Substitution, Please

 

Another American journalist has reportedly been beheaded by another blood thirsty, ISIS jihadi. Early reports indicate it may be the same man who beheaded James Foley. I am curious as to how the Obama administration will spin and vacillate over this latest horror. We know how the president handled the last execution – a tepid speech followed by a round of golf. With nary a wince for  Mr.Foley’s parents.

These last few months have seemed to unravel any notion that we are safe and secure in America. The  southern border continues to spurt strangers with little or no documentation. Then there’s the thousands of Central American children who trekked north, many all alone. Some with diseases and other problems saddling border towns with  economic  hardship. In such a scenario are we being alarmist thinking that the very people who are murdering in the name of religion have found their way here as easily as unaccompanied children.

The international picture continues to be bleak. China and Russia continue their expansionist policies. Remember when both the Soviet Union and China accused the United States of being an imperial power? And there were plenty of voices  in this country who agreed with that assessment. That liberal argument  has collapsed under the weight of its own incredulity.

At least in those days, though, we had a cohesive foreign policy, presided over  by an engaged chief executive. Now our foreign policy seems to be formulated  on the fly by a host of incompetent advisors . Sometimes not. The president announced last week he has no strategy as of yet to deal with ISIS. Pronouncements like these should scare the hell out of all Americans. Just as the horrific images being splashed across social media of Steven Sotloff being murdered.

Mr.President  do something to assuage the grief of Mr. Sotloff’s  family. Do something to help the innocent people being herded into dead marches and  mass graves. If you’re not up to it; or have checked out like so many of your critics have said, then step down. Our constitution allows for the transfer of power when a president is incapacitated. For whatever reason we seem to have breached this territory. You’d have so much more free time for fund raising and socializing with your elitist friends. And, for golf of course.

A Farewell to Arms, Not Likely

The conflict in Gaza seems to be following the usual paradigm. Charges and counter–charges by the principals. Civilians being murdered, armaments stored in hospitals and schools. Who can say with certainty what is true and what is not. As the ancient Greek Aeschylus said, “In war, truth is the first casualty.”

 Another fragile cease fire seems to be holding for the time being. How long will it last? A few days; a few weeks; a few months? All that  can  be said with  certainty is -- it will not last.

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict is a quandary for the ages. Indeed, the whole of the Middle East is a  Rubik’s cube of misery ever since the British and French divided the spoils of the Ottoman Empire into colonial fiefdoms they figured to exploit to enrich the home front with the mother’s milk of industrialization: oil. It was to their advantage to have friendly, and, in some cases, ruthless  autocracies in place to maintain the status quo. But with the Arab spring and its aftermath we are seeing an unraveling of  the region.   The one constant has been the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In the latest chapter, the pendulum of support seems to be favoring the Palestinian side. Because of the disproportionate amount of fatalities , world opinion is shifting toward Israel’s enemies for the first time. In Europe and the US, demonstrations against Israel are becoming  more frequent and vociferous. There is palpable  support for the Palestinians and it continues to grow.  

Unfortunately, only more misery lies ahead for them. Their country is non-contiguous, governed(and I use that term loosely) by two ruling factions which  cannot unite in any meaningful way.  Hamas in Gaza has remained strident  in its goal to destroy Israel. The Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, more moderate than Hamas but just as intransigent, can only lament the proliferation of more Jewish settlements on their land.

What’s next. Another tenuous truce. More non-productive peace talks; then, if Israel decides  not to re-occupy Gaza, more Hamas rockets will rain down on the Israelis. And they will respond more forcefully again.

General MacArthur had it right when he said,  “War’s very object is victory, not prolonged indecision.” In this war the  object is  more indecision, not victory.

Is Romney Running?

As we approach the upcoming mid-term elections in November, the most interesting development is the sight of Mitch Romney stumping for  Republican candidates. After his defeat in 2012, he affirmed his attention not to run for president again. But the thought that he might give it another try  is intriguing.

 Perhaps this notion is fueled by my reading of Patrick Buchanan’s, “The Greatest Comeback.” It’s the story of Richard Nixon’s improbable election in 1968, after being humiliated in the 1962 California gubernatorial race, and after being narrowly defeated by John Kennedy, just two years earlier. Incidentally, Nixon's biggest challenger for the GOP nomination in 1968 was Mitt's father, Gov. George Romney of Michigan.

Romney must see the weak field in both the Democratic and Republican camps. The two early front runners: Hillary Clinton and Chris Christie are attenuating as each day goes by. Secretary Clinton is practicing self-immolation. Her tepid memoir, “Hard Choices,” is a complete flop. No substance whatsoever and her record  at the State department hardly stellar. And her penurious pronouncements while she rakes in $250,000 per speech beyond ridiculous. Christie on the other hand, is trying to distance himself from former best bud, Barack Obama, criticizing the president for his handling of the influx of immigrants pouring over our southern border. But Texas governor, Rick Perry, also a possible candidate in 2016,  has this issue in his backyard and back pocket.

In addition, Christie has alienated many Republicans by his lack of support for Rob
Astorino, the Westchester County Executive who is challenging New  York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in November. He has termed Astorino’s quest  a “lost cause.” This pronouncement might very well be the biggest Christie blunder to date. The whole Bridgegate affair notwithstanding.

Cuomo is now under fire for  his lack of support for the Moreland Commission. A commission he set up to root out corruption in his state’s political system after a host of elected officials were implicated in unsavory practices. This could very well damage Cuomo in the coming months. Enough to catapult Astorino?  Who knows? But it certainly changes the game. It will be interesting to see if Romney offers his support to Cuomo’s challenger.

There has been much said about the mistakes Romney made in the last presidential election. His message may be resonating with the nation now and he has certainly proven his ability to adapt to changing scenarios.  But make no mistake it would be an uphill battle of Nixonian proportions.

Era of Shallowness

For the last few years my friends have been lamenting the fall of America. “It’s over,” they say resignedly as if we should all lay down our pin numbers for the masses invading our southern border and plead  for mercy from the new progressive elitists who seem firmly entrenched in the new power structure.

Our mesmerizing president, well still mesmerizing now to only a handful of stalwarts, has lulled our country into a quiescent unconsciousness. The Middle East is in chaos yet  President Obama found time last weekend to play golf and attend a few fundraisers; our  economy , the nuts and bolts of it anyway, is disintegrating before our eyes. Food and fuel prices continue  to rise unabated. Yet, because the moneychangers on Wall Street are propping up the stock market with help from the Federal Reserve  we are being sold a bill of goods about a faux recovery.

Everything  it seems has a shiny veneer . But when you look closer you can see the peeling paint. The same façade exists in the world of show business. Instead of any type of entertainment with intrinsic value like the mini-series, “Roots,” or “Shogun, “ or “Lonesome Dove,” of yesteryear, we are being fed the pablum of reality television or being tortured with the constant bombardment  of hype about J Lo or Kim Kardashian. This fits in well in the Obama era.

An older friend, long gone, used to say we always had the right president for the times. Prescient thinking. Our president , like the aforementioned divas of de-evolution, has a pretty face and little else. He is the right president for this time. This being the Era of Shallowness. He is  a man who constantly stumbles and mumbles and bungles; whose initiatives always miss the mark; he always never knows what’s happening around him or just out and out lies. He should  be censured by  Republicans and  clear-conscious Democrats alike. They should be talking about impeachment for abuse of power. And lack of leadership.

Yes, old friend we do have the right president  for the times. As an added bonus we also have the right Congress to match.

 

Hard Choices Indeed

The liberal media is awash  praising Hillary Clinton for her service  as secretary of state  To anyone who has outgrown crayolas and coloring books one might be a bit put off  by such approbation. From the moment her staff sought to “reset” with the Russians early in 2009, and bungled  the translation it set  in motion one of the most lackluster forays in world diplomacy.

But according to an editorial that appeared in the Sunday New York Times  by Nicholas Kristof, a frequent Hillary cheerleader, she was a “trailblazing diplomat.” According to Kristof, some politicians have trouble articulating all the wonderful things they’ve  accomplished. This was basically a defense of her tepid response when asked this past April about her legacy at the State Department. It reminded me of the same inarticulate,  sputtering Ted Kennedy when he was asked in 1980 why he wanted to president. Red-faced and flustered, he hemmed and hawed at this softball  question but couldn’t come up with a valid reason.

Thankfully for Hillary her sycophants will fill in the blanks for her. That is if she decides to run. So far she is following the paradigm of a presidential candidate two years in advance of an election. Her book, “Hard Choices,” due out soon, will reveal little, keeping any controversies at bay. One, though, bound to be scrutinized is her choice for the title of her memoirs “Hard Choices.” This was the title of Cyrus Vance’s  book; Vance served as President Carter’s secretary of state. One can’t help but draw parallels to the challenges they both faced in the Middle East . Vance had to deal with the Iranian hostage crisis. Hillary was the architect of the Arab spring and was taking kudos for it until this wonderful, regional, democratic revolution took a turn southward in a massive blood bath.

But back to Kristof.  Unlike  James Baker, “she didn’t craft a coalition of allies”; “didn’t seal a landmark peace agreement.” “No her legacy is different.” Indeed it is steeped in  esoterica like addressing poverty, the enviroment, education and family planning. Important,? Sure hardly earth shattering concepts. And, oh yeah, and she also noted, like millions of others, the importance of using social media.

“But give her credit,” according to Kristof.“She expanded the diplomatic agenda and adopted new tools to promote it – a truly important legacy.”  Or is it?

The Strange Case of Bowe Bergdahl

“We have met the enemy and he is us,” so said a Pogo cartoon of some years ago. It couldn’t be more true today than it was for the Roman empire a millennium and a half ago. Are we really celebrating the heroism of this man.  The puzzling aspect of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s release is disturbing when one takes into account the revelations emerging from this incident and what, if anything, it has to do with obfuscating the VA scandal of last week.

First there’s  questions of how he was captured. Some of the members of his platoon have said he deserted his post. Six GI’s were killed trying to rescue him. Five Taliban savages were released from Guantanamo to secure his release. They’ll soon be back in the jijad looking to separate infidels from their heads.

Bergdahl’s father inexplicably spoke to him in Arabic welcoming him back to freedom. Outgoing press secretary, Jay Carney, spoke in the platitudes he has become infamous for, about the  release. He was quoted, as was President Obama saying Americans never leave anyone behind. It’s a great ideal to adhere to but hardly etched in stone; and is usually reserved for the most elite military personnel who take on the most dangerous missions. Never thought it would be applied to a soldier with questionable character who may have deserted. Right now there’s a marine being held in a Mexican jail by our friends south of the border. Why hasn’t his release been secured.

It was reported that Bergdahl was a private when he disappeared but he returns as a sergeant? How was he promoted leaving his post, endangering his American brothers and sisters. There’s more twists and turns in this story than there is in a Rubik’s cube. But can we depend on the feckless media to dig into this story? Or the VA scandal for that matter?

Every Obama bungle ( and they’re getting too numerous to count) gets swept under the rug with the rapidity of a hobo on a ham sandwich. Any media person who questions any administration proclamations is figuratively tarred and feathered as a right wing extremist.

If the president thought this prisoner exchange would make the VA scandal disappear he is wrong like so many other times. Every effort he makes to mitigate the coming fallout in the upcoming fall elections results in more separation with mainstream America.

Enough Lip Service, Mr. President

 

There was a sportscaster who used to say, “the wheels are coming off now,” to denote a sports team in the throes of a thorough thrashing. One could borrow the phrase to describe the  floundering Obama administration especially now with the  latest  revelation regarding military veterans not getting the adequate and timely care they deserve from the Veterans' Administration.

When the president found out about inconsistencies in record keeping, long waits and fatalities, according to CNN  as many as 40 veterans died waiting for medical treatment, he was appalled and promised to get to the bottom of the situation. Indeed , anytime an inconvenient truth rears its ugly head the president resorts to his default position, feigning ignorance, then promising to resolve said situation.

Don’t expect to see the president with those affected by the tragedies that occurred at the VA. He only appears in the public spotlight when those victimized support one of his initiatives. In this case, he’ll send some junior-level officers to try and assuage the family members affected. And, of course, they’ll have no information about what happened or why it happened. These are common threads in this administration.

He seems to have not known about  “Fast and Furious,” the IRS harassment of conservative  fund-raising groups, the glitches inherent in the Obamacare website roll out. He was incommunicado during the Benghazi tragedy. This pattern lends credence to the criticism many of his distractors adhere to:  that he is not engaged in his position or is incompetent. Or my feeling, that his incompetence is matched only by his high-handed tendencies. And his sheer distaste for accepting responsibility for anything other than a terrible golf game.

 Perhaps in between the accolades bestowed upon him by the Hollywood elites at fund-raising events; his frequent vacations, putting on the verdant greens of some of the best courses in the country, he can convene an occasional cabinet meeting to find out what’s going on under his watch, if only to make Jay Carney’s spin doctoring look less tendentious and more informative.

Instead,  expect the Oblivicrats to circle the wagons and point at the president’s  predecessor as being responsible for the current situation in the Veterans Administration. After all, President Bush got us into these wars.

 With an overly sympathetic media, the president may straddle yet another maelstrom. But I think to the American electorate, looking forward to the upcoming mid-term elections,  the wheels on this administration may very well be in need of replacing.