Les Jones

Obama is the wimpy reverse Wimpy

Thursday, October 15th, 2009 | Politics |

Reason - Shrewd, Gutsy, and Naive?:

To his legion of online supporters, Obama’s first foreign policy coup was caving to Russian pressure on missile defense, they claimed, in exchange for Moscow’s assistance in applying sanctions on Tehran. Brendan Nyhan argued that Obama didn’t “appease” Moscow because the move was “part of a quid pro quo in which Russia agreed to support tougher sanctions against Iran.” Ubiquitous liberal blogger Matt Yglesias scoffed that, contra Obama’s critics, in the “real world, Obama’s approach is working” by getting Russia behind the administration’s Iran policy. In Salon, Juan Cole argued that Obama “has been rewarded with greater Russian cooperativeness on Iran.” “The US right wing accused Obama of a failure of nerve,” Cole wrote, “But in fact his move was shrewd and gutsy, since he predisposed Russia to increased cooperation with the US in regard to Iran’s nuclear research program.”

Only now Russia is balking at supporting sanctions against Iran, who is their ally in trade, nuclear technology, and arms. Who didn’t see this coming? Other than the shameless Obama boosters above, I mean? From a post of mine in March, Obama throws Europe under the bus, prostrates himself to Russia:

In a three way cage match between Obama, Putin, and Ahmadinejad I’d put my money on anyone but Obama. They were in office before him and I’ll bet they’ll still be in office after he’s gone. All they have to do to come out ahead is to get the U.S. to provide concessions now in return for promised concessions that will come after Obama’s day is over. Ahmadinejad is already dreaming of being Iran’s Castro.

There was a Popeye character named Wimpy who promised “I’d gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.” Like Putin and Ahmadinejad, Wimpy was conniving, but he wasn’t a fool. His deal gave him something immediate in exchange for a promise that he didn’t intend to keep.

Poor dumb Obama is giving away concrete concessions today in exchange for a promise of future cooperation from our enemies, a promise our enemies are naturally inclined to break. Obama is the reverse Wimpy who’s just wimpy.

Tags: obama

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