The
last three and a half years, Barack Obama has gone out of his way to
bow, apologize, contextualize, and scapegoat in order to win Middle
Eastern affection. Yet, his reset, “Bush did it” policy is now in
shambles, and he apparently has nothing with which to replace it.
So I have a modest suggestion. Obama has a formidable arsenal of
invective that he has unleashed against conservatives, Republicans, and
just about anyone else on the domestic scene he doesn’t like. Why, then,
not redeploy these fire-in-the-belly attacks against those who kill
Americans abroad?All Obama has to do is imagine that the mobs in the Middle East are not misunderstood Muslims — who overreacted a bit to an offensive American video — but rather suspect conservatives and opponents of progressive thought. Then, mutatis mutandis, Obama might get fired up and level a much-needed warning.
If he did, it might go like this:
I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.
But let’s be perfectly clear, the Middle East acted stupidly.
If the people of the Middle East cannot trust their governments to do the job for which they exist — to protect them and to promote their common welfare — all else is lost. It’s not surprising, then, that those on the Arab street get bitter; they cling to their religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-American sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.
Read more: http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/322038/obama-middle-east-victor-davis-hanson
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