« The Obama effect: U.S. enemies seeing weakness | Main | The Obama effect: U.S. enemies seeing weakness »

June 16, 2009

The Obama effect: U.S. enemies seeing weakness

Topics: Political News and commentaries

As Ralph Peters notes, that "Cairo effect" announced by the White House (actually suggestested by MSNBC's Obama affectionados Chuck Todd, Mark Murray, and Domenico Montanaro) just might have been announced a tad prematurely. The real "Obama effect" is that our enemies are seeing weakness. Take for example, Iran:

IT must have been the viewing angle: The despots who run Iran somehow missed the halo gracing President Obama during his recent sermon to the Muslim world.

The ruling mullahs' contemptuous handling of Iran's presidential election was their response to "the Cairo effect" announced a tad prematurely by the White House.

Our president's public flagellation of America only emboldened the junta in Tehran -- leaving Iran's power brokers more defiant, determined and dismissive than they've been in years.

And the strongest response Obama can muster to the blood in Tehran's streets is: "I am deeply troubled by the violence that I've been seeing on television." How bold, how manly, how inspiring

Of course Peters isn't the only one that points to Obama signaling weakness to our enemies. Obama's signals have occurred well before the Cairo speech, and not only in his speeches - but also in the form of actions he has taken to dismantle our national defense. As Frank Gaffney commented in The Washington Times, retrenchments in our defense are perceived as exploitable openings by our enemies:

President Obama's stewardship of the national security portfolio to date amounts to a wrecking operation, a set of policies he must understand will not only weaken the United States but embolden our foes. After all, the communist agitator Saul Alinsky, a formative influence in Mr. Obama's early years as a "community organizer," made the following Rule No. 1 in his 1971 book "Rules for Radicals" -- "Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have."

According to this logic, the various steps Mr. Obama is taking with respect to the armed forces, the foreign battlefields in which they are engaged, our allies as well as our adversaries will not only diminish our power. They will encourage our enemies to perceive us as less powerful - with ominous implications.

Whether it be his speeches and outreach to Muslims or his dismantling of our national defense, the question America faces is the extent of permanent damage Obama's weakening of America's defenses and "public flagellation of America" will cause.

Related:
What Weakness Breeds . .
Opinion: Obama's Muslim Outreach Has Dangerous Implications
Obama: Peace through weakness

Posted by Richard at June 16, 2009 6:52 AM

Articles Related to Political News and commentaries:

• The Obama effect: U.S. enemies seeing weakness - Jun 16, 2009