Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Obama, and Iran's perception of him

Victor Davis Hanson:  Iran 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0    "At no point did candidate Obama stop to consider that the Iranians could view his loud politicking and opportunistic criticism of Bush’s hostility toward Iran — identical to standard US bipartisan policy under at least the four prior presidents — as weakness to be manipulated rather than magnanimity to be appreciated."
...."Due to Obama’s hostility toward Israel, the United States now has far less knowledge about, and influence with, the Israeli military. And the long-appeased Iranian theocracy is now more likely to miscalculate, thinking either that the confused Obama administration won’t stop it, or that any American attempt to stop it would be only half-hearted."
In other words, liberal pacifism kills people.


Bruce Thornton:  Obama’s Assault on America’s Prestige   "Power is not just about material resources, but also the perceptions of others that power will be used, a perception that works as a force multiplier. As Vergil says in the Aeneid, “They have power because they seem to have power.” "
....
"In short, thanks to Obama’s foreign policy, our enemies and rivals do not believe that we will vigorously defend our interests and citizens. We have the most lethal military power in the history of the world, but we lack the prestige based on the certainty of friend and foe alike that we will use that power to protect our friends and punish our enemies. Great powers decline for many reasons, but losing respect for their power is surely one of them."
http://www.mideasttruth.com/cartoons.html

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