NYT Trying To Shore Up Obama On National Security

The New York Times’s Larry Rother rewrites history and muddles the arguments in a NYT article aimed at shoring up the fatally weak foreign policy proposals of Barack Obama. Rother rewrites Obama’s position on Iran and wholly mischaracterizing McCain’s criticism of the "Hamas endorsement" of Obama. Bottom line, with the Messiah schtick gone, if Rother's article is the best defense the Obamakins can come up with, Obama's problems are huge and unsolvable.

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Obama’s foreign policy is suicidally naïve. His plans to hold unconditional talks with Iran portend to be every bit as disastrous as was Neville Chamberlain’s decision to hold similar talks with Hitler in the 1930’s. His plan to pull us out of Iraq even as we have all but destroyed al Qaeda and beaten back Iran’s proxies is equally as suicidal. There is a good reason a literal rouge’s gallery of nations and organizations – Hamas, Iran, FARC, Ghadaffi, Castro, Ortega – have given their "endorsement" to Obama.

Obama proposes a weak foreign policy with the first resort to unconditional talks, and rouges' gallery that have voiced support for Obama clearly believe they will be able to prosper under an Obama presidency. Given that each of these "endorsements" come from nations and organizations with goals wholly antithetical to the U.S., democracy, capitalism and the cause of freedom, that should give one great pause. And indeed, it is on precisely that ground that McCain has criticized Obama. This from John McCain a few days ago:

I think it's very clear who Hamas wants to be the next president of the United States. So apparently has Danny Ortega and several others. I think that people should understand that I will be Hamas's worst nightmare. . . . If senator Obama is favored by Hamas I think people can make judgments accordingly.

McCain also is critical of Obama for his promise to meet unconditionally with Iran. Enter today NYT agenda journalist Larry Rother. In his article, Rother writes:

. . . [I]mportant nuances appear to have been lost in the partisan salvos, particularly on Mr. McCain’s side. An examination of Mr. Obama’s numerous public statements on the subjects indicates that he has consistently condemned Hamas as a "terrorist organization," has not sought the group’s support and does not advocate immediate, direct or unconditional negotiations with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president.

As to Hamas, Rother goes on to show where Obama has repeated condemned that organization. Yes, but McCain has never claimed anything to the contrary. What Rother studiously ignores is the "nuance" that Obama is picking up the enemies of America endorsements because those organizations see a chance to expand without American interference under Obama. Rother is being highly disingenuous in his argument. But then he goes into outright falsehood.

The claim that Obama does "not advocate immediate, direct or unconditional negotiations with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president" – and indeed, every other enemy of America – is more than a bit of rewriting of history. With a big hat tip to LGF, here is the transcript and the video. See if you can find the nuance.

Democratic Debate Transcript, CNN/YouTube - Council on Foreign Relations.
QUESTION: In 1982, Anwar Sadat traveled to Israel, a trip that resulted in a peace agreement that has lasted ever since.
In the spirit of that type of bold leadership, would you be willing to meet separately, without precondition, during the first year of your administration, in Washington or anywhere else, with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea, in order to bridge the gap that divides our countries?
OBAMA: I would. And the reason is this, that the notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them — which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration — is ridiculous.

Rother ought to hit Google for a quick fact check before he tries to write a canard such as this. It only makes Obama appear weaker than hs already is. And, in all honesty, I did not think that possible before reading this article.

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Interesting News & Posts - 7 March 2008

The interesting news and posts of the day, below the fold.

Art: The Feast of Herod, Reubens, 1633
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At Vast Rightwing Conspiracy, a great post on McCain and some comparisons, including a fascinating one to Churchill.

At JammieWearingFool, the story of McCain’s limited tolerance for fools, particularly tendentious ones.

Heh. The Conservative Cat has a true test for Obama to prove his ability to sway America’s enemies with his rhetorical and negotiating skills.

Blonde Sagacity takes a serious look at Obama’s foreign policy positions and reaches much the same conclusions I reached here. And Confederate Yankee notes that Obama has reasserted his intention to withdraw from Iraq at any cost. TNOY delivers their own verdict, fit for mugs and t-shirts.

As Soob notes, the "Democratic party would seem to be headed, full steam, pedal to the metal, ass over tea kettle, toward a vigorous stage of infighting that might make even Ann Coulter seem a moderate, Undecided Sap."

At BlueCrab Boulevard, more on Hugo Chavez’s ties to narco-terrorist FARC. As Gaius says, and I agree, "[i]t is past time for the US Congress to send a message of support to Colombia. Pass the free trade agreement with that country - it may avert a war." And This Ain’t Hell has a good updated round-up.

From the Barking Moonbat, a story about how RAF personnel in Britain face abuse wearing their uniforms in public. And more thoughts at Samizdata. Then do read this post at Classical Values, as the Code Pinko’s in San Fran call the Marines for help when challenged by a civilian during their protest in front of the Marine Recruiting Station.

The RAF story is understandable in Britain of today, where the socialists are teaching the country to be ashamed of its history and traditional values. See the concluding paragraph of my post here.

While at Dinah Lord, the local Islamists try their hand at milking Britain’s welfare system.

From the Elder of Ziyon, Wafa Sultan rocks. She really does. If you haven’t read the transcript of her debate with an Islamist on al Jazeera, do so. She is an eloquent and acerbic critic of the Salafi Islamist movement.

From Seraphic Secret, the best and most comprehensive coverage of an Islamist’s barbaric massacre of unarmed teenagers in Jerusalem. See here, here, here, here and here. As to those animals that celebrated this slaughter, you are not deserving of taking another breath on this earth. There is no nuance, nor is there any moral relevance. Nor is there any difference between those animals and the one’s described by Ironic Surrealism in her post on "the barbarian’s strike again."

At Crusader Rabbit, the latest in "reach out and touch someone" technology. And at MK’s Views, the story of gallantry under fire.

At the Jawa Report, it is clear why moonbats should not be made judges.

At Q&O, a zealous member of the global warming clique breaks ranks based on new climate prediction models that correct for decades old error in the thickness of earth’s atmosphere.

At Political Insecurity, Kuwait is putting political demonstrations to good use. They are taking not of the foreigners involved in the protests and then deporting them.

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