Posted on 09/16/2013 7:09:19 AM PDT by SJackson
Max Boot does an excellent job explaining why the new Russian proposal on removing chemical weapons from Syria is almost certainly a mirage. Not surprisingly, however, President Obama is eager to embrace it. After all, doing so will avoid Congress rejecting his request to use military strikes against Syria–and the de facto collapse of his presidency.
But this will come at quite a high cost. Russia is now establishing itself as the preeminent power in the region, having displaced the United States. American prestige and credibility lie in ruins. President Obama has succeeded in undermining the moderate rebels he promised to assist. He has strengthened the murderous anti-American regime he declared he wanted gone. A despot who used chemical weapons and committed, in the words of Secretary of State John Kerry, a “moral obscenity” will now escape any punishment (which after all was the stated purpose of Obama’s threats to strike Syria). And Iran and Hezbollah, having (along with Russia) come to the aid of Assad, will emerge from this whole thing in a much stronger position.
It is hard to overstate how much of a debacle Syria has been for America. The damage we have sustained is deep and durable. The balance of power has shifted dramatically against America. It may take decades for us to undo the damage, if even that is possible.
This period may well turn out to be a hinge moment in the Middle East–and one of the worst diplomatic chapters in modern American history. Such is the cost to a nation when a community organizer is promoted to the job of commander in chief.
Thank You! Another one that really gets "it". Seems it is hard for many/most people to accept either individual or collective responsibility for their/our actions.
Harken back a few years when we elected a serial, draft dodging, rapist and then re-elected him after he had been Impeached! Said it then and say it now. It says more about "us" as the American electorate, than it does about the individuals we put in office.
Sigh!
Agree totally. Perhaps it is part of the human condition. Especially to people that have been blessed with the abundance, in life, as we have.
This thread has taken some very interesting and quite prophetic turns.
Ergo our "national body politic" are really irrational and incompetent citizens! Brother, I couldn't agree more and that condition isn't something that has happened overnight or even in the past 6 years.
Your statement, above, really does say it all when it comes to "our" condition! Thank You!
Or, one could say, as our political system died, so did American exceptionalism! And our political system started dying quite a long time ago. After all, it was our first President, George Washington, who warned us repeatedly, in his farewell speech, not to align ourselves with political "Party's".
But in the end, what does it matter if the chicken came before the egg, or the egg before the chicken. Both American exceptionalism and our political system is FUBAR'd!
Because we have recently found ENORMOUS amounts of oil in the US and developed technology for extracting incredible amounts of natural gas. We’re self-sufficient if we want to be.
I agree with you.
I am disgusted to the marrow with Americans who cannot be honest and have no concept of accepting the blame for their bad and stupid decisions (which is basic dishonesty in itself).
I other words: I am sick to the marrow of "Liberals" and their stupid belief system. Even the name they have chosen for themselves is a lie. There is nothing liberal (or progressive) about them.
But one thing's for sure: Those who face reality and rely on themselves are in a far better position to prevail than delusional parasites.
It doesn’t work quite like that. Oil produced in the USA is put into a world-wide distribution system.
“It doesn’t work quite like that. Oil produced in the USA is put into a world-wide distribution system”
Generally, there are two categories of Americans: the moochers and the productive enablers of the moochers. Generally, the former voted for Obama; and the latter actively, financially support him and the rest of the government by paying taxes.
So I certainly do blame Americans generally.
“Not so fast little guy. The price of relinquishing national hegemony is that you will have to accept and bow to foreign rulers.”
Little late for that. The world-wide ‘pipeline” was created by Standard Oil by John D. Rockefeller when kerosene was still the main petroleum product.
Just because an institution is old, doesn’t mean it’s permanent.
“we should just let the Russians take the whole damned thing”
It is a popular point of view on Syria in Israel right now.
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