What follows is an excerpt from a blog posting written by Elliott Abrams on the Council on Foreign Relations web site. The posting concerns the recent US veto in the UN Security Council of a resoultion put forward by the Palestinian Authority to condemn Israel for settlement activity in the West Bank.
'On the last day before the vote, the President called Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. The Israeli press reported that “In a 50-minute phone call, he asked Abbas to drop the resolution and settle for a non-binding statement condemning settlement expansion, Palestinian officials said. Abbas on Friday received a follow-up call from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the issue, the Palestinian news agency Wafa said.” But apparently the President did more than ask: “One senior Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the offer, made in an hour-long phone call from Obama, was accompanied by veiled threats of ‘repercussions’ if it were refused.
‘Obama threatened on Thursday night to take measures against the Palestinian Authority if it insists on going to the Security Council to condemn Israeli settlement activity, and demand that it be stopped,’ the official said. ‘There will be repercussions for Palestinian-American relations if you continue your attempts to go to the Security Council and ignore our requests in this matter, especially as we suggested other alternatives,’ the official quoted Obama as telling Abbas.” Abbas rejected the Clinton and Obama appeals and/or ignored their threats, in itself a sign of reduced American diplomatic influence.'
The President of the United States being ignored by a leader who's continued rule depends almost exclusively on American financial and military support. What does that say about this President's ability to influence events around the World?
We have become spectators on the World stage. I suppose we better get used to this. At least for another two years.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
American Hostages on Yacht and Other Thoughts
1. Any American dumb enough to sail their yacht into the Indian Ocean is too dumb to risk American lives to rescue. It is one thing to be taken hostage aboard an oil tanker or a commercial vessel. Those crews have no choice but to sail through dangerous waters. But recreational boaters (or yachters, if that is the appropriate term) have no business being in those waters and if they are, they should bear the risk and not the U.S. military, who is already, no doubt, on their way to rescue them. Just my opinion.
2. We have an entitlement program spending problem that threatens to bankrupt our country and our elected officials have not yet figured out that we want them to fix it. They are still playing politics with our financial future. Until such time that they understand that they need to take action now, we should continue to vote them out until we reach the right mix of courageous individuals who are not necessarily interested in a career in the House or Senate, but are interested in serving their Nation bravely. And, taking the action necessary to change the curve of future spending. Be they GOP or Dems, they need to go . . . until we get action to address our structural spending.
3. Wisconsin is no Side Show. What is going on in Madison is the real deal and only the begining of what will be the Fight of the Century. That is, the fight brewing between the taxpayers and the public employee unions. This war will go on for years and will consist of many battles like the one unfolding in Madison. In the end, the taxpayers of this country are going to take back our country from the unholy alliance of public employee unions and entrenched political powers. It will take time and it will be a bloody affair, but there is no choice. We can not continue to fund promises made by gutless political ghosts over the past few decades.
Most private corporations changed from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans a decade, or more, ago. Why? Because defined benefit plans are unaffordable and private companies did the math and realized they would be bankrupt if they continued to fund a defined benefit plan. Our gutless politicans have been unwilling to address this issue over the last several decades, because it will cost them votes and might cost them their office. Because politics has become a career for many of them, they have been unwilling to make the hard choices necessary to save us. So the battle is being taken "to the streets" of our state capitols and will also be fought in our city and county governments. Sooner or later, a brave political force will win one of these battles and then you better stand back or you will get rolled over by the force of change.
2. We have an entitlement program spending problem that threatens to bankrupt our country and our elected officials have not yet figured out that we want them to fix it. They are still playing politics with our financial future. Until such time that they understand that they need to take action now, we should continue to vote them out until we reach the right mix of courageous individuals who are not necessarily interested in a career in the House or Senate, but are interested in serving their Nation bravely. And, taking the action necessary to change the curve of future spending. Be they GOP or Dems, they need to go . . . until we get action to address our structural spending.
3. Wisconsin is no Side Show. What is going on in Madison is the real deal and only the begining of what will be the Fight of the Century. That is, the fight brewing between the taxpayers and the public employee unions. This war will go on for years and will consist of many battles like the one unfolding in Madison. In the end, the taxpayers of this country are going to take back our country from the unholy alliance of public employee unions and entrenched political powers. It will take time and it will be a bloody affair, but there is no choice. We can not continue to fund promises made by gutless political ghosts over the past few decades.
Most private corporations changed from defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans a decade, or more, ago. Why? Because defined benefit plans are unaffordable and private companies did the math and realized they would be bankrupt if they continued to fund a defined benefit plan. Our gutless politicans have been unwilling to address this issue over the last several decades, because it will cost them votes and might cost them their office. Because politics has become a career for many of them, they have been unwilling to make the hard choices necessary to save us. So the battle is being taken "to the streets" of our state capitols and will also be fought in our city and county governments. Sooner or later, a brave political force will win one of these battles and then you better stand back or you will get rolled over by the force of change.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Obama Hastens The Waning of American Power
How could it be that this Administration, which came in with a stated desire to restore American influence and respect in the World, is actually contributing to the acceleration of our decline as a World Power.
It is happening before our very eyes. We move a notch down when our President commands so little respect that the King of Saudi Arabia calls him up and yells at him for 30 minutes, threatening to take our place in providing the financial support to Egypt that we hinted we would withhold if Mubarak did not stand down. Like or dislike the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the problem for us is that it is no secret to the rest of the World that the 87 year old King dressed down our President for 30 minutes on the phone. You can just imagine how that call went . . . "yes sir, Your Highness . . . no sir, Your Highness . . . we're trying Your Highness . . . " Our foreign policy on Egypt during the last few weeks has been so scatter-shot, disorganized and without direction that it confused everyone. And, now, like the rooster taking credit for the sun rising, Obama supporters are claiming victory, as if the genius Obama Plan worked, afterall. Pahhhhleeze . . .
We move a notch down when our leader gets the cold shoulder at the G-20 meeting, when he suggested further financial stimulus was needed. We whine about the valuation of the Chinese Yuan and China's leaders lecture our President on profligate spending. We are the spendthrifts of the World, spending more than 1.5 Trillion dollars more than we have . . . this year alone. We will have trillion dollar deficits for years . . . this is depressing.
I know that my friends on the Left are going to say that this is all Bush's fault, but my question back to them is . . . when does that crutch stop working? At what point is President Obama responsible for outcome? And, if he is so ineffective that he can't change our course, then maybe he should step aside for the good of the country.
Perhaps we had our century and that what is happening is a natural passing of the baton to the next World Order . . . China, India, the BRIC countries . . . we will share power with them in the coming decades. But, do we need to pursue policies that actually help this process along?
2012 . . . 2012 . . . 2012
It is happening before our very eyes. We move a notch down when our President commands so little respect that the King of Saudi Arabia calls him up and yells at him for 30 minutes, threatening to take our place in providing the financial support to Egypt that we hinted we would withhold if Mubarak did not stand down. Like or dislike the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the problem for us is that it is no secret to the rest of the World that the 87 year old King dressed down our President for 30 minutes on the phone. You can just imagine how that call went . . . "yes sir, Your Highness . . . no sir, Your Highness . . . we're trying Your Highness . . . " Our foreign policy on Egypt during the last few weeks has been so scatter-shot, disorganized and without direction that it confused everyone. And, now, like the rooster taking credit for the sun rising, Obama supporters are claiming victory, as if the genius Obama Plan worked, afterall. Pahhhhleeze . . .
We move a notch down when our leader gets the cold shoulder at the G-20 meeting, when he suggested further financial stimulus was needed. We whine about the valuation of the Chinese Yuan and China's leaders lecture our President on profligate spending. We are the spendthrifts of the World, spending more than 1.5 Trillion dollars more than we have . . . this year alone. We will have trillion dollar deficits for years . . . this is depressing.
I know that my friends on the Left are going to say that this is all Bush's fault, but my question back to them is . . . when does that crutch stop working? At what point is President Obama responsible for outcome? And, if he is so ineffective that he can't change our course, then maybe he should step aside for the good of the country.
Perhaps we had our century and that what is happening is a natural passing of the baton to the next World Order . . . China, India, the BRIC countries . . . we will share power with them in the coming decades. But, do we need to pursue policies that actually help this process along?
2012 . . . 2012 . . . 2012
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