Last week the decision of both Russia and China to endorse a condemnation of Iran’s nuclear program by the United Nations’ International Atomic Energy Agency was touted by the New York Times and others as a victory for the Obama administration’s diplomacy. The Times quoted White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel boasting that China’s support of Iran was proof that Obama’s trip to Beijing earlier this month wasn’t the disaster that virtually everyone thought it was. “This is the product of engagement,” Mr. Emanuel said, adding that it was “a direct result” of the trip.
But it appears as though Emanuel’s bloviating was yet another instance of the administration’s believing what it wanted to believe and ignoring the realities of the foreign-policy muddle that it has created. Far from demonstrating that China is ready to join America in a regime of “crippling sanctions” in 2010 against Iran, as Obama hoped, Beijing is doing what it has done for years on this issue: saying just enough to maintain its standing as an opponent of nuclear proliferation but remaining a steadfast opponent of any concrete action to stop Tehran.
That’s the only possible conclusion to be drawn from the reaction of China’s Foreign Ministry to Iran’s latest provocation: its statement over the past weekend, according to which Iran plans to build 10 more uranium-enrichment facilities. While Europe and the United States deplored Iran’s raising of the stakes in this standoff and the Islamist regime’s lack of interest in stepping away from the nuclear ledge, the Chinese are back to their old tricks of opposing any measures that might actually compel Tehran to stand down. The Associated Press reports that the Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday that sanctions “are not the goal” of new UN pressure on Iran. “We should properly resolve this issue through dialogue,” he said. “All parties should step up diplomatic efforts.”
In other words, the United States is no closer to achieving Chinese support for sanctions today than a month ago. Obama’s engagement policy and his attempts to appease the Russians and the Chinese in an effort to gain support to stop Iran have been colossal failures. Obama has nothing to show for betraying the Czech Republic and Poland on missile defense to please Russia or for refusing to meet with the Dalai Lama to mollify the Chinese. His amateurish foreign policy, exemplified by his justly criticized trip to China, can only have convinced the Iranians that they have nothing to fear from the West as they get closer to reaching nuclear capability.
Obama is racist he and his family have been indoctrinated in Wrights hate speech church.
Anyone who believes other wise is not playing with a full deck. Liberal double standards permit this type of race baiting, but it only applies to Democrats if a Republican would have done the same thing they would be marching on Washington. Obama will not get off that easily, many American will not vote for him in November.
You lost a lot of readers with your opening statement: “Given the mostly positive response that Barack Obama’s speech on race in America has received in the media…”
Of course the media is going to give him a positive response. Have you seen how he is coddled by the media. Take a look at the very liberal Saturday Night Live view of the media. “Would you like another pillow, Mr. Obama?”
“You lost a lot of readers with your opening statement” – jbenson2
Wow, did this guy just invest in a magic 8 ball or something? Ridiculous.
The parts about Hillary’s statements were a nice reminder although the “I ain’t no ways tired” remark somehow didn’t make the cut.
And as far as Obama goes, no he didn’t make the same kind of statements that Wright made, but he did support and endorse wright for many years. And did deliver a speech blaming his white grandmother for anything inflammatory his preacher might have said.
Then he took a swing at the Marines, the Reagan administration and talk radio.
Deflecting the blame never gets old.
eric, you are simply and idiot. enough said.
Obama’s speech was his attempt to avoid ‘betrayal of his race’ while trying not to ‘betray his principles’.
What is his race, in fact? While there no doubt that racism exists in the world (and even what some would call black-on-black racism that has taken the form of actual bloody genocide), there is no such thing as subspecies of humankind based on skin color or other superficial features.
He can’t betray his race, unless he betrays the one human race.
What are his principles? Not at all clear, based on his speech.
Eric makes a basic point about Clinton’s use of racist identity politics.
The disheartening thing is that neither Obama nor Clinton can ignore the undercurrrents of such politics that has fueled both of their campaigns’ attempts to distinguish one from the other.
No. You’re totally wrong Eric. Obama has now lost at least 40% of independents, perminately. Without them, he is completely unelectable.
Wise Golden, I really pray you are right as this man is a very scary person, his wife
is as well and if Americans don’t see this in time, we are in trouble world wide.
QUOTE:
“As an authentic post-racial American, I will not patronize blacks by pretending Obama’s pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, is anything other than a raving racist loon. If a white pastor had said what Rev. Wright said — not about black people, but literally, the exact same things — I think we’d notice that he’s crazier than Ward Churchill and David Duke’s love child. (Indeed, both Churchill and the Rev. Wright referred to the attacks of 9/11 as the chickens coming “home to roost.”)
Imagine a white pastor saying: “Racism is the American way. Racism is how this country was founded, and how this country is still run. … We believe in white supremacy and black inferiority. And believe it more than we believe in God.”
Imagine a white pastor calling Condoleezza Rice, “Condoskeezza Rice.”
Imagine a white pastor saying: “No, no, no, God damn America — that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people! God damn America for treating our citizens as less than human! God damn America for as long as she acts like she is God and she is supreme!”
We treat blacks like children, constantly talking about their temper tantrums right in front of them with airy phrases about black anger. I will not pat blacks on the head and say, “Isn’t that cute?” As a post-racial American, I do not believe “the legacy of slavery” gives black people the right to be permanently ill-mannered.”
http://www.anncoulter.com/ “Throw Grandma under the Bus”
Are you nuts? Your hope is that he’s putting it behind him. Apparently Eric, you haven’t seen the polls over the last couple of days or you choose to ignore them. Obama is dropping like a stone! This is not going away and more will be revealed because clearly the liberal media has been protecting Obama for over a year. They’ve conveniently failed to tell us anything about him so he would appear as a messiah with little examination of his history. I have heard the statement by Hillary. I think it’s funny that only now you’re reporting it when you’ve turned against her and apparently endorsed Obama. When the Clinton’s did all those things (simply too much to go through now) in the 90′s, the liberal media covered it up for them and exoriated anyone who questioned them. The Clinton’s could couldn’t do no wrong, my how things have changed.
Trager,
Obama is finished. Remove your nose from his anus. He was never an Alpha male. He was a Beta male at best, masquerading as an Alpha.
Moderate America has rejected him and his racist, hatemongering, mentor. Obama’s continued support for the contemptible Wright is the number one story in America. it isn’t going to disappear just because you and the other Obamaniacs want it to.
America just dodged a poisoned bullet. You should be glad.
It is sad to see Obama people grasping at something to keep themselves motivated. I guess the juice finally worn off.
The only reason Hillary did not talk about the Obama-Wright situation before was because she did not want to alienate her Black supporters. Now I believe she has lost many of them by bringing a subject up that was slowly but surely dying. She figured there are more Caucasian people in the USA than black so who does she want to satisfy. She threw us to the dogs. With her it’s win no matter what I have to say or do. That’s ugly.