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Iraq
"You're still a superpower,"
2014-09-12
h/t Instapundit
a top diplomat from one of America's most dependable Middle Eastern allies said to me in July of this year, "but you no longer know how to act like one."

He was reflecting on America's position in the world almost halfway into President Barack Obama's second term. Fresh in his mind was the extraordinary string of errors (schizophrenic Egypt policy, bipolar Syria policy), missteps (zero Libya post-intervention strategy, alienation of allies in the Middle East and elsewhere), scandals (spying on Americans, spying on friends), halfway measures (pinprick sanctions against Russia, lecture series to Central Americans on the border crisis), unfulfilled promises (Cairo speech, pivot to Asia), and outright policy failures (the double-down then get-out approach in Afghanistan, the shortsighted Iraq exit strategy).
Mr. Rothkopf writes,

"The problem is that in seeking to sidestep the pitfalls that plagued Bush, Obama has inadvertently created his own."

This is how you know Mr. Rothkopf is a true believer: Obama's problems were "inadvertent". I guess "unexpectedly" was already taken.

Mr. Rothkopf also writes,

"And, to be sure, Obama inherited many of his greatest challenges, some of the biggest beyond his control."

So it was always Bush's fault, but today it is beyond Obama's control...
Posted by:g(r)omgoru

#6  from the same "woman" that lied 5 times on national TV about the source of Benghazi attacks
Posted by: Frank G   2014-09-12 22:34  

#5  In one meeting, ["National Security Advisor" LOL Susan] Rice pressed the German delegation relentlessly for leadership within the European Union. The Germans sought more time and consultation with other EU member states, frustrating Rice to the point that she lost her cool and reportedly launched into a profanity-filled lecture that featured a rare diplomatic appearance of the word "motherfucker." Germany's national security advisor, Christoph Heusgen, was so angered that he told an American confidante it was the worst meeting of his professional life.

Class act.
Posted by: RandomJD   2014-09-12 21:58  

#4  Obama is our national insecurity.
Posted by: JohnQC   2014-09-12 10:57  

#3  The existing problems were obvious and he still wanted the job.

He is simply not the caliber of person needed to lead a country. He makes Carter look stoic by comparison.

I will be glad to see him leave the White House and only hope we will be offered better choices next time.
Posted by: bigjim-CA   2014-09-12 10:54  

#2  OUCH

When a Saudi or Egyptian diplomat says something like this, it is bound to leave a mark on someone.

The empty suit doesn't care. Kerry is lurching around chasing shadows with the Paleos, he is eviscerating the military, and he has our economy in a nosedive. Not a bad days work for a foreign agent with a deep cover identity.

Anyone ever wonder why the lefties jammed him down our throats? And continue to run cover for his complete incompetence?
Posted by: Bill Clinton   2014-09-12 10:27  

#1  We need a 'Captain Obvious' graphic...
Posted by: BrerRabbit   2014-09-12 09:02  

00:00