‘Obama Administration Lost Its Game in Syria’ – Russian Senator Pushkov

The Obama administration did everything it could to defend the so-called moderate opposition, which is very closely connected with the jihadist groups in Syria, explains Aleksey Pushkov, Chairman of the Federation Council Mass Media Committee.

Global Image of US under the Obama Administration

Jun. 20, 2014 - 3:13 - Has American standing declined?

Obama Must Admit to Failure in Iraq

Obama, accompanied by Vice President Joe Biden, in
Washington D.C. Tuesday, June 10, 2014.

HAARETZ: With Iraq's future pouring into the hands of either Islamic militants or Iran, the time has come for Obama to admit his foreign policy is utterly flawed.

The leader of the free world didn't look good after his statement to the media on Friday from the White House lawn. With the George H.W. Bush carrier group on its way to the Persian Gulf, U.S. President Barack Obama will soon have over 100 combat aircraft at his disposal around Iraq, including those based in Jordan and the Emirates, and close to 40,000 troops in various bases in the region. If needed, that number could be doubled at short notice. But when Obama admitted that "short term military action, including any assistance we might provide, won't succeed," he wasn't just making excuses.

The new situation in Iraq - where the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), along with local Sunni militias, have taken control of wide swathes of the country's north-west - symbolizes the total failure of the Obama administration's military strategy over the last five and a half years. Obama is effectively out of military options. » | Anshel Pfeffer | Monday, June 16, 2014

Did the Crisis in Iraq Catch Obama by Surprise?

Jun. 16, 2014 - 4:12 - Mixed messages from the president on global security

US Weighs Alliance with Iran to Counter ISIS, Boosts Presence in Gulf

FOX NEWS: The Obama administration reportedly is preparing to open direct talks with Iran on possibly cooperating to counter the Sunni militant force seizing large swaths of Iraq and threatening Baghdad, weighing an unlikely alliance in the face of a common foe.

Secretary of State John Kerry said Monday the administration was "open to discussions" with Tehran if they can help end the violence. He told Yahoo! News he would "not rule out anything that would be constructive."

The deliberations come as the U.S. moved more assets into the region. According to U.S. Navy officials, the USS Mesa Verde is moving into the Persian Gulf with about 500 Marines on board, to help in the event of an evacuation. » | FoxNews.com | Monday, June 16, 2014

Iraq Crisis Caught Obama Unprepared

YNET NEWS: Analysis: Obama says he's not ruling out any options, but no one is buying it anymore. As the Iraqi army abandons its posts to Islamists, the Obama administration is not left with many options.

US President Barack Obama was sitting in the Oval Office next to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and tried to come up with an alibi for the astonishing events in Iraq that caught the White House with its pants down.

"Just because you say a war has ended, doesn't mean it's over," Senator John McCain, who lost the 2008 presidential elections to Obama, said mockingly. The promise to end the war in Iraq was one of the main campaign pledges that led Obama to the presidency.

Red with anger, House Speaker John Boehner yelled into the TV networks microphones, "It’s not like we haven't seen over the last five or six months these terrorists moving in, taking control of Western Iraq. Now they've taken control of Mosul. They’re 100 miles from Baghdad. And what's the president doing? Taking a nap!" » | Yitzhak Benhorin | Friday, June 13, 2014

Is the Obama Administration Finished?

Jun. 11, 2014 - 5:26 - Charles Krauthammer on the various controversies surrounding the White House

US Secures Record $60 Billion Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia
THE TELEGRAPH: The United States is selling $60 billion (£40 billion) worth of aircraft to Saudi Arabia in a huge deal that will increase unease about a gathering arms race in the Middle East.

In what is the largest ever US arms sale of its kind, Riyadh has agreed to spend $30 billion up front on top range fighter jets and helicopters, with the rest following at an undisclosed date. The two countries are also discussing an upgrade naval package potentially worth $30 billion, but the timing of that deal is not clear.

The deals are a coup for the Obama administration ahead of the midterm Congressional elections. The aircraft contracts are set to benefit defence manufacturers in 44 states and help to protect 77,000 jobs. Democratic candidates are expected to come under severe pressure in the elections in part because of the US's high unemployment rate.

But the deal will raise concerns about the militarisation of the Gulf states and the Middle East, which in part seems to be being driven by the Iranian nuclear development programme. The rush by Tehran towards nuclear weapons, which it denies but is widely disbelieved, is prompting defence reviews across the whole region. >>> Alex Spillius in Washington | Monday, September 13, 2010

Even America's Liberal Élites Concede that Obama's Presidency Is Crumbling
TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – NILE GARDINER: Democrats in Congress are no longer asking themselves whether this is going to be a bad election year for them and their party. They are asking whether it is going to be a disaster. The GOP pushed deep into Democratic-held territory over the summer, to the point where the party is well within range of picking up the 39 seats it would need to take control of the House. Overall, as many as 80 House seats could be at risk, and fewer than a dozen of these are held by Republicans.

Political handicappers now say it is conceivable that the Republicans could also win the 10 seats they need to take back the Senate. Not since 1930 has the House changed hands without the Senate following suit. Read on and comment >>> Nile Gardiner | Wednesday, September 08, 2010

The Stunning Decline of Barack Obama: 10 Key Reasons Why the Obama Presidency Is In Meltdown
THE TELEGRAPH – BLOGS – NILE GARDINER – An Extract: Growing disillusionment with the Obama administration’s handling of the economy as well as health care and immigration has gone hand in hand with mounting unhappiness with the President’s aloof and imperial style of leadership, and a growing perception that he is out of touch with ordinary Americans, especially at a time of significant economic pain. Barack Obama’s striking absence of natural leadership ability (and blatant lack of experience) has played a big part in undermining his credibility with the US public, with his lacklustre handling of the Gulf oil spill coming under particularly intense fire.

On the national security and foreign policy front, President Obama has not fared any better. His leadership on the war in Afghanistan has been confused and at times lacking in conviction, and seemingly dictated by domestic political priorities rather than military and strategic goals. His overall foreign policy has been an appalling mess, with his flawed strategy of engagement of hostile regimes spectacularly backfiring. And as for the War on Terror, his administration has not even acknowledged it is fighting one. Read it all and comment >>>

The Obama Deception: Full Length Version


With many thanks to a friend from Sweden for alerting me to this excellent video.

Czarist America
FRONTPAGEMAG.COM: In an historic and possibly unconstitutional expansion of Executive authority, President Obama has named more than 30 “czars” with unprecedented and seemingly unlimited authority in a breadth of fields—ranging from U.S. border czar to Iran czar. All are responsible only to Obama. Now, the Messiah's appointment of czars has been labeled a blatant and unconstitutional power grab by an unusual source—the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, Robert Byrd, D-WV. 

In a February letter to Obama, Byrd wrote that the czars “as presidential assistants and advisors “are not accountable for their actions to Congress, to cabinet officers, or to virtually anyone but the president.” He wrote the czarist system violates the Constitutional system of checks-and-balances and the separation of powers, and is a clear attempt to evade Congressional oversight.

The Constitution states that government officers with significant authority—they’re called Principal Officers—once nominated by the president are then subject to judgment by the Senate as to their confirmation. Principal Officers include not only members of the president’s cabinet but also assistant secretaries and deputy undersecretaries of federal departments. Byrd is hardly an insignificant voice in his party. Byrd endorsed Obama over Hillary Clinton in the West Virginia primary last year.

Before that, Senator Byrd was the Left’s favorite Constitutional expert during the Iraq War, when he broached the possibility of impeaching George Bush over NSA wiretapping. But he is now largely ignored, as he was during most of the Clinton years.
The appointment of Kenneth Feinberg June 10 as the pay-czar illustrates the breadth of power vested in Obama’s czars. Feinberg will have the authority to review, reject and likely determine specific compensation of any company executive who has taken bail-out money from Obama’s giant piggy bank.

Not only will the top executives of these companies have to come to Feinberg with hat in hand for their salaries, so, too, will 100 high-ranking employees of Citigroup, Bank of America, American International Group (AIG), and other companies given large sums, such as General Motors. Obama has protested “I don’t want to run a car company,” but he is setting its pay policy through Feinberg. >>> Tait Trussell | Thursday, July 16, 2009

Hat tip: Always On Watch >>>