By John W. Lillpop
President Obama’s ‘Peace Is Hard’ speech before the United Nations on September 21 put U.S. allies, as well as enemies, on notice: America the great is no more. Or to be more blunt, Exceptionally unexceptional is us!
The president appeared weak, tired, and confused, due in part to the fact that his soaring oratory from 2010 has proven unsustainable, when compared to reality.
Scoundrels in Syria, North Korea, and Iran must have found hope in the president’s weakness. The obvious muting of American strength and preeminence will surely embolden the ‘bad guys’ to take greater risks, a fact that makes the world dramatically less safe than it was when Obama took office in 2009.
What will motivate Iran to abandon its quest of a nuclear weapon now that America is no longer interested or capable of providing effective opposition?
Why would North Korea bother to be more civil and accommodating now that the United States is run by a pacifist who prefers to ‘lead from behind’?
Threatening Syrian President Assad with more sanctions is a far cry from rattling a few American sabers in the tyrant’s face.
To Americans, President Obama is now a major embarrassment, both domestically and on the world stage.
Although George W. Bush often delivered speeches replete in broken syntax and mangled grammar, at least the world knew that America was a force to reckon with. And yes, even fear.
By contrast, when Obama speaks, the only fear resides in the hearts of patriotic Americans who are witnessing first hand the decimation of a proud and great nation by an elitist more suited for lecturing than leading.
