THE LAST CENTURY GAVE US SOME COLORFUL AMERICAN PRESIDENTS. WOODROW WILSON ACTED CONCEPTUALLY; THEODORE ROOSEVELT CONDUCTED FOREIGN POLICY WITH AN IMPERIALISTIC "GUSTO"; FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT OUTMANEUVERED ALL HIS PEERS, BUT FOUND HIS MATCH IN UNCLE JOE (STALIN) ; HARRY TRUMAN BOMBED; DWIGHT EISENHOWER KILLED THE "FOLIE A TROIS' IN SUEZ; JOHN F.KENNEDY MADE THE RUSSIANS BLINK; LYNDON JOHNSON LED THE COUNTRY TO THE GREAT SOCIETY; RICHARD NIXON REDIRECTED THE WORLD (MORE THAN A PIVOT ); RONALD REAGAN INVADED GRANADA WITHOUT ASKING HER BRITISH MAJESTY'S PERMISSION; BUSH FATHER AND SON OUTFOXED (GEORGE THE ELDER) OR PLAYED WITH PREEMPTIVE STRIKES (THE SON ); CLINTON BECAME THE "SAGE" STATESMAN OF WORLD AFFAIRS; IN COMPARISON, OBAMA STARTS TO LOOK PATHETIC LATELY, PLAYING WITH COLORED PENCILS IN A REMAKE OF CAPTAIN KANGAROO. HE MIGHT END UP IN A SERIES B MOUNT RUSHMORE TOGETHER WITH PRESIDENTS FORD AND CARTER.WHAT THE GREAT MAN WILL TELL THE NATION NEXT TUESDAY WILL PROBABLY NOT BE WRITTEN (YET AGAIN) IN STONE.
RIGHTLY, SYRIA IS TOO SERIOUS AN ISSUE TO BE FLIPPANT. I REMEMBER GENERAL COLIN POWELL'S WORDS "WHEN YOU BREAK IT, YOU OWN IT." IT IS NORMAL THAT OBAMA IS CAUTIOUS. HE IS RIGHT TO BE SO. HIS EVER CHANGING TUNE PROVIDES, HOWEVER, THE WRONG MESSAGE, WHICH FURTHER ALIENATES THE ONES HE SHOULD CONVINCE AND EMBARRASSES THE FRIENDS HE SHOULD BRING TOGETHER. THE PRESIDENT NOW SEEKING CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL MAKES AN ALREADY COMPLEX SITUATION EVEN MURKIER. THE DISTANT DISARRAY NOW RISKS INVADING THE POLITICALLY TREACHEROUS CORRIDORS OF THE HOME TERRITORY WHERE OBAMA COUNTS FEW REAL "FRIENDS" IN CONGRESS, WHICH, AS INEPT AS IT MAY BE, FEELS, RIGHTLY SO, SNUBBED BY A PRESIDENT OFTEN CONSIDERED AS MOVING IN A VIRTUAL SPHERE.
TODAY EVERYBODY, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF ASSAD & Co, FEELS FRUSTRATED. THE BRITISH P.M. DAVID CAMERON WAS HUMILIATED. HOLLANDE, WHO ALREADY HAD DREAMS OF AN ALTERNATIVE SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH THE USA, IS LEFT STANDING IN THE RAIN. THE REBELS ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE AMERICAN OVERKILL. THE ARABS ARE A DIVIDED LOT WHEREIN THE "BETTER ONES" MAY START TO CONSIDER CHANGING INSURANCE BROKER. RUSSIA COULD MEANWHILE RECLAIM ITS ZONE OF INFLUENCE, SECOND TO NONE.
OBAMA SEEMS AFRAID OF LIGHTING A MATCH WHERE OTHER U.S. COMMANDERS-IN- CHIEF NEVER HESITATED TO ACT AS THE HEIRS OF MARS. NOBODY WANTS A REPEAT OF PAST BLUNDERS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN, NOR DOES ANYONE LIKE TO HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE THAN TO WATCH SOME RWANDAN REPEAT. ALREADY THE U.S. INTERVENTION HAS BEEN REDUCED IN SCOPE AND PURPOSE BY THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF WHO BECAME RED LINE COLORBLIND. ALL OUTCOMES APPEAR BAD. KOSOVO LOOKS LIKE A BYGONE AREA AND THE OLD LADY (NATO) IS SLOWLY BECOMING OBSOLETE.
IF THE DEATHS OF 1400 INDIVIDUALS IN A CHEMICAL ATTACK, COMBINED WITH THE HELLISH DIASPORA, REMAIN UNANSWERED, WE SET THE CLOCK OF HISTORY BACK TO MUNICH TIMES. I, FOR ONE, HOPED FOR A DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION INVOLVING ALL PARTIES BUT, IF ONE DECIDES A PRIORI THAT THE UNINVITED WILL REMAIN SO AD INFINITUM, THE EFFORT BECOMES FUTILE. ISRAEL MIGHT STILL INTERVENE BY PROXY,
BUT THIS MIGHT LEAD TO BRINGING THE DIVIDED ONES BACK TOGETHER AND FURTHER SPLIT THE OTHER SIDE, WHICH IS LICKING ITS WOUNDS IN PARIS AND LONDON. OBAMA ENDED UP BEING A VERY LONELY "LAMB" IN ST. PETERSBURG. PUTIN WAS IN MACHIAVELLIAN MODE AND HIJACKED THE AGENDA, LEAVING OBAMA LOOKING ISOLATED. I JUST LOVE TO SEE PUTIN'S WOLFISH SMILE. A REPRESENTATIVE DIPLOMATIC GATHERING OF NATIONS, LARGER THAN THE ARCANE, UNGLAMOROUS G-20 (WHERE THE HOST COUNTRY HAS A TACTICAL ADVANTAGE) AND INCLUDING ALL MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST (ASSAD AS WELL), WOULD HAVE MADE IT MORE ARDUOUS FOR RUSSIA AND CHINA TO PLAY "DEVIL"S ADVOCATE" WITH IMPUNITY.
TOO MANY FRACTURES SHOW A US FOREIGN POLICY LIMPING AND THE TRADITIONAL AMERICAN POLITICAL SYSTEM FRACTURING. THE AMERICAN LEADER NO LONGER HAS A FLOCK, SOON HE MAY ALSO LOOSE HIS FROCK..
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