believe we would use the nuclear option”
With Obama that’s a pretty good bet, especially if they use it against Israel. I can even see Obama telling the Israelis not to retaliate. However I think that if they do use their nukes it will be against fellow Muslims, we and the Israelis aren’t really seen as a threat to Iran. That’s why Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen are all starting or gearing up their own nuclear programs. (For peacefull power of course.)
Yes, but Israel won’t listen. Furthermore, we can’t afford to stop them. Trying to stop them from retaliating will only make them want to see America burn- a wish that the Russians will grant them when they nuke Moscow and set off the Dead Hand protocols.
“(For peacefull power of course.)”
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Actually, yes. Peace through strength. That was our mantra too, until Obambi.
I don’t believe Obama is as inept as you might think. I think that he is actively promoting the Moslem cause which means strengthening Islamic states and weaken the US and her allies.