Hope Left Town A long Time Ago As Pres. Obama Danced To The First Tee

"This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." Pres. Obama's nomination victory speech in 2008

In 2008, Pres. Obama sold his message of Hope and Change to America and most of the globe After all, the Nobel Peace Prize was even bestowed upon him for his meaningless rhetoric. Yet, as most American now know, hope left town a long time ago as Obama danced to the first tee. 

In so doing, the policies of the Obama administration and the political class have done little to heal the planet. If anything, one can reasonably argue this administration's failed domestic and foreign policies have opened more wounds than its healed. In fact, as I write this piece today:

• Ferguson, MO, is in turmoil where race and police relations continue to be tested.
• The Middle East is imploding.
• Our foreign diplomacy appears to be failing on every level with a loss of confidence among our allies.
• Our power as a nation appears to be insignificant and irrelevant.
• Our debt continues to grow at an alarming rate.
• Our economy continues to struggle.
• Our leaders appear to be overmatched by every challenge they've faced both domestically and internationally.

These are but a few of many examples we've witnessed in the last six years. And even when many events are beyond the control of any president, the lack of attention to even these issues is alarming. 

Perhaps no greater example of this is what's occurring in Ferguson and Iraq this week. As both erupted, Mr. Obama was observed either putting or dancing at the Farm Neck Golf club on Martha's Vineyard with the well-healed 1%. To give you an example of how bad the optics are, the French foreign minister remarked: "When people are dying, you must come back from vacation." This from a guy whose citizens spend most of their lives on vacation.

Dana Milbank of the left-leaning Washington Post was obliged to write, "Even presidents need down time...but this decision to proceed with his getaway just 36 hours after announcing the military action in Iraq risks fueling the impression that he is detached as the world burns."

Progressives Invite The Snake Into The Tent & Then Are Surprised When They Too Are Bitten

"The sight of Sharpton at that City Hall meeting sickened and frightened me, because Sharpton has done more damage to race relations in this city than anyone in history." Letter writer to the NY Post

• In the past, I've written several pieces on progressives taking over New York City government. Prior to the mayoral election, I asked this question: Will New Yorkers make the same mistake the nation made in 2008 in electing Pres. Obama?
• Well, they did.  I also predicted the electing of progressives to municipal government would plunge the city into progressive hell. My prediction wasn't based solely on my knowledge of politics; rather, it was based on history. In almost every major city in America that's been run by progressives, the outcomes have been the same; namely, corruption, incompetence, higher crime rates and more.  In addition, I pointed out the importance of the rest of the nation taking notice. 
• I don't take any pleasure in reporting my predictions about New York City governance (my childhood home) are coming to pass. For example, the NY Post reported that shootings have skyrocketed across the city. Two months ago, shootings spiked 43%. Police Commissioner Bratton reported the NYPD is seeing a dramatic increase in the number of people resisting arrest.
• But Mayor de Blasio and the other progressives running the city have only themselves to blame. Last month, they actually invited the race, baiting thug---Al Sharpton---to a roundtable to discuss the NYPD. At that meeting, they gave this fake, phony and fraud a "platform to advance his views on how our police department should be policing." (NY Post editorial). Keep in mind, as reported here and elsewhere over the years, Sharpton still owes New York State and the feds millions in back taxes. In fact, he still has an outstanding balance of over $200,00 with the Federal Election Commission for improperly taking campaign contributions in his 2004 presidential run. That's 10 years ago!

Obama's Iraq: What Comes Around; Goes Around

COMBINED VACATION AND WORLD NEWS UPDATE

1. ISIS moves toward the US embassy
2. Obama moves toward the 9th green...WH Press Secretary

• As Pres. Obama prepares for his 401st fundraiser tonight and we continue bombing runs in Iraq, there's a debate brewing regarding Obama's previous promises to get us out of Iraq. It's undeniable that Mr. Obama campaigned on getting us out of Iraq (I believe he said within 16 months of his being elected). In fact, in an Oval Office address in 2010,  he acknowledged he made that pledge and took credit for it. He based his entire campaign on ending the war in Iraq, the economy and Obamacare.
• Yet, this past weekend he decided to make a disclaimer. He said he was not his decision to pull troops out of Iraq. We're all too familiar with the countless number of lies that have come out from this administration in the last 6 years. That too is undeniable. But the spin on this one takes a very strange turn. Obama indeed kept his promise to get us out of Iraq but he's now running away from his own promise.
• So what's going on here? Simple actually. ISIS is turning Iraq into a sea of blood and guts. And the Obama administration is doing what the Obama administration has always done in the past: not taking any responsibility for the implosion in Iraq and redirecting the blame. After all, he has to come up with a rationale for why his anti-war base has been missing in action for the last 6 years.
• As many critics of the Obama administration warned---including many posts on this blog---pulling all of our troops out of Iraq would inevitably create a vacuum. And Islamist are good at filling vacuums especially with headless corpses. The only power on earth that could prevent these homicidal maniacs like ISIS from filling in that vacuum is the United States and its allies.
• Once again, it's clear Pres. Obama and the rest of the political class will say or do what's political convenient at the time. But it must also be said that our coming to the aid of Kurds and others is doing the right thing in the face of an onslaught by Islamist savages . Nevertheless, as one commentator noted, "it also reminds us that America's leaders were the ones who left those victims to fend for themselves on their own." Reminds me of the anti-Second Amendment crowd that creates gun free zones that end up only inviting armed lunatics to take advantage of unarmed, innocent civilians. Once again, it's evidence of a warped progressive ideology that often leads to innocent people losing their lives.