Posted on 05/21/2017 10:24:27 PM PDT by blueplum
Let’s play “One of these things is not like the other one.” Compare, if you will, Barack Obama’s 2009 speech in Cairo to the Muslim world with Donald Trump’s speech today in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
There was some overlap: both indulged heartily in the usual political boilerplate and délicatesse: honored to be here, working together, Islam’s great contribution to culture, how splendid is the Middle East, terrorism is not coterminous with Islam, etc., etc.
But that’s where the similarity ended. Trump’s speech was a forthright, America First, speech, Obama’s an accommodationist’s dream.
{snip} Trump’s speech—and, again, his entire performance—struck me as (if I may employ an archaic word that is probably forbidden on most college campuses) manly. {snip} Bottom line: Obama went to Cairo to apologize for America and hope for world peace. Trump went to Riyadh to champion America and extend an offer to work together for world peace.
(Excerpt) Read more at pjmedia.com ...
Also President Trump was not on an American apology tour like obama was. He is dealing from strength.
Seeing Trump standing before he went in, his body language screamed power. He had the look of confidence. The look of kicking a$$ and taking names.
Would Obama, Jeb or George Bush, or Hillary ever said he represented Americans, especially on foreign soil?
“Islam’s great contribution to culture, how splendid is the Middle East, terrorism is not coterminous with Islam, etc., etc.”
I don’t dismiss these things so cavalierly.
Why the hell was Trump’s first foreign trip and speech one that was to an Islamic country, like Obama, and one that talked up how Islam is great and has nothing to do with terrorism, like Obama.
Of course Trump is not a craven sycophant anti-American like Obama.
But this is the same thing and it’s weird.
Read the whole speech. He tells it how it is. He’s trying to make friends and create partnerships to accomplish what is needed but he doesn’t hold back from telling it how it is.
Islam’s great contribution to culture, how splendid is the Middle East, terrorism is not coterminous with Islam, etc., etc.bkmk
“He’s trying to make friends and create partnerships to accomplish what is needed”
So was Bush and so was Obama.
“...but he doesn’t hold back from telling it how it is.”
What? That Islam has nothing to do with terrorism?
All I’m saying is this is establishment all the way. No change in placating and flattering Islamic power brokers.
“Saudi Arabia is home to the holiest sites in one of the world’s great faiths. Each year millions of Muslims come from around the world to Saudi Arabia to take part in the Hajj. In addition to ancient wonders, this country is also home to modern ones—including soaring achievements in architecture.
Egypt was a thriving center of learning and achievement thousands of years before other parts of the world. The wonders of Giza, Luxor and Alexandria are proud monuments to that ancient heritage.”
Obama couldn’t have said it better.
Do you believe the following:
“This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects, or different civilizations.
This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life, and decent people of all religions who seek to protect it.”
Hogwash
it’s not the same thing!
Did you even listen to or read the speech.....I think not
Talibama had every reason to apologize, but not for our country.
did you catch the entire speech?
Of course, there is still much work to do. That means honestly confronting the crisis of Islamist extremism and the Islamist terror groups it inspires. And it means standing together against the murder of innocent Muslims, the oppression of women, the persecution of Jews, and the slaughter of Christians.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3554007/posts
Islamist. Not Islamic or Muslim.
Because subtlety and guile have places in foreign policy too.
Trump came with both praise and admonishments.
potatO potAto
why would he say ‘muslim’ when he’s standing in a room full of muslims?
First, I disagree with your premises. I did not hear him saying anything quite as stark or as drastic as what you claim. He said this was a struggle between good and evil and not a clash of civilizations or religions (because, after all, there are tremendous numbers of Muslims fighting and being killed by Muslim terrorists right now). He did not claim that what he called “Islamic terror” has “nothing to do” with Islam. It can still spring from aspects of Islam, without encompassing all of Islam or the tenets of Islam that he is encouraging Muslims to embrace. This is an important distinction.
Secondly, even if he had said that, Trump made it very clear during the campaign that he wants ISIS obliterated from the face of the map. Saudi Arabia has carried out more bombing raids against ISIS than any other country except for ours. ISIS is directly threatening Saudi leadership. They want them deposed from power to make way for their theocratic, international Islamic Caliphate. Trump knows the Saudis and the other countries they heavily influence can be lynch pins in our efforts to end ISIS as soon as possible. In a word, I think it’s very obvious why Trump has decided to make this is first foreign priority, and I applaud him for it.
Add to that, his often stated disgust with the Iran deal and desire to stand against Iran, and it’s doubly obvious why Saudi Arabia, the traditional enemy of Iran, was his first stop. I’m actually surprised that a novice like him has been able to play the geopolitical game as brilliantly as he has so far. And the rumors are that he even succeeded in getting Saudi Arabia to begin normalizing relations with Israel, a minor miracle.
Doing it this way Trump had a great opportunity to explain why it’s in the best interests of these Muslim leaders to root out the terrorists in their midst. Obama didn’t mention the words “terror,” “terrorists,” and “terrorism” one time. Trump in his tough, ballsy speech mentioned it over 30 times. He’s making it clear that the fight against terrorism is one of his very top priorities.
I thought I'd already mentioned this to you on another thread, but perhaps that was in response to someone else or you missed what I wrote, but Trump clearly said "Islamic terror in all its forms" when his pre-prepared speech indicated that he was supposed to say "Islamist terror groups." I believe that was the only place he deviated from the prepared speech (the transcript of which has been heavily reproduced), but deviate he did.
“but Trump clearly said “Islamic terror in all its forms” when his pre-prepared speech indicated that he was supposed to say “Islamist terror groups.””
You had not stated this to me, nor had I seen it.
I appreciate your telling me and I assume you’re accurate on this.
Thanks.
You must have just missed my post at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3554007/posts?page=40#40
It was on a different thread, but I had mentioned this to you at the end of that post. I watched the speech live, and he clearly said “Islamic terror.” John Roberts on Fox News said that this had become a point of contention since he deviated from the script. He said he asked some unnamed staffer about it, who claimed that Trump had just misspoken. But why would Trump change the rest of the phrase from “groups” to “in all its forms,” if he just mispronounced “Islamist” as “Islamic”? I think I’ll trust what Trump said over some staffer trying not to make waves.
I did miss it.
Or I dud not read the very last line.
No problem. I just saw the clip again, and Trump said, “Islamic terror of all kinds” (I had incorrectly remembered it as “Islamic terror in all its forms”). The thing is too he said the word “Islamists” before he added the part about “Islamic terror,” so the idea that he was just inadvertently confusing the two words like some presstitutes are saying doesn’t really make sense. If he could say “Islamist” once, why in the world couldn’t he say it the second time right afterwards, unless he chose not to? The published transcripts online should correct this.
I see too that the WaPo actually made this quote one of their headlines: Trump summons Muslim nations to confront ‘Islamic terror of all kinds’ (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-and-gulf-nations-agree-to-crack-down-on-terror-financing/2017/05/21/e1222b34-3dfd-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html?utm_term=.f7c02625e323).
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