And now the day has come to make a choice. ..

geoffff


Barry Rubin

I have written about how this administration has supported the bad guys--with guns and diplomatic help--in Syria, those who want to turn the country into an anti-American Islamic republic. Of how the nation's leaders believe that helping just about every Islamist group except al-Qaida is a great idea because they will be moderate and good friends of America. Then there's the disgraceful Benghazi incident where, whatever the precise details, the White House stood by as Americans were murdered and then rationalized the motive of the terrorists by blaming the United States. Benghazi is the perfect symbol for Obama Middle East policy.    I've explained why apology, appeasement, flattery, and empathy won't work in turning radicals and terrorists into moderates. I wrote of how the claim that Obama didn't play a significant role in the empowerment of revolutionary Islamists is bogus. And of how by the standards Obama explicitly set down at the start of his term his policy has totally failed. 

Perhaps most importantly of all I've explained why there is every reason to believe that another four years of Obama will be just as bad or worse, that the president has learned few lessons likely to change his approach to the region. 

And all of the above--and more--was just in the month of October 2012.

None of this was done due to ideology--I'm not a conservative--or partisanship--I'm not a Republican--but out of a deep-seated belief that his policy in the Middle East is terribly dangerous because it nurtures the worst forces that want to seize power, create dictatorships, oppress women, terrorize Christians, commit genocide against Jews, set their countries for decades on a course of war and repression, and do everything they can to destroy U.S. interests.

Imagine a U.S. president in the 1930s or early 1940s helping fascists get into power and whitewashing their ideology and behavior. Imagine a U.S. president who in the 1950s or 1960s did the same for Communists. How would you feel about such a person and his effect on the world?  Recently several readers have written me that they will be voting for Obama because they believe that he has learned his lesson, is a true friend of Israel, hasn't done harm because he had no control over events. I can understand how people might say such things but not after they've read what I've written about these matters.

And now the day has come to make a choice. 

...

Obama's policies have placed the lives of Americans and Israelis in jeopardy, as well as the citizens of many other countries, and made war more likely. For the first time in many decades, Israel cannot depend on the U.S. government. Neither can a dozen Arabic-speaking states that have relied on U.S. support. Neither can Middle Eastern pro-democracy advocates, moderates, secularists, women, and Christians. Neither can Americans.

Something should be done about that. And today is the day to do it.