“Islam makes it incumbent on all adult males, provided they are not disabled or incapacitated, to prepare themselves for the conquest of [other] countries so that the writ of Islam is obeyed in every country in the world. . . . But those who study Islamic Holy War will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world. . .” Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenie
If we could set aside political biases, curb our emotions and stick strictly to facts, we would have a much better chance of assessing who possesses the values, temperament, knowledge and insights to deal with today’s tumultuous world. Keeping in mind the critical choice we face 2016, let’s look at how America’s current choice stacks up against another leader with an entirely different perspective on terrorism.
One leader is the son of a historian. He earned a business degree from MIT and studied political science at Harvard. As a commando serving in the Israeli Defense Forces he was wounded twice. His brother was killed while rescuing fellow citizens whose airplane had been hijacked by Palestinian terrorists. He lives in a tiny nation surrounded by two hundred and fifty million people most of whom want his nation to disappear from the earth.
America’s current leader is a Harvard Law School graduate, son of a proud Marxist. At home and at school the President’s professional and familial mentors were on the wrong side of the Cold War. Hence, he grew up among people sympathetic to the most murderous ideology in human history. The people most influential in his early years saw America as racist and imperialistic. At school, exclusive prep school and college, he spent his time snorting cocaine, purposely seeking the companionship of radicals (as acknowledged in his own words) and protesting against the imperfections of the nation of his birth. For twenty years he attended a church led by a bigot named Jeremiah Wright, whom he idealized.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=208t80uceSg
As evidence we note the title of the book the President wrote about himself, The Audacity of Hope. The title was inspired by a sermon given by Wright. This young author ascended to the most powerful position in the world pledging to “fundamentally transform” his nation. Influences are not determinative, but must be considered in light of how he has governed.
These two individuals have dealt with the terrorists who wreak havoc around the world in very different ways.
The former, Prime Minister Netanyahu struggles daily against well-defined Islamic threats to his nation. The latter, twice elected President Obama has yet to define the threats.
It should surprise no one that these guys are not simpatico when dealing with one another. Who do you suppose sees the world as it is and who is in search of a mythical utopia? Which leader is more likely to act with resolve when confronting evil? Whose political values should we consider more in tune with defeating a barbaric enemy? These are the kinds of distinctions that should be instructive as applied to our evaluation of candidates as the next election approaches.
I understand that people do not always mimic the values of those who surrounded them in their formative years. But in both thees cases, the individual’s actions and beliefs show a profound connection to the values and perspectives of those closest to them during their most impressionable years.
If we could magically put aside our biases, we could dispassionately decide who would be best at dealing with the Islamic murderous decapitators who currently infect the globe. It should not be hard to guess which leader is able to frankly acknowledge the religious roots of today’s terrorism. Namely, fully engage and defeat radical Islam in its many incarnations without indicting all Muslims. The Prime Minister has no problem identifying the roots of terror. The President has defied common sense and logic trying to disconnect Islam from the violence.
I don’t say any of this to just throw more crap at the President. It truly is not political to state the obvious.
Obama will finish his term. I don’t care if he means well. It’s not about psychology, feelings or politics. It’s not about black or white. It’s about the fate of the free world. I bring all this up in the hope that it will be helpful as 2016 approaches.
Unfortunately, most people do not make dispassionate assessments. Some see the President only in a negative light. Others treat him like a saint. Hence, their objectivity is handicapped.
Both political predispositions and a lack of knowledge limit reasoned judgment. What should be obvious is rendered obscure when viewed through an opaque lens. The ideologues are moved by faith; neither reason nor fact matters. Millions of others just don’t know. Their evaluation of the two men is based on sound bites and popular culture. Like it or not, those are the people who will make the difference in 2016.
This is what is at the core of the frustration for many conservatives and true liberals. Why can’t others see what is so obvious?
While the President channels Neville Chamberlain, Netanyahu reminds us of Churchill. Churchill was ridiculed and scorned as an alarmist. One leads and one appeases. One tells a soothing tale of reasonable accommodations for peace. The other presents the very disturbing picture of the face of evil. Most people prefer what appears as a peace scenario. This is especially true among the many who are clueless about the details of the international threats and how the President has chosen to deal with the threats. Superficial terms like ‘negotiations’ and ‘no boots on the ground’ can be very appealing. Every American would prefer to negotiate a peace rather then put one young American in harms way.
While one leader works to prevent a nuclear winter the other perfects his golf game, charms the masses with frivolous interviews and trusts the untrustworthy. Churchllian wisdom is not something leftists like our President and his minions have acquired. The President would never have removed a bust of Churchill from the White House had he understood the prescient nature of Churchill’s warnings.
The media will label Netanyahu a bellicose hysteric and Obama a peacemaker. Hence the Noble Peace Prize as soon as he stepping through the door to the White House. Candidates with the wisdom of Churchill will be labeled dangerous. They will need to make their appeal over the heads of the media.
Eighty years ago the West ignored Germany’s remilitarization because the allies underestimated the nature of the National Socialist devil. Today the West is on track to permit Iran to develop a nuclear arsenal. The theocrat’s pact with the devil has been vastly underestimated.
With the stakes so high, what should be done? I suggest we encourage our friends and associates to carefully watch Netanyahu’s historic speech given to Congress on March 2, 2015. Forty-three standing ovations by a vast bipartisan majority in Congress indicate an acknowledgement of the profundity of the Prime Minister’s words. Those words filled a leadership vacuum. But Americans are war weary. It will require superb American leadership to overcome the natural inclination to avoid confronting evil. Bibi has set the standard for our next President.
It’s not about Democrat or Republican. Rand Paul by word and Hillary Clinton by deed do not have the skills, knowledge or values to lead at this critical moment.
The message is really very simple. The devil does not respond to anything short of coercion and brute force. He will exploit any and every sign of weakness. Unless the leader of the free world acts based on this gut level truth, we are in for troubled times ahead.
The most likely scenario is that the administration will continue to placate the devil. Short of some large-scale catastrophe in America, Iran and the Islamists will expand their spheres of influence along a trail of tears with minimal resistance.
Whether or not Iran develops its nuclear bomb before our next election is anyone’s guess. The cost of inaction could prove horrific. We’ve seen this movie before. Hopefully this time the ending will be less tragic because an American leader will emerge with a keen sense of history and the ability to connect with the uninformed masses. I am watching, writing and praying with great trepidation.