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As World Boils, Fingers Point Obama’s Way
NYT ^ | 8-16-2014 | PETER BAKERAUG

Posted on 08/16/2014 6:26:29 AM PDT by blam

By PETER BAKERAUG
August 15, 2014

WASHINGTON — In this summer of global tumult, the debate in Washington essentially boils down to two opposite positions: It is all President Obama’s fault, according to his critics; no, it is not, according to his supporters, because these are events beyond his control.

Americans often think of their president as an all-powerful figure who can command the tides of history — and presidents have encouraged this image over the years because the perception itself can be a form of power. But as his critics have made the case that Mr. Obama’s mistakes have fueled the turmoil in places like Syria, Iraq and Ukraine, the president has increasingly argued that his power to shape these seismic forces is actually limited.

“Apparently,” he said in frustration the other day, “people have forgotten that America, as the most powerful country on earth, still does not control everything around the world.”

(snip)

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: bho44; bhoforeignpolicy; middleeast; obama; troubles; ukraine
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1 posted on 08/16/2014 6:26:29 AM PDT by blam
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To: blam

“...leading from behind”


2 posted on 08/16/2014 6:28:37 AM PDT by Doogle (( USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))
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To: Doogle

More like leading with his behind.


3 posted on 08/16/2014 6:31:52 AM PDT by Maceman
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To: Maceman

Of course! That’s ehere his HEAD is!


4 posted on 08/16/2014 6:33:58 AM PDT by Tucker39 (Welcome to America! Now speak English; and keep to the right....In driving, in Faith, and in politic)
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To: blam

“And if that child should ever get the chance to travel the world and someone should ask her where is she from, we believe that she should always be able to hold her head high with pride in her voice when she answers, ‘I am an American.’ That is the course we seek. That is the change we are calling for.” — Barack Obama


5 posted on 08/16/2014 6:35:21 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: Doogle

Larry Niven created an alien race of herbivores called, “The Puppeteers.” Being herbivores they were outrageously cowardly. Their leaders, the most important, lead from the back of the herd, called, “leading from behind.” This is what I think about every time somebody says Obama is leading from behind. The Puppeteers used others, braver people, to do their hard work while they stayed safe and far away. How appropriate.


6 posted on 08/16/2014 6:38:27 AM PDT by Gen.Blather
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To: blam

retaliated against Syria for crossing his “red line” by using chemical weapons,....Umm, the Syrian government probably didn’t. The rebels probably did, by heralding the fact that the US will be coming to their aid soon because of “circumstances.” Kidnapping enemy children who were gassed and photographed dead was the “circumstance.”


7 posted on 08/16/2014 6:41:39 AM PDT by Safetgiver ( Islam makes barbarism look genteel.)
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To: Safetgiver
The arugument that it wasn't the "rebels" who did the gassing was that they weren't sophisticated or knowledgeable enough to pull it off. Looks like that's not true.

Our CIA had to know it was the rebels that did the gassing as a provocation, you'd think.

8 posted on 08/16/2014 6:48:03 AM PDT by grania
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To: Safetgiver

More like Obama directly funded ISIS to make it one of the most powerful terrorist organizations ever. And to think this fool was bragging about how Al Qaida was defeated...


9 posted on 08/16/2014 6:49:28 AM PDT by Blue Highway
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To: blam

This just in...... We don’t expect the commie, muzzie, fag to do anything except campaign or screw americans.......


10 posted on 08/16/2014 6:50:15 AM PDT by Hogblog
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To: blam

What happened to it’s Bush’s fault?...

Is it’s Obama’s fault racist?..

Obama seems to have sprung a Boehner.. a Harry one..


11 posted on 08/16/2014 6:51:01 AM PDT by hosepipe (This propaganda has been edited to include some fully orbed hyperbole..)
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To: grania

yeah typical liberal speak there by calling the true terrorists “rebels” or “militants”. Sort of how they call illegal aliens “undocumented” or “unaccompanied”. The deceitfulness of the left is pure evil.


12 posted on 08/16/2014 6:51:28 AM PDT by Blue Highway
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To: Gen.Blather
Larry Niven created an alien race of herbivores called, “The Puppeteers.”

Ringworld.

13 posted on 08/16/2014 6:51:53 AM PDT by Focault's Pendulum (I live in NJ....' Nuff said!)
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To: blam

The combination of all those foreign policy debacles (Russia versus Ukraine, the increasing Middle East turmoil, the runaway Ebola outbreak in western Africa, and the increasing belligerence of China) and domestic policy debacles (the border mess with Mexico and now the high tensions between police and residents of Ferguson, MO) must absolutely scare the daylights out of the Democratic Party—all this could result in a election disaster for the Democrats they haven’t seen since 20 years ago.


14 posted on 08/16/2014 6:52:42 AM PDT by RayChuang88 (FairTax: America's economic cure)
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To: blam
Excuse. Followed by Excuse. Followed by Tragedy.

Followed by Excuse.

Round and round for six years, and two more years.

Crime. Followed by Criminal Cover Up. Followed by Inaction from the so called opposition.

It's no longer a new thing. It's the way it is, and has been, for six years.

A Republican Congress, and later President, may help. But so far, there is no reason to believe it will help.

Nothing but an enlightened (today the term is 'conservative') revolution in thinking in the US, leading the world, will change that.

Barring that, mankind will drift into his default state - various different names and historical nuance words for: Looting and Thuggery.

The question is whether mankind will remain anesthetized to the the pain of what's plainly going on long enough that the cement in his brain fully sets. Then it's Narnia for six hundred years.

That's mankind's default state, throughout history, during periods when his thinking, emotions and spirit are are in Purgatory.

I often wonder if Vlad Putin isn't right - that the fall of the USSR - the Evil Empire - was the greatest tragedy. Without evil staring mankind in the face, he seems to lose his ability to distinguish it. And not able to see it, not guarding against it, he becomes identified with it, and begins to manifest it - the allegorical meaning of 'Zombie Apocalypse.'

15 posted on 08/16/2014 7:02:30 AM PDT by tinyowl (A equals A)
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To: blam

I totally despise Obama and HIS Democratic Party. Now, the word “despise”, when I use it, means some multiple of HATE, just to be clear.

And, my posts certainly support that assertion.

But, that said, I do support the policy of none of our kids being in harms way, getting killed, getting maimed and leaving orphans and widows back here in the states.

THE HELL WITH ALL SYRIANS, IRAQIS, IRANIANS, Afghans, Saudis, Qataris, Kuwaitis, AND LEBANESE. These barbarian, sub human, cultists have been killing each other for THOUSANDS of years and will be doing it THOUSANDS of years from now!

To keep them in check, manufacture ten million Tomahawks and fire them 1,000 per day at some dirt where Islamic Radical fighters are standing ANYWHERE in the world!!!

Have RCV’s standing by to film the the disintegration of the radicals bodies for popcorn u tubes back here at home!!!! Never let the bastards have a moments peace.

But, don’t send our kids over there!

Highly trained Special Forces for rescue missions of little girls in the desert YES! Permanently garrisoning large numbers of regular Army troops No!


16 posted on 08/16/2014 7:18:41 AM PDT by Cen-Tejas (it's the debt bomb stupid!)
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To: blam

save


17 posted on 08/16/2014 7:19:24 AM PDT by submarinerswife (Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, while expecting different results~Einstein)
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To: blam

It is all President Obama’s fault and no one to blame talk about karma.


18 posted on 08/16/2014 7:25:50 AM PDT by Vaduz
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To: Focault's Pendulum

The Puppeteers appeared long before Ring World.


19 posted on 08/16/2014 7:26:41 AM PDT by KC Burke (Gowdy for Supreme Court)
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To: blam
““Apparently,” he said in frustration the other day, “people have forgotten that America, as the most powerful country on earth, still does not control everything around the world.””

The one time he gets something right, he is still wrong. While it would be correct to say the US does not control everything around the world, the underlying truth to this position is: why should we for those things in which we have no interest? The US has never controlled the entire world, never will; however, in the past through WW2, when the US got involved, we ensured the outcome was controlled by US and our allies. We did not fight wars with precise milestone solutions, no, the ultimate goal was we win and the enemy totally lose. To do so, we destroyed the enemy, his ability to wage war and took command of their lands ceding them only when pacified. Compare that to the beginning of the appeasement wars like Korea, which incidentally is not over, just an armistice. Vietnam, same thing and that has continued right through now with his excellency's party, the party of defeat. I can think of no image more representative of this "policy" then the photo of our last helicopter out of Saigon.

20 posted on 08/16/2014 7:28:30 AM PDT by Mouton (The insurrection laws perpetuate what we have for a government now.)
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