Posted on 01/04/2017 9:30:33 AM PST by Kaslin
Of all Barack Obama's costumes, the most ill-fitting is that of the hawk. The guise doesn't work for all sorts of ideological and historical reasons. Plus there's the fact that he's rushing to put on the outfit as he's heading out the door.
The new sanctions against Russia are fine with me on the merits, even if they are remarkably tardy and being sold in no small part for domestic, political reasons.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been undermining American interests for a long time now. From the annexation of Crimea and a shadow war in Ukraine to his unabashed support for the butcher Bashar Assad in Syria, Putin has given the Obama administration every excuse to punch back. But until last week, Obama's response had been to offer various and sundry diplomatic "off-ramps" and a little bit of tongue-lashing. General dovishness combined with the single-minded pursuit of a deal with Iran led Obama to insist that we should avoid "provoking" Russia.
The satirist who goes by the moniker "Iowahawk" cut to the chase on Twitter:
Russia invades Crimea: oh well
Russia shoots down airliner: mistakes happen
John Podesta falls for phishing scam: RESTART THE COLD WAR
Obama's volte-face should be seen in the larger context of his last-minute legacy-padding and his widely alleged desire to "box in" his successor. The president is preparing to spend the next few decades as a celebrity in liberal circles.
Creating national monuments in Utah and Nevada, banning offshore oil drilling in the Arctic and the Northeast, deleting the database of Muslim men at the Department of Homeland Security: All of these things will earn him toasts at all the right parties.
Despite a remarkable lack of evidence that the Russians "hacked" the election (as opposed to their more obvious complicity in the WikiLeaks shenanigans), the conviction that Hillary Clinton lost because of Putin's skulduggery is rapidly gelling into liberal conventional wisdom. These sanctions give Obama yet another useful talking point in retirement.
They're also having the desired effect on the Trump team, which for obvious reasons hates any suggestion that the Donald's election was less than legitimate.
But will they actually "box in" a President Trump? It seems unlikely.
Putin is cleverly not taking the bait, preferring to run out the clock on the Obama presidency. When Trump is sworn in three weeks from now, he will have more leverage over Putin thanks to Obama's bad-cop act. While it would be politically tricky to lift the sanctions immediately upon taking office, Trump has long vowed to improve relations with Russia. Having more bargaining chips for some grand "deal" -- whatever that might look like -- only improves his position. (Why he is so enamored with a U.S.-Russian romance is a deeper mystery to me.)
A similar dynamic is at play with Obama's execrable maneuver at the U.N. Security Council. The decision to clear the path for a resolution holding that the Western Wall is actually a Palestinian possession is a serious blow to our ally (and our honor) and proof that Obama's rhetorical support of Israel was always more about political necessity than personal conviction. Even as the move will please some -- though by no means all -- leftists on the party circuit, it is nevertheless a political gift to the two politicians Obama (probably) detests most: Bibi Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
For almost eight years, Netanyahu has argued domestically that Israel's deteriorating relationship with the United States isn't his fault, but Obama's. The president just settled that argument for him.
Meanwhile, the resolution helps Trump enormously. Simply by taking office while holding what once were conventionally pro-Israel positions, Trump can play the role of Israel's defender, both domestically and abroad. It is lamentable that support for Israel is now a partisan issue in America, but Obama ceded the winning side of the question to his Republican successor.
Much has been written about how Obama has left the Democratic Party and ideological allies in shambles by putting his perceived interests and ego ahead of everything else. As he leaves office, he has turned that domestic story into an international one too.
Knock it off
I'm assuming we have the technology so that Prez Trump can recover the missing data?
He knows he was never legitimate.
Obama is going out in the flush of a toilet.
Eight years of American history right down the crapper.
Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter. The last Democrat president who was concerned about the country and the integrity of the presidency was Harry Truman. After that the Democrats winning that office went into a rapid decline.
Obama Going Out in a Blaze of Self-interest
Don’t care as long as he just goes.
Johan is frequently confused. Here's a hint:
Starts w/ a "C" and ends w/ an "Hina"
Interesting. Goldberg describes violated US interests as Crimea, the very eastern edge of Ukraine and Syria. The only way those are American interests is if -everything- is a US interest.
I want someone to list the regions and nations which are not a critical US interests.
Assad is a butcher?
Wonder who has slaughtered more - Assad or the ‘rebels?’
“Despite a remarkable lack of evidence that the Russians “hacked” the election (as opposed to their more obvious complicity in the WikiLeaks shenanigans), “
Obvious, did I miss some breaking story?
All I have seen is accusations from the DNC, the MSM, Obama, Hillary, and McCain. I always believe the opposite of what they all say. This rule has never failed me.
He is continuing to act like the evil psycho narcissistic bastard he has been since he came to the $inate.
Hit the Road Jack Barack!
Assange has been very clear it was not the Russians.
Jonah is an establishment hack.
Don't forget Maine!!.....Roxanne Quimby (of “Ban Roxanne” fame) has used her stolen wealth to Brow beat and trash Mainers has recently bought herself a false “legacy” by bribing Obama himself......Interesting story when u dig into it...1st she stole Burts Bess...then she stole Maines heratige.... http://www.restore.org/Maine/nytimes_park.html ...
I disagree. JFK was the last democrat who did what was right for America. He loved our country and stood down the Soviet Union. He was what was called a "blue-dog democrat" in the Reagan era. That was when democrats weren't so leftist. He had his foibles, but I believe JFK to be a patriot. Then we got LBJ who made a mess of Viet Nam.
Of course he doesn't think he is, but facts are pointing to it.
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