The absence of true leadership has created chaos at home and abroad.
What has gone wrong with the U.S. government in the past month? Just about everything, from the fundamental to the ridiculous.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United States to warn Congress about the dangers of a nuclear Iran. He spoke without the invitation of an irritated President Obama, who claimed that he did not even watch the address on television.
Obama declined to even meet with the Israeli prime minister, announcing that it would have been improper for him to have such a meeting so close to Netanyahu’s re-election bid.
But if Obama was so concerned about not influencing the Israeli elections, why, according to some news accounts, is a Senate panel launching an investigation into whether Obama’s State Department gave grant money to a nonprofit organization, the OneVoice Movement, that sought to unseat Netanyahu with the help of several former Obama campaign operatives?
Then, 47 Republican senators signed an unusual letter to the Iranian theocracy, reminding it that any agreement on Iran’s nuclear program negotiated with the Obama administration would have to first clear Congress.
Obama shot back that the senators’ letter was undue interference that aided the Iranians. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton agreed that the senators were either empowering Iranian hardliners or sabotaging the diplomatic efforts of their own president. Secretary of State John Kerry concurred.
Nonetheless, the Senate may well pass new sanctions against Iran, if it feels Obama has been too lax in its negotiations or usurped senatorial oversight of treaties.
Senator Robert Menendez (D., N.J.) bucked the Obama administration and expressed doubt about administration concessions to the Iranians. Other Democrats could join him.
But almost immediately after weighing in on Iran, Menendez found himself the target of a federal investigation into purported corruption. And as far as the claim of improper interference in foreign affairs goes, the Obama administration and British prime minister David Cameron jointly lobbied U.S. senators not to pass tougher sanctions on Iran.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Hillary Clinton is bogged down in another trademark Clinton scandal. Clinton never used a standard government e-mail account while secretary. And rather than submitting her actual e-mails to the State Department back in December, Clinton submitted 55,000 printed pages of e-mails — making it much harder for those e-mails to be searched.
Apparently, Clinton also wished to decide which of her private-server communications to release to the government — but only when demanded by congressional investigators and watchdog groups well after her tenure ended.
Clinton’s implausible press conference last week only made things worse. She proved unable to explain her unusual behavior and seemed ignorant about how government e-mail works and is secured.
Abroad, Syria, Iran, and the Islamic State are battling for what is left of the Syrian-Iraqi borderlands after the United States abruptly pulled out all its peacekeepers from Iraq. All are enemies of the U.S. But as they fight each other, the Obama administration is negotiating with Iran over its efforts against the Islamic State. The administration has also expressed a willingness to meet with Syrian president Bashar Assad, after not long ago declaring Assad an illegitimate leader who should step down. Obama had issued red-line threats to Assad over the gassing of his own people.
Back home, two apparently inebriated Secret Service agents crashed their government car into a security barrier near the White House — in the midst of an active bomb investigation. Indeed, the reckless agents may have crashed right through the crime scene. This is after the Department of Homeland Security launched an investigation into the culture of the Secret Service following a 2012 scandal in which a dozen agents hired prostitutes during an alcohol-fueled night in Colombia.
Meanwhile, in the midst of nightly demonstrations at Ferguson, Mo., a young demonstrator on parole allegedly shot two police officers. “Whoever fired those shots shouldn’t detract from the issue,” the president editorialized.
But trying to gun down a policeman should amount to something more than a “detraction.”
Obama’s own Department of Justice recently issued a report indicating that the Ferguson Police Department routinely violates the rights of black citizens. But the DOJ also found Officer Darren Wilson’s shooting of a charging Michael Brown justifiable. That shooting was the incident that began the Ferguson “issue” in the first place.
Was Obama worried about the wounded policemen “detracting” from the protestors’ “hands up, don’t shoot” allegations, which Attorney General Eric Holder’s investigators, along with a grand jury, had already debunked?
All this chaos has taken amid ongoing IRS and VA investigations, the Supreme Court’s impending decision on the constitutionality of Obamacare, and Saudi Arabia arranging to buy from South Korea nuclear expertise to counter Iran.
The common thread in all this chaos?
More than the usual partisanship at home and barbarism abroad.
No one seems to be in charge at the White House. And that has terrified America’s supporters and emboldened its enemies — with another two years to go.
© 2015 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
It is amazing that Obama’s supporters in particular and Democrats in general refuse to acknowledge how inept, corrupt, and combative the petulant man-child in the White House is.
Sadly this is human nature at work. We’re quite capable of denying what’s right in front of us.
When reality differs from what we fervently believe, it’s reality that has it wrong. 🙂
RE: Creationists, Global Warmists, etc.
the democratic party is the progressive, socialist engine inside obama. he is the stepford president. none of this is accidental or not on purpose. the dems have been waiting for this moment since the members of the frankfurt school first set their evil feet in america. it took 60 years of media and deconstruction by higher education, tv, cinema, radio, pop music to get us where we are today. read all about it in neil postman’s book, amusing ourselves to death and ben shapiro’s book, primetime propaganda. we have all been saps. look in the mirror. “not that there is anything wrong with that.”
Obama paving the way for an Iranian nuclear bomb, Obama threatening sanctions against Israel, Obama allowing the America to be overrun with Central American nationals, Obama, Congress is implicit, blowing out the budget. VDH, as Betty Davis said “fasten your safety belts it’s going to be a bumpy ride”
Great thoughts, professor Hanson.
It appears Obama and friends are fighting a universe which is NOT their 2nd Worldview Controlling idea of things. And they are so frustrated that their 2nd Worldview Controlling idea of things doesn’t work to stop the out of control 3rd Worldview Tribal Muslims from chopping heads off. Again, the universe isn’t cooperating.
Look at Janet Yellen’s trying to Central-Bank Control the global economy (another 2nd Worldview Controlling idea) through parsing of the word “patient.” Again, a 2nd Worldview Controlling Interest idea that has ruined the economy for many in Japan, Europe and America. And again, the universe isn’t cooperating.
What does the universe cooperate with? How about a 1st Worldview on Liberty and the Tragic Views of Western Enlightenment! It worked for the US for the first 125 years when it hearkened unto its Constitution, built on 1st Worldview Ideas. The universe seemed to reward Americans for that, even as it seems to be disciplining America for choosing Obama’s 2nd Worldview Dystopia Way. (i.e. all Fed. Reserve Control)
We need a 1st Worldview president, one that lets the universe set the interest rate, and lets good whip evil.
It would indeed be interesting to see if Mr. Obama directly or indirectly supported Mr. Netanyahu’s opponent since he vowed to stay out of Iranian elections.
Obama’s foreign policy legacy, if one actually exists, will be vaporized in the first nuclear weapon exploded on target in the Middle East…..if the target IS in the Middle East.
Iran wants ICBM’s because it is not going to nuke its own neighborhood. The target is us. Then they can proceed with all-out conventional war against israel. They want that land for themselves, and long-term contamination won’t really fit with their agenda.
i thought that they just wanted to blast some monkeys into space.
David, your post is so scary it’s hard to face head on. But that is where planet earth is going.
In the aftermath, I wonder what the liberal news media will say……… After all, they have either not reported obama mishaps or broadcast excuses to cover his skinny rear end.
There was trouble in the sixteenth century too. Also the sixth.
“”” GOP oversight twitter”” —- Google that for facts and video’s to continue fighting the good fight with. Hope and Sanity in 2016.
Thank you, Victor, for helping me keep my sanity, or what’s left of it.
You are, simply stated, the nation’s most important intellectual at this time of dangerous uncertainty.
No one speaks the truth more clearly, rationally and honestly.
carolyn glick has written on this before (quite prominently), as have i (quite obscurely), but, the first nuclear weapon exploded in the middle east will be over jerusalem. there will be no “practice” weapon, as it would lead to an immediate israeli attack to destroy any other weapons, and delivery systems. so, when iran attacks israel it will give ” …. its best shot …. ” to destroy israel w/ nuclear weapons. there can be no other logic to the matter. john jay
israel knows this and will be ready. then all will have an excuse to vaporize much of the mideast outside of israel. its a tough nut but it will have to come to that unless america, israel strike first. no one wanted to do it to germany or japan but there was no other way. you cannot negotiate with psychotic leaders and followers.
I’ve just retired and have been reflecting on things. It strikes me as fantastic that the current administration is so deep in controversy/scandal. I do not recall a president/administration in my lifetime that has misfired on so many cylinders (I’m being polite). What I also don’t understand is the half of the country that thinks things are going along just fine – these are the same folks who will likely support another Clinton. What a mess.
look at the stats and who watches what news networks. fox does well for a cable news network but the vast majority watch the liberal stations in obama’s back pocket. then there is the nyt, tribune, la times. our citizens are mis and uninformed and they dont know even know it. all the talking heads, actors, musicians, tv personalities all love obama. such is the lemming culture. he is black. all you need to know. even the best and the brightest of the jews love him and his party. when hard working people are misled and dont know it, what are they to do. remember jfk. i bet 99% of catholics voted for him. he could have been the devil in disguise and they would not have cared. have to vote for and support my man. thats what one does when he is insecure and not analytical, ie, the new norm for american men and women. “someone turn the channel and get me another cheeseburger.”
It is a crying shame the level to which this great country has been reduced on the world stage, and also the harm this man has done to the American fabric. Abroad, the world burning aside, our enemies niether fear nor respect us and our allies no longer trust us. Obama can pontificate all he wants, but nobody is listening other than himself. He has managed to set back race relations 50-60 years, and is fomenting a war on the “peace keepers” in our cities and can’t help but spend our children into servitude, crush opportunity for everyone with his iron-fisted regulations and executive orders, and he is hell bent to import a third world permanent underclass into to America to cement his “fundamental change”. The left should quit bitching about the 47 traitors, and start worrying about the one proven traitor occupying the White House.
You know it is sadly apparent that the country suffers from a true lack of ‘leadership’ in the current administration. Going to school for it might help but in this case nah. Rather they should see eye doctors to get rid of the opaque cataracts clouding their views and judgments.
Really we surely would have bumbled ‘1776’ if we had these guys in charge.
It seems to me likely that Obama views his principal task as fund-raising, as it is that which (probably) gives him his despotic control over the Democratic Party and thus over all Americans. The rest is just a sideshow as far as he is concerned.
“”U.S allies, lured by china’s bank,”” from new york times. China debt in 2007– 7 trillion. Now– 28 trillion. Continue to fund China’s colossal military buildout , a resounding Yes !!! The USA is ocean’s apart, no such luck with Europe and it’s proximity to axis dictators. Ah yes, history books and arming regimes, but not to worry, as the West lays down it’s arm’s and rests on it’s laurels. The mind reels, hundreds of millions of people, oblivious to being led as lambs to ………, as their leaders pocket countless millions of dollars and euro’s. Miracle’s, pray for miracles.
Google—“” Operation Atlantic Resolve”” from defence.gov——– Cheers !!
“” Carter: sequestration will make the U.S less secure”” from defence.gov. —– details and color.
“Some people just want to see the world burn, sir.” _____ Alfred to Mr. Wayne
Simple as that. Oikophobia expresses itself in the most twisted ways. I feel as though I’m living in the “Camp of the saints”. I think of Venezula’s descent into chaos and get ill thinking of our trajectory. A critical mass has been attained and I fear this will not end well.
When Orwell wrote “1984” , which describes official deception, secret surveillance and manipulation of recorded history plus all the other nasty things that authoritarian regimes do, it was though he had the Obama regime in mind.
he read it as an instruction manual not a cautionary tale
“You can’t get there from here.”
One of the surrealist comedy group Firesign Theater’s most memorable quotes.
Alas, what we see in this presidency’s behavior exceeds even the surreal level of Proctor and Bergman.
It worked well, indeed achieved the status of high art, in a comedy group’s fiction.
Not so good a thing in reality though.
“” ted cruz presidential campaign announcement CSPAN “” The un-obama; a different taste than the vanilla GOP