Obama’s Leftist Foreign Policy Dilemma
In a post so brief (172 words) that it risks going unnoticed, the nation’s premier analyst of the global threat of radical Islam, Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, and a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution, perfectly distills the essence of Obama’s leftist dilemma in The National Review Online:
Barack Obama suffers from an inherent policy contradiction, especially in foreign affairs.
On the one hand, as a leftist he despises the United States and sees it as a force for ill in the world. On the other, as president, is judged by how well the country fares during his tenure.
Logically, he cannot reconcile the contradiction of these two imperatives: If he wants to be reelected and celebrated as a great leader, he has to forward American interests; but if he wants to implement his preferred policies, he subverts the country and fouls his nest.
Ideology vs. interests — this leftist conundrum goes far to explain why Obama’s leftist comrades despise his time in office, for he has on occasion ditched his worldview to try to make things work (the base at Guantanamo) or has adopted a muddled middle ground that pleases neither side (the war in Iraq, Arab-Israeli diplomacy).
No one has said it better, more succinctly, or more clearly: there you have Obama’s deeply-conflicted, bobbing-and-weaving foreign policy in a nutshell.
This dilemma of Obama’s is identical to that expressed on video by an “Occupy Wall Street” denizen who proclaimed that he was “against private property” while being at the same time fiercely protective of his own “personal property.”
The OWS denizen did not see the inherent contradiction in his words; likewise, it is probable that Barack Obama does not recognize the inherent contradiction between his own personal interests and his ideological objectives.
I don’t think it’s quite accurate to say that he despises the United States. I think it’s more that he loves a United States that does not exist, but believes can be created from the one he was elected to lead.
Let me add a thought to Dan Pipes’ pithy, brilliant analysis. Obama, in his new position, with his access to classified materials, may actually be changing his mind a little about the beneficial effects of American policy. Who knows? But even if Obama does do a little rethinking, his base will not, so he’s stuck.
As the saying goes, you cannot fix stupid.
This dilemma of Obama’s is identical to that expressed on video by an “Occupy Wall Street” denizen who proclaimed that he was “against private property” while being at the same time fiercely protective of his own “personal property.”
The OWS denizen did not see the inherent contradiction in his words; likewise, it is probable that Barack Obama does not recognize the inherent contradiction between his own personal interests and his ideological objectives.
It’s not just a foreign policy dilemma. It applies to everything in the leftist playbook. If they get what they really want, the country is destroyed.
Look for little lenin to “discover” the benefits of natural gas in the coming months. He may even find it in his tender heart to allow drilling in the gulf, just in time to lower gasoline prices 50 cents or so before the 2012 election.
Obama has been out there apologizing and bowing and genuflecting to leaders of countries all around the world from Day One. I got the idea very early on that he did not love America; his wife certainly did not love America and even said before she was First Lady that the nomination of her husband to run for president was the only thing she could remember to be proud of the USA for. What a pair. Obama’s lies and his agenda are of a piece. His policies are directed at destroying the America we grew up loving. Another aspect of his agenda is to do things that will win him votes from people like illegal aliens and union leaders and civil servants as well as liberal Hollywood and university types. This is a very large bloc of votes. I honestly cannot think of a worse president (in our country) ever. Heaven help us if he gets re-elected.