Posted on 12/02/2008 6:27:22 AM PST by vietvet67
Barack Obama has been elected President. We were told there was an absolute need that we elect him. That more than his race, more than the historical significance of electing a black (and white) man as President of the United States, it was most important to elect Obama President for what it would mean to the rest of the world.
Right now the rest of the world absolutely loves Barack Obama. They see him as not only America's savior but also the worlds. Now that the "one we've been waiting for" is here, it might be a good time to look back to the last time American had that elusive moral high ground. When everyone loved our American President.
He was a fresh new face. He was young and attractive, he reminded people of JFK. He was hip, he played the sax, wore Ray-Ban sunglasses and inspired the youth to "rock the vote." He was an eloquent and smooth-talker, he would be everything to everyone. And of course he wore boxers.
He was supported by an adoring media, loved by the Hollywood elite, was a champion of minorities, excited the young and "hip" and had the respect of the leaders and people of many nations. The world and America were galvanized as they hoped for change. It was 1993 and Bill Clinton was President.
Yet while President, America was involved in conflict (the polite term for war) and suffered greatly from terrorism. How many remember the Bosnian War, when Clinton ordered military attacks on Serbia leaving hundreds of thousands of refugees and civilian deaths, captured US soldiers and a further strained relationship with Russia?
How many remember or admit that America and Americans were also attacked several times during Clinton's two terms of worldwide adoration? Al Qaeda orchestrated the bombing of The USS Cole and the bombing of two U.S. Embassies in Africa. The combined attacks resulted in thousands of deaths and casualties.
Clinton actually aggressively retaliated with a series of cruise missile strikes, one of which destroyed a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan that manufactured half the medication for humans and animals. The administration claimed it produced chemical weapons. An investigation later proved that claim to be false. There was no worldwide condemnation and Clinton was not villainized. That's one positive side effect when adored Presidents order military strikes.
Perhaps most ironically and conveniently forgotten was the fact that Clinton bombed Iraq -- citing among other dangers, the need to stop Saddam Hussein's pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. Seriously. In case you aren't paying attention, this was before George W. Bush was President, before "Bush lied, people died" and before anyone "voted for it before they voted against it."
The good news is that even bombing Iraq and pursuing the elusive weapons of mass destruction is excusable and buried in history when your President is so revered. The bad news is the world conveniently puts its head in the sand and the adored President hardly elicits an objection from his fans while far more nefarious attacks are planned.
Bill Clinton was the President in 1993 when the almost unthinkable occurred. America was attacked when the World Trade Center was bombed. It's important to understand that even though the terrorists failed in their ultimate goal of knocking down both towers, their intention was to do exactly that. If they succeeded we would be talking about 2/26/03 as the worst terrorist attacks in US history.
Even so, the terrorists who loved our President committed the first act of war on American soil since Pearl Harbor. The rest of the world, allegedly enamored with America and our President, yawned. Then the American loving terrorists spent another eight years plotting to do it again while we peacefully did little. The world approved.
With the well-liked Clinton in office, the gentler America still managed to be an enemy to far too many. Men, women and children were still being killed. Oddly, Europeans and the rest of the world have never been particularly upset when Americans die. The problem is when Americans protect or defend themselves - this offends them.
Neither do they care if the world really is any "safer," or if the usual nations sponsor and encourage terrorism, the usual regimes oppress their people, and the usual tyrants and dictators demand the death of certain people or countries. Contrary to the propaganda that a particular President causes these conditions if he is hated, the world is a consistently violent place regardless of the likeability of the President.
The world does not ask or expect that when our President is adored, our military neutered and our response to danger is inaction, that other nations cease their terrorist activities or that ruthless regimes become peaceful. Again the world does not care. What they do demand through their wagging fingers and lecturing condescension is that we become weaker and capitulate to the aggressors. Conveniently, this American pacifism will equal American deaths. This to some is the acceptable cost of being liked.
Those who believe that a weaker America would make for a more peaceful and tolerant world are naïve or dangerous, and probably a bit of both. Obama and the American people would do well to understand that when the rest of the world "loves us" and loves our President, people continue to die and the world remains violent. And when we elect a President largely because he is "liked" and then believe the world's approval of him will mean peace, it is not only foolish but also deadly.
America has its enemies regardless of its Presidents party affiliation. Some despise America and they don't care what color, race or religion generation after generation of Americans share. Our enemies don't care how "nice" the President is or how well liked he is.
They didn't ask party affiliation, political belief, or religious persuasion of any of the murdered on 9/11/01 when the hated George Bush was President. And they didn't care in the 1993 attack, when the loved Bill Clinton was President. If America is attacked during the Obama administration, I doubt they are going to be worried about hurting the loved ones feelings.
We don't know yet what type of conflict President Obama will face or when he will face it. What we do know is that being admired does not keep Americans safe, the world peaceful or war from starting.
This will be Obama's first lesson and the question he may end up asking of the world is: what value is being "liked" if your friends and enemies still hate you?
Every country needs an affirmative action President, at least once, if for no other reason than to demonstrate how bad that can be.
The real question is how far the MSM will go to protect the image of the Chosen One? How much spin and ‘doublethink’ can the media push down our throats to avoid admitting that the O Man is not qualified or capable of holding the office he attained based solely on perceptions and media hype?
The foreign press may turn on our incompetent adminstration long before the Americna press becomes honest. First time theres a global crisis, everyuone yells for Americna ot do something, and Barry is paralyzed like a deer in the headlights - surrounded by his cabinet of leftists and thousands of “advisers” who almost universally show past tracks record of grand failure in their assessments and efforts to make policy.
Let’s hope the internet stays up, or invest in short wave radios to listen to free radio broadcasting from the 3rd world once known as europe.
Unqualified president with the media in his pocket.
Dangerous to us all.
It was like no one could figure out what that really meant, particularly not the newspaper guys.
The last time the World loved the U.S., the President was Woodrow Wilson. Wilson was snookered by his European buddies.
Germany fell in love with a leader one time. Look what happened.
The meaning of peace is the absence of opposition to socialism .-Karl Marx
Great article!
And if Obama wasn’t elected we were told there would be riots as a consequence.
Whats a voter to do? Vote for a scary candidate, or vote for a scary post election? We ended up with both anyhow and not one building was torched.
The ‘world’ loves America when they put their hand out (always) and Americans put something in it-otherwise, forget it!
***The last time the World loved the U.S., the President was Woodrow Wilson. Wilson was snookered by his European buddies.***
Remember, he was re elected on the platform of “He Kept Us Out Of War!”
“I did -n’t raise my boy to be a sol - dier,
I brought him up to be my pride and joy.____
Who dares to place a mus - ket on his shoul - der
to shoot some oth - er moth -er’s dar - ling boy?”
It worked, didn’t it! Ok, Sarc/off
Interesting. That is also the Muslim definition of peace.
Not really. Anything we give is expected. The usual response to such a gift is, "Why aren't you giving more?"
While having breakfast at the hotel I overheard a middle-aged white man in a business suit tell his companion, "Once Barack Obama becomes President there will be no more terrorism around the world."
His female companion agreed, and added "And the stock markets will quickly recover when Barack is President."
The faith of a true progressive is truly amazing.
Glad I didn't here this. I would have started laughing uncontrollably...
yep
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