thank you for being honest. I do agree that your description of creating a persona for political gain is nothing new. It could very well be true of Obama, I honestly don't know. That said, a basic tenet of any faith is not to deny it so I tend to take people at their word as it pertains to religious beliefs
Point well noted on Mubarek and I stand corrected. You also make several good points on how the changing world is affecting the arab spring. In fact, I agree with the majority of your post but I am still not seeing how you have Obama pegged as weak. I agree there seems to have been some inconsistencies in our approaches but I wonder if that isn't more indicative of each situation being unique on several levels. I am interested to know your reasoning and to hear why you have concluded such. There are some who will misconstrue this statement but because Obama lived in a "Muslim" nation while growing up (Indonesia) he has a better grasp of their society and how to negotiate with them based upon that experience. I tend to think that he has handled our foreign policy in the ME as well as possible given the changing landscape and the fine line we walk between aggressively going after those who would do us harm and not looking like crusaders or anti-islamic. This is a very tedious and delicate balance that the majority of American Presidents have gotten wrong.
It may be partially that I don't like BHO or the know it all smamy attitude he has but I do believe he has been weak. Again the fact that Iran hosted 120 countries and the UN Sec Gen. This in spite of sanctions and our specific request that our "friends & allies" not go show how we are now regarded. I believe this is a concequence of BHO's way with other countries and the things he has done. Remember when the Iranian resistance movement rose up after their latest election he barely paid lip service. There are legitimate arguments about how much real and effective support we could have provided but it appears that it wasn't even on his radar. He made a few very limited comments. In Libya, from all appearances he would have done the same had not the French taken the lead. In Syria he had barely allowed more than the occasional weak statements. Here there is an effective though disorganized opposition in the field and fairly strong Arab support. He could do much more like help arm the rebels al la Charlie Wilson's War. He has backed up dictators. He has cut Israel off at the knees. He seems to want sort of a status quo where there is none and do some extent he is telling the various rebel groups "do bother me boys I'm busy". Again the main eveidence of his weakness is how other countries react to his requests and most seem to be contemptous and ignore him. Again making the point he sends the seals to kill OBL or drones to kill AQ is not a big deal there, the arabs understand personal revenge. It isn't statecraft. His distancing himself from the revolutions and their aftermath is what encourages Islamist Jihadis to act. He gives scant support to those who are trying to form a secular society. I am not comparing BHO to others but having observed his actions and the results, evaluating them on their own merit or as I see it the lack there of.
Who can support Romney now after outright lying and after being called out on it, lying again? It's a poor reflection on his backers.
http://www.nationaljournal.com/poli...ast-crisis-right--20120914#.UFSRCbuFsaY.email I read this article this morning and was reminded of our recent dialogue concerning middle eastern policy. I think the author does a good job of describing the nuanced approach that is required at this unique place in history. I am interested to hear your thoughts after reading it.
If I were a Republican I would have to be discouraged with my candidate at this point. Seriously, all bull shit aside, Romney is just a bad politician. I honestly believe that he isn't a bad guy; in fact by all reasonable accounts he is a really fine person. That said, he has that "former republican presidential candidate...." look to him already. After this election, provided things turn out the way I think they will, the Republicans will have no choice but to take a long hard look at their platform and, at the very least, soften their stance on immigration so they can be competitive among the hispanic community. I believe they will have to distance themselves from some of the more radical social issues and embrace scientific fact. If not, they are quickly facing a demographic challenge that will be impossible to overcome on a national level. The leaders of the Republican party are smart people and there will be an effort to move the party back to the center. I should add that their efforts will be hotly contested by the more radical element of the party.
