Curse of Cassandra

     In yesterday’s post I analyzed what has turned out to be Mr Obama’s considerable and consistent failures in the area of foreign policy.

I should have waited one more day.

The Obama Administration has made it clear that it intends to take no active stand on the horrific events unfolding in Syria until after November’s election.  The only caveat to that position was that Mr Obama might be forced to reevaluate that position should the Assad regime employ chemical weapons in the persistent air strikes that it rains down upon rebel cities.

Meanwhile, in a television interview released today, President Bashar al-Assad stated that he needed more time to “win the battle” against rebel forces.  To aid in Assad’s efforts, our good friends in Iran have, according to a report in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, sent in hundreds of soldiers and commanders from Iran’s crack Revolutionary Guard to help Assad crush the rebel uprising.  Unlike Mr Obama, the Ayatollah understands the strategic significance of Syria as Iran’s only ally in the Middle East and a direct connection to the Lebanese branch of Hezbollah.

Thus, for his own political ends, Mr Obama has elected to sacrifice both innocent lives as well as the future stability of the Middle East.

Contrast this with France’s new socialist President François Hollande who has decided to take the lead in publically announcing that he would “recognize the provisional government of Syria once it is formed.”  According to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal, “ ‘Bashar Assad must go,’ Mr. Hollande told French ambassadors on Monday. ‘There is no political solution with him. He constitutes a threat, he continues to massacre a population with unprecedented violence, to destroy cities and cause the deaths of women and children.’   This, he added, is ‘unbearable for the conscience of humanity’ and ‘unacceptable for the security and stability of the region.’ ”

In times of such crises, a responsible president should follow Thomas Paine’s advice that his choices are only to “Lead, follow, or get out of the way.”  Sadly, this president has chosen to grant comfort to our enemies.

© Richard L Wise and RLWise.wordpress.com 2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Richard L Wise and RLWise.wordpress.com with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.