Putin: Don't Worry, I'm Not Going to Bend You Over Or Anything
Obama: K, Good
Putin: I Changed My Mind
Obama: Oh No
Putin: Oh, Da

Remember when I asked "Why would Putin and Assad pull Obama's fat out of the fire when they're winning?"

Yeah, they're not pulling his fat out of the fire.

This is embarrassing. This the part where, after having scoffed at the idea that Obama's weakness becomes a problem for America vis a vis the world, one starts to go, "Oh yeah, that's right. It does."

Here's the world's most awkward weakling, Bassar al-Assad, openly taunting the US:

“When we see the United States really wants stability in our region and stops threatening, striving to attack, and also ceases arms deliveries to terrorists, then we will believe that the necessary processes can be finalized,” he was quoted as saying in an interview with Russian state television.

Which follows Putin taunting Obama in the pages of the NYT. For example, he uses Obama's 2007-era rhetoric against Obama, 2013 Model:

It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan “you’re either with us or against us.”

Yes, reminding him of what he used to say. Very cute.

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.

I'm not sure if Obama has explicitly knocked Bitter Clinger American exceptionalism, but this does sound like he's reminding Obama, again, of his previous beliefs.

Ah well. And it gets a little worse.

“I spent some time with the Tawhid Brigade in Aleppo city at the height of the fighting there,” Spyer said. ” I interviewed one of the leaders of the brigade. I’ve been in the Middle East for a long time and have worked on these issues for a long time. This was an Islamist fighting force, adhering to an Islamist ideology. So even those forces nominally aligned with western supported bodies are themselves overwhelmingly Islamist in outlook (there may be a very small and marginal number of forces who are ostensibly secular, but these are of no military significance). It’s my contention that the real power in the rebellion lies not in the external structures, but among the commanders of the major fighting groups. These men are Islamists.”

I had really hoped that the stories about Islamist domination were wrong, because I actually would like, in my heart of hearts, to hit Bassar al-Assad (a longtime sponsor of terrorism, financier and logistics officer for Hezb'allah, and useful Iranian client/minion state).

But rumors of the rebellion's "moderate democratic" orientation seem to have been greatly exaggerated. Or at least misinterpreted by someone not even fully out of grad school.

I wish I could support this action. I can't. Wars make for strange allies. Countries which despise each other will align to defeat a greater common foe.

But we have no greater foe than Al Qaeda and the Islamists.

Who could be so bad that we would align with Al Qaeda to defeat him?

Obama speaks of "sending a message to tyrants who use chemical weapons."

But there's another message which is even far more important:

"Do not ally with Al Qaeda, or their hateful tyrannical religious cultist allies the Islamists, and if you do, do not expect help from the United States."

posted by Ace at 04:19 PM

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