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US sees extended Mideast turmoil

Violence may prompt Obama to pull back

WASHINGTON — After days of anti-American violence across the Muslim world, the White House is girding itself for an extended period of turmoil that could test the security of US diplomatic missions and President Obama’s ability to shape the forces of change in the Arab world.

Although the tumult subsided Saturday, senior administration officials said they had concluded that the sometimes violent protests in Muslim countries may presage a sustained crisis with unpredictable diplomatic and political consequences. While pressing Arab leaders to tamp down the unrest, Obama and his advisers are left to consider whether to scale back diplomatic activities in the region.

Comments

Tomorrows Globe headline...Bush, Romney collude with Muslems to smear Obama.

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Thursday's actual Globe headline (editorial): "Romney’s comments raise doubts about his foreign-policy savvy."

Actually, globe will COLLUDE with other news reporters to smear Romney, no matter what the actual facts are.-- Before Romney's press conference right after the Libyan and Egypt protests and attacks, reporters were CAUGHT off-mike COLLUDING on ways to blame Romney

"Violence may prompt Obama to pull back"? The pullback has been occurring for almost four years and Islamists are the main beneficiaries. We spent billions of dollars and thousands of lives in Iraq to help create a democracy in the Middle East. The surge worked and we could have succeeded but Obama brought all of our troops home and created an opportunity for Iran. Obama and Clinton saw Assad of Syria as a "reformer" but he subverted democracy in Lebanon and is now murdering his own people. Obama entered office with the goal of deposing Israeli PM Netanyahu, the only truly democratic leader in the region, and has allowed Iran to expand its influence and threat in the region. Bottom line, our community organizer in chief has been pulling back since he entered office and the world is now a much more dangerous place.

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Your fictional account of the last four years is entertaining but completely inaccurate, as usual, Ozark. The invasion and occupation of Iraq was a strategic blunder, as Iran's domination of Iraq now reflects (including Iranian supply flights to Syria using Iraqi airspace [ See http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/05/world/middleeast/iran-supplying-syrian-military-via-iraq-airspace.html ]). And why was the surge even necessary? Because of the criminal incompetence of the Bush administration and its complete failure to plan for the occupation. Bush finally figured out that "success," as you call it (unless, of course, you think a $3 trillion war resulting in an Iran-dominated Iraqi government is a success), was unlikely in Iraq for the foreseeable future, which is why he was forced to pull back and plan for troops to come home, and which Obama and Biden made happen.

As for Syria, Obama has been smart to avoid entanglement there while also quietly supporting efforts to get rid of Assad, which is only a matter of time. Bashar Assad's father killed up to 40,000 of his own people in 1982 while Reagan was president and Reagan never did a thing about it. Netanyahu is recklessly trying to drag the US into a war with Iran, and is interfering with US electoral politics in a blatant and disgusting manner with his courting of Romney. (And by the way, Morsi in Egypt was democratically elected.). As a recipient of $3 billion in US aid every year, it's shocking that a leader of a Massachusetts-sized country has the chutzpah to demand action from the US on Iran while offering nothing in return. The Arab Middle East is going through an important transition from authoritarian dictatorships to more democratic systems of government. Stable but oppressive dictators serve the interests of Israel but not broader and longer-term American interests (democracy, individual freedom, free markets, etc.). We need to keep the big picture in mind during this period of instability and change. Bad faith critics like you who put Israeli interests ahead of American ones will undoubtedly continue to lie about Obama

This show's Obama lack of foreign policy experience and worst his naivete.  So much for years of coddlling muslims countries and apologizing.  This is his reward.  What a fool! 

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In the wake of this latest round of Islam inspired savagery directed at us in the non-Muslim world followed by our predictable humble apologies for having brought this carnage on ourselves due to our insensitivity towards Islam, now is the time for a little looking back. Google "List of Islamic terrorist attacks" and you will be directed to decades long chronological lists of countless attacks large and small. Everything from horrific mass killings in bombings such as the the Marine Barracks in Beirut, the two WTC attacks, numerous air hijackings, the Achille Lauro ship hijacking, the gruesome murders of individuals such as William Buckley, Colonel Higggins, Danny Pearl, Christopher Stevens and his associates. At what point do we as a society, left, right,liberal, conservative, Democrat, Republican, rise up with one voice and say enough is enough?

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So, the Obama administration is discussing the latest situation and how to best address it -- good. The criticisms cited by Republicans are almost completely self-serving.

Did he do enough to help create democracy in the Middle East? Let's be honest here: There will never be democracy in the Middle East.

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A Bitter Taste:  It is nothing short of PREPOSSTERIOUS to wax critical of a president who has been sterling on issues of domestic terrorism while dealing with an Islamic world in transition and a crisis of Herculean proportions the complexity of which is challenging to even the most seasoned Middle East expert.  No matter WHAT the president does his DISLOYAL opposition will not fail to use that to be critical.  Do they consider American security in that tinderbox part of the world?  Answer: NO.  Their consideration is to attain power in the form that only the presidency can give.  For Romney and his men national security has NOTHING to do with it.  If it did his advisors, many Bush men and Neo-Cons would have been scrupulously careful when launching a war in Iraq based on lies.  They would have cared that it would cost thousands of American lives and TRILLIIONS in unpaid for cash.

We should thank God every day that we have a president who is deliberative instead of one who spontaneously combusts throwing our nation into yet another never ending war risking more American lives by the THOUSANDS, risking even an attack on our homeland and encouraging the heated resentment now found in that discordant part of the world against anything US.

 Does one think for one second if the US acted as the unconscionable Romney advocates with no apologies and, as he says, with the full MIGHT of US power that things would go just swimmingly?  It worked out so well in Iraq didn't it?  How much blood, how much money, how many quagmires does a right wing extremist want to wage and most especially since that right wing extremist often wages none of his own skin?

 If Romney is elected the nation WILL get exactly what the right wing extremists tell him he should propose.  Romney has NO policy, NO scruples, NO empathy, and NO ability to carefully deliberate these very dangerous issues. Heck he called out the president even BEFORE anything had taken place.  What was the statement that he thought so apologetic?  The embassy statement was that the US government had NOTHING to do with the gross anti-Islamic film.  Why?  Because mob anger was quickly forming and threatening outside the embassy gate because of that disgusting video!

 Let's talk about the film.  Who produced it, who oversaw it, where did it come from?  So far it looks like it came from another right wing fanatic and a man who is on a hate group list.  One wonders IF those right wing fanatics who are behind that film have ANYTHING to do with trying to foment upheaval and place into the president's re-election campaign a very large road block they THINK will hurt him.  Republicans will, as we know, stop at nothing to get what they want.  There is NO morality in the Republican Party except what THEY think one’s activity in bed should be. 

 Mitt Romney JUMPED THE GUN. As the president quite rightly said, Romney is inclined to shoot before he aims.  Romney had NO idea of the issues because his statement was released before anything ever took place, did not want to examine the issues, moreover, he did not even want to wait until AFTER September 11 to announce his vociferous angry criticism of the president.  He is a despicable man and a reactive one where internationally cooler heads should prevail to save lives.

 If the nation elects this unthinking, crazed man, Mitt Romney, who wants the presidency SO much he can taste it and will say ANYTHING to get it, this nation is yet again in deeper trouble.  I hope what Romney says leaves a bitter taste in most Americans’ mouths as it leaves a rancid taste in mine!  

 

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