New York Times, "The Other Power in the West Wing": Observe Valerie Jarrett's Delusional Perception of US Foreign Policy

In a New York Times article entitled "The Other Power in the West Wing" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/02/us/politics/valerie-jarrett-is-the-other-power-in-the-west-wing.html?pagewanted=all), Jo Becker writes of Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Obama:

"A Chicagoan who helped Mr. Obama navigate his rise through that city’s aggressive politics, Ms. Jarrett came to Washington with no national experience. But her unmatched access to the Obamas has made her a driving force in some of the most significant domestic policy decisions of the president’s first term, her persuasive power only amplified by Mr. Obama’s insular management style.

From the first, her official job has been somewhat vague. But nearly four years on, with Mr. Obama poised to accept his party’s renomination this week, her standing is clear, to her many admirers and detractors alike. 'She is the single most influential person in the Obama White House,' said one former senior White House official, who like many would speak candidly only on condition of anonymity."

Jarrett is a driving force only with respect to "domestic policy decisions"? Consider how in early 2010 Jarrett claimed that "we are going to continue to put pressure on Iran," "we are seeing steady progress in terms of a world coalition that will put that pressure on Iran," and "Iran will back down." Jarrett emphasized that signing of the STAR (Strategic Arms Reduction) Treaty with Moscow would cause Russia to join the coalition which would bring an end to Iran's nuclear weapons development program.

Well, here we are two and a half years later in September 2012, and Obama's attempts to forge such an international coalition have met with devastating failure. As reported by The New York Times on Saturday (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/01/world/middleeast/iran-criticizes-egypts-mohamed-morsi-over-syria-comments.html):

"The 120-nation Nonaligned Movement handed its host Iran a diplomatic victory on Friday, unanimously decreeing support for the disputed Iranian nuclear energy program and criticizing the American-led attempt to isolate and punish Iran with unilateral economic sanctions."

Russia? Putin has categorically refused to place pressure on Iran and declared this past June (http://www.tehrantimes.com/politics/98558-putin-says-iran-has-absolute-right-to-nuclear-energy):

"Russia has always defended the rights of the Iranian nation in all international organizations and considers peaceful use of nuclear energy as the absolute right of the Islamic Republic of Iran."

Needless to say, ongoing Russian support of Iran and its ally, Syrian mass murderer Bashar al-Assad, did not prevent Obama from asking Dmitry Medvedev to tell Vladimir Putin, in the American president's infamous open microphone gaffe, that he would have more "flexibility" with respect to European missile defense after the election (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.co.il/2012/03/obamas-open-mike-chat-with-medvedev-yes.html).

Bottom line: Although The New York Times and other national newspapers have recently contended that the Republicans are weak on foreign policy, the foreign policy of the Obama administration, overseen, inter alia, by Valerie Jarrett, has proven itself delusional and dangerous.