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“Wow. That was some summer,” National Journal’s Ron Fournier writes. “The Islamic State that President Obama dismissed as ‘JV’ proved to be a virulent varsity—gobbling up gobs of the Middle East, beheading an American journalist, and threatening the United States. Russia invaded Ukraine. Ferguson burned. Obama shrugged:”
“The truth of the matter is that the world has always been messy,” the president told Democratic donors between meetings of his national security team and rounds of golf. “In part, we’re just noticing now because of social media and our capacity to see in intimate detail the hardships that people are going through.”
No, that’s not it. The truth of the matter is that Americans have always noticed how messy the world can be. Somebody needs to tell Obama there was media before social media.
What’s unique about our times is the nature of the threats—suicidal, homicidal, genocidal terrorists, well armed and organized, seeking the destruction of the United States. The other difference: the lack of Western leadership, starting with the president himself.
Obama’s acknowledgement that “we don’t have a strategy yet” in Syria could be forgiven if he hadn’t help spawned the ISIS wave by publicly dithering on Syria; if he hadn’t, less than a year ago, erroneously compared the terrorist state to a junior varsity club; and if he hadn’t appeared incapable of leading anybody to a solution. His own team is divided, confused, perhaps broken.
Attorney General Eric Holder called ISIS “more frightening than anything I think I’ve seen as attorney general,” and Secretary of State John Kerry vowed that the United States would confront the Islamic State “wherever it tries to spread its despicable hatred.”
And of course, Obama helped to spawn ISIS by removing virtually all US troops from Iraq in 2011; as Glenn Reynolds noted, “Ideology required that the Iraq War be a failure, even if it needed a nunc pro tunc effort to make it so.” And regarding John Kerry, Iowahawk reminds his many twitter followers on the legendary windsurfer and kiteboarder’s views on both Syria and international coalitions, then and now:
Kerry today: we need a coalition to save Assad govt Kerry 3 mos ago: Assad worse than Hitler Kerry 2 yrs ago: candlelight dinner with Assads
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) August 30, 2014
Kerry said coalition with Canada, UK & Australia was “bribed” & “coerced.” Now he’s trying to form a coalition w/ Iran, Syria & Saudis.
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) August 30, 2014
In July of 2011, Esquire could publish — apparently with a straight face — a piece that gushed that “the summer of 2011 is the summer of Obama:”
Before the fall brings us down, before the election season begins in earnest with all its nastiness and vulgarity, before the next batch of stupid scandals and gaffes, before Sarah Palin tries to convert her movie into reality and Joe Biden resumes his imitation of an embarrassing uncle and Newt and Callista Gingrich creep us all out, can we just enjoy Obama for a moment? Before the policy choices have to be weighed and the hard decisions have to be made, can we just take a month or two to contemplate him the way we might contemplate a painting by Vermeer or a guitar lick by the early-seventies Rolling Stones or a Peyton Manning pass or any other astounding, ecstatic human achievement? Because twenty years from now, we’re going to look back on this time as a glorious idyll in American politics, with a confident, intelligent, fascinating president riding the surge of his prodigious talents from triumph to triumph. Whatever happens this fall or next, the summer of 2011 is the summer of Obama.
Good times, good times. This year’s summer of Barry concludes with ISIS, whom Mr. Obama described at the start of the year as “the JayVee,” despite apparently having been briefed on their potential lethality, welcoming him back to work by beheading another journalist.
Still though, one group certainly enjoyed the Labor Day weekend almost as much as Barry and Kerry did: “Pool Party at the U.S. Embassy in Libya! Infidels Not Invited:”
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As Bryan Preston notes at the PJ Tatler, “Islamist pool parties tend to be a little different from ours:”
No alcohol will be consumed, though Islamists are perfectly free to distribute heroin, cocaine, marijuana and any other hard drug to infidel addicts if they donate the money to the jihad.
No women are allowed unless they’re covered head to toe. Even the men stay fully covered while they jump from the roof to the pool.
Jackknifes are not entertaining ways to make a splash. They’re what the partygoers will use for the ceremonial beheading of a westerner at the end of the party.
That no alcohol rule has to put a bit of a damper on the fun, though — I was waiting for Van Halen’s power chords on the background score and Adam Sandler and Chris Farley dropping by to break out the Schmitt’s Gay Beer.
After rounding up just some of the horrors of the news this summer, Fournier concludes his article, “that’s why only one person gets to be president of the United States, and, presumably, that’s why Obama asked twice to be elected. He wanted the job. He knew its challenges (including the existence of social media). He thought he could lead. When does he get started?”
As soon as he finishes planning his long, grueling vacation over Thanksgiving, Christmas, the Winter Solstice, and New Year’s…
Related: “‘Your cowardly lack of leadership has left a gaping hole’: Parents of SEAL Team Six soldier killed in action call for President Obama’s resignation in searing open letter about his handling of ISIS.”
I was going to add a reminder that according to Maureen Dowd’s rules, these parents have “absolute moral authority” — but even she’s beginning to see the light regarding our semi-retired president.
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