'Kick Me' Diplomacy

RealClear Politics ^ | 2/20/09 | Charles Krauthammer

[Obadiah]

The Biden prophecy has come to pass. Our wacky veep, momentarily inspired, had predicted last October that "it will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama." Biden probably had in mind an eve-of-the-apocalypse drama like the Cuban Missile Crisis. Instead, Obama's challenges have come in smaller bites. Some are deliberate threats to U.S. interests, others mere probes to ascertain whether the new president has any spine.

Preliminary X-rays are not very encouraging.

[Obadiah]

How long will it be until we, as a nation, will have to pay the very high price for Obama's naive bumbling? Like Carter before him, eventually the bill is going to come due, and it may cost the lives of many scores of people.

The manner in which Team Obama is alowing the world to unravel is breathtaking. There will be consequences. Unfortunately, it is probable that many people will likely suffer and die as a result of fool-hearty liberal policies. Mommy type policies that seek "root causes" rather than recognizing human behavior for what it is.

[ml/nj]

it may cost the lives of many scores of people.

You must be the FR optimist.

ML/NJ

[theDentist]

..it may cost the lives of many scores of people.

He Does Not Care.

[Obadiah]

Yeah, apparently so.

[musicman]

[Oldeconomybuyer]

All hail our new Community Organizer in Chief.

[SueRae]

I never expected things to be undone so quickly. Obviously, our enemies were able to size up this administration a whole lot better than the voting public of our own country.

[Obadiah]

I agree. I truly and honestly believe that all Obama and the liberals care about is achieving total and complete political domination. Everything else is secondary to this goal. It takes not a genius to see this.

[BOBTHENAILER]

I would like to think the supine posture is attributable to a rookie leader otherwise preoccupied (i.e. domestically),

No Charles, the rump in the air, while down on all fours, represents exactly what we all knew was coming. An administration that would rather take it in the rear, than show even the smallest amount of courage.

It reflects a victim attitude; one that says rape me and screw me first, you might then like me.

[livius]

But when the State Department says that Hugo Chavez's president-for-life referendum, which was preceded by a sham government-controlled campaign featuring the tear-gassing of the opposition, was "for the most part ... a process that was fully consistent with democratic process," you have to wonder if Month One is not a harbinger of things to come.

Yep.

[Steel Wolf]

Obviously, our enemies were able to size up this administration a whole lot better than the voting public of our own country.

Our enemies, in other words, the leaders of most foreign countries, made it to where they are by understanding the law of the jungle. That's not to say that you need to live like a savage animal to get by in this world. But you do need to understand human nature, and be realistic about what humans are capable of to get what they want.

Diplomacy is the art of passive aggression, used when other forms of aggression are not feasible. As we can see, other forms of aggression are manifesting around the world, because America the lion has become America the sheep.

The jackals of this world give a lion a wide berth. This creates its own deterence and peace. The potential costs don't outweight the benefits of getting on a lion's bad side.

That said, what incentive do jackals have respect the will of a sheep?

It's really no more complicated than that.

[Grampa Dave]

This clown in his first term will make the mistakes of JFK appear to minor.

[mojito]

I would like to think the supine posture is attributable to a rookie leader otherwise preoccupied (i.e., domestically), leading a foreign policy team as yet unorganized if not disoriented. But when the State Department says that Hugo Chávez's president-for-life referendum, which was preceded by a sham government-controlled campaign featuring the tear-gassing of the opposition, was "for the most part . . . a process that was fully consistent with democratic process," you have to wonder if Month One is not a harbinger of things to come.

A harbinger of things to come? I don't know of a more ominous phrase.

I haven't yet made up my mind as to whether the 0 is simply stunningly arrogant and crushingly naive, or whether his actions are maliciously motivated by a deep-seated hatred of the United States.

I suppose by next month I'll could have my answer.

Either way, this malignant clown is well on course to head the most disastrous administration in our history.

[bpjam]

I just heard Hilary telling James Rosen from FNC that we don’t have any actual evidence that North Korea has enriched any uranium and has no nukes.

Funny, but I also remember Hillary and other democrats blaming Bush for allowing NK to get nukes and suggesting that we go back to paying them to discontinue producing more nukes like Clinton did in the 90s. So.....which is it?

It’s a little hard to believe that suddenly, 5 years after NK announced that they had nukes and were testing them, that NK doesn’t really even have a nuclear program. I guess it’s much easier to justify your unwillingness to confront evil dictators when you can claim that the intelligence community assures you that there is no threat from them. But if they aren’t a threat we also should be too interested in paying them off again.

[Obadiah]

I haven't yet made up my mind as to whether the 0 is simply stunningly arrogant and crushingly naive, or whether his actions are maliciously motivated by a deep-seated hatred of the United States.

Yeah, I think you have succinctly distilled it down to exactly how many of us look at it right now.

[Brad from Tennessee]

Some wisdom from a Chicago gangster Obama should remember.

“You can get much farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with a kind word alone.” —AL CAPONE