That most emotionally disconnected of presidents, Barack Obama, underscored his deep weirdness when it took him a full week to get on the right side of the continuing democracy struggle in Iran. Even then one wonders if Obama still doesn’t have Bill Ayers whispering unconsciously in his ear, reminding him that the “enemigo centrale” was still Amerika, not a regime of sick theocratic misogynists.
Thank the deity for Hillary. At least she seems to have her head screwed on right. In this instance, too bad she’s not President and Obama Secretary of the Interior or some other useless job.
UPDATE: From today’s Debkafile: DEBKAfile’s military and Washington sources report that President Barack Obama is getting set for some military arm-twisting against Iran spearheaded by Israel. This will be the main subject of defense secretary Robert Gates talks in Israel Tuesday, July 28 and was presaged by a strong message secretary of state Hillary Clinton broadcast to Tehran Sunday, July 28, over NBC: “… if you’re pursuing nuclear weapons for the purpose of intimidating, or projecting your power, we are not going to let that happen,” she said. “Your pursuit is futile. We believe as a matter of policy it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons.”
The devil is in the details. Hillary Clinton needs to expand a little bit more on just how she defines her no nuclear weapons for Iran pledge. This could ultimately be something of a con job. But what if she is dead serious? Did Secretary Clinton get her remarks cleared with Barack Obama—or does it really matter anymore? Is the president so marginalized that Clinton has little to fear? Obama is probably finished as a viable politician. He will unlikely ever get any significant legislation passed by Congress. We may see a lot more people pretending that Obama no longer exists.
“First, we’re going to do everything we can to prevent you from ever getting a nuclear weapon. But your pursuit is futile, because we will never let Iran — nuclear-armed, not nuclear-armed — it is something that we view with great concern, and that’s why we’re doing everything we can to prevent that from ever happening. … We believe, as a matter of policy, it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons.”
So, okay. The USA is going to advocate a military strike to prevent this? I think after this statement, Obama is more likely to preemptively strike at Hilary.
“The USA is going to advocate a military strike to prevent this?”
That’s the key question. Never forget that Hillary Clinton attended Yale University where she learned to squeeze the truth, bend the truth, and do other horrible things to the truth. She is a member of the postmodernist generation who believes it has a right to mislead the common folk. I have dealt with these people too many times in the past. The con you with their soothing rhetoric—and it is not until you get to page ten, the twentieth paragraph, and the fifteenth sentence that one realize they have played for a fool.
While it’s somewhat heartening to hear her say something forceful on Iran, it’s still rather lite on details.
“What we want to do is to send a message to whoever is making these decisions, that if you’re pursuing nuclear weapons for the purpose of intimidating, of projecting your power, we’re not going to let that happen”
Everyone knows full well who is “making these decisions” – the mullahs – and none understand the seriousness of the situation better than the Israelis, who will act when they have to. If the best we do is get out of the way then it’s better than nothing, so long as the job gets done.
American lawyers have been trained to engage in adversarial legal tactics in a court of law. They have literally have been taught to treat the very concept of truth in total contempt. They are to squeeze and bend the truth on behalf of their client. Is this something that must be tolerated in a less than perfect society? Whatever, we can have that discussion at another time. But this much is beyond debate: adversarial argumentation must be soundly rejected within an intellectual setting!
I don’t believe the Obama Administration would pull the trigger on a military attack. This could, possibly, be a hint that we’ll allow Israel to attack.
But, I think it’s just Hilary going off the reservation.
I think David is right that this is evidence that Obama is already being marginalized within his own Party/Admin.
Maybe Hillary is saying that Israel has a green light, and we will scold them publicly afterward but privately say thinks.
Or she could be upset that the North Koreans insulted her more forcefully than she insulted them, and she’s gotta show how tuff she is. She is a “funny lady” or is that Babs?
Today’s Rasmussen polling results prove that Barack Obama is a marginalized figure. There is no way in hell that he can get anything serious through Congress with a -11 strongly disapprove rating. No purple or red state Democratic Party elected official will risk their hard earned political capital on Obama’s agenda. He is on his own.
I also still believe that Obama will resign due to “health reasons” before his term is completed. He’s going to become unglued. Joe Biden will have to take over. Isn’t that a comforting thought?
Pretty clear that Hillary is *not* talking about missile defense, and very clear that she is not talking about a preemptive American or Israeli strike to eliminate the Iranian regime’s nuclear program. Rather, she’s talking about retaliation *after* an Iranian nuclear strike on one of our “protected” allies.
I’d rather prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons in the first place, or prevent them from getting to their targets, instead of waiting until they kill 100,000 people and then killing 20 million Iranians in retaliation.
“… if you’re pursuing nuclear weapons for the purpose of intimidating, or projecting your power, we are not going to let that happen,” she said. “Your pursuit is futile. We believe as a matter of policy it is unacceptable for Iran to have nuclear weapons.”
This statement is less than useless after the months of yes/no hemming and hawing from the Obama administration. Now it just looks like Barry just doesn’t know what he’ll do. Ambiguity is not our friend when it comes to the Iranians.
I never thought I would say this, but Hillary Clinton would be an improvement over the present occupation of the White House. That just goes to show you how sad the present occupant really is.
Terrye: “Hillary Clinton would be an improvement over the present occupation of the White House.”
I know Roger always thought this. He voted for her in the California primary, in fact (not sure of the details of why he was voting in the Dem primary).
I live in Maryland and am registered as an Independent, which meant I wasn’t allowed to vote in any primary, and I never made up my mind whether I would choose Barack or Hillary if I had to vote Dem – but now, no contest. If those are my choices, I’d vote Hillary.
Remember, O is President, not HRC. O decides on policy execution not Hillary. My reading of the tea leaves is that Iran is 99% there and there isn’t damn thing that anyone can do about it. This speech is purely for domestic consumption — I would wager that that the Administration is betting that Iran is just about to announce they’re a nuclear power and O is simply covering his a–. Nothing in O’s history can possibly give encouragement to the wish that he is going to get tough with America’s enemies — Nothing.
Prepare for the world to get ugly.
Does this mean 0 is going to invite Ahmadinnerjacket over for a beer?
David,
I agree with you that Obama will not last through his term, but I think it will be overwhelming antagonism from the American people, and the resulting direct condemnation of Congress which will force him from office.
He could blame it on his health, or on needing to “spend more time with my family”, but it will be political will which will force him out.
I’ve been predicting that since day one of his Administration. His policies are so destructive and so far outside the American Tradition that I believe it is inevitable that the American people will end up hating him.
Malaise, anyone?
Another prediction. Obama will end up looking like Gollum in a few years.
Spot on.
Mastering the teleprompter may create the illusion of one’s power to shape the destiny of a nation. I don’t think the man can quite understand the magical buoyancy that has carried him to the height of the oval office any better than the rest of us. Who could have guessed that just the right mix of white guilt and the substitution of instant conclusion jumping for old fashioned reasoning could have allowed anyone to get that much mileage out of so little substance?
The glorification of the ultimate surfer must have been a lot of fun for those who had their heart in it, but it’s ultimately very expensive for us all.
Taking action against the theocrat’s nuclear assets precisely when the regime is at the threshold of fragmentation may make some tactical sense, whatever the strategic merit of the move. Could a frustrated president try to redeem his mojo by giving tacit support for a game cganging israeli initiative? Stranger things have happened. Israel is already on its way under the bus, what does she have to lose?
I feel a little better knowing Obama is out on the golf course quite a bit during this “little nuclear cold war” with Iran. As a teen in the 50′s we felt every thing was going to be OK with Eisenhower out on the links. But then again Eisenhower had actually fought a war.
BO leaving before his term is up is pure fantasy. Jimmy Carter hung in there the full four years even though most people hated his guts and thought he was incompetent.
Every man is the architect of his own fortune.
Every minute counts.