Obama, Dictators and democrats

In his Inaugural Address, President Obama spoke directly to the world's rogue nations. "[W]e will extend a hand," he said, "if you are willing to unclench your fist."

Iran remains rogue No. 1. The world is riveted by the expanding Iranian nuclear threat, and one might expect a mess of this magnitude would occupy most of the diplomatic energies of any presidency. But this one has time for more.

Daniel Henninger discusses Obama's "open hand diplomacy" with rogue regimes. . The Monday after last Friday's bombshell that Iran has a hidden nuclear site, the State Department announced the start of a "direct dialogue" with Burma's hopeless junta. The administration has dispatched a special envoy to Sudan and its genocidal leader, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad got his own Obama envoy, plus a visit from John Kerry.

At the Summit of the Americas, Mr. Obama himself did meet and greets for "dialogue" with Venezuela's Hugo Chávez, Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega and Bolivia's Evo Morales, and reached out to Cuba's Raul Castro. Mr. Obama then dropped in on Russia's leaders for a "reset."

There is something slightly weird about all this activity. If the Obama team wanted to make a really significant break from past Bush policy, it would say it was not going to just talk with the world's worst strongmen but would give equal, public status to their democratic opposition groups. Instead, the baddest actors in the world get face time with Barack Obama, but their struggling opposition gets invisibility.

Stop Pretending: We know why the Left acts the way it does‏

Sent: Thu 10/01/09 2:55 PM To: henninger@wsj.com; WSJ Letters (wsj.ltrs@wsj.com)

Dear Mr. Henninger:

Love your column.

But, let's please stop pretending* we don't fully understand the behavior of the Left ("Obama, Dictators and Democrats").

The Left's goal is The Destruction of Western Civilization.

Just write that.

If you view every single behavior of the Left, it is always perfectly explained by presuming that goal. Only rare Leftists will admit destroying Western Civilization is their goal....because it doesn't serve the goal to say so!

If you make that presumption, it is as if an exceedlingly complex key finally fits the lock to perfection, and the door is open to the perfect understanding of Leftism.

Classic Example: Why are the Left and Islamofascists so often allies when the first thing Islamists want to do when in power is to kill Leftists?

Use the Key and Bingo!, an answer: Because they both first require the Destruction of Western Civilization before they can implement their respective Dystopias. Destroying Western Civilization is more important to Leftists than their own life; they'll take their chances with the Taliban if they can destroy Locke.

I'm tired of knowing conservative columnists not stating what is plainly before them, and what I believe they also know. So please: JUST WRITE IT.

Sincerely,

Uncle Miltie

*"Why is it not possible for President Obama or Secretary of State Clinton, having encouraged these aspirations, to speak publicly in their defense, rather than let democratic movements rise, fall and die?" It is entirely possible. But Democracy is a creation of Dead White Males, and Leftists will therefore always prefer any local despotism rather than state that they support their own cultural legacy.

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