The report comes from the
Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors and reports on media in the Middle East.
“The problem of U.S. President Barack Obama can be summed up in a
single word: hesitation. The man is short-sighted, confused and
diffident,” wrote Mashari al-Zaydi, a columnist for the daily Al-Sharq
Al-Awsat.
MEMRI reported the column called Obama out as the weakest president
in U.S. history and blamed him for allowing the crisis in Syria to
escalate.
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I'd counter with OBL and Gaddafi and repealing Bush's torture policies and saving the auto industry, among many, many other things.
ReplyDeleteYou may not agree with many of them but not making decisions or even being hesitant in making them is just plain inaccurate.
In fact, his decision-making is what has bothered the militant right so much.
It's worth noting that the observation came from a foreign national, writing in Arabic to a Middle-Eastern audience. The context is their perception of the policies that affect them. Honestly, "countering" with the auto industry means nothing to them. Besides, the first round of bailouts were on Bush's watch. Likewise, the hunt for bin Laden was a continuation of existing policies, carried out by the very same US military that was in charge all along. As entertaining as it is to think of Obama as having boldly lead the charge, this simply isn't accurate. And it's not particularly forceful to make the decision that... were you NOT to make it... would end your career and engrave your name in the halls of infamy.
ReplyDeleteIt's our foreign policy that's the focus here, and only that. Surely it's not at all difficult to see how a President who bows before a foreign leader (who should be treated as a peer) would be viewed as "diffident". Or who makes no decision at all while his embassy is attacked would be seen as "hesitant".
I recall when I was in the military, stationed overseas, and got plenty of first-hand glimpses of Ronald Reagan from a European perspective. The phrase "cowboy politics" was used a lot overseas, and they weren't entirely sure whether or not he was senile. But non-Americans were scared silly that his finger was on the nuclear button. Though not particularly flattering, it sometimes worked in our favor. It's sometimes forgotten that the 50 Americans who held hostage in Iran for 444 days were release the moment Reagan took office (literally).
Here we have a similar instructive moment, in which we can see how we look through Middle Eastern eyes. Let's pay attention to it and learn from it... let's not waste it with avoidance and justifications.