In his latest New York Times op-ed entitled "It’s Not Just About Obama" (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/opinion/sunday/friedman-its-not-just-about-obama.html?ref=opinion), Friedman again seeks to let Obama off the hook for America's failed foreign policy. Tom Terrific writes:
"Our biggest problem, though, is not Europe or Obama. Our biggest problem is us and our own political paralysis. The world takes America seriously when they see us doing big hard things together — when we lead by example. If we want to do more nation-building abroad, then we have to come together on a plan to do more nation-building at home first — including infrastructure investment, replacing income and corporate taxes with a carbon tax, a major new push for both energy efficiency and properly extracted natural gas, skill-building and immigration reform and gradual long-term fiscal rebalancing. That’s how we build our muscle and weaken Putin’s."
Replacing income and corporate taxes with a carbon tax is going to deter Putin, Khamenei and Assad?
Obama's lack of credibility overseas has nothing to do with "red lines" drawn in washable crayon, promises of "flexibility" to a former KGB lieutenant colonel, bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia and emperor of Japan, destruction of relationships with long-term allies, the unavenged murder of an American ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi, secret negotiations with a maniacal theocratic regime in Iran, serial failed negotiations, or a mere penchant for "leading from behind"?
Does anyone - other than Obama - still take Friedman seriously?
In an editorial entitled "President Obama and the World" (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/04/opinion/sunday/president-obama-and-the-world.html?ref=opinion&_r=0), The New York Times writes today:
"Taken as a whole and stripped as much as possible of ideological blinkers, Mr. Obama’s record on foreign policy is not as bad as his critics say. It’s just not good enough."
Not good enough? He still has another two and a half years in the Oval Office. When, if ever, does it get better?
"Mr. Obama’s record on foreign policy is not as bad as his critics say":Power talking to truth.
ReplyDeleteOr, as Al Jaffee, Mad Magazine's longest running contributor recently told an interviewer, "Mad was designed to corrupt the minds of children. And from what I'm gathering from the minds of people all over, we succeeded."
White House relations with the press, circa 1954...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird
White House relations with the press, 2014...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da5tjfpKyac
JLD:"You mean, we can write any headline we want?"
JB:"Knock yourself out, go for it!"
Jeffrey, you should be canonized for reading the NYT.
ReplyDeleteI can provide one miracle: last week I read Friedman's paragraph you quoted.
Keep your friends close but your enemies closer . . .
DeleteYes, and if I have not stated it before, I appreciate this blog and the puncturing of the the NYT's arrogant balloon. They need more of this sort of thoughtful criticism!
ReplyDelete