Fire-Keepers

In all the huzzah over Obama’s World Tour, the pros and cons of his media love-fest and his Berlin speech… in all the repeats of various quotes and hype about who he was channeling… I couldn’t shake the feeling that something (more than the usual) was missing. In reading the speech (couldn’t stomach listening to it) it just felt … too naive, too global, too vaguely monolithic and immaculate.

In yesterday’s ‘Is Obama Freedom and Democracy Deficient?‘ Larry Kudlow zeros in on the missing element:

Why is it that in all his statements in his recent foreign-policy trip to the Mideast and Europe, Sen. Obama never mentions the importance of spreading freedom and democracy around the world, and most especially in the very troublemaking nations that are so tied to terrorism that he has been discussing?

Perhaps I’m wrong about this. But I tried to read most of his speeches and I watched his television interviews, and I can’t find or don’t recall any references to freedom and democracy. What’s up with this?

Unintentional oversight? Extended lapse in judgment?  With the excessive over-scripting of every public moment in the Magical Mystery Tour I don’t see how that’s possible.

Not a major concern? Not top of his priority list? Both more likely IMO.

And let me add, although Obama does mention terrorism, I do not recall him using the phrase “global war on terrorism,” or “war on terrorism,” or “protecting the U.S. from terrorist attacks.” I’m no expert on foreign policy, so I ask my colleagues at NRO to tell me what I’ve missed here. I’ll be happy to recant.

But I continue to believe that the biggest reason to stop Iran, stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan, nail Osama and his evildoing friends in Pakistan, and generate some sort of protection for Israel against Hamas, Hezbollah, and the weak Palestinian government is a) to get the bad guys on their home turf before they get us and b) to spread freedom and democracy since democratic countries tend not to attack each other or us.

 Worried yet? You should be.

 

Tags: Opinion

This entry was posted by admin on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 8:09 pm and is filed under Opinion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.