Obama's first six months in office have fallen short of the mark: Involvement where, as president, he should not have gone (Gates); pusillanimity when outrage was demanded (Iran); no "change" where revision was required (economy and healthcare). Clearly, the American experiment with a radical dressed in moderate's clothes is failing.
The honeymoon with Obama is over, but what about Hillary? Sure, it's early, but there's no evidence she will attain the stature of her esteemed predecessors: George Marshall, Dean Acheson, Henry Kissinger, George Shultz, Madeleine Albright, or Condoleezza Rice. Nor is there any chance she will reach this storied echelon, given that someone in the Obama administration is a student of Sun Tzu: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Try as she might, and she is trying hard, Hillary will never be allowed to shape foreign policy, as evidenced by her inability to convince Obama to remonstrate when the students took to the streets in Tehran.
Does anyone believe Hillary's broken elbow prevented her from accompanying Obama to Moscow? Has anyone forgotten how Bill took Madeleine almost everywhere he went? Certainly Hillary remembers.
My prediction: Hillary, too bright and too hungry, will announce in 2011 her resignation as Secretary of State and reach again for the golden ring.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
If she will announce her resignation right now, I may consider her. In 2011, it will be too late - she will be completely compromised by her active participation in Obama's foreign policy. Current American policy toward Israel contradicts not only Obama's campaign promises, but Clinton's promises too. They both lied to us. Yet, Obama was much more skillful and successful in it. (I am starting to suspect that ability to win the American election have nothing to do with the ability to be a leader of the country. Something is very wrong here.)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marina.
ReplyDeleteIt was reported on Monday that the Obama administration has lifted bans on exporting aviation and IT products to Syria. A 2005 UN investigation implicating senior Syrian officials in the assassination of Lebanon's former pro-Western prime minister, Rafiq Hariri, has been forgiven and forgotten.
In the aftermath of Iran's "elections", Obama seems to have backed away from his overtures to Tehran, but now appears to be courting Damascus.
Israel is indeed facing trouble from an administration determined to mollify tyrants.
About Syria: I found this link confirming lift of sanctions:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Syria/250777
It is interesting that there is nothing about it in our papers.
The sanctions were in place until May. Here is the link
http://jta.org/news/article/2009/05/08/1005039/obama-extends-syria-sanctions
The article says, the sanctions were based on a law:
"The sanctions were based on a law initiated by U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.) and passed overwhelmingly in 2003 in part because of Syria’s role in backing anti-Israel terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. " I wonder, what happened to the law? Mr. Engel is my neighbor (next town). I may ask him.
About Iran: as I recall, they said that they will be waiting until September for Iran's response. Ater that, they will say they try to push for sanctions.
Here it is in Wall Street Journal
ReplyDeletehttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB124873789302385169.html#articleTabs%3Darticle
I could not send a letter to Rep. Engel. He is from 17th district, I live in 18th. So, I sent my request about lifting sanctions on Syria to my representative instead.
Marina,
ReplyDeleteBravo!
I hope she does...
ReplyDeleteI believe Secretary Clinton will resign in 2011 and take on an incompetent President in 2012. President Obama did great campaigning but he is not delivering all this new "Change WE Can Believe In" he has had already in his young Presidency great conflict and unkept promises such as an ethical administration and about 5 people had to not accept cabinet positions for not paying taxes. He does not tell he full truth to the American people about the Health care reform bill and uses a clever rheteric that is beginning to seem old to me who voted for him. He campaigns in Minnisota and it was like a religious praise worship service or to be more real campaigning to sell his Health care reform that is very much unpopular and he is losing core groups that supported him those are the independents, the Seniors and baby boomers are beginning to question his policy and administration. It behooves me to think that he thinks Americans are dumb. He has an elite education but the middle class and regular workers should not be under estimated in assessing his job approval ratings. There has clearly been a test for him and he is not demonstrating leadership qualities that we who supported him thought he would in bi partisianship, forgiving Joe Wilson the South Carolina Senator who blurted out "You lie" and now the left has contributed to his opponent's campaign for Senator next year over a million dollars because his apology was not sufficient and they want him out ;but the backlash is the Senator has also raised over a million dollars now. It was wrong what he did, a President should deserve our respect for the office he holds but President Obama should and his fellow democrats on the hill should forgive the guy. I forsee a change all right but it's coming from the voices and the uprising of all people from all party affiliations and all walks of life and all ethnic backgrounds and it has been shown all spring and summer as a grassroots movement and tea parties across the nation took place. I must admitt I was amazed at the number of people at the Capital on Saturday September 12,2009 and not only there but across the nation for the last 6 months when a man named Glen Beck challanged the American people to take our Country back based on the values and the principals of our forefatheres that the will of people should take presedence over bigger Government and big spending. Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg address in November 1863 and said " that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom--And Govearnment of the people,by the people ,for the people shall not parish from the earth"
ReplyDelete