The new America, a la Obama
Israel Hayom | The new America, a la Obama.
Continual war offers no hope, U.S. President Barack Obama said in a speech last week, presenting the Obama doctrine — the opposite of the Bush doctrine • The war on terror is over, the soldiers will come home, and even drone attacks will be scaled back.
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U.S. President Barack Obama is mostly preoccupied with the legacy that he will leave
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Photo credit: AFP
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In a speech in Washington last Thursday, U.S. President Barack Obama sketched a broad outline that gives a general overview of what we can expect from his administration in its second term in office. The message was clear: There are no eternal wars. He quoted former President James Madison, the nation’s fourth commander in chief (“No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare”) in buttressing his case that the war on terror has reached its end, at least in the manner it has been waged since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
“That’s what history advises,” Obama declared. “That’s what democracy demands.”
The president chose to support his argument by referring to the bombings that rocked the Boston Marathon over a month ago. From his standpoint, terrorism is no longer in Afghanistan or Iraq. It’s right here at home, hence the war must be waged differently.
Obama is not entirely wrong. Jihadist terrorism traverses borders. Nowadays, it is even “Made in the West” (see Britain, France, the riots in Sweden — all this in the span of one month). But the terror “hard drive” — the ideology and the networks — still operates out of the countries where the assembly line began (Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and now Syria as well).
The American president desperately wants to bury the Bush doctrine once and for all, though it seems that he might be forgetting a bit the kind of reality we live in. Perhaps deep within his soul, Obama harbors the wish that his speech will make people forget the Benghazi mishap, in which four Americans, among them the American ambassador to Libya, were killed in an attack on their diplomatic mission in September 2012.
On the other hand, the speech does dovetail nicely with the Obama administration’s position that the Benghazi incident was not a terrorist attack. By this logic, America is certainly dealing the death knell to terrorism that festers in Islamic countries.
In his speech, Obama wanted to demonstrate to the American people — and, by extension, the entire world — that he is not George W. Bush. During his first term in office, the detention center at Guantanamo Bay was not shuttered, and the targeted assassinations of terror suspects carried out by unmanned drones in Yemen and Afghanistan continued. The White House had a difficult time denying the fact that it was employing the same means used by the Bush administration, which was on the receiving end of an avalanche of criticism as it soldiered on to in its war on terrorism.
Obama’s remarks before the National Defense University essentially constituted the president’s road map for national defense policy for the remainder of his White House tenure. Not only did the speech allow him to return to his ideological roots, but it was also designed to deflect as much attention as possible away from three of the most serious scandals currently plaguing his administration: the alleged targeting of Republican groups by the Internal Revenue Service, the wiretapping of journalists and the mismanagement of the terror attack on the American diplomatic mission in Benghazi. It is hard to ignore the proximity of these three scandals on the calendar with the timing of the speech last week.
In essence, Obama is thinking ahead. He is mostly preoccupied with the legacy that he will leave. He doesn’t want to be merely remembered as the 44th president, or the first black president. He wants to leave his mark. So far, he hasn’t been able to do so. Before his election, Obama was looked upon as a messiah. Upon entry into office, he was quickly revealed to be entirely flesh and blood, a very political president who captured the White House twice but also led his party, the Democrats, to minority status in Congress following the mid-election defeat of 2010.
Aiming for the history pages
Obama’s image and record as president is being put to the test, a reality that is undoubtedly prompting him to panic. The commander in chief may have brought the troops home from Iraq and he may have begun to lay the foundations for the eventual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in late 2014. But waging war via remote control, with unmanned aerial vehicles being operated from a base in Nevada, hurt America’s image in the eyes of Obama’s supporters, both at home and abroad.
The routine use of drones, which have proved especially lethal in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia, are perceived by many Obama supporters as illegal. The Human Rights Council in Geneva is quite concerned over the very unclear definition of what is perceived in Washington as an armed combatant. Rights groups claim that under Obama’s stewardship, the number of civilian casualties caused as a result of CIA-operated drones has increased.
According to figures compiled by non-governmental organizations, between 800 and 900 innocent civilians have been killed in drone attacks. There are also those who claim that the use of drones doesn’t adequately address America’s defense needs. On the contrary, it has only increased the number of America’s enemies. Under Bush, at least the lines drawn were much clearer.
One may agree or disagree. Obama, the Nobel laureate, has for all intents and purposes followed in the footsteps of his predecessor, with a few minor adjustments. That is another reason why Obama used his speech last week to reconfigure the framework that governs the use of drones. How ironic that the man who received the Nobel Peace Prize will likely go down in history as the one who did most to promote the use of aerial drones.
Perhaps this is why Obama decided to reassign responsibility for the use of drones from the CIA to the military, which operates under a more stringent set of rules governing warfare. Eager to please his base constituency and live up to his personal belief system, President Obama resolved to raise the threshold of what constitutes “clear and present danger,” the criteria that a terrorist suspect needs to meet before he is considered a target for liquidation. In his speech, Obama also mentioned the need to take more precautionary measures to prevent civilian casualties.
The president spoke to two audiences: the American people who were watching on television, and the military high command that was seated a few feet away. Yet it was plainly obvious that Obama had the annals of history in mind when he gave his speech. He wants people to remember the things he said rather than the things he did.
Obama should have realized by now that after four years in the White House, his very rosy rhetoric hasn’t always corresponded with what is happening on the ground. What a candidate promises doesn’t necessarily define what is required of a U.S. president whose first responsibility is to protect his citizens.
The issue of Guantanamo Bay offers a perfect illustration of the difference between words and reality. During his speech, Obama was interrupted three times by a representative of Code Pink (A women’s group that describes itself as a “grassroots peace and social justice movement working to end U.S. funded wars and occupations, to challenge militarism globally, and to redirect our resources into health care, education, green jobs and other life-affirming activities”). The first instance was when he mentioned Guantanamo. The president had promised to close down the complex and deport the detainees to foreign countries. There was also talk that he would work to build a complex on U.S. soil. Since entering office, however, only seven Guantanamo suspects have been sent abroad.
In fact, ever since the attempted terror attack in Yemen, it was Obama who embargoed the transfer of prisoners. Rights groups have reminded the president that 86 of the 166 Guantanamo suspects were acquitted of all charges three years ago, but are still in detention. Left-wing organizations refer to this as a “Kafkaesque no-man’s land.” Incidentally, as The New York Times reminded its readers, every prisoner held at Guantanamo costs American taxpayers $1 million per year.
“Imagine a future 10 years from now, or 20 years from now, when the United States of America is still holding people who have been charged with no crime on a piece of land that is not a part of our country,” the president said. “Is that the America we want to leave to our children?”
Obama went on to say that Guantanamo has become a symbol of America’s defiance of international law. The president used his speech to demonstrate his expertise in public diplomacy.
“Our allies won’t cooperate with us if they think a terrorist will end up at GTMO,” he said. The president wants to lift the embargo on transferring prisoners out of the complex. He even went so far as to assign the task of repatriating Guantanamo prisoners to an official from the Pentagon and the State Department. This will be made more difficult, however, since he also needs to persuade Congress to approve such a measure. The Republican-controlled Congress is in no rush to make Obama’s life easier.
Congress has effectively blocked the president from following through on his pledge to shut down Guantanamo Bay. The complexity of the issue has been compounded by the judicial system’s failure to come up with a legal definition of these very unconventional prisoners. On the other hand, Obama has had enough time to deal with this issue. He should have found an alternate location for these prisoners to be tried. In the meantime, he is repeating an old promise he made long ago and never fulfilled.
A Bush clone
For Obama supporters, and there are many, particularly among the punditry, this was another masterful speech by the president. In order for it to be a really grand speech, obviously there needs to be follow-through. The president needs to realize that to make his speech a reality, not only will he have to deal with a Republican Congress that is hostile to his policies, he will also need to wrestle with a reality that hardly correspondents to his remarks. In the meantime, Obama, who has always been a big champion of wishful thinking, is nothing more than a Bush clone — not in words, but certainly in deeds.
The Nobel Peace laureate is working hard to justify his award. “We cannot use force everywhere that a radical ideology takes root,” he said. According to the president, the war on terror will continue. It will just have a different feel. Continual war, he said, offers no hope.
Obama is once again seeking to bolster America’s image in the eyes of the world, particularly the Muslim world, where his efforts to win admirers has failed. He still doesn’t understand the extent to which hatred of America is rooted among various sects that he has tried to woo during his four years in office.
Obama wasn’t just looking to make obscure historical references in his speech (Madison), he also used a more current term coined by American sociologist C. Wright Mills, who spoke of “permanent war” in expressing his opposition to America’s military and diplomatic policies abroad. Mills is one of those “preachers” revered by many of the same progressives who voted for Obama.
In order to win the 2012 election, Obama needed more than just votes from progressives. That is why he waited until after he captured a second term to unveil the speech that he delivered last week.
Before the election, he chose to play up the killing of Osama bin Laden because the president was more concerned with bolstering his sagging popularity than with adhering to his ideology. Before the election, Obama also made a point of highlighting the administration’s “hit list.” Now the time has come for greater humility. Obama, as we all know, is a peacetime president, not a wartime president. One should also assume that it wasn’t just questions of morality that guided his speech, but also the realization of the heavy economic toll that wars have taken on his country.
Al-Qaida is still here
As expected, the Republicans didn’t wait long to assail the president’s speech. This past Sunday, three days after the speech, Republican officials were eager to remind the public that the threat from al-Qaida remains clear and present. Lindsey Graham, the senator from South Carolina, also wanted the public to remain cognizant of the threat emanating from Iran.
“At a time when we need resolve the most, we’re sounding retreat,” Graham told Fox News. “We show this lack of resolve, talking about the war being over,” Graham said. “What do you think the Iranians are thinking? At the end of the day, this is the most tone-deaf president I ever could imagine.”
John McCain, the Arizona senator who lost to Obama in his bid for the White House in 2008, also reacted to Obama’s speech. He said the war against al-Qaida was far from over. According to McCain, Obama’s remarks were unrealistic since the threats to America from abroad were still alive and kicking. The threats from home have only compounded the situation, according to McCain.
The Arizona senator even paid a surprise visit to Syria, where he could get a firsthand look as to how terrorism really is alive and kicking. In fact, it is threatening to overtake yet another Arab country.
We have no choice but to acknowledge that Obama is the president of the world’s pre-eminent superpower. It is a job whose responsibility extends far beyond the boundaries of mainland America. In order to run a country and win re-election, it didn’t hurt to be a clone of George W. Bush. From Obama’s standpoint, this is just about the worst thing anyone could say about him.
WarSclerotic 
May 31, 2013 at 3:15 PM
Reblogged this on BPI reblog and commented:
The new America, a la Obama
May 31, 2013 at 3:28 PM
“Continual war offers no hope…”
Or we could bomb the ‘bejesus’ out of them. That would end it too. Just say’n that’s all. Who was it that said you have to remove the enemy’s will to fight to win a war? In WWII, intense and sustained bombing in strategic as well as civilian areas accomplished this very thing, i.e. Dresden. The civilian population had to witness the destructive power of war first hand. I submit a bombing campaign today would have the same results. Instead, today, we avoid collateral damage (whatever the hell that really means). I like to call it avoiding political damage. Anyway, by being surgical, the civilian population that supports the war machine is given a pass. Also, imagine how a fighting force would feel if they knew their sons and daughters back home were getting their asses kicked while they remained on the front line.
Here’s a little something to stoke your thoughts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_33_Strategies_of_War
May 31, 2013 at 3:43 PM
Put some flower in your hear and say : peace brother just before they chop your head of .
May 31, 2013 at 5:21 PM
No chop until I finish my shot. All 16 from my 9mm Glock.
May 31, 2013 at 3:44 PM
Lois Lerner: Accessory To Terror Funding
May 31, 2013 at 3:48 PM
Because of President Obama’s inexperience in bureaucratic administration and foreign policy (and his staff’s inexperience too) he finds himself beleaguered by foreign and domestic situations that he is afraid will damage is legacy. He then returns to his default domestic agenda which is to downsize the military and use the saved funds for his social programs. In foreign policy, among other problems he has been outmaneuvered by Putin, does not know what to do with the military expansion of China’s blue water navy or radical muslim militias. So rather than totally lose his support base of far leftists by becoming aggressive he retreats into isolationism. As I am fond of saying: he has checked out. In the future, he can only react to events. He is truly living on the hope and prayer that nothing terrible will happen in the next three years. Unfortunately, into the vacuum of American power comes chaos.
May 31, 2013 at 4:42 PM
Well said Norm. Might I add that as a community organizer, his career was at it’s peak.
“A few weeks ago (2008) pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama said he didn’t know when human life began — saying it was “above my pay grade.”
I’d say he’s way outside his pay grade even today. (Putting it mildly),
May 31, 2013 at 3:55 PM
There is just only one solution, but we are mentally not ready for it.
So say goodbye to out western live style, it will end sooner that you think.
May 31, 2013 at 4:04 PM
Norm this problem is much bigger than only the USA, it is a complete new thinking about the future of the world.
They see the future of the world as a technocratic socialists world community.
The USA was just a bump in the road to accomplished that, now the bump is flattened, and the way is open, full speed forwards comrades.
May 31, 2013 at 4:12 PM
more poop from joop
May 31, 2013 at 4:52 PM
Respectfully Joop, might I add that I entirely disagree that the USA is a ‘flattened bump’ and we can now be a technocratic socialist world community. While I agree that anything is possible, I would not bet that the USA is out for the count just yet. In fact, I bet often so I’ll give you some odds. If the world becomes what you say (evidenced by the UN’s total take-over of the world’s governments) in the next 365 days, I will pay you 1000 to 1 odds with a maximum bet on your part limited to $5 in US dollars. In other words, if you win, I will pay you $5000. If I win I get only $5.
May 31, 2013 at 5:20 PM
Have patients , it will take a bit more time, just watch what is happening.
Do not make the mistake that i like it, no way but facts are facts .
Bit by bit you are loosing the old USA and it will be transformed to the new USA .
The process for controlling the people is at full speed.
I have seen this process going one for many years in Europe and i see it happening now in the USA
I understand your patriotic feeling very well, but please keep an eye on the reality !
If you don,t see the reality we will lose the last free country in the world, and yes i say we !!
May 31, 2013 at 5:23 PM
So now your opinion is not worth $5?
May 31, 2013 at 6:10 PM
joops got it coming from the state department and homeland security just to let you know joop dont ever come to the uk or usa,joop your so FOS
May 31, 2013 at 5:42 PM
@ Louisiana Steve Says
Come one , i told you it will take more than a year, and as you know 365 day is a year.( it is already going on for years )
But why are you not reacting on my statement that the USA is changing rapidly the last 10 years or so, do you do not know it, or do you not see it or do you are not willing to admit it.
Yep that is the way to get a grab on the situation instead seeing the reality and making stupid bets.
Just give you something to think about.
The social economical development in the USA, a magic tool.
May 31, 2013 at 6:13 PM
Some of the leadership has changed, but the core of this country is the same as it always was, if not stronger. A lot of us have tolerated change in the name of diversity, charity, and understanding. Unfortunately, things have gone too far and people like myself are getting their fill. Folks I know are fixing to change the direction of this great country and move back in the direction laid out by our founding fathers. Joop, I respect your opinion, but I feel you find comfort in the company of the wrong people. You should get out of your comfort zone and get to know the people in rural America who believe in freedom, guns, and religion. Not the elitists who preach ungodliness, socialism, liberalism, and anti-americanism. You just do not realize the strong undercurrrent in this country that is fixing to erupt. People I know from Florida to Texas are very concerned and are working to tear this country from the corrupt and filthy hands of those trying to change this country for the worst. It’s hard to explain, but we’re out there by the thousands sitting together for coffee every morning discussing the situation caused by this ‘hopey changey’ President and his criminals (yep, I said it) trying to run this country in the ground as we speak.
Joop, that is the reality. Get out and meet some of us and join the cause now. This country will not fail. This country will not tolerate a world which you predict. If you truly feel you are right, then take steps to change things back to what was given to us throught the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. We are not blind sheep being led to a slaughter. All this Jihad crap coming out of the Mideast is nothing compared to what is about to happen here in the good ole USA….and it’s going to be done without firing a shot.
May 31, 2013 at 9:39 PM
Right. According to the polls there are still more Americans who identify themselves as conservative than thiose who say they are liberal.
Not only that but I think the majority of gun-owners are conservatives.
All the American conservatives need is a real leader instead of the current spineless republicans.
And although it might look bleak sometimes there were many times in history when a determined minority prevailed against overwhelming numbers and against incredible odds.
– The victory of tiny Greece against the huge Persian Empire.
– The victory of the American colonists against the mighty British Empire
– The ‘impossible’ victory of tiny Israel agiainst the Arabs despite of the staggering odds
As the great Winston Churchill said:
“never give in, never give in, never, never, never-in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”
He was right. We are much stronger than we think.
Our ancestors paid the price in blood so that we can be free.
We will not give it away for free.
May 31, 2013 at 9:59 PM
We will not give it away for free.
I,am sure about that, but will it be effective ?
May 31, 2013 at 6:30 PM
@ Louisiana Steve Says:
I think i have seen a lot from the USA , I did 35 states and are very well aware of the people and how they are thinking, and yes i meet some of the people yopu mentioned, good brave USA citizens.
But i talk about the 47 % and the 30 % who gives a dame about it,
But i will more than happy and grateful if i,am wrong , please let me be wrong.
But let me give the podium to joe bidden
BREAKING: Joe Biden calls to ‘create a New World Order’
May 31, 2013 at 6:49 PM
Joe Biden is so full of shit he couldn’t talk his way out of a traffic ticket. Signing off…..got to get back to work.
May 31, 2013 at 7:00 PM
@ Louisiana Steve Says
It is in the numbers, you can not win this, the damage is already done, it is just a matter of time you will realize it.
Revolution or if you want a civil war is in the calculation for years and will speed up the proses even more.( everything is ready if this will happen )
You are sitting between a rock and a hard spot.
Only a big attitude change from the people could stop it , but do you realy believe in that ?
And how much time do you think to have ?
I do not like my conclusions , i hate them but its is the reality of the facts.
In mine opinion is it better to keep the powder dry and wait till the practical experience of the people will change there minds.
But be aware that for a lot of people a full technocratic society will be a heaven, no more thinking no more responsibility just a ball park and a small soda, and the zombies are happy .
May 31, 2013 at 8:21 PM
you are so full of shit
May 31, 2013 at 7:21 PM
Steve it is not my invention.
May 31, 2013 at 8:38 PM
US Attorney Bill Killian: Posting Something Mean About Muslims on Social Media Might Be a Criminal Action Under Federal Civil Rights Laws
http://tinyurl.com/lwfk2kz
May 31, 2013 at 9:01 PM
Muslims are big do-do heads.
May 31, 2013 at 9:17 PM
Yep, but a handy tool if used right.
May 31, 2013 at 9:17 PM
Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
May 31, 2013 at 10:41 PM
It is this bad !!
[VIDEO] MRCtv on campus: Should the government be allowed to snoop on Fox News emails and phone calls?
May 31, 2013 at 11:28 PM
There are many speculations about who obavez really is.
Is he a cryptocommunist, a cryptomuslim, a mere puppet of ‘the global elite’ or the Antichrist?
While I have made speculations of my own I will limit myself to what I think his world view is.
In his core he is an ideologue with the believe that all the evils in the world are the result of the bad deeds of Whites/Europeans/Americans/Christians.
He rejects American Excectionalsim, the constitution and favours collectivism, redistribution of wealth and a strong powerful state at the expense of individual rights and liberties.
He views islam fovourably and believes that it is a good, decent religion hijacked by some extremists.
In his view ‘good and decent’ have a different meaning than what you would think.
Since he rejects individual liberties anyway he sees no problem in adapting the American laws to make them compatible with Sharia.
In the world of islam there are two kinds of jihadists.
The violent jihadis and the stealth jihadis.
Both of them share the same goal: The implementation of Sharia law, the dominance of muslims over all other people and the dominance of islam over all other religions. Basically they want muslims to be the “Herrenmenschen” like in the glory days of islam when non-muslims were only third-class citizens.
In those days the order (from top to bottom was):
1. Muslim men
2. Muslim women
3. Jews/Christians (they could keep their religion but had to pay a special tax and accept permanent humiliation as third-class citizens.)
4. All others (Their choice was convert to islam or die)
The violent jihadis are not only Al Qaeda but also jihadis like the two pieces of excrement in Britain.
The stealth jihadis are groups like the Muslim Brotherhood who want to build their islamic utopia by using political means, subversion, propaganda and law suits to push for special rights.
For obvious reasons obavez cannot tolerate the most prominent violent jihadi groups.
The deeds of ‘lone wolfs’ are presented as the acts of lunatics who have nothing to do with islam.
As for the stealth jihadis, they are perfectly acceptable in his world view.
But that is only one part of his ideology.
He believes that all of America’s enemies are against America because of something bad that America did in the past.
He believes that if America only shows respect, tolerance and understanding towards them and if America apologises for the past ‘errors’ and treat the world not ‘arrogantly’ like it did in the Bush-era they will stop being enemies and we can all sit together and find a solution.
Of course we all know that this is not true, that their enmity has much deeper causes, often causes which have nothing to do with what America did or didn’t.
And like all ideologues he thinks that only his ideology is true.
And when his ideology conflicts with reality it is allways the reality that must give way.
When the non-ideologue sees that his theory conflicts with reality he thinks rightly that something is wrong with his theory and that he must correct his theory.
When the ideologue sees that his theory conflicts with reality he thinks that the reality is wrong. “This simply can’t be true’. He has no other choice but to deny reality, put a spin on it, lie to himself and to others.
And so it is no wonder that all of his foreign-policy initiatives failed because he had and still has no other strategy.
We remember his Cairo-address which was supposed to be a new beginning. Failed.
We remember his plan of engaging Iran and offering them America’s friendship. Failed.
We remember his ‘reset’ of the relations with Russia. Failed.
We remember his plans for the Middle-East. Failed.
His inablility to see the world not through his ideology leaves him out of options.
What we witness is the total bankrupcy of his foreign policy and a declaration of defeat.
In other words:”Yes this war might have something to do with islam. But there is nothing we can do about it. We must get used to these terror attacks here and there.”
This is the chilling message of his speech and I don’t need to be a prophet to predict that this sign of weakness and unwillingness to tackle the root causes of this conflict will invite more attacks.