Iran, China And Obama: Being President Is Hard

I love when the legacy media catches on to a story and they pretend that something most sane people have always known is actually a major intellectual discovery.

Today's entry in that category is the Washington Post. After almost a decade of dealing with Iran's nuclear program they have suddenly discovered that China is a stumbling block to international action. I guess previously the problem was that mean Bush guy but now that he's out the way it must be something else.

Turns out, much to the WaPo and Obama administration's surprise, China has interests that don't coincide with ours, interests they aren't willing to walk away from just to make Obama happy.

Shocking, I know.

In its effort to muster support for sterner action against Iran, the Obama administration will have to overcome China's reluctance to punish a country that is one of its top oil suppliers and a major beneficiary of its energy-related investments.

The administration's frustration with Beijing is growing. U.S. officials have noted that China has appeared even more reluctant than Russia to take action against Iran after disclosures about its nuclear program. U.S. officials said they are particularly concerned that China has blocked their efforts to target freight-forwarding companies based in Hong Kong that reship goods, including prohibited weaponry, to Iran.

The Chinese "have not displayed a sense of urgency" on Iran, said a senior administration official. Instead, the official said, China has attempted to "have it both ways," preserving its relationship with Iran while also working with the United States and other countries involved in the effort to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.

So after 8 whole months of Hope, Change and Supplication, Team Obama is frustrated by the fact the adults in China haven't been won over. Obama is also "impatient" with the Israelis and Palestinians.

Oh and that big meeting tomorrow with Iran to talk about their nuclear program? It's going to be AWESOME except for one minor thing...Iran won't talk about its nuclear program.

Damn, being President is so frustrating! Don't they know who He is?

What the hell is the matter with these people? Didn't they hear the appologies?

As for China, they will never help on Iran because, well, it's not in their interest to.

Iran is China's second-biggest supplier of oil, and imports are rising. In a country where more people are expected to buy cars this year than in the United States, China's appetite for oil is unquenchable.

Furthermore, China's rapid economic growth is the ruling Communist Party's single most important claim to legitimacy. Tougher economic sanctions against Iran would probably cause the price of oil to spike in China, threatening its economic juggernaut.

China's investments in Iran also lessen the likelihood that Beijing will support enhanced sanctions. China's state-run oil behemoths have committed so much money to Iran -- an estimated $120 billion over the past five years -- that analysts estimate that its engineering firms will not be able to handle all the work.

None of this is new and yet Obama and his sycophants in the media kept selling the idea that it was all just personalities, once we got a 'smart' guy in the White House who was willing to defer to others and be a team player, everything would be alright.

Unfortunately, Hu of China, Putin in Russia and the mullahs of Iran (to name a few) aren't soft touches like 52% of American voters. They are major league hitters and we sent the captain of a high school debate team out to face them.

Maybe we just need to offer more cookies and milk.

posted by DrewM. at 10:18 AM

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