United States Global Leadership (Updated)

Victor Davis Hanson; Obama’s Ironic Foreign Policy 

... "The election of 2008 changed all that. Barack Obama certainly did not see any special relationship with either Britain or Israel in the fashion of past presidents. He grandly announced that, given his Hawaiian roots, he would be our first Pacific president, and promised a pivot of American attention toward Asia. (That pivot impressed the Chinese as much as the vaunted French army of the 1930s deterred Hitler.)

"Nor was Obama just talk. He almost immediately declared a total exit from Iraq and withdrawal dates from Afghanistan. In Libya, “leading from behind” outsourced leadership to Britain and France. Benghazi was our thanks for bombing Gadhafi out of power."

GlobalSecurity.org   "Global leadership is urgently needed. The United Nations is incapable of providing this, particularly since decisions in its core leadership, the Security Council, often pit the United States against Russia, China, or both. The only nation capable of providing the needed global leadership is the United States, but it is withdrawing from this role, becoming more of an ordinary state, no longer a state forcefully promoting freedom and democracy. At the same time that it needs it badly, the world is rejecting US leadership for several major, and even contradictory, reasons."
....
The author's opinion on the upshot of our present status is this:
"Most of all, the United States must assume a clear and principled global leadership position. No other nation is in a position to do this. Without leadership in a globalized world facing a daunting range of economic, environmental and political challenges, there can only be turmoil, continuing confrontations, and a steady decline in US prosperity."

The president quality of American leadership at home and around the world.

Our Bored President   "Valerie Jarrett, Obama´s Rasputin, unwittingly provided us an answer to the question of why the Obama Presidency is such a man-caused disaster. There are few people who are close to the notoriously insular Barack Obama (a former aide, Neera Tanden, said that "Obama doesn´t call anyone, and he´s not close to almost anyone. It´s stunning that he´s in politics, because he really doesn´t like people") but Valerie Jarrett is among the select few. They have been friends for decades; she introduced Barack to Michelle; she is a constant presence in the White House, and highly unusual for a White House aide, enjoys her own Secret Service protective detail.   And when she described Barack Obama as having been "bored to death his whole life" she helped explained what lies behind a failed presidency." More

Obama Turned Benghazi into Al Qaeda Terrorist Hub   "Obama justified his Libyan War to the American people by claiming that people of Benghazi were in danger from Gaddafi. After he succeeded in overthrowing Gaddafi, Benghazi reverted to its radical roots and became a city run by terrorist militias leading to the murder of four Americans."

These next articles should be taken together as a unit:
1. 2009: Obama cancels missile defence and changes transatlantic politics
"As America disarms, war with Russia and their Chinese, Iranian, communist and Islamic allies gets closer by the day. From MSNNZ: Poland and three Baltic states have voiced their alarm over plans by Russia to move nuclear-capable missiles close to their borders."

2. The allies America had in 2008 react to the news.  "President Barack Obama's decision to ... ballistic-missile defense shield in Central Europe -- drawing immediate cheers in Moscow and criticism elsewhere .
...."The U.S. about-face was a major diplomatic coup for Moscow, which has fiercely opposed the previous plan to put a battery of 10 ballistic missile interceptors in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic."
(Which Czechs opposed in 2009)

3. Russia Ups the Ante  "Poland and three Baltic states have voiced their alarm over plans by Russia to move nuclear-capable missiles close to their borders.
"War with Russia is inevitable – unless (a) America surrenders pre-emptively, or (b) America returns to sanity and the Reagan doctrine of “peace through security.”
"Repeat after me: “Russia is our friend… Russia is our friend… Russia is our friend….”

 

Promoting signs banning guns; everyone should carry one.

http://terrellaftermath.com/

 

Joe Biden would tell us, "Buy a "guns banned" sign. Buy a "guns banned" sign."

Ukraine: On the Edge of Empires

Crowds toppled a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin in the Ukrainian capital

and attacked it with hammers yesterday in the latest mass protests against President

Viktor Yanukovich and his plans for closer ties with Russia.

STRATFOR ... "My father lived on the edge until the Germans came in 1941 and swept everything before them, and then until the Soviets returned in 1944 and swept everything before them. He was one of tens of millions who lived or died on the edge, and perhaps nowhere was there as much suffering from living on the edge than in Ukraine. Ukraine was caught between Stalin and Hitler, between planned famines and outright slaughter, to be relieved only by the grinding misery of post-Stalin communism. No European country suffered as much in the 20th century as Ukraine. From 1914 until 1945, Ukraine was as close to hell as one can reach in this life."  Read more.
"Ukraine: On the Edge of Empires is republished with permission of Stratfor."

Viewpoint: Obama right to support Ukraine protesters   "Viewpoint: Los Angeles Times (excerpted):
"To its credit, the Obama administration has condemned the crackdown on demonstrators in Ukraine and is suggesting that further repression might lead to economic sanctions."
....
"That doesn't justify Russian interference in Ukraine's internal affairs or attempts to muscle it into joining a Russian-dominated trading bloc. But it does call for the sort of sophisticated response U.S. and European officials have shown in recent days, one that supports Ukraine's sovereignty, democratization and self-determination but doesn't ask that country to take sides in a new Cold War."
The above article refutes the opinion of former UN ambassador John Bolton, whose point of view is expressed in this next column after the video:

Lenin's statue comes down! Picture this happening on an American campus? I think not ,what with numerous Che-T-shirt-wearing students protecting it.

Ukraine's drama, Obama's weakness
... "Statesmen are responsible for seeing beyond today's issues to protect larger U.S. interests well into the future. And if America lacks such leaders, we face no higher priority than finding new ones, and quickly.
"Ukraine's turmoil shows why."  Full Article
Judith Miller is an author and a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter formerly with The New York Times. She also is an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of its magazine, City Journal.

Obama Snubs Ukraine; Ignores Russia Bullying  By Judith Miller in Newsmax.   ... "While the State Department has been promoting Ukraine’s integration with Europe, Commerce and the U.S. International Trade Commission are on the verge of taxing, and effectively banning steel pipes, one of Ukraine’s key imports to America, partly at the behest of a company owned by Russia.
"Critics say the conflicting policies by State and Commerce at this delicate juncture reflect strategic drift by President Obama. " ... More.
Judith Miller is an author and a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter formerly with The New York Times. She also is an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and a contributing editor of its magazine, City Journal.

Obamacare Disinformation Runs Deep

Jonah Goldberg; The “keep your plan” lie just scratches the surface of the deception.   ... "Most people know the first deception in the triumvirate of deceit: “If you like your health insurance you can keep it, period.” The second leg in the tripod of deception was “If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”

"But the third plank in the triad of disinformation hasn’t gotten much attention: Obamacare will save you, me, and the country a lot of money. This lie took several forms."

The Hillary Clinton conundrum

RedState.com  via Doug Ross Journal  "But if NBC and CNN knuckle under, what will Hillary have left?  Even more than the empty suit she aims to succeed, she has no resume of accomplishments at all.  She’s never achieved anything at all.  She was an unmitigated disaster as Secretary of State, her tenure noted primarily for its relentless efforts to squash investigations into various scandals.  She kicked things off by getting the Russian phrase for “reset button” wrong in a boneheaded publicity stunt, and wrapped things up with the deadly debacle of Benghazi.  She joined Obama in lying to the American people, and the families of the Benghazi dead, to keep Obama’s “al-Qaeda on the run” campaign narrative alive.  And here we are in August 2013, with the State Department on the run from al-Qaeda, as embassies across the world are shut down for a week thanks to elevated “chatter” from terrorist masterminds.  Hillary Clinton chattered a lot, too, but it most certainly did not frighten or impress anyone."

More on the selfies

 

http://legalinsurrection.com/2013/12/branco-cartoon-merry-me-mas/

 

The allegation was that the reaction was racist.  ... "From the ever-reliable Salon.com, The media’s Michelle Obama problem: What a selfie says about our biases

More than anything, the response to these latest images of Michelle Obama speaks volumes about the expectations placed on black women in the public eye and how a black women’s default emotional state is perceived as angry. The black woman is ever at the ready to aggressively defend her territory. She is making her disapproval known. She never gets to simply be...

Woodward: Budget deal succeeded because Obama wasn’t involved in it

Hot Air  "How did Paul Ryan and Patty Murray manage to cobble together a two-year budget agreement that got over 300 voted in the House?  Bob Woodward told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday that the formula was obvious — keep the White House, and especially Barack Obama, on the sidelines:" ... 

Obamacare Navigators

http://terrellaftermath.com/

A Potemkin village was phony, built only to make a false impression.

 

The Potemkin website  "Oppressive regimes throughout history have built cities of false facades meant to impress from afar, concealing the embarrassing condition of the places. In its quest to persuade Americans that Obamacare is working, the Obama administration has built the most expensive Potemkin website yet."  Read more. 

 From Legal Insurrection; Navigators gone wild  "Project Veritas caught Obamacare Navigators counseling applicants to lie on their applications, which is cheating the federal government, the American taxpayer, and the countless families who truly need quality health care.

....

"And what did we find? Watch the video ... 

"Even worse, we learned that many agencies will have access to your private records after you submit your application."

Tony Branco cartoon

 

BREAKING: New Report Says Obamacare Navigator Program Marred by Mismanagement, Confusion   "An advanced copy of the document obtained by Townhall raises a number of competency and security concerns. Below is a brief summary of its revelations and conclusions:" ...

Navigators Give Wrong Info, Encourage Fraud  " The Obama administration can’t be expected to punish these Navigators for doing what they want them to do."
 

Ex-ACORN operatives helping roll out ObamaCare   "The United Labor Unions Council Local 100, a New Orleans-based nonprofit, announced last month it would take part in a multi-state "navigator" drive to help people enroll in President Obama's health care plan. The labor council was established by ACORN founder Wade Rathke after his larger group was broken up amid scandal in 2009 and banned from receiving taxpayer funds."

From FreedomWorks:  Are You an ObamaCare Victim?   

... "Have you lost your coverage thanks to ObamaCare? Have you lost your job, or had your hours cut? If you’ve been negatively affected by ObamaCare, you need to share your story with your Congressmen right away."

10 Truly Incredible Guide Dogs That Will Melt Your Heart

"These dogs’ bravery and intelligence will leave you in awe."

Buzzfeed
"10. Jermaine, who acts as a guide dog for his blind brother, Jeffrey."

"Jermaine is not a trained guide dog, but he loyally looks after his blind brother, Jeffrey. Jermaine makes sure to maintain physical contact with Jeffrey in new places so he doesn’t get hurt. They also cuddle while they sleep. The two brothers are still up for adoption."

 

Update on the brothers:

Jeffrey and Jermaine Have a Home!    "Thank you to everyone who networked and contributed to this very happy ending! It was so fantastic hearing from across the world how much pets mean to their families. Jeffrey and Jermaine want to say thank you and please visit Operation Ava or your local shelter when you are looking to add a deserving pet to your family.  Share the love!!!"

 

How the West was lost by the selfie president

By Michael Goodwin in the NY Post

President Obama, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Denmark

 Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt pose for a selfie as

 Michelle Obama looks on.

 

... "It’s official — the government of the United States of Obama consists of boobs and bores and is led by a narcissist. It is no consolation that Great Britain joins us in racing to the bottom.
"President Obama’s flirting with Denmark’s prime minister would be shameful on any occasion. That it happened at the memorial for Nelson Mandela only adds to the embarrassment.
"But the “selfie” episode also symbolizes the greater global calamity of Western decline. With British prime minister David Cameron playing the role of Obama’s giggling wingman, the “look at me” moment confirms we have unserious leaders in a dangerously serious time. " ...

And how would you answer this?
... "Hitler’s greatest mistake was being born too soon. If he were on the march now, would there be will in Washington and London to stop him? Would there be an arsenal of democracy to save mankind from darkness?"







Obama's Syrian Flip Flop from the Coward-in-Chief  

Saudi Prince Criticizes Obama Administration, Citing Indecision in Mideast
... “ 'We’ve seen several red lines put forward by the president, which went along and became pinkish as time grew, and eventually ended up completely white,” said Prince Turki al-Faisal, the former intelligence chief of Saudi Arabia. “When that kind of assurance comes from a leader of a country like the United States, we expect him to stand by it.” He added, “There is an issue of confidence.' ”

Some historical photos

Roy O. and Walt Disney on the day they opened Disney Studios.

 

A different angle taken of "Tank Man," the man who stood against
a line of tanks in Tiananmen Square .
He is standing in the street between the tree trunk and the fleeing man.
You can see the tanks approaching from the right.

 

The London sky following a bombing and dogfight between British and German planes in 1940.

 

Martin Luther King, Jr removes a burned cross from his yard in 1960.

 The boy is his son.

 

Nagasaki , 20 minutes after the atomic bombing in 1945.

 

  

Disneyland employee cafeteria in 1961.

 

The construction of Disneyland .

 

 

The first McDonalds. - buy em by the bag ---- on the sign

 

 

Fourteen year-old Osama bin Laden. He's second from the right. -
bell bottom pants - pink car - expensive shops, nice threads,

About 24 people out smiling --- looking hip for the day

and not one woman has their face or head covered.

 

Speaking of Osama:  Grounded aircraft on September 11, 2001 await orders.

Photos courtesy of John Paul Curnutt, Madras, OR.