Reflections From a Murky Pond

Patria O Muerte, Venceremo!

With Obama deciding to unilaterally normalize relations with Cuba, many Americans could most likely easily picture the boy standing up and loudly proclaiming the motto of the Fidel Castro’s revolution, “¡Patria o Muerte, Venceremos!” (Fatherland or Death, We Will Overcome!). After all, so much of what Obama has jabbered over the years has sounded more in line with Cuba’s communist regime than with America’s principles.

While an easy opinion to hold, it is one that I do not truly agree with for two reasons: it would violate the basic doctrine of Obama’s foreign policy. and it operates under the assumption that the boy had some plan or position goal to reach by doing it.

To me this seems eerily similar to the Bergdahl-Taliban trade, with a bit of rhetoric thrown into the mix to make it seem more like a policy decision and less like once again capitulating to America’s enemies.

Face it, the boy can’t negotiate and anytime he has to he just hands the enemy whatever they ask for in exchange for what he wants. He will never do otherwise and never try to bargain from a position of strength. Hence, Obama’s infidelity to American principles and interests stems more from weakness than active malice.

Tags: America | Communism | Cuba | Diplomacy | Failure | Fidel Castro | Foreign Policy | Geopolitics | Politics | Raúl Castro | Weakness

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2014 at 9:40 am and is filed under Politics. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

So President Obama has taken time of from golfing and setting the “DC Line” on college basketball to do a good will tour of South America, starting with Brazil and then moving on to Chile and El Salvador. It will be a five day, three country jaunt for some fun in the sun, as it were, since he’s not bringing any significant “policy gifts” with him, nor is he expecting to return with any.

That’s certainly a better of use of his time than dealing with the ongoing crisis in Japan, our upcoming war in Libya, or any of the domestic matters that people would normally expect and want the POTUS to be directly with.

But President Obama could improve relations with these Latin American countries and explore – vicariously one might hope  and expect – the more pleasant aspects of these peoples.  It would certainly be a good use of his time and energy. 😉

Brazil

Obama’s first stop on his junket and possible the best place in the world to get to the bottom of our too-chilly relations with the Latin Americans is steamy, sultry Brazil.

Brazil – The Home of the Bum Bum

I’ve got Obama pegged as a butt and leg man – not that there’s anything wrong with that; some of my best friends are butt and leg men – so the curves the Brazilians may throw at him during these negotiations should suit him more than well enough.

Chile

Chileans and their diplomacy are bit more varied and austere than what the Brazilians favor and Obama may need a bit more refinement and finesse if he wants things to reach a happy ending. I think he’ll be up for the challenge though.

Chile – Delightful and Varied

Both Obama and the Chileans have a fondness for women’s athletics – or is it athletic women? – so I think they’ll find some common ground, though Obama may have to chaquetear before he can finally cachar.

El Salvador

Obama’s final stop is El Salvador. Far from being the savior of this this tour, El Salvador may well be the hardest place that the POTUS has to deal with. Salvadorans may seem eager and friendly at first glance but there are lengthy and complex rules that most often must be followed before any deal can be consummated.

El Salvador – Delicious, But Be Prepared To Wait

This is where I think Obama will fall down. He has too much in common with the Salvadorans and that’s not going to work to his advantage. Then again, it may be a pleasant rest after the more involved and strenuous good will sharing in Brazil and Chile.

~*~

Truly, I hope President Obama enjoys his South American “working” vacation to the fullest extent possible – though I doubt that he’ll enjoy it as much as he could; all joking and sarcasm aside, he just doesn’t seem to me to be the type to do so and that’s all to the good.

I don’t even mind the American taxpayers funding this trip. I’d pay a lot more to keep Obama on the golf course, making sports predictions, and/or on these low-risk good will visits. The less time he spends trying to be POTUS the better off America is. The only downside is that it also improves his approval rating and re-election prospects. 😛

Tags: Babes | Brazil | Breasts | Bum Bum | Butts | Chile | Diplomacy | Economy | El Salvador | Erotica | Foreign Policy | Humor | Latin America | Obama | Politics | Sarcasm | Sex | Women

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 19th, 2011 at 10:58 am and is filed under Humor, Politics. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

From even before Barack Obama was installed as the POTUS, he strove mightily to change the tone of America’s diplomacy with other world leaders and titular heads of state.  Since taking office he has been consistent in his efforts in this regard.

Obama Almost Always Extends The Hand of Friendship

So far, I would say that President Obama has completely reversed over 30 years of American diplomacy and foreign policy. That being the case, it’s only fair to say that Obama’s diplomacy is one area in which he’s well on his way to achieving his oft-if-carefully-nuancely-stated goals… 😉

Tags: Antisemitism | Dhimmitude | Diplomacy | Foreign Policy | Humor | Iran | Israel | North Korea | Obama | Politics | Russia

This entry was posted on Monday, April 5th, 2010 at 3:23 pm and is filed under Humor, Politics. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

When President Obama was taking his crash course in diplomacy and foreign policy it probably looked something like this. Obama is, after all, a student of the Farce.

First I’d threaten Iran, but if that failed, I’d grovel like CRAZY!

Ah yes – a return to the Jimmy Carter years of American foreign policy, when even a bunch a frightened Iranian college students can defeat the United States.

Tags: Carter | Cartoons | Diplomacy | Foreign Policy | Humor | Obama | Politics

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 at 5:52 am and is filed under Humor, Politics. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

As is right and proper, the 2nd Presidential Debate of the 2008 US Presidential election campaign included questions on US foreign policy and the use of US military forces in foreign countries. The War on Terror as it is being fought in Afghanistan and Pakistan was a key point in these questions. Each candidate was asked how they would handle with hunting down Al-Qaeda terrorists within Pakistan.

Since I have friends in Pakistan this interested me on a more personal level than it did many of the viewers of the debate. My friends, who are fairly secular and educated would be placed in direct peril if the government of Pakistan collapsed due to the rising unrest, insurgency, and terrorism that could result from an increased and expanded US and / or NATO campaign within Pakistan.

So let us discuss Pakistan’s fate at the hands of each of the US presidential candidates. Each candidate has a different approach to the question. Each approach will have a different impact on the nation of Pakistan and its peoples.

The question:

Should the United States respect Pakistani sovereignty and not pursue al Qaeda terrorists who maintain bases there, or should we ignore their borders and pursue our enemies like we did in Cambodia during the Vietnam War?

Sen. John McCain’s answer:

We need to help the Pakistani government go into Waziristan, where I visited, a very rough country, and — and get the support of the people, and get them to work with us and turn against the cruel Taliban and others.

And by working and coordinating our efforts together, not threatening to attack them, but working with them, and where necessary use force, but talk softly, but carry a big stick.

McCain wants to work with the Pakistani government and military to remove Al-Qaeda. More importantly he seems to want to work with the people in Waziristani region to convince them to help remove Al-Qaeda. This means that Pakistan gets to keep its sovereignty – and probably its government – intact. It also probably means that the Pakistani military will bear the brunt of the attacks into the Waziristani region of Pakistan.

From a purely American-centric point of view I find Sen. McCain’s plan to be unsatisfying. I can also find several flaws with this methodology for dealing with Al-Qaeda.

Firstly, there’s no positive proof that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari’s regime is friendly enough towards the US to consider aiding us in this struggle. Secondly, McCain’s plan hinges on successfully winning “the hearts and minds” of the Waristanis.

Sen. Barack Obama’s answer:

What I’ve said is we’re going to encourage democracy in Pakistan, expand our nonmilitary aid to Pakistan so that they have more of a stake in working with us, but insisting that they go after these militants.

And if we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act and we will take them out. We will kill bin Laden; we will crush Al-Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority.

Obama wants also wants to work with the Pakistani government and military to remove Al-Qaeda – when it suits our purposes to do so. He makes no mention of- or allusion to working with the people in the Waziristani region to further this effort. This means that US forces will bear the brunt of the attacks into the Waziristani region of Pakistan.

From a purely American-centric point of view I find Sen. Obama’s idea very emotionally appealing; our dead and bereaved from 9/11 deserve to be avenged. I can find several grievous flaws in his plan however.

Firstly, Zardari’s regime is already quite unfriendly to the US and Pakistani troops have already fired upon US / NATO forces within and near the borders of Pakistan; Obama’s plan would most likely escalate that violence into open warfare. Secondly, Obama’s plan would require that US forces launch unsupported attack into Waziristan. This is an action that the Soviets and the Pakistanis themselves have failed at accomplishing.

From Pakistan’s point of view…

I would have to say that Pakistan would fare better with Sen. McCain as President of the United States of America than with Sen. Obama in that role. In point of fact I think Pakistan would do much better with McCain than they would with Obama.

McCain’s plan is a cooperative effort with the Pakistani government and the people of the Waziristani region. By involving all parties it would mitigate the potential for disaster to be the Pakistani government and it’s people.

Obama’s plan seems to focus on using financial aid to convince Zardari’s regime to aid our forces, or at least ignore our encroachments into their territory.  This would likely result in an increase of violence and terrorism in Pakistan if Zardari’s regime could even be convinced in the first place.  Alternatively Obama’s plan could place Pakistan in open warfare against the US and at odds with Waziristan. Either is a recipe for disaster within Pakistan.

Tags: 2008 Elections | Al-Qaeda | Diplomacy | McCain | Nationalism | Obama | Pakistan | Sovereignty | Taliban | War On Terror

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 1:39 pm and is filed under 2008 Election, Politics. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.