Dan

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June 22, 2009

Obama Resists U.S. ‘Meddling’ in Iran Because He Doesn’t Get America

President Obama’s weakness and complete lack of leadership concerning the events in Iran would most obviously seem attributable to his Jimmy Carter-like weakness. Much like his undistinguished predecessor, Obama seems to genuinely have no idea what to do.

That is clearly part of it, and this is the sort of thing about which a lot of people warned during the campaign. But there is an even more troubling reason, and Obama revealed it during an interview with CBS News.

“The last thing that I want to do is to have the United States be a foil for those forces inside Iran who would love nothing better than to make this an argument about the United States,” Obama said, clearly embracing the notion that America’s backing for the freedom-seeking Iranians would amount to a propaganda victory for the mad mullahs looking to squash their pursuit of freedom.

This is Obama’s problem, and he is going to make it America’s problem. He does not understand the United States of America, and he does not understand its place in the world. Obama’s view of America is clearly informed by left-wing notions of a bully that forces its will upon everyone else. And this thinking was surely reinforced by his electoral success running a campaign that denounced the neoconservative George W. Bush, who saw America as a force for the promotion of liberty and democracy throughout the globe.

If that’s what Bush believed, and the voters elected Obama, then America must be the opposite of what Bush thought it was.

Since the dawn of the 20^th Century, we have really only had two presidents who rejected the notion of American exceptionalism. Carter was the first. Obama is the second. Neither man has understood that America has by and large been a positive and benevolent force in the world.

This is not to say America is perfect or has been perfect. It is simply to recognize that our impact on the world has been far more positive than negative, and the reason for this is simple: Our nation was founded on the notion of liberty, and while we have made mistakes in our nurturing of that freedom, we have nonetheless placed a premium on it in both our domestic and foreign policies since our founding. That is why, while people around the world may grumble about America, they nonetheless admire us and endure great hardships for the opportunity to live here.

Obama doesn’t get this at all. It showed in his global apology tour of a few months ago. It showed when he sat through Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s 50-minute anti-American screed and didn’t say a word in defense of the nation he leads. And it shows now in his refusal to offer American support to the demonstrators in Iran.

If Obama would do a little homework, he would discover that younger Iranians – who represent a huge portion of the country’s population – are quite positively disposed toward America, and toward western culture in general. And it’s not just about blue jeans and DVDs. The reason they’re protesting is that they were expecting a real, free, American-style election, and they ended up getting scammed by their tyrannical rulers.

Perhaps it would do Obama good to read some history, especially concerning the actions of previous Democratic presidents. He would learn that Franklin Roosevelt helped liberate Europe, and that Harry Truman became a hero to the people of West Berlin when he stood up to the Soviets and authorized the Berlin Airlift. He would learn that the captive people of eastern Europe were encouraged when John Kennedy said in German, “I am a Berliner.” He would learn that even Bill Clinton, for all his faults, understood the power of American prestige and might to combat rogue regimes.

Obama seems to think America’s place in the world is defined by grumbling about Guantanamo Bay and the Iraq War. It’s almost as if Obama thinks America’s history started around the time he decided to run for president.

I do not join the idiots who see Obama as some sort of secret domestic enemy, as some America-hating Manchurian Candidate actively seeking to compromise our security. I just think he doesn’t have a clue about what makes America exceptional, which is not surprising considering the left-wing influences that informed his thinking as he came of age politically.

America’s strong, uncompromising backing could propel Iran’s freedom-seeking citizens to success. It could overturn a murderous regime that is not far away from getting its hands on nuclear weapons, which would be a disaster for the entire world. We have a rare and exciting opportunity at this moment.

It’s too bad the president of the United States doesn’t understand this, but what do you expect from a man who fundamentally doesn’t understand America?

© 2009 North Star Writers Group. May not be republished without permission.

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