September 24, 2009
Bolton: We welcome our Post-American President
Entrance question: Do Americans elect a president to look out for American interests or the interests of other countries?
John Bolton, speaking to Robert Costa at NRO has the obvious answer:
Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton tells NRO that President Obama's address to the U.N. was "a post-American speech by our first post-American president. It was a speech high on the personality of Barack Obama and high on multilateralism, but very short in advocating American interests."I found it significant that Obama made a point of saying what was wrong with our foreign policy under Bush was that "America has acted unilaterally, without regard for the interests of others." Pardon me but isn't that the definition of advancing American interests? Are we not allowed to do that anymore? Are we supposed to ask permission of Russia to help Georgia defend itself? Are we supposed to ask permission of Iran to protect the Iraqis from the mullahs influence?
"It was a very naïve, Wilsonian speech, and very revealing of Obama's foreign policy," says Bolton. "Overall, it was so apologetic for the actions of prior administrations, in an effort to distance Obama from them, that it became yet another symbol of American weakness in the wake of the president's decision to abandon missile sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, and his recent manifest hesitation over what to do in Afghanistan."
"The most significant point of the speech was how the president put Israel on the chopping block in a variety of references, from calling Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegitimate to talking about ending ‘the occupation that began in 1967.' That implies that he supports going back to 1967 borders," says Bolton. "Obama has a very tough road ahead. He is frequently taking the side of the Palestinians, who don't have a competent leader who can make hard decisions and compromises in the future."
Also noteworthy, Bolton says, was how Obama highlighted "just how much of American foreign policy that he wants to run through the U.N."
In Obama's world, despite his rhetoric about "defending American interests" and not apologizing for it, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT HE IS DOING! We should be getting used to this by now; Obama spouting soothing rhetoric that disarms his critics while going ahead and doing exactly the opposite while daring someone to call him out.
Bolton has this guy's shtick down cold.