There he goes again. Even before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left Washington, President Obama shed the cloak of resolve against Iran and returned to spouting the mixed messages that have failed for three years.
If the mad mullahs celebrate with high-fives, now would be the time. As for the Israelis, it’s good they didn’t give up their right to self-defense. They’re clearly on their own.
Obama’s press conference yesterday was like the other side of the moon from his comments before and during Netanyahu’s visit. Starting with his Friday interview with The Atlantic magazine, the president emphasized his determination to block Iran from getting a nuke.
He said explicitly, for the first time, he was willing to use military force and added, “I don’t bluff.” While careful to hold out hope for a diplomatic solution, he repeated the tough talk on Sunday to AIPAC, and again Monday with Netanyahu.
Yesterday, he reverted to his old stance, where he is more comfortable. Hours after the United States and Europe agreed to reopen negotiations with Iran, Obama emphasized the “window of opportunity” for Iran to prove its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
He mentioned the military option only as a pivot to snarl at critics. He accused them of a “casualness” about war, of “beating the drums of war,” of “bluster” and “big talk.”
“This is not a game,” he declared, saying he is always “reminded of the costs of war.”
The turnabout was so striking that a cynic might conclude that Obama was merely courting the Jewish vote with his earlier tough talk.
Well, yes.
Unfortunately, that’s just part of the problem. The other part is that Obama truly doesn’t grasp the impact of his switcheroo. He is playing the most dangerous game of all: peace at any price.
His record and comments reveal a failure to come to terms with the essential nature of the Iranian thugocracy. He keeps appealing to a “rational” side as though the quest for nukes is an academic debate that will be settled on points.
According to those rules, the Iranians have legitimate beefs, and if we meet them part way, mutual understanding will emerge and peace will be at hand.
The approach sounds familiar because it is. Most infamously, it’s what Europe tried with Hitler.
In response to his demands and threats during the 1930s, Great Britain and France gave a little here, a little there. They made excuses for him and expected he would be satisfied with the next concession.
Too late, they realized he was a liar and a monster. He had broken every promise, rearmed Germany and was rolling into Poland. Finally, they had no choice but to fight the deadliest war in human history.
The parallels are inexact, but Iran is the closest thing to Hitler on Earth today. After more than 30 years of oppression, murderous terror and, now, the quest for weapons of mass destruction, which it promises to use against Israel, Iran does not deserve the benefit of the doubt. It has violated every agreement and promise, which is why Netanyahu warned that “time is running out” for a peaceful resolution.
That doesn’t mean he wants war, nor do those in America who back him. For Obama to say that he, alone, realizes the costs is a slander.
In truth, Obama’s vacillation is the policy more likely to lead to catastrophic war. Weakness always invites aggression from tyrants, thugs and terrorists, and Iran is no exception.
The mullahs will not stop as long as their aggression is rewarded. With each passing day, they come closer to getting the weapon that could start a global conflict.
“If you wish peace, prepare for war” is the formula that wise statesmen have followed for ages. It’s time our president wised up and joined them.
Watchdog is caught DiNapping
New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli recently issued a triumphant press release to announce that a former welfare investigator pleaded guilty to stealing $5,513 from the state.
Summoning a zero-tolerance tone to pre-empt any charge he was chasing a fly with a howitzer, DiNapoli declared, “Fraud is fraud.”
Indeed it is, which is why DiNapoli should get his bean-counters a giant spotlight. One they could turn on their math-challenged boss.
The growing sense that DiNapoli fudges the cost of pensions to protect his union pals is compounded by a new charge that he vastly overpays management fees for the pension funds. Wall Street firms were paid $425 million last year, up 163 percent from $162 million in 2007, according to a report, even though the funds tanked during the recession.
Gov. Cuomo, already at odds with DiNapoli, seized on the report to order an audit of the comptroller’s investment practices. The state’s top Democrats are battling over reforms, with Cuomo pushing for changes that would cover new state employees and save taxpayers $90 billion over 30 years.
DiNapoli, head parrot in the union-protection flock, says the changes aren’t needed, never mind what Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg and chief executives from around the state say.
Responding to the scathing report on fees, a DiNapoli aide called it “fundamentally flawed” and said it “demonstrates a level of irresponsibility rarely seen in this capital.”
That’s rich, since DiNapoli himself is tainting the capital. Shame, like responsibility, apparently is above his pay grade.
latest excuse a Liu-liu
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel, unless race and ethnicity are a better defense. John Liu is the latest to go down that sleazy road.
The city comptroller, under a federal probe for shady fund-raising, has seen a contributor and an aide both arrested. In Liu’s mind, it’s because he’s Asian.
“I always knew my campaign finances would be scrutinized,” he told New York magazine. “Fund-raising efforts in the Asian community have often been closely scrutinized and questioned.”
It’s a cheap shot against prosecutors, but it’s not likely to work. Beyond the evidence, there is another reason Liu can’t hide behind his ancestry.
The case is being built by the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan, where the top federal prosecutor is Preet Bharara, who was born in India.
Really doing a job on Wall St.
More good news for the Hate Street crowd. On top of job cuts, the Independent Budget Office says Wall Street bonuses fell 25 percent, meaning fewer fat cats roaming Gotham and spending money.
Of course, that also means fewer new jobs for other people, but that’s the price we must pay for “fairness,” right, comrade?
Mike’s crowing
Mayor Bloomberg and his deputy nannies report that salmonella infections fell 14 percent and restaurant sales increased 9.3 percent—all since the city began issuing letter grades to restaurants.
In related news, the Rooster Association of New York boasted that the sun rose yesterday.