Obama's Successful Foreign Failure; The president may look incompetent on Syria. But his behavior fits his strategy to weaken America abroad.

I need to get this published before Rush Limbaugh brings it up when his Monday show goes on. TD

NORMAN PODHORETZ  "The key to understanding what Mr. Obama has pulled off is the astonishing statement he made in the week before being elected president: "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America." To those of us who took this declaration seriously, it meant that Mr. Obama really was the left-wing radical he seemed to be, given his associations with the likes of the anti-American preacher Jeremiah Wright and the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers, not to mention the intellectual influence over him of Saul Alinsky, the original "community organizer.' "
....
Mr. Podhoretz drives home his point with this:
"But foreign policy was another matter. As a left-wing radical, Mr. Obama believed that the United States had almost always been a retrograde and destructive force in world affairs. Accordingly, the fundamental transformation he wished to achieve here was to reduce the country's power and influence."

The Historic Christian Town Of Maaloula, Syria, Now Under Control Of Islamists

Syria: Christian Towns Are Being Emptied By Islamist Savagery

Weasel Zippers  "Here is a video and pictures of some of the beauty and special nature of Maaloula, a town where Christians and Muslims have lived in piece for hundreds of years-until al-Qaeda arrived."  

 

 

Now we only wait to see what the Islamists will do to this beautiful statue of Mary.

Syrian Christian towns emptied by jihad violence "The headline over at The Telegraph blares, "Syrian Christian towns emptied by sectarian violence." Sharia-compliant headlines. Muslims are slaughtering Christians. That is what is happening.  It is not sectarian violence. It is jihad. It is Islamic supremacism."

 

Syrian Rebels Retake Christian Village  "Breitbart News has previously reported that the Free Syrian Army posted videos of themselves attacking the city just one day after Sec. of State Kerry called them 'moderate' in a Senate hearing. One video shows the FSA shouting 'Allahu Akbar!’ as they open fire in the Christian village." 

 

Benghazi Whistleblower: I’ve Been ‘Punished’ for Speaking Out

NRO  

"Gregory Hicks, the former deputy chief of mission in Libya who testified before Congress about the 9/11 attacks on an American diplomatic facility earlier this year, believes he has been “punished” for speaking out about the Obama administration’s response the night of the attack. He said he believes at least two of the Americans lost that night could have been saved if the United States had responded in time."

Collapse of American Influence Recalls Dis-Integration of Soviet Union, Fall of France

We have noted the failure of Jimmy Carter, but Mr. Black sees much more significant negative consequences coming from the Obama administration.
But a silly electorate will choose inferior leaders and one has only to look at the parade of mediocrity among Democrat supporters such as those interviewed by man-in-the-street reporters about the recent elections.
From Hollywood, we have counsel from the likes of Russell Brand,( who was applauded by his peers) as well as a horde of other celebrities, David Letterman being one such. Political figures in the Democrat support base include-but are not limited to - Al Sharpton, Nancy Pelosi, any "#occupier" and, well, you can name many others.
All this to speak of the fact that a nation gets the government it deserves. The Tunnel Dweller

Conrad Black;  "Not since the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991, and prior to that the fall of France in 1940, has there been so swift an erosion of the world influence of a Great Power as we are witnessing with the United States."
....
The problem as Mr. Black sees it:
What we are witnessing now in the United States, by contrast, is just the backwash of inept policy-making in Washington, and nothing that could not eventually be put right. But for this administration to redeem its credibility now would require a change of direction and method so radical it would be the national equivalent of the comeback of Lazarus: a miraculous revolution in the condition of an individual (President Obama), and a comparable metamorphosis (or a comprehensive replacement) of the astonishingly implausible claque around him.
....
And part of the solution, according to Black:
"What American will need in 2016 is a new president who enunciates a clear policy: foreign intervention only to prevent genocide, to avenge extreme provocations, or to preserve world peace, and in accord with constitutional and international law."
 Via Drudge.

Related: When Will Samantha Power Take Responsibility for Syria?   "One of the luxuries of being a new administration appointee is being able to duck blame, politely or otherwise, for the mistakes of your predecessor. On Syria, new UN Ambassador Samantha Power does not have that luxury. Yet she continues to act as if she bears none of the responsibility for the acute crisis now facing the Obama administration and the world in Syria."

Follow-up: Two enemies discover a 'higher call' in battle

The following is a follow-up to this Tunnel Wall post on March 14, 2013:
German pilot in WWII spared an American B-17 pilot over Germany only to reunite 40 years later and become fishing buddies

German pilot in WWII spared an American B-17 pilot over Germany only to reunite 40 years later and become fishing buddies

Charles Brown, with his wife, Jackie (left),
 found peace after his reunion with
Franz Stigler, with his wife, Hiya.

Two enemies discover a 'higher call' in battle   "Five days before Christmas 1943, a helpless American bomber pilot locked eyes with a German fighter pilot over the frozen skies of Europe. The German pilot spared the life of the American, and both men would reunite and become friends 50 years later. Franz Stigler and Charles Brown started the war as enemies, but during a tense wartime encounter, both men discovered a higher call."....

From the UK Mail; Honour in the skies: The day a chivalrous German flying ace saluted a crippled US bomber and let them fly to safety instead of shooting them down

 

THE CREW SAVED BY FRANZ STIGLER'S HONOUR

Back Row (l-r)  S/Sgt Bertrand O.Coulombe - Engineer/Top Turret Gunner; Sgt Alex Yelesanko - Left

 Waist; Sgt Richard A. Pechout - Radio Operator; Sgt Lloyd H. Jennings - Right Waist; S/Sgt Hugh S. Eckenrode - Tail Gunner(killed); Sgt Samuel W. Blackford - Ball Turret
(Kneeling) 2nd Lt Charles L. Brown - Pilot; 2nd Lt Spencer G. Luke - Co-Pilot; 2nd Lt Albert Sadok - Navigator;   2nd Lt Robert M. Andrews - Bombardier

A Dog, a Deer, and a Ball

Wimp.com 

Hat tip to Ivy Meadors on Facebook

Alan Caruba; The Curse of Liberalism

Warning Signs   “ 'Liberalism has become an ugly blend of sanctimony, self-interest, and social connections,” writes Fred Seigel whose credentials include being a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute. He has written “The Revolt Against the Masses: How Liberalism Has Undermined the Middle Class”, but you won’t be able to read it until it is published in January. As a reviewer, I received an advance copy from Encounter Books."
....

What distinguishes liberalism today in the minds of conservatives is its rejection of the utter failure of communism and its cousin, socialism.

 http://www.teapartycommunity.com/index.php?do=/pages/188/

More discussion on the Syrian question

Charles Krauthammer: Unless he’s serious, vote no

Sen. Bob Corker: “What is it you’re seeking?”

        Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: “I can’t     
        answer that, what we’re seeking.”

"We have a problem. The president proposes attacking Syria, and his top military officer cannot tell you the objective. Does the commander in chief know his own objective? Why, yes. “A shot across the bow,” explained Barack Obama.
"Now, a shot across the bow is a warning. Its purpose is to say: Cease and desist, or the next shot will sink you. But Obama has already told the world — and Bashar al-Assad in particular — that there will be no next shot."....

Cantor: America has a compelling national security interest  "Frankly, two years of mixed signals from the Obama administration, misplaced focus and a routine lack of outreach to members of Congress have fueled pessimism in this mission. I share that frustration. But it’s not just the president’s credibility that is on the line; it is America’s leadership in a troubled world that is in question."
I believe Rep. Cantor is saying the same thing as Mr. Krauthammer, but in a gentler tone.

CNN Exclusive: Videos show glimpse into evidence for Syria intervention  "While the videos are hard to watch, they do not prove who is responsible for the attack, nor do they provide an answer for whether military strikes are the correct course."
Each time I have linked to an argument purporting to say we should intervene, the article backs away from giving support to that course of action. TD

What are the odds of a U.S. strike against Syria? 15 key questions answered  "There are so many moving parts to this complicated story that it can become quite difficult to keep up.
"Let this Q and A bring you up to speed on the dizzying developments."

Amazing video claims to show rebels using chemical weapons

"This may well be propaganda as it came from  European Jewish Congress

"Alternatively, the rebels have admitted as much so who really knows?

"It should be very clear to anyone who follows this site that Muslims are indiscriminate inborn killers."

Anti-War Celebrities Call Out Barack Obama! It’s Getting Nasty!  "Then there was Joe Biden’s 2007 TV interview: “The president has no constitutional authority … to take this nation to war … unless we’re attacked or unless there is proof we are about to be attacked.  And if he does, if he does, I would move to impeach him.” "

Some soldiers embarrassed to be associated with the amateurism of the Obama administration

Team of nitwits scrutinized  "New York Times reporter Mark Landler scrutinizes the photos of Obama’s war council, as he calls it, deliberating over Syria in recent."

 

So they go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, all-powerful to be impotent.

 

Winston Churchill in 1936, on the feckless national leaders who sat idly while Hitler rearmed.

 

Victor Davis Hanson; If It Wasn't Syria, It Would Have Been Something Else

NATIONAL REVIEW ONLINE  "It is very possible that the president will not obtain a join authorization to bomb Syria; if he chooses to go ahead and attack anyway, Obama will incite a constitutional crisis—the first time in history that a president has decided to go to war against the declared wishes of Congress. The public and the courts will adjudicate the legality of that act, and it would be contentious.
"So the corner that Obama has painted himself into is now inescapable."....

 

His inclination is to damn straw men, blame others for his self-inflicted errors, and spike the ball when he should keep quiet and become modest (cf. the bin Laden raid). So in Syria we heard the same old, same old: A host of bad guys, here and abroad, wants to do nothing. Obama alone has the vision and moral compass to restore global and U.S. credibility through his eloquence; but the world disappointed him and is now at fault for establishing red lines that it won’t enforce: He came into the world to save the world, but the world rejected him.

Bob Woodward: The inside story of how Obama and Boehner negotiate

WaPo  "House Speaker John Boehner has promised “a whale of a fight.” Some Democrats are warning that the GOP could sink the economy. And so begins another budget showdown. How it ends — and whether the U.S. government can avoid a shutdown and a default — may hinge on whether the two principal combatants, Boehner and President Obama, can figure out a way to work together.
"Their history shows that may not be possible. Based on interviews with key White House and congressional aides, meeting notes, and budget documents, here is a detailed, often verbatim account of the two leaders’ negotiations and conversations last time — during the dramatic “fiscal cliff” face-off of late 2012."
Bob Woodward is an associate editor of The Washington Post and the author, most recently, of “The Price of Politics.” This essay is adapted from a new afterword to the book’s paperback edition, coming out this month.

Michelle Obama's Epic Eye Roll at John Boehner

The Blind Leading the Gullible…

http://liberallogic101.com/?p=2723

Ed Asner Explains Hollywood Silence on Obama, Syria: They 'Don't Want to Feel Anti-Black'

Hollywood Reporter   "Don't look for Iraq War-style protests, says the liberal activist, who -- like "M*A*S*H" star Mike Farrell -- opposes military action."

"In 2003, ahead of a U.S. attack on Iraq, a robust anti-war movement in Hollywood included a TV commercial starring Martin Sheen and Sean Penn visiting Baghdad. There were online petitions signed by Ed Asner; letters to President George W. Bush pleading for peace were signed by Matt Damon, Tim Robbins, Barbra Streisand and Alec Baldwin; former M*A*S*H star Mike Farrell...."

"The good news for President Barack Obama as he considers a military response against Syria for using chemical weapons against rebels is that he probably won't have to deal with a similar anti-war movement from Hollywood. But that's not because there isn't opposition."....

Case in point: Obama Mega-Donor Bill Maher Blames GOP Opposition To Syria On Racism…