Obama Silent As Middle East Burns

When those who wish us dead in the Middle East sense weakness and lack of firm resolve in an American administration, the bad guys attack. We see this today as the Middle East is in flames and Americans are being murdered.

That is what is causing the unrest in the Middle East today — a perception of American weakness. Across the region, people see the United States in retreat. They see Obama pulling all U.S. forces out of Iraq and preparing to do the same in Afghanistan. They see an American ambassador killed in Libya, the flag of al-Qaeda raised over our embassy in Egypt, and our diplomats fleeing from Khartoum and Tunis. Instead of looking to the United States and asking, “Where are you, Obama?”, the crowds in Cairo today are chanting, “Obama, we are all Osama.”

The failure of Obama’s policies in the Middle East is not the fall of dictators in Cairo and Tripoli; it is the failure of leadership in Washington. On taking office, Obama promised to usher in a new era of popularity in the region. Well, ask yourself this: Are we more popular now than we were four years ago?
 

President Obama began his term in office by going to Cairo with much hype and publicity on his alleged reasoned and calm approach to the Muslim world. Let's face it - he went to jab a finger in the eye of George W. Bush. Obama was thinking he would go make a flowery, apologetic speech to the Muslim world and they would see that he wasn't George W. Bush.  They would see how very intelligent, compassionate, and yes, evolved Barack Obama is as the new president. He looked more like them, his name was from the Muslim world, his father and step father were Muslim men from whom he took both their names at different times in his life. He lived in Indonesia as a child.

Obama extended an open hand. Peace and love, baby. Peace and love.

Then he ramped up the war in Afghanistan. He met the timeline of our troop withdrawal - set by George W. Bush - in Iraq.

President Obama is quite proud to lead from behind. He waits until he can gleam if the status quo in another country will survive an uprising and if so, he'll get behind the protesters.  Otherwise, he dithers and makes indistinguishable remarks - if he takes questions in the first place - and then he does nothing.

He describes the new Egyptian government not a foe but not an ally. Clear as mud, right? He has allowed Secretary of State Clinton to handle the world as he botches up domestic policy.  Clinton has traveled the world non-stop and is rarely heard from. Often lately she is seen cleaning up President Obama's mistakes. Now she faces real questions about her decisions concerning the embassy security in Libya and other hot spots. What did she know? Did she rely messages of concern to the White House? Why wasn't more security implemented, especially as the date of September 11 approached?

Many questions present themselves. The investigations have only begun.