News Archive: Obama Leading From Behind

The Provocative Danger of Weakness by Frank Gaffney Jr., 12-Jan-11 (The Washington Times)
Gaffney provides two specific examples, from China and Russia, to demonstrate the Obama administration's deliberate policy of "pursuing international peace despite weakness." Our adversaries continue to circle and, sensing weakness, fill the vacuum of American power with aggression and thuggishness. Recalling the words of Donald Rumsfeld that, "weakness is provocative," Gaffney concludes with this: "We can pay now for peace through strength or pay later and vastly more in lives and treasure for the costs of failing to achieve that peace through our provocative weakness."

The Obama Doctrine: Leading From Behind by Charles Krauthammer, 28-Apr-11 (The Washington Post)
The Obama administration's foreign policy can reasonably be described as "ad hoc, erratic and confused," shown by the dithering in Libya and inaction during the 2009 Green Revolution in Iran. The source of this leading from behind doctrine seems to be the "unspoken" belief that the U.S. is in decline and reviled around the world. Krauthammer sums it up well: "Leading from behind is not leading. It is abdicating... I would suggest that 'leading from behind' is a verdict on Obama’s fitness for leadership."


Obama Turns His Sights to Israel. God Help Her. by David Harsanyi, 18-May-11 (Real Clear Politics)
President Obama decided his meddling in the Middle East wasn't enough and he needed to dictate terms to Israel. Instead of making progress, he inflamed the situation by proposing an end to settlements in the West Bank and a return to 1967 borders. As Harsanyi points out, "Israel doesn't benefit from American prodding, typically unfurled to bolster the political aspirations of presidents."

Afghan Withdrawal an Exercise in Politics by Marc Thiessen, 23-Jun-11 (The Washington Post)
With no military reason whatsoever, President Obama announced troop reductions in Afghanistan last year. Demonstrating the political nature of his announcement, he set a date for September 2012, just ahead of the presidential election. In his announcement, "not a word about 'victory' in Afghanistan or even 'success.' This was a speech not about winning, but withdrawal."

World Spinning Off Its Axis Under Obama by Keith Koffler, 29-Jul-11 (Politico)
Mixing foreign policy with economic arguments, Koffler makes a convincing case that the world is becoming less stable as a result of administration policies. Iran's nuclear ambitions, North Korea attacking South Korea with impunity (remember that?), and a "tentative and inconsistent" response to the so-called Arab Spring, make the president look inept. "Obama’s advisers are now defending some hair-brained scheme to somehow mitigate the drug war in Mexico by introducing more guns into the conflict." Spinning off its axis, indeed.

Barack Obama Lost Iraq by Charles Krauthammer, 3-Nov-11 (The Washington Post)
While Obama was a "principled opponent" of the Iraq war, in January 2009 he was handed a war that was already won. The only task remaining, left over from his predecessor, was to negotiate a new Status of Forces Agreement, but naturally he failed and negotiations collapsed. As Krauthammer recounts, Obama's proposals were unserious. "It became clear that he simply wanted out, leaving any Iraqi foolish enough to maintain a pro-American orientation exposed to Iranian influence, now unopposed and potentially lethal."

The Perils of Obama's Foreign Policy by Victor Davis Hanson, 25-Jan-12 (National Review)
Hanson offers a long list of the administration's foreign policy failures, from opening an embassy in Syria, face-to-face talks with Iran, and growing estrangement from the Czech Republic, Britain, Israel, and Canada (yes, Canada!). The reset with Russia only demonstrated weakness, while the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated. To think, this list was created nine months before the terrorist attack in Benghazi.