Obama's Empty Rhetoric Will Fail Him in Office

Human Events, Mar 10, 2008 by Babbin, Jed

And how does Obama define me "change" mantra of his campaign? In Dreams, he writes that in 1983 he decided that he'd do his job as a community organizer by pronouncing the need for change: "Change in the. White House, where Reagan and his minions were carrying on their dirty deeds. Change in Congress, compliant and corrupt. Change in the mood of our country, manic and self-absorbed."

Scary Shallowness

Every President is challenged by our adversaries soon after he takes office to take the measure of the man. In April 2001, just three months after his inauguration, George W. Bush was challenged by the Chinese. Patrolling in international airspace off China, a Navy EP-3 reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted by a reckless Chinese pilot who collided with the U.S. plane which was then forced down on Hainan Island, its crew held hostage to an American apology.

President Bush reacted weakly, obtaining the release of the crew after expressing regret at the death of the Chinese pilot. China has grown ever more aggressive since then. As Chris Wallace joked, we know that Hillary's experience in answering the Red Phone consists entirely of saying, "Wake up, Bill. It's for you." But the fact that she's no better than Obama is no comfort.

What would a President Obama do if Russia does to Poland what it did to Estonia last year, interrupting the nation's government and economy in a highly effective cyber war attack? What would he do if the Musharraf government falls and a radical Islamic regime takes over Pakistan's nuclear arsenal? How would he react to the next terrorist attack against America?

If he is as ignorant and unmindful of history as his novelized "memoir" indicates, if his understanding of the world is as shallow as his speeches, Barack Obama will fail disastrously. Investigating that failure, Congress will have to modernize the mantra of Watergate. For Obama, it will be, "What didn't the President know, and when didn't he know it?"

jbabbin@eaglepub.com