Flexibility Comes Home to Roost

Political analysts, pundits, journalists, and even some lay people across the globe are questioning Obama's choice of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense. Hagel's impending nomination has been the subject of radio talk shows, cable news panels, and conservative and liberal columnists for a number of weeks now, reaching a crescendo on Monday when the official nomination was announced. The general consensus seems to be, "What in the world was Obama thinking nominating someone so controversial, who will entail the expense of major political capital when too many more important fights lie ahead, and whose confirmation is so questionable."

Every single person who views the Hagel nomination from that perspective is completely missing the big picture, naïve at best, or ignorantly hopeful that an Obama second term will bring kumbaya camaraderie, bipartisanship, "co-existence," and the fulfillment of other left-wing utopian dreams. Alas, if the Hagel nomination does not wake the remaining Kool-Aid drinkers from their slumber, nothing will.

For the answer to anyone who questions why in the world a lame duck President Barack Hussein Obama would nominate an anti-Semitic, gay-hating, dovish, seemingly mullah-supporting, Hezbollah-sustaining, isolationist to head up the Pentagon is beyond obvious. It is because he agrees with Hagel's views! Obama has absolutely no reason to appoint anyone to his cabinet or elsewhere in his administration who is not ideologically aligned with his own worldview. Accordingly, the guy who "won" and who "brings a gun to the fight," who has consistently pitted American against American with the strategy of divide and conquer, and who continually undermines the Constitution in order to expand his own power, no longer feels constrained by the American electorate.

While Americans ignorantly ignored Obama's off-mike comment to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that, "This is my last election. After my election I have more flexibility," I venture a guess that many in the international community took notice. As Medvedev responded, "I understand. I will transmit this information to Vladimir," perhaps Kool-Aid drinking Americans enjoyed a James Bond flashback of some Hollywood produced fantasy they enjoyed on the big screen rather than coming to terms with the true meaning of the friendly exchange. But Vladimir, Ayatollah and Mahmoud, Assad, the Muslim Brotherhood, Kim Jong Eun, and other bad players on the world stage surely took notice. Is it really any wonder that Iran's Press-TV and the George Soros-funded Center for American Progress endorsed Hagel to head up Defense?

Americans are overlooking the spots on the Obama leopard they elected to office not once, but twice. The man they chose to lead America's decline in the 21st century does not like America, abhors Israel, her people and leader, detests his country's military strength and historic accomplishments, loathes economic freedom and individual liberty, and resents those who achieve success in a democratic, capitalist society (aside from himself). Obama never really hid those views from the public although the public never removed its rose-colored glasses through which it viewed their favorite idol. The mainstream media certainly played its role in pulling the wool over the public's eyes, but a failed record after four years in office (and the little information divulged from his pre-White House days) reveals a man with tremendous disdain for everything that this country represents.

Before his first election Obama announced to the world, "We are five days away from fundamentally transforming the United States of America." And while Obama began that venture in his first term, he recognized the need to have a second untethered term in order to truly accomplish his goals. So no one should be surprised that his foreign policy team will now include the triumvirate of John Kerry (the male-equivalent of Jane Fonda) at State, Chuck Hagel at Defense, and John Brennan heading up the CIA -- and good luck to anyone stupid enough to follow in the selfless and patriotic footsteps of Ambassador Stevens.

(John Brennan is a disaster to the lead the CIA; however, it may be that Obama nominated him simultaneously with Hagel so as to minimize that fight. Brennan is known for, among other things, referring to Jerusalem as "al Quds" [The Arabic name for the city), being called to resign by John McCain who exclaimed that Brennan had "lost touch with reality" when Brennan commented that having a percentage of terrorists return to terrorism after release from Gitmo "isn't that bad," proposing U.S. engagement with Hezbollah, facilitated by the unindicted co-conspirators in the Islamic Holy Land trial, the Islamic Society of North America, meeting with Muslim law students to discuss national security issues, viewing himself as a "citizen of the world" who does not support "profiling" in order to protect Americans, and reportedly having been involved in planning and encouraging the Mavi Marmara convoy to Gaza in 2010.)

Why would Obama risk a controversial choice and invite a political battle at a time when all of Washington seems mired in ugly partisanship? Because he is confident that the few Democrats who do not support the selection will fall in line like good little foot soldiers as they have to date, thus ensuring that his devious plan so too falls into place. Once again his complicit media buddies will label evil Republicans as obstructionist. In the face of honest questions about Hagel's views, Obama's surrogates both in the media and in politics will blame the Hagel-labeled "Jewish Lobby" for being "Israel-firsters" who care little to nothing about America's best interests. And he will finally be set free from having to pretend to feel anything other than disgust at Israel's Prime Minister who he has been stuck having to "deal with every day."

Most significantly, Obama never had any intention of stopping Iran from going nuclear. If Obama had any intention of preventing a nuclear Iran, he would have been an enthusiastic supporter of sanctions from the get go rather than fighting their implementation and passage tooth and nail. Instead he had to be dragged kicking and screaming to the signing table only to grant waivers and exceptions that watered down their effectiveness. If he really wanted to prevent Iran from nuclear hegemony, he would have enthusiastically worked with Israel to draw a red line and put the fear of God in the mullahs that pursuing this endeavor would result in the demise of not just their nuclear facilities, but the entire Islamic regime.

Obama does not care less about his foreign policy legacy, as Benghazi, Egypt, and Syria painfully illustrate. Obama's only legacy that he cares about pertains to the transformation of America beginning with Obamacare and ending with European-style socialism. In between, his legacy involves knocking America down a few notches on the international stage, leading from behind, and blaming others for his failures. When Iran goes nuclear, it will not be Obama's fault - it will be that of the global community of which he only wants to play a small role - until he becomes secretary general of the UN.

Elevating Hagel to head up the Pentagon not only sends the palpable message to the Iranians and the rest of the world that they have nothing to fear from America with their deadly pursuits. It also ensures that Israel must now face the hard truth that any expectation of American military support in the face of such an incursion will be the stuff that dreams are made of.

American Jews who supported Obama despite his anti-Israel record will continue to make excuses, stick their heads in the sand, and defend their guy. As the Hagel nomination became official, the National Jewish Democratic Council issued a statement supporting the selection stating that they "trust that when confirmed, former Senator Chuck Hagel will follow the President's lead of providing unrivaled support for Israel." ( The irony in that statement -- given the fact that Obama's "support" for Israel is rivaled by every single one of his predecessors since Jimmy Carter -- has apparently been missed on the organization that exploited Israeli Jews in order to fabricate a pro-Obama video prior to the past election.) Jewish Senators such as Dianne Feinstein and Carl Levin have absolutely no problem with Hagel's nomination and Chuck Schumer looks forward to "exploring [Hagel's] views."

Then there is Obama advocate Alan Dershowitz, who published a column critical of Hagel's selection but stated, "Senator Hagel will have an opportunity to clarify, and hopefully to change, his previous statements with regard to these issues." Dershowitz concluded that he has "hope" that his "concerns can be allayed by the President and his nominee..." And pro-Obama Democrat, Ed Koch, chimed in on Monday with his assessment that, "Frankly, I thought that there would come a time when [Obama] would renege on what he conveyed on his support of Israel," and added, "it comes a little earlier than I thought it would." This is from a man who, despite believing that Obama would renege on his promises to the American people, voted for him anyway.

As I read of John Boehner's recent confrontation with Harry Reid, I cannot help but imagine Obama staring out at the television monitors and the faceless American people watching on the other end and thinking the same thing that Boehner so eloquently stated: "Go f--- yourself." Because that is exactly what Obama is saying to the American people when he nominated Kerry, Hagel, and Brennan. And if these recent appointments do not drive that message home to the electorate, nothing will.

With Obama steering the ship into the perfect storm of a disastrous, yet predictable foreign policy team, his favorite pastor and family friend's claims that, "America's chickens are coming home to roost" never seemed more apropos. Nor more scary.

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