Posted on 03/27/2009 3:59:45 AM PDT by Kaslin
One of President Obama's signature boasts was that his election would, to use his term, "reboot" America's image in the world. Addressing thousands of Germans last summer, Obama said, "In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world rather than a force to help make it right has become all too common." His election, he promised, would transform America's global image.
it the president, the Congress, or some unknown people who pull the strings?" Khamenei further suggested that some American leaders have "demanded that our great and honorable nation be wiped out." President Obama might want to begin this "honest" dialogue by pointing out that it was Khamenei who spoke to a crowd chanting "Death to America." We don't do that sort of thing. In fact, they chant "Death to America" when their national soccer team scores a goal or when they've particularly enjoyed a concert. Their kids learn it in school -- rather as ours learn the Pledge of Allegiance. No American leader has ever called for Iran to be wiped out. But Iran's president has a little list of nations he threatens with genocide on a regular basis. The list consists of Israel, with the U.S. getting honorable mention from time to time.
President Obama wasn't fazed by Khamenei's response. At his news conference on March 24, he cited the Iranian reaction as a reason to be "persistent."
The new dawn for relations with Europe is slow to materialize, too. There was that unfortunate business with the prime minister of Great Britain, in which the president's team seemed unaware that Britain enjoys special status as primo inter pares of American allies. After British officials expressed dismay about the cool reception their leader received by the White House (and the tacky gift of DVDs), an unnamed administration official reportedly chided the British saying: "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment."
Nor is the new administration making a hit with the current president of the European Union. Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek told the European Parliament that President Obama's economic policies represent "the road to Hell. ... Americans will need liquidity to finance all their measures and they will balance this with the sale of their bonds but this will undermine the liquidity of the global financial market. ... We need to read the history books and the lessons of history and the biggest success of the EU is the refusal to go this way." Other European leaders have pointedly declined President Obama's invitation to bankrupt their treasuries with deficit spending.
Secretary of State Clinton presented a cutesy "reset" button to the Russian ambassador. But apparently the State Department had gotten the Russian word wrong. Instead of "reset" it said "overcharge."
The North Koreans seem ready to launch a new long-range missile. And the Chinese, according to the Washington Post, have "the most active land-based ballistic and cruise missile program in the world." Recession notwithstanding, China is very aggressively increasing its military spending. Even by China's acknowledged account, military spending has increased 18 percent in the past year. But the Pentagon estimates that China spent twice as much -- between $105 billion and $150 billion on its military in 2008. In addition to missiles, China is pouring money into cyber warfare, a fleet of attack submarines, research and development on aircraft carriers, and a naval base on the southern island of Hainan, which would give the Chinese navy "direct access to vital international sea lanes ..." all while speculating about replacing the dollar as the world's reserve currency.
Perhaps we misunderstood Obama. Maybe instead of a reboot, we're just getting the boot.
Who wants the world to like us? It would be far more benefit to us if the world feared everything we do and stand for.
We have a regime of idiots.
Indeed we do
I believe most of the hatred of America was, and is ,a figment of the Media’s imagination, and was usd to get Obama elected.
The world will soon discover that a strong United States is so much better than a United States with an illegitimate wuss in charge.
Well, he should get the state department geniuses to make him a big red ‘reboot’ button that says on it (in English) “Reeboutte”
Just like his domestic policy, 0be is pushing the “overcharge” button on the rest of the world.
"Look at you... you used to be so cocky. You were going to go out and conquer the world. You once called me a warped, frustrated old man. What are you but a warped, frustrated young man? A miserable little clerk President... crawling in here on your hands and knees and begging for help."
The grown-ups already know this. They recall the fact that during the "human rights" years of the Carter administration a nation fell to communist tyranny once every four months, on the average, the whole sorry four years.
The real problem is how easy it is to manipulate Obama and his apologists. We lose a foreign affairs engagement, he makes a pretty speech, and all the media begin chirping simultaneously what a great job he’s doing. And that, in this era of permanent campaign, is all he’s really after.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.