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It is not especially surprising that U.S. intelligence failed to anticipate Russia’s invasion of the Ukraine. If U.S. intel does not recognize President Obama’s absence of alpha leadership, perhaps they do not recognize its presence in the actions of other world leaders.
Such traits are not exclusively male. While Obama does not display strength and competency, Germany’s Angela Merkel does. President Obama does not project force of conviction either, certainly not regarding foreign affairs.
President Obama is considered weak and feckless by our allies as well as our adversaries. From failing to lend a voice to Iranian protesters in his first term…to backing the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt…and now, downsizing the U.S. military…
That seems like an accurate assessment of Mr. Obama’s approach to international diplomacy. The current administration is too busy worrying about whether Facebook’s 58 gender alternatives are sufficient and fighting the “War on Women” to have energy remaining for foreign policy. (The only war on women that I’ve experienced is my ongoing challenge to find a husband!)
Consequences
Weakness invites a vacuum and a vacuum invites chaos and disorder…Putin did not fear any veiled threats from Washington, and neither does Pyongyang, Beijing or Damascus.
International reputation
Our fine, independent press has been kept on a short leash. The New York Times was excoriated for publishing a political cartoon featuring Hillary Clinton.
@davidjoachim What the hell is wrong with you? This creepy, sexist, ageist attack is a disgrace to your magazine. @HillaryClinton @Sulliview
— Tom Watson (@tomwatson) January 23, 2014
Russia has counter-intelligence, and Putin need only read reddit to discern the wide variance in public opinion.
I found Peter Beinart’s article a few days ago, The End of American Exceptionalism. It was prefaced with an enormous photo of Mr. Obama, captioned, “A force abroad: Obama accepts the Nobel Peace Prize”. The three main goals of Obama policy are listed as follows by Beinart,
Secularism? Check. Socialism? Sure. A tendency to apologize for America’s greatness overseas? That, too.
As for Russia being unwelcome at this year’s G8 summit, Putin probably doesn’t consider it any great loss. Can you imagine Hillary Clinton or John Kerry negotiating with Putin or his Foreign Minister Lavrov? Neither are required to make obeisance to political correctness, nor humble themselves to Silicon Valley technocrat utopians.
It is never wise to publicly humiliate and ridicule one’s adversaries, be they GOP or heads of state. The GOP are not the White House’s adversaries at all! It is very sad that they’re labelled as such by some factions, e.g. Mr. Beinart.
A weak and feckless leader, ruling over a dissatisfied, disenfranchised public, i.e. any American, of any race, religion or political party who is not a D.C. insider or Wall Street-connected; that sums it up. We do hold a weak hand. Putin knows this.