How's that reset working out, Mr. President?

The elitists who supported the election of President Barack Obama four years ago, in their unmitigated arrogance and gall, thought they were so much smarter than the rest of us.

In their distorted take on reality, it was solely the fault of the United States that the Arab-Muslim world hated America. But an all-encompassing mantle of hatred for the United States across the Arab world never was really true; it was just a convenient cudgel for the left to use against George Bush, their eternal bogeyman.

In fact, the common people of the Middle East often feel quite the opposite toward our nation (see Iran), but it's their oppressive dictators as well as extremist elements in their societies who hate and demonize the U.S.A.

Still, the internationalists, those who naively put faith in the United Nations, Arab League and U.S. Department of State, thought that if Obama toured the Middle East in an obsequious manner, toadying up to Arab-Muslim countries and criticizing his own nation, he would win the love and respect of these people. Obviously this leftist, idealistic contingent is ignorant not just of history, but of Arab culture. Put simply, Arabs respect strength and disdain weakness. Changing the moniker "War on Terror" to "Overseas Contingency Operations" won't win the affections of Islamists. Nor will sucking up to Egyptian president-elect Muhamed Morsi, an extremist from the Muslim Brotherhood.

Over the weekend, Iraq endured a horrendous series of terrorist attacks that killed nearly 100 people. Al Qaeda is suspected as the prime perpetrator. Just today, we got word that Islamist radicals have stormed the consulate in Benghazi, Libya and the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, killing at least one American, setting fires, shredding Old Glory and flying an Islamist flag.

Ostensibly, these actions were taken by fundamentalist Muslims in protest of the movie "Muhummad's Trial," produced by a U.S.-based Coptic Christian group and the infamous, ubiquitous Rev. Terry Jones of Koran-burning notoriety. But it's certainly no coincidence these attacks took place on the 11th anniversery of 9/11.

And meanwhile, as the deadly pariah Iran gets closer to developing nuclear weapons, representating a menacing threat to Israel, Obama continues to give Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the cold shoulder. Things are seriously amiss, and not just economically.

It Obama is re-elected two months from now, we will know that Americans are hopelessly apathetic, hedonistic and vitiated by the inane bread-and-circuses fare of "American Idol," "Dancing with the Stars" and "Jersey Shore." What else could explain such a sad state of affairs?

 

Comments

[K.N. McBride]

Only if one is utterly illiterate.

[Sophocles]

Replacing all instances of "Obama" with "Bush" and you sound dated to 2004.