By Dave Grigger
It seems the Obama strategy of apologizing for American greatness and exceptionalism has finally paid off.
Paid off, that is, for Russia.
In a move to become the new dominant foreign power in the mideast, Russia has begun intervening in Syria’s long civil war, using airstrikes and bringing in troops and munitions to attack Syrian rebel forces. With the US withdrawing from Iraq, handing Iran the bomb, and doing exactly nothing to combat ISIS, the stage is ripe for Putin to become the region’s new savior.
What a mideast would look like with a Russian leader as its greatest influence is, and should be, a scary thought. The last time that happened, Soviet troops ended up in Iran, handing out weapons in both Iran and Iraq.
Russian troops, as it turns out, are already in Iraq, where one Russian official announced his country’s airstrikes by showing up at the US embassy and telling US command, in a polite but firm way, to back away from Russia’s new operations. Obama, from its new position of weakness, said no, but obeyed.
If our outclassed leader obeying Russian orders doesn’t make you furious enough, consider this: Putin is now deciding who, and who does not, become powerful in the Middle East. That job used to go to the United States, who responsibly kept fundamentalist Islam from Israel, and chased down terrorists wherever they hid.
Now, however, Syria’s brutal and bloody regime is being propped up, ISIS is allowed to run free, Israel is rebuffed, and Iran is allowed access to nuclear materials. And, to top it off, Russia is calling the shots, and Obama is acquiescing.
If you aren’t worried, perhaps you should be – active and former military men everywhere are worried, including USAF colonel Allen West, who knows whereof he speaks. Do you think Obama has paved the way for World War III?
