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The Axis of Evil and Obama’s Rude Awakening
FrontPageMagazine.com ^ | May 27, 2009 | Jamie Weinstein

Posted on 05/27/2009 5:25:58 AM PDT by SJackson

Since entering office, President Barack Obama has taken a conciliatory tone with rogue nations that the Bush Administration previously labeled as part of the Axis of Evil. According to Obama’s narrative, it was the Bush Administration’s failure to engage these countries in meaningful dialogue that has brought about many of the problems we face today.

So from day one of the Obama era, Obama has gone out of his way to woo the Iranian regime. During the Persian New Year Nowruz in March, Obama released a video message to the “people and the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

“Within these celebrations,” Obama orated, “lies the promise of a new day, the promise of opportunity for our children, security for our families, progress for our communities and peace between nations. Those are shared hopes, those are common dreams.”

These are very likely the aspirations of most Iranians, but these dreams are not clearly shared with the Mullahs that run Iran. Yet, through personal messages and through conduits, Obama has made clear that his election marks a new day and a new approach to dealing with Iran. And through speeches and military actions, the Iranian regime made it clear that they are not very interested in this new day.

While Obama speaks niceties to Iran, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad goes to international conferences to spit fire at the United States and its allies. While Obama seeks engagement, Iran provocatively tests long range missiles that put U.S. military bases within their reach. While Obama says that the Iranian regime shares common aspirations of “peace between nations,” the Iranian military just yesterday flexed its muscles by sending six warships into international waters at the same time the always loveable Ahmadinejad rejected any talks with Obama over the Iranian nuclear program. Let us remember, this is an Iranian regime whose Supreme Leader has called Israel a “cancerous tumor,” and whose president has called for Israel to be “wiped off the map” and longed for a “world without the United States.”

But Obama’s biggest ace up his sleeve is Israel. Obama is not virulently anti-Israel. But he has fallen for the notion that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal is the lynchpin to peace in the Middle East and that Israeli settlement construction is among the key obstacles to such a peace deal. Yes, Israeli settlement construction and not 60-plus years of Arab rejectionism. Yes, Israeli settlements and not a terrorist group in control of Gaza that calls for the destruction of Israel and the killing of Jews. Yes, of course, settlement construction. That is why there is no peace. Sure.

But by getting tough with Israel, Obama hopes to score brownie points with the Arab world and this will somehow translate into greater pressure on Iran. Well, evidently, Iran didn’t get the message.

Meanwhile, North Korea continues to flout the United States and other civilized nations as they did during the Bush Administration. Despite the new era of international love and cooperation that supposedly dawned when Obama took office, North Korea continues to act provocatively by test-firing missiles over Japan and, just yesterday, testing another nuclear bomb.

It appears that instead of taking Obama’s election as an invitation for dialogue, Iran and North Korea have taken his warm gestures as a sign of weakness. Sometimes talking resolves problems. But sometimes leaders of nations don’t want to be charmed. They have agendas and no matter how sweetly you talk or what you offer them in return for cooperation, they will continue pursuing their nefarious vision. Sometimes no matter how nice the host and how nice the tea set, some people just don’t do tea parties.

This isn’t to say that these problems are easy to solve. They are not. But all this nonsense that the Iranian leadership and North Korea’s Kim Jong Il share common goals with the United States, that they just want peace and harmony, is silly. Obama hopes that he can offer North Korea and Iran some type of carrot that can make them abandon their nuclear programs. I would like that to be true as well. But it appears to be a fantasy – one that Obama should disabuse himself of as soon as possible.

While North Korea mocks us and Iran races to nuclear weapons capability, what is the best we can hope for? We can hope that Obama wakes up.

President Obama is a man of immense confidence and also immense pride. If his entreaties are continually spurned by Iran and North Korea, he is unlikely to handle such rejection well. It is actually a positive that Iran is acting in the manner it is acting as opposed to stringing Obama along with false promises that lure him into a sense of complacency. The mullahs’ clear rejection of Obama’s outstretched arm will hopefully make Obama realize the character of the regime he is dealing with.

And if this happens, there is a possibility that Obama will actually come to terms with reality. He may very well put away the rose-colored glasses and understand that the mullahs in Iran and the sadistically cruel dictator in North Korea do not share common values and a common vision with the United States.

This awakening will not mean we will immediately understand exactly what must be done to deal with North Korea and Iran. These are intensely complex and dangerous situations, situations that have no easy answers. But if this Obama awakening occurs, at least American policy will be formed with a real understanding of the threats we face.

As of now, we look like fools.


TOPICS: Editorial; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
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1 posted on 05/27/2009 5:25:58 AM PDT by SJackson
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

If you’d like to be on or off, please FR mail me.

..................

2 posted on 05/27/2009 5:30:09 AM PDT by SJackson (in the fight against terrorism, no middle ground, half-measures leave you half-exposed, D. Cheney)
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To: SJackson

Let’s face it. The U.S. has lost all control of its foreign policy. The Clueless One panders, Madam Hillarious buys a new pants suit, and the nations of the earth reel with laughter. What a bunch of naive dweebs.


3 posted on 05/27/2009 5:32:07 AM PDT by Juan Medén
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To: SJackson

Obama is a complete and utter failure, and there is no hope of redemtion or “awakening”.

He is what he is, and it is a weak mealy mouthed passive little pissant who is in so far above his head that all he can do is cower under his desk muttering “Make the bad men stop daddy!”

Meanwhile the US has become a castrated peacock strutting around with a lot of beautiful feathers but no balls to back it up, and Iran, North Korea, Russia, China and everyone else knows it.

The entire world is reveling in our demise, and enjoying every moment of rubbing the impotent ones face in it.


4 posted on 05/27/2009 5:32:34 AM PDT by commish (Freedom tastes sweetest to those who have fought to preserve it.)
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To: SJackson

Whaddya expect?
We’ve got a naive jerk in charge, now. All his people are even lower quality than him.
We’re screwed.


5 posted on 05/27/2009 5:34:50 AM PDT by Flintlock
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To: SJackson

Another war would likely tank Obama’s approval rating. Is that too big a risk for him?


6 posted on 05/27/2009 5:36:28 AM PDT by Need4Truth (Washington DC is a foreign entity.)
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To: commish

Obama never had a daddy.
And like most immature young men with no father figure, his character turns to the criminal.


7 posted on 05/27/2009 5:37:37 AM PDT by MrB (Go Galt now, Bowman later)
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To: SJackson

It isn’t about whether or not Obama succeeds. It is about whether or not we as a country survive his unconstitutional reign.


8 posted on 05/27/2009 5:39:56 AM PDT by rudman
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To: SJackson

Obama, like all starry-eyed, utopian dreaming liberals believe that if only all these other rogue contries just get to know us they will like us and drop all their nefarious ambitions. This is the liberal’s achilies heal that ends up destroying much and killing many. This strong held belief assumes that other people will react to simple human kindness and western values. It denies in totality that there is genuine evil in the world that cannot always be overcome with simply being nice.

That is why Obama and the left totally believe that Bush caused America to be hated in the world and that Obama was going to “restore” America abroad. It is a fools errand that anyone with a pea-brain clearly understands. But sadly, in America we have almost completely lost our ability to morally reason. That is catching up to us, and it will eventually cost us dearly.


9 posted on 05/27/2009 5:39:57 AM PDT by Obadiah (Obama: Chains you can believe in!)
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To: SJackson

While the rest of the world don’t much like us, they are reeling from the fact that we seemed to have lost our will to step up and do the right thing.


10 posted on 05/27/2009 5:43:34 AM PDT by umgud (Look to gov't to solve your everday problems and they'll control your everday life.)
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To: SJackson
While it might make the world an even more dangerous place, the US should retire from our post WWII world policeman's role.

I would like to see the nations we have talked into letting us take over their security and defense abandon our help and do it themselves. We should be there for our friends and allies and protect our trade interests, but we are far too entangled in foreign affairs.

11 posted on 05/27/2009 5:44:44 AM PDT by GBA
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To: SJackson

We’re screwed. With a narcissistic muzzie in the WH, we’re screwed.


12 posted on 05/27/2009 5:47:53 AM PDT by Sig Sauer P220 (The great object is that every man be armed. - Patrick Henry)
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To: GBA

looks like you are gonna get your wish GBA


13 posted on 05/27/2009 5:48:21 AM PDT by yldstrk (My heros have always been cowboys--Reagan and Bush)
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To: SJackson
He may very well put away the rose-colored glasses and understand that the mullahs in Iran and the sadistically cruel dictator in North Korea do not share common values and a common vision with the United States.

That, and almost all of the comments here are missing the salient point in all of this:

Neither does hussein Obama.

14 posted on 05/27/2009 5:49:17 AM PDT by bill1952 (Power is an illusion created between those with power - and those without)
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To: commish
He is what he is, and it is a weak mealy mouthed passive little pissant who is in so far above his head that all he can do is cower under his desk muttering “Make the bad men stop daddy!”

He doesn't even know who his real daddy is. Right now its Imanutjob and Lil Kim.
15 posted on 05/27/2009 5:49:18 AM PDT by Sig Sauer P220 (The great object is that every man be armed. - Patrick Henry)
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To: Need4Truth
Another war would likely tank Obama’s approval rating. Is that too big a risk for him?

Only amongst his far left supporters.

16 posted on 05/27/2009 5:52:44 AM PDT by SJackson (in the fight against terrorism, no middle ground, half-measures leave you half-exposed, D. Cheney)
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To: Juan Medén
Let’s face it. The U.S. has lost all control of its foreign policy. The Clueless One panders, Madam Hillarious buys a new pants suit, and the nations of the earth reel with laughter. What a bunch of naive dweebs.

I think that's true, unless the objective is personal adoration in the Euro press.

17 posted on 05/27/2009 5:53:56 AM PDT by SJackson (in the fight against terrorism, no middle ground, half-measures leave you half-exposed, D. Cheney)
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To: SJackson

Wait until BO takes off the mask!


18 posted on 05/27/2009 5:54:34 AM PDT by RoadTest (For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus - I Tim 2:5)
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To: GBA
While it might make the world an even more dangerous place, the US should retire from our post WWII world policeman's role.

We're in the process of doing that. And you're correct, it will be a more dangerous place.

19 posted on 05/27/2009 5:55:02 AM PDT by SJackson (in the fight against terrorism, no middle ground, half-measures leave you half-exposed, D. Cheney)
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To: SJackson; Mrs. B.S. Roberts

Neville Chamberlain: “I have sat and spoken with Herr Hitler. He, too, seeks peace, and we will have peace in our time”.
Barak Obama: “DITTOS”


20 posted on 05/27/2009 5:56:09 AM PDT by CaptainAmiigaf (NY Times: We print the news as it fits our views)
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