Friday, August 15, 2014

Secretary Hillary Clinton Formally Outs the Obama Foreign Policy: "Don't Do Stupid Stuff."

President Obama at an off the record talk with reporters last spring after returning from an Asian trip explained his foreign policy as “Don’t Do Stupid Shit.” The media generally did not discuss it because it was off the record. A few papers mentioned it, but it got little international traction until Secretary Hillary Clinton criticized it in an interview in the Atlantic. She said “Great nations need organizing principles.” “Don’t do stupid stuff” doesn’t cut it. Actually the President said: “Don’t do stupid shit.” “Don’t do stupid shit” stands out in the long history of American diplomacy and foreign policy. Here are some of the previous doctrines, principles, and guidelines of United States foreign policy: The Monroe Doctrine The Marshall Plan Isolation The Good Neighbor Policy NATO Containment Mutually Assured Destruction Alliance for Progress Manifest Destiny Four Freedoms Fourteen Points Arsenal of democracy NAFTA Special Relationship And now we have “Don’t do stupid shit.” Then why is Senator Charles Hagel Secretary of State? Why has the President placed political hacks on the National Security Council? Why is Susan Rice the National Security Advisor? Why did President Obama snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in Iraq by bugging out? Why did the President draw a line in the sand and then erase it? Why did the President only offer MRE’s to the Ukrainians when they needed munitions? Why was returning the Churchill Bust one of the President Obama’s first acts in office? Why has the President often expressed his disdain for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? Why would the President ever show deference to Hamas? How has the President so totally turned off Recip Erdogan, Turkey’s leader? Why did the President stiff the Syrian rebels? Was the President AWOL during Benghazi? Do the American people understand the extent to which the President has shrunk the military? Why is the President renowned for leading from behind? The President believes that caution “avoids mistakes.” Thus he is cautious in making decisions. He is deliberative. When in doubt, wait. In short, he’s indecisive – at best. When he does decide, it’s usually based on his deep left-wing bias against a strong, decisive America. Acting requires decisions, often tough decisions with a chance of failure. Inaction does not resolve international problems. Inaction, the failure to act, is often the dumbest act.

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