Obama must start punching harder

From FT: Obama must start punching harder

This is a nice way of saying "Obama is weak"

This is also a very balanced article which everyone should read today.

...

The notion that Mr Obama is a weak leader is now spreading in ways that are dangerous to his presidency. The fact that he won the Nobel Peace Prize last Friday will not change this impression. Peace is all very well. But Mr Obama now needs to pick a fight in public – and win it with a clean knock-out.

In truth, the Norwegians did the US president no favours by giving him the peace prize after less than a year in office. The award will only embellish a portrait of the president that has been painted in ever more vivid colours by his political enemies. The right argues that Mr Obama is a man who has been wildly applauded and promoted for not doing terribly much. Now the Nobel committee seems to be making their point for them.

The rightwing assault on the president is based around a number of slogans that are hammered home with damaging frequency: Obama the false Messiah; Obama, the president who apologises for America; Obama, the man who is more loved abroad than at home; Obama, the man who never gets anything done; Obama the hesitant; Obama the weak.

Of course, this is the kind of stuff that was always going to be hurled at a liberal, Democratic president by the Republicans. The danger for Mr Obama is that you are beginning to hear echoes of these charges from people who should be the president’s natural supporters.

Even before the Nobel announcement, liberal American columnists were sounding increasingly sceptical about the man they once supported with such enthusiasm.Richard Cohen wrote in the Washington Post that the president “inspires a lot of affection but not a lot of awe. It is the latter, though, that matters most in international affairs where the greatest and most gut-wrenching tests await Obama”. Now Saturday Night Live – the slayer of Sarah Palin – has turned its fire on President Obama, portraying him a do-nothing president.

How has this impression built up? The promise of bold changes of policy on the Middle East and Iran – without much to show for it – has not helped. The public agonising over policy towards Afghanistan has been damaging. The slow pace of progress on healthcare has hurt.

Even the president’s strengths can begin to look like weaknesses. His eloquence from a public platform has begun to contrast nastily with his failure to get things done behind the scenes. I winced when I heard him proclaim from the dais at theUnited Nations that “speeches alone will not solve our problems”. This, from a man who was due to give three high-profile speeches in 24 hours in New York. I winced again, when Muammer Gaddafi of Libya told the UN that he would be happy “if Obama can stay forever as the president”.

In other news....

Weak on sanctions, no support from Russia (duh)

TICK-TOCK: Moscow 'very reserved' on Iran sanctions...
Hillary says did not ask Russia for help...
Clinton, Lavrov agree to delay sanctions against Iran...

Maybe Obama should ask nicely? Or give a speech?

Obama and allies in a corner

Obama and allies in a corner

Barack Obama called Iran's activity "a direct challenge" to the international community.

The accusations were made public in an extraordinary joint statement by the US President, flanked by Gordon Brown and the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy before the start of the G20 economic summit in Pittsburgh.

The new revelation sharply raises the stakes at a time when Israel has been signalling that military strikes against Iran are on the table.

"The Iranian government must now demonstrate through deeds its peaceful intentions or be held accountable to international standards and international law," Mr Obama said. His French and British peers portrayed even deeper indignation. "The level of deception by the Iranian government and the scale of what we believe is a breach of international commitments, will shock and anger the whole international community and it will harden our resolve," Mr Brown said, adding that it was time to "draw a line in the sand". He went on: "This is the third time they have been caught red-handed, not telling the truth."

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So here you have it Barack...

You are hoping that Russia and China support new and extreme sanctions on Iran

You are hoping the British and French stay strong and support these sanctions

You are hoping the Israeli's don't attack

....

If Russia and China don't step in you will have two options:

1) Attack (or allow Israel to attack, though you JUST chastised Israel this week and told them you DID NOT support them)

2) Issue a strongly worded letter via Hans Blix

How timely that you have spent the month pissing off your allies just when you need their support the most.

China is thoroughly pissed after you started a trade war.

You just submitted to Russia's will and dismantled the missile shield.

and now you want to ask for their support??

let's not forget that you are also asking China to buy the majority of our debt (aka spending, aka stimulus, aka bailouts, aka would-be-health-care)

US May Face 'Armageddon' If China, Japan Don't Buy Debt...

Well there you go Barack, welcome to big-boy leadership... whatcha gonna do?

Obama says Iran is breaking rules

Obama says Iran is breaking rules

Oh no!!! They broke the RULES!

The Obama should be very firm with Iran.

Or else!

Or else we will be very very angry with them

and we'll write them a letter telling you how angry we are!

Bad Iran! You've been a naughty boy!

Surprise: Iran builds second secret nuclear plant.

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"Iran's decision to build yet another nuclear facility without notifying the IAEA represents a direct challenge to the basic compact at the center of the non-proliferation regime," Obama said, with Brown and Sarkozy standing at his side. Watch world leaders react to Iran »

"The size and configuration of this facility is inconsistent with a peaceful program," Obama said.

Obama said the three countries presented "detailed evidence" to the IAEA on Thursday that showed Iran "has been building a covert uranium enrichment facility near Qom for several years."

They demanded an immediate investigation into the facility and threatened a stiff response if Iran fails to conform to international obligations regarding nuclear development.

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Where's Hans Blix??

What negotiating with madmen gets you

What negotiating with madmen gets you:

Ahmadinejad Lectures Obama: 'Express your regret'...

NKorea threatens annihilation of USA; World anticipates missile...

Vows to enlarge its atomic arsenal...

NKoreans mass at rally in capital to denounce USA...

Ahmadinejad said, "Mr Obama made a mistake to say those things ... our question is why he fell into this trap and said things that previously Bush used to say."

"Do you want to speak with this tone? If that is your stance then what is left to talk about... I hope you avoid interfering in Iran's affairs and express your regret in a way that the Iranian nation is informed of it,"

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North Korea's "armed forces will deal an annihilating blow that is unpredictable and unavoidable, to any 'sanctions' or provocations by the US," Pak Pyong Jong, first vice chairman of the Pyongyang City People's Committee, told the crowd.

State-run newspapers ran lengthy editorials accusing the U.S. of invading the country in 1950 and of looking for an opportunity to attack again. The editorials said those actions justified North Korea's development of atomic bombs to defend itself.

The North "will never give up its nuclear deterrent ... and will further strengthen it" as long as Washington remains hostile, Pyongyang's main Rodong Sinmun newspaper said.

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Hahahaha and Iran is calling Obama "BUSH" !

Its a lose-lose situation Barack, that is what you get when you deal rationally with irrational people.

Obama must speak out on Iran

From our pals at the Communist News Network:

Obama must speak out on Iran

Here you have the brutal repression of political dissent, the suppression of free speech and the beating and gunning down of dissidents. College students are reportedly being beaten in their dormitories by government thugs and threatened with worse if they don't stop protesting.

I'm not talking about sending in the 101st Airborne, or the Special Forces. I'm just talking about Obama doing something that, as we all know, he does awfully well: giving a speech.

The president needs to say to the world that we're choosing sides in this conflict and that we're rooting for the protesters against the people who are trying to beat them into submission and suppress the tides of progress.

The United States doesn't have the luxury of being neutral at a time of moral crisis. America is -- as former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright used to say -- "the indispensable nation" that "stands tall" and "sees further into the future."

As Americans, what we see coming out of Tehran should outrage and offend us. Our country is not supposed to sit idly by while the little guy is getting the tar knocked out of him by thugs and tyrants.

Mr. President, you must do better. We don't belong on the sidelines. As the leader of the world's indispensable nation, it's time to stand tall and stand with the people of Iran.