The self-appointed king of all things has made clear he is displeased with the man democrats fear most– Scott Walker. Walker dared criticize Obama’s Iran deal and Obama has lashed out at Walker:
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker shouldn’t criticize the U.S.-led nuclear deal with Iran until he’s had more time to “bone up” on foreign policy, President Obama said in an interview with NPR released Tuesday morning.
Mr. Walker, a Republican and likely 2016 presidential candidate, has said he would undo this administration’s agreement with Iran on day one of his presidency. The preliminary Iran deal, struck last week, still must be finalized.
While it’s unclear whether the agreement ultimately will be cleared by Congress, Mr. Obama said it would be a grave mistake for the next president to walk it back, and the president used the issue to take another shot at Mr. Walker.
And then this:
“I am confident that any president who gets elected will be knowledgeable enough about foreign policy and knowledgeable enough about the traditions and precedents of presidential power that they won’t start calling into question the capacity of the executive branch of the United States to enter into agreements with other countries. If that starts being questioned, that’s going to be a problem for our friends and that’s going to embolden our enemies,” Mr. Obama said in the NPR interview, which was taped Monday at the White House.
“It would be a foolish approach to take,” the president continued. “And perhaps Mr. Walker, after he has taken some time to bone up on foreign policy, will feel the same way.”
Oh boy. Where do you start?
The first thing that comes to mind is Obama calling Bush “unpatriotic.” That established quite a tradition in itself.
“…traditions and precedents of Presidential power”?
Are you kidding me? This from the guy who promised to limit Presidential executive power? It sounds clearly as if Obama is warning Walker not to even think of messing with Obama’s decrees.
And speaking of precedent:
Obama plans first to undo policies set by Bush
2008: Obama vows to reverse Bush laws
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzgNf9iZ2Bo[/youtube]
Let’s have a look at the Obama foreign policy in the Middle East. What hasn’t Obama screwed up?
Iraq
Listen to the commanders on the ground, Obama was told. Don’t leave hastily, Obama was warned. He didn’t listen and he did abandon Iraq. Iraq was a success story and we know that from Obama himself:
“This strategy is grounded in a clear and achievable goal shared by the Iraqi people and the American people: an Iraq that is sovereign, stable, and self-reliant. To achieve that goal, we will work to promote an Iraqi government that is just, representative, and accountable, and that provides neither support nor safe-haven to terrorists.”
Today Iraq is a disaster.
ISIS is not the only U.S. enemy taking advantage of power vacuum Obama left in the region. So is Iran. A month ago, Iraqi leaders asked the United States to carry out air strikes against ISIS positions but were rebuffed by Obama. So the Iraqis have turned to Iran for help. This weekend, the brutal commander of Iran’s notorious Quds Force, Gen. Quasim Suleiman, flew to Baghdad to advise the Iraqis on the defense of Baghdad. This is the man who organized and funded the Shia militias in Iraq, and armed them with EFPs (explosively formed penetrators) — sophisticated armor-piercing roadside bombs that killed hundreds of U.S. troops. And, if you thought matters could not get any worse, the Wall Street Journal reports that Obama “is preparing to open direct talks with Iran on how the two longtime foes can counter the insurgents.” Yes, you read that right. Obama is planning to work with Iran to counter ISIS in Iraq. In other words, our troops may soon be providing air cover for the very Iranians who were killing them.
And Obama has sent troops back into Iraq.
Yemen
Yemen was a “model of success” just a few months ago. Since then, the government has fallen:
On Tuesday, Shiite insurgents overran Yemen’s presidential palace, posing a coup-style threat to current President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi. Should Hadi be pushed out, it’ll likely have broad consequences: Hadi had proven himself a loyal ally in the fight against al-Qaeda’s much-feared branch in Yemen, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
Not that long ago, Yemen was being painted in a different light. Flash back to the heady days of September 2014 (four months ago), and the war on terror in Yemen was being touted as a “success” in speeches by President Obama. Talking about the threat posed by the Islamic State, Obama pointed toward Yemen and Somalia as possible examples:
This counterterrorism campaign will be waged through a steady, relentless effort to take out [the Islamic State] wherever they exist, using our air power and our support for partner forces on the ground. This strategy of taking out terrorists who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years.
Libya
Obama wanted a head to mount on the wall and got one in Libya. Today Libya is a safe haven for terrorists, including Al Qaida.
The State Department’s latest report on global terrorism, released Wednesday, lists Libya as a terrorist safe-haven for the second year in a row.
“With a weak government possessing very few tools to exert control throughout its territory, Libya has become a terrorist safe haven and its transit routes are used by various terrorist groups, notably in the southwest and northeast,” says the 2013 Country Reports on Terrorism, released on Wednesday, April 30.
Iran
A reminder about Obama’s newest BFF’s in Iran:
Record Number of U.S. Troops Killed by Iranian Weapons
How Iran Is Killing U.S. Troops in Iraq
Iranian Weapons ‘Killing Our Troops’ in Iraq, U.S. Says
The weapons being shipped into Iraq from Iran include Explosively Formed Penetrators, or EFPs, which detonate and drive a slug of molten metal through armor. Iran is also providing rocket-boosted weapons, called Improvised Rocket Assisted Munitions, which often consist of propane tanks filled with explosive and strapped to 107mm rockets.
So how does one deal with someone who does that? If you’re Obama, you become their pal.
Can you remember way back when Obama promised us Iran would not get a nuke?
“I make an absolute commitment that we will do everything we need to do to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.”
That joined the trash pile of history, just like everything else Obama says.
“Let me ask you this, isn’t it true that even the deal that you are striving towards is not to eliminate any Iranian [nuclear] breakout capability, but to constrain the time in which you’ll get the notice of such breakout capability?” Sen. Robert Menendez (D., N.J.), a vocal critic of the White House’s dealings with Iran, asked Blinken during Wednesday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing. “Is that a fair statement, yes or no?”
“Yes, it is,” Blinken responded.
Scott Walker has a potential foreign policy path carved out for him. If Walker wants a foreign policy as successful as Obama’s foreign policy, Walker best spend his mornings watching ESPN and take up golf. Walker could not do any worse than Obama even if he tried.
Walker does know how to get under Obama’s skin. I like that.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.