Liberals, a history-challenged faction

contemporaryworks

Barry Rubin:  If Obama Doesn’t Understand European History He Can’t Get America’s Future History Right
"It’s fine to have a president who doesn’t come from a European background personally or physically but not so good to have a president who doesn’t grasp the meaning of modern European history. That’s why they used to have those Western civilization courses required of every college student, a standard whose loss has been devastating in the production of credentialed ignoramuses  .

"And how is that narrative important? Here are three critical points:"...

Obama’s Insult to American Jews, the Same Day as His ‘Gaffe’ on Poland  "Now let us look at the first part of the president’s statement, about his claim that “he had so many Jewish friends in Chicago.” These “friends,” of course, were the kind of Jews that Peter Beinart praises for being the right kind of Jews who were critical of Israel, rather than the wrong kind that support Israel such as the members of AIPAC."...."And of course, his Jewish friends included the likes of Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, the latter who himself came from a very left-wing Jewish milieu." 

Nile Gardiner comments on the Polish gaffe  "Weasel words from the White House will do little however to calm Polish anger. After all, these were carefully scripted remarks by the president reading off a teleprompter." 

Speaking of Obama and Poland: President Obama Shuns Lech Walesa "He became president of Poland and swept in reforms, pushing the Soviet Union out of his homeland and moving the country toward a free-market economy and individual liberty. And President Obama doesn’t want him to set foot in the White House." 

Administration officials told the Journal that Walesa is too “political.” A man who was arrested by Soviet officials for dissenting against the government for being “political” is being shunned by the United States of America for the same reason 30 years later. 

Meanwhile, one of the recipients of the Medal was Dolores Huerta, the honorary chair of the Democratic Socialists of America. So socialist politics are acceptable, but not the politics of a man who stood up and fought socialism.

And this via Lucianne: A snub heard round the world.   "To me, none of this is a surprise. And it's also uniquely in line with the thinking of Obama's mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, a stalwart pro-Soviet, CPUSA member (card no. 47544), who, in his propaganda columns for Communist Party organs like the Chicago Star, defended Yalta and the Soviet takeover of Poland and other Eastern European countries. Davis attempted to argue that Stalin was creating "new democracies" in Poland and the Communist Bloc, and insisted that Eastern Europeans were welcoming the Soviets with open arms. He blasted U.S. policies like NATO and the Marshall Plan."

From Canada: The outrage in Poland over Obama’s passing remark is hard to exaggerate.  "Two non-Poles with close ties to the country have expressed the despair most Poles feel over an offense most people outside Poland would not even notice. Edward Lucas, international editor of The Economist, has a blog post here. David Frum, whose close friend Anne Applebaum is married to the Polish foreign minister, excoriates Obama here."

And this from Gazeta Wyborcza, Poland: Does Obama’s Golf Game Insult the Polish People?

College Makes Students More Liberal, but Not Smarter About Civics  "College graduates, whether it be current or graduated in the past, seem to have difficulty knowing basic things about our government and our history," Mr. Brake said. "Does college share all the blame? Of course not — this is a systemic problem, from K through 12 and all the way up. But universities train our teachers and train our leaders, so they play a role." "


Note to David Letterman: still think Obama is too competent  to make jokes about?