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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Obama's Foreign Policy

In re: Russia. Video below the fold.


Blurb at YouTube:
President Barack Obama was caught on microphone telling Dmitry Medvedev [link] that he would have more flexibility after November's election deal with contentious issues such as missile defence.

17 comments:

  1. Hi AOW.
    Something nobody seems to notice is that apparantly Obama understands Russian perfectly he needs no translator, when and where did he learn it?
    See on this vid no translator present.

    http://en.rian.ru/video/20120326/172404776.html

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  2. Hi AOW.
    Something nobody seems to notice is that apparantly Obama understands Russian perfectly he needs no translator, when and where did he learn it?
    See on this vid no translator present.

    http://en.rian.ru/video/20120326/172404776.html

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  3. Lol popped up double one for you and one for DHS.:)

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  4. Will,
    Blogger is burping.

    I read at Blogger that something new for Blogger is on the way in April. Heaven help us! Every time Blogger changes something or is in the process of changing something (Now?), we have glitches.

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  5. The primary concern about Obama's "hot mike" comment to Medvedev was that he seems to KNOW FOR SURE that's he's GOING to be reelected. In other words "The Fix Is In."

    From the way the Republicans have been behaving all through their primary season could anyone seriously doubt that Mitt Romney has been CHOSEN by the Oligarchs to TAKE A DIVE for OBAMA?

    I feel it in my bones.

    "We the People" are being totally LEFT OUT of EVERY DECISION that might have a material effect on our future well being.

    ~ FreeThinke

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  6. Yes, if Obama is re-elected, he will continue selling us out to the Russians.

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  7. Regarding the translator question, they wear mikes in their ears to receive translations.

    Obama is ASSUMING that he'll be re-elected. What he's saying is, if the Russians HELP HIM get re-elected, he'll give them what they want with Missile Defense. The Russians can help by reversing, or at least relaxing, their stances toward Iran and Israel.

    The thing to watch now is whether they do soften their Israel and Iran positions or not, because that will tell us if they think Obama will win or not. If they don't think he will, they won't help him. This is really a great opportunity to see what the Russian analysts think of Obama's re-election chances.

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  8. I wonder how much of this is simply you want Obama out and thus your looking for something to tag him with even though there is nothing.

    From my perspective I understood what he later said was the reasoning - ie logical.

    He stated to the Russian President that such discussions should now take place after the elections. Why? That is clear enough in international relations, in fact it is standard. When a President is up for elections and there is no galvanised support for international policy from the political forces and Congress - then there is no value in continuing such negotiations with another country. When the elections are finished, then the President has the right to do so. Or, we can say it simply, what rights does a President in his last six or so months of office have to negotiate for a nation that may throw him out?

    That he is assuming he will win - yes of course, any incumbant would.


    A last comment - would it not be even worse if he did do negotiations on a high level and critical agreement that perhaps another Adminstration would not accept, do different or recind? Your speaker and the main candidates could argue that and make a huge case.

    Damien Charles

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  9. Obama snags Pravda's endorsement?

    In any case, Pravda has slammed Romney:

    ...So, in an op-ed today posted on Pravda's website, the infamous former Soviet newspaper writes, "Electing Mitt Romney as the next President of the United States of America would be like appointing a serial paedophile as a kindergarten teacher, a rapist as a janitor at a girls' dormitory or a psychopath with a fixation on knives as a kitchen hand. His comments on Russia are a puerile attempt at making the grand stage and boy, did he blow it..."

    [...]

    Pravda praises present Russian relations with the United States under President Obama....

    [...]

    The piece ends by threatening Romney....


    More at the above link.

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  10. The body language in the video is damning.

    Regardless of an incumbent's assumptions, Obama's statement isn't being well received by many voters. And I'm not just talking about anti-Obama voters, either.

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  11. Inquiring hawks want to know!! Obviously, they need it spelled out for them. THIS PRESIDENT ISN'T GOING TO SELL ANOTHER WAR TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. Obama has taken a hard stand against perceived fears of terrorism by actively seeking and assassinating Osama bin Laden, endless drones, sniping pirates and appeasing voices that don't want an instant withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. But the instant he uses the word "flexibility" in his handling of foreign policy there seems to be some concern that he might actually have a peaceful agenda. Why the nerve of that man!!

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  12. The point is if this was a Republican you would be as concerned as we are that he is implying he will conspire with a foreign country when he gets reelected...

    Factor in he just made a deal with the British PM to jointly release oil form reserves just before the election

    Factor in most of the stimulus actually went to banks headquartered in Europe

    Factor in that US contributions are not exactly rolling into the Obama campaign fund

    BUt you just go ahead and hide behind that jersey....

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  13. I love the constent negativeness and "wishing" there was something to tag Obama. Personally I think if your going to target Obama then do so intelligently on issues that cannot be argued with - say his managing the economy.

    Like you cannot place the Pravda add on his shoulders - it is not Obama getting the endorsement, but the other way round, Pravda chosing to ensore Obama for their own agenda.

    I love one comment that there is deal making with the Russians. Of course there is, it is called state to state negotiations and it comes with logical and well thought out deal making. The main point, being very logical, is that if one is about to go to the polls then you have to wait afterwards to not risk wasting the effort. Note, to prove that, his remarks to the Russian President was please pass that along to Putin - because they just had their election and so both the current Russian and American President have to wait - and acknowledge that Putin is the only confirmed one at present.

    I know, it is election time, you absolutely hate Obama so much that you must bag him on anything and everything, regardless if logical.

    Personally, I think it is childish.

    Damien Charles

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  14. Damien Charles,
    Let me clue you in....It's Presidential Election Year in the United States.

    You may view the entire process as childish. Fine. You can have your own opinion.

    But American politics differs greatly from the politics of Europe. Call us loud, obnoxious, and childish. It is what it is -- and, in the history of the United States, politics is what it is.

    Do I myself hate Obama? No, but I fully admit that I despise his policies and find him an embarrassment on several levels. He does give the tag "Harvard graduate" a bad name.

    Have a good day.

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  15. In reply to your anonymouse who said: " wonder how much of this is simply you want Obama out and thus your looking for something to tag him with even though there is nothing."

    Nothing? Seriously? Obama's foreign policy has been a disaster. Do you recall the "reset" button that Hillary Clinton handed her Russian counterpart at the beginning of the Obama Administration? Not only did the button have the wrong word in Russian (it translated to "overloaded") but instead of resetting the relationship in a positive way, our relations with Russia have only deteriorated.

    Despite the fact that Obama caved early on to Russian demands over our plans with Polish and Czech allies for missile defense (throwing both allies under the bus) and for compromising on a host of other issues Russia has NOT helped us do one thing about Iran which was Obama's big hope.

    Charles Krauthammer has an excellent column today with more details:

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-flexibility-doctrine/2012/03/29/gIQA9ZMtjS_story.html

    Anon: Just because YOU were not aware of Obama's screw ups does not mean he has done "nothing" wrong.

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  16. Mike,
    Thank you for calling to my attention that essay by Charles Krauthammer. I noted this paragraph (emphasis mine):

    ...Obama is telling the Russians not to worry, that once past “my last election” and no longer subject to any electoral accountability, he’ll show “more flexibility” on missile defense. It’s yet another accommodation to advance his cherished Russia “reset” policy....

    That sums up quite clearly what actually is going on with Obama's policy with regard to Russia.

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  17. Interesting essay about Obama's foreign policy. Excerpt:

    ...This administration has made it painfully clear that its only foreign policy is reactive and that its spheres of interest lie nowhere near the former Warsaw Pact....

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