Maureen Dowd, "Barry’s War Within": Or Simply Slapped in the Face by Reality?

In seeking Congressional approval in dithering fashion for a missile strike against the Assad regime, is Obama evidencing some sort of internal psychological struggle along the lines of a Fyodor Dostoevsky character? In her latest New York Times op-ed entitled "Barry’s War Within" (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/08/opinion/sunday/dowd-barrys-war-within.html), Maureen Dowd appears to claim that this is indeed the case. Dowd writes:

"In his head, is Barry at war with the commander in chief?

One side of him is Barry, the smooth consensus builder and community organizer, the former constitutional professor and the drive-by senator who must stand by the argument he made when he ran for president excoriating W.’s and Dick Cheney’s highhandedness: checks and balances must be observed. As he told Charlie Savage, then reporting for The Boston Globe, in 2007, 'The president does not have power under the Constitution to unilaterally authorize a military attack in a situation that does not involve stopping an actual or imminent threat to the nation.'

. . . .

As commander in chief, Obama knows that if he doesn’t punish Bashar al-Assad, America and his presidency will be forever reduced. He thinks a limited strike — not a war, as some are calling it — is the right thing to do."

Or could the rationale for Obama's confused pattern of behavior leading up to the Congressional vote have more to do with the fact that this is a man who knows how to campaign, but not how to lead. Obama never learned as a community organizer that when you ignore little problems, i.e. kick the can down the road, they have a way of turning into bigger problems. The some 1,500 Syrian civilians died on August 21 because Obama and the rest of the world chose to ignore the prior use of sarin by Assad.

But apart from any internal conflict seething in his head, Obama is being forced to confront a more onerous perturbation, which is sending shock waves through his psyche: His entire foreign policy over the past four and a half years has been proven wrong.

Consider Obama's June 4, 2009 address to the Arab world from Cairo:

"I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect; and one based upon the truth that America and Islam are not exclusive, and need not be in competition. Instead, they overlap, and share common principles – principles of justice and progress; tolerance and the dignity of all human beings."

"Shared principles of tolerance and dignity of all human beings"? Yeah, right.

Consider also Obama's March 2009 Nowruz message to Iran:

"So in this season of new beginnings I would like to speak clearly to Iran's leaders. We have serious differences that have grown over time. My administration is now committed to diplomacy that addresses the full range of issues before us, and to pursuing constructive ties among the United States, Iran and the international community. This process will not be advanced by threats. We seek instead engagement that is honest and grounded in mutual respect."

What were the results of this overture? Zilch.

And what did Obama's Russian "reset" bring? Consider again Obama's 2012 touchy-feely open microphone outreach to Russian strongman Vladimir Putin via Dmitry Medvedev, promising more "flexibility" after the election.

Today, Putin is openly contemptuous of Obama, as most recently evidenced by the offer of asylum to Snowden and Russia's opposition to an American strike against the Assad regime.

Or in a nutshell, after four and a half years in office, Obama is finally confronting reality, i.e. there are bad people in this world, who can not be won over with his charisma.

What an emotional shocker for this narcissist!