President Barack Obama tends to react to the crisis of the moment by expressing some form of “deep concern,” usually followed by doing nothing or going on to attack Republicans. Take a look at this Grabien montage on presidential reactions.
ABC’s Jon Karl looks at six instances in which Obama expressed concern and issued actual warnings to other countries. In all six instances, he was quickly ignored.
CHINA and RUSSIA: Snowden Slips By
RHETORIC: The Administration repeatedly warned China (where Snowden first fled) and Russia that Edward Snowden was a fugitive felon who must be turned over to the United States. On June 24, 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry bluntly warned he “would be deeply troubled” if Snowden were permitted to fly from Hong Kong to Russia “and there would be, without any question some effect and impact on the relationship and consequences.” After Snowden boarded the plane in Hong Kong, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney added ominously: “This was a deliberate choice by the government to release a fugitive despite a valid arrest warrant, and that decision unquestionably has a negative impact on the U.S.-China relationship.”
REACTION: China ignored U.S. demands and allowed Snowden to travel to Russia. Russia ignored demands to turn Snowden over to U.S. authorities and granted him asylum.
Obama was ignored twice on Syria alone, when he failed to back up his “red line” on the use of chemical weapons. The result in Syria is that Russia stepped in a brokered a chemical weapons deal that effectively elevated Russia’s influence in the Middle East at US expense.
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