Obama: Weak On North Korea

Our President is a foreign policy disaster. He is clueless, he has no experience, he's never run anything, he has no spine, and he is worse than useless in terms of leveraging American influence to protect American interests. Allow me to demonstrate.

In his first tour on an international stage, he has spent several days traveling around Europe and apologizing for America. There's no point in citing specific examples - he's apologized for every ill and evil in the world, saying that everything is our fault. I, for one, disagree. America is an exceptional nation, and has been right up until January 19th, 2009, when he took over. It may resume being an exceptional nation as soon as he leaves the White House...unless he does irreparable damage in the meantime. But I digress. When asked about this apology tour, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton suggested it wasn't a great idea:

His overall philosophy is that of America as nothing more than just another nation in a bigger world, and thus, every instance of America's leadership is something he feels the need to apologize for. We conservatives see things differently, which is why we so vehemently oppose most of what Obama stands for.

This anti-American philosophy colors everything Obama does, especially in policy decisions. I mentioned this yesterday, but it's an example that bears more examination. North Korea launched a test missile -- despite its violation of several U.N. sanctions, and world condemnation -- that could potentially be equipped with a nuclear warhead and could reach the United States. Obama sternly asked North Korea to follow the rules next time.

Wow, I'm sure they'll finally fall in line from that harsh scolding!

He is weak, and everyone knows it. He campaigned on focusing on the 'real war' in Afghanistan, and billed himself as a 'great uniter'. So, now that he has presented his case to his world peers, was he able to unite them and secure additional international support for his 'real war'? No:

Gordon Brown was the only one to offer substantial help. He offered to send several hundred extra British soldiers to provide security during the August election, but even that fell short of the thousands of combat troops that the US was hoping to prise from the Prime Minister.

Just two other allies made firm offers of troops. Belgium offered to send 35 military trainers and Spain offered 12. Mr Obama’s host, Nicolas Sarkozy, refused his request.

I guess they don't see him as being successful, either.

And that's the problem. No one considers Barack Obama as a serious player on the world stage at this point. He can't follow protocol in giving gifts, he's seen abroad as a big windbag, and he can't get allies to rally to his chosen cause. Although he's considered very popular, when it comes to the rubber meeting the road, he's an international joke with no influence, no credibility, and no strength.

And that's the danger: when evil men see weakness, they strike.

And Obama's weakness is being revealed on a daily basis. He pledged to gut the American military, and he's now carrying through. Remember:

He has slashed the DoD budget. He is ending programs that are proven to be extremely effective, like the F-22 Raptor, the most effective and successful fighter aircraft ever to fly. He is rolling back the missile defense shield, which is rapidly becoming the most critical defense system in our arsenal, as the likes of Iran and North Korea continue nuclear ballistic missile development. He is pledging to disarm America's nuclear arsenal and seems content to believe that our enemies will follow suit.

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich put it mildly when he said Obama presents America with significant danger:

Gingrich also called the administration’s response to the North Korean missile launch a “vivid demonstration of weakness in foreign policy.” He said Obama’s proposals for a resumption of nuclear arms limitation talks reflected “a dangerous fantasy that runs an enormous risk. ... Not since Jimmy Carter have we had an administration this out of touch with reality.”

“Dick Cheney is clearly right in saying that between the court decisions about terrorists and the administration actions, the United States is running greater risks of getting attacked than we were under President Bush.”

A bipartisan call has gone out from the Senate asking Obama to reconsider his cuts of the missile defense shield. When even Democrats get nervous about disarmament, you know it's serious!

In a different interview, Gingrich expounds on Obama's foreign policy weaknesses:

Barack Obama presents the biggest danger to our nation because he is naive, inexperienced, and clueless when it comes to foreign policy. He's never done anything significant before running for President. He voted 'present' hundreds of times in the Illinois Senate, with no major bills to his name (the ones that did have his name were usually the work of someone else, and he signed on right at the end). He didn't sponsor any significant legislation in the U.S. Senate (other than the Global Poverty Act, which was essentially a tax on being an American citizen). He never ran a business. Most of his campaigns were ones in which his opponent dropped out after having private dirt released publicly. The left-wing media hacks drooled over his every word throughout his presidential campaign, so he coasted there, too.

The point is: he's never had to work for anything. He doesn't know how. Throughout his public career, he's gotten everything he wanted simply by being a good orator and charismatic leader. Well, guess what? Putin, Ahmadinejad, and Kim Jong Il don't give a damn about oration or charisma. He speaks sternly to Putin, and then removes missile defense shields from our allies in Eastern Europe. He grovels for an audience with Ahmadinejad, who demands the U.S. capitulate to certain terms before the talks can begin. He offers a strongly-worded warning to Kim Jong Il, who laughs in his face and launches a missile anyway.

This is the danger that Obama presents to America: he is weak. Our enemies know it because they disregard him. Our allies know it because they don't flock to his banner when he asks for help. Tragically, the American people who voted Obama into power will one day know it, too, when mushroom clouds or chemical weapons plumes blossom over American cities.

There's my two cents.