In his response to Daniel Ortega’s excoriating remarks to Obama in front of the Summit of Americas nations at last weeks meeting, Obama curtly replied “I’m very grateful that President Ortega did not blame me for things that happened when I was 3 months old.” However, Obama left the rest of America out on the curb.
It turns out that more than half of Americans were born after Obama. According to 2007 census bureau information 100.9 million people were born in 1962 and later and 97.3 million were born 1961 and before. Since most of the population in the US was not yet born, we too should not be blamed.
I don’t blame Obama if he didn’t know the age demographics of the population. I did not know until I did the math and looked up the population of the nation. However, something must be said regarding how Obama has been going on about his “listen and lead” foreign policy. He needs to realize that the US is at least as guiltless as himself.
The most important omission in Obama’s policy (not defending America) is the most dangerous omission from his policy. This is especially true in South America, where dictators like Ortega and Chavez have maintained their oppressive governments through distraction created by blaming their country’s poor living standards on “oppression” from the North.
I’m not saying Obama needs to be defensive on the accusations being leveled, but he should at least be a voice for all the good that America has done in the world. There has been at least as much good done by America as there has been bad. He does both America dishonor in not vigorously advocating these positives as he does damage to the citizens in the countries run by Ortega and Chavez and leaves the people in these country’s hanging out to dry in more ways than one.
Obama correctly pointed out in Europe that we are a nation of “principles and ideas,” but those ideas are not welcome in the dictatorships in this world because they offer their subjects a life of independence, free of their rule. There are many in these oppressive countries that do in fact agree with our way of life. These peoples are working in their countries to bring about the freedom that we so lavishly enjoy. In ideology, they are our allies. The dictators hate us, because they hate them. In failing to herald the good in the US, he has not only left America down, he’s let the world down and made it easier for these dictators to continue their regimes.
If you don’t believe me, Chavez declared victory on Tuesday. The result, is obvious to those who oppose Chavez in Venezuela, they will get no support from the freest nation in the world. This is yet again another example of the unintended consequences of progressive thought.
7 comments
Well said, the Chavez/Noriega/Obama thing is simply the most shocking international presidential behaviour I have ever seen....
April 22, 2009 at 3:08 PMThis is yet again another example of the unintended consequences of progressive thought. Or the very calculated outcome of one socialist supporting the other.
April 22, 2009 at 4:59 PMPlease don't use selective history to make partisan points. America has propped up more dictators in the last 60 years than any other Nation in the world.
April 23, 2009 at 1:12 AMDon't strain yourselves just google (dictators in history) or anything like that and get the whole picture.
http://www.bluebloggin.com/2008/01/11/history-of-us-backed-dictators-redux/ or just go to this site and then talk about the Obama handshake.
Regards,
Joseph
I see where you're coming from... I really do. But have you ever been in a a REALLY bad fight. The kind where you dont talk to a person for a while? When communication resumes, what is the first thing you say? "I'm sorry." Not "listen, I am a good boyrfriend to you... I buy you nice things and I take good care of you."
April 23, 2009 at 2:17 AMWe spent a great deal of time alienating allies during the last administartion. In order to get back to a place where we can have serious negotiation, I think it is important to acknowledge our faults. Now, if this is meeting two and three with these people, and he's stil saying sorry, that's a bit different.
There is nothing weak about admitting when you're wrong... in fact it shows character. Now they next time they meet, perhaps we can get serious work done because we can approach negotiations with something that at least resembles mutual respect.
People need to realize Obama is a long term strategy kind of guy, not a quick draw McGraw
Joseph,
April 23, 2009 at 2:48 AMI spent a long time as a history major. Much of that time studying Central and South America. You are absolutely right! In the past, we propped up several fascist dictators. Now tell me where it makes sense to make up for that by propping up communist ones?
Now my point stands. Is Obama responsible for those fascist dictators? Because if he's not, than I'm not and neither is more than 50% of the US.
tL,
Let me be clear (that's my little Obama line). I didn't say anything about weak did I? In fact, I think you are jumping the gun in defense of Obama here. I'm not saying he needed to engage in a "we did, you did" defense. I'm saying that he should have downplayed the past and talked up the future of America and what is good about America. It's what he did all campaign long for himself.
He shouldn't be silent if he's not responsible and he's not. He shouldn't be silent if it's going to give these leaders ammunition that will continue their oppressive tyrannies and it has. If you thought that by apologizing these guys were going to say, "Wow! I better stop being a dictator," then that's crazy. I know you don't think that.
Joseph,
April 23, 2009 at 3:07 AMAlso, we weren't number one in supporting dictators in the last 60 years, that prize goes to the USSR! In fact, they only supported dictators.
Obama marks the end of the Burke Maritan Buckley model of conservatism based on collectivist labor unions, police suppression of the Bill of Rights, middle class subsidies for homes and schools under the watchful eye of the Knights of Columbus and Opus D. Every American boom has been caused by an Evangelical Revival and every major Depression by the domination of new Catholic immigrants. See for example George Marlin's history of the conservative party in New York or Paul Johnson's Modern Times, extolling the rise of Carolignianism of Adenauer, de Gaulle, and Gaspieri, forgetting that Hitler, too, was Carolignian and a Catholic altar boy.
April 24, 2009 at 4:22 PMPost a Comment