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FROM AP: Gang-tackling immigration
If you have something to say...
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If you have something to say...
Say it on the Huffington Post
You have to assume that by continuing to pursue the Benghazi "scandal" story, the GOP is trying to imply that Obama is "soft on terrorism," when in fact he has done more to destroy the al Qaeda terrorist network than the neo-cons who surrounded Bush could have dreamed.
There has been mounting criticism of the Obama administration for setting a line in the sand on Syria -- the movement or use of chemical weapons -- and then apparently failing to act out on its promise. The criticism has come in two varieties.
Perhaps out of logic, straightforwardness and/or a desire to meet the other halfway, President Obama appears to have a tendency to make commitments that later come back to bite him.
Washington's foreign policy should be one of peace. Today the U.S. is without peer. Terrorism is the most serious security threat facing the country, but it is only exacerbated by promiscuous intervention in conflicts not America's own.
Given the recent behavior of the United States when dealing with Libya, Syria, Mali, Iran, and North Korea, what we may be witnessing is a new way of applying Roosevelt's adage more along more humble lines of practice than seen certainly since becoming the world's only superpower.
The top Chinese official of the People's Liberation Army, General Fang Fenghui recently announced that the consequences of a major cyber attack "may be as serious as a nuclear bomb." His remarks are symptomatic of the global uncertainty surrounding the results of a 'major cyber attack.'
Rather than evoking sinister historical parallels, they should draw more attention to round two of a broader strategic realignment that is underway inside the European Union, its implications for the transatlantic relationship and opportunities for U.S. foreign policy.
The more our religion, Islam, is hijacked by extremists, the more some Muslim communities feel as though Islam is under attack from both the East and the West -- from both Muslim and non-Muslim.
If the White House cynically chooses to remain on the sideline and watch the death toll grow, it should at least remove the most dangerous weapons from the equation.
If we are to have any hope of riding the world of weapons of mass destruction, then clearly making good on our commitments to respond strongly to their use is a critical obligation.
Obama's unwillingness to intervene and the lack of international pressure (both the US and Russia) on the Bashar Al-Assad regime has propelled the situation to the point where it is now spiralling out of control for both sides, the regime and the opposition.
My experience simplifying a development message was last year during the "Every Child Deserves a 5th Birthday" campaign. The rallying cry was easy to understand. No child should die from a preventable disease.
What we see is the portrait of a semi-autonomous agency, poorly led and allowed unjustifiable independence by an absentee president -- an agency that has done grave damage to the security and well-being of the United States.
Kerry's experience in Vietnam, where visceral ideological attitudes prevailed over rational analysis, prompted him to advocate for a more realistic course. Kerry has sought to correct the foreign policy mistakes that led to the fiasco in Indochina, learning to value diplomacy and engagement.
The majority of Israelis and Palestinians want to see a two-state solution between their two peoples. And with the United States energized to lead, now is the time for Americans to support John Kerry's fresh approach.
Today, restoring the means for thoughtful and respectful discourse must be a primary national goal. Neither the Left nor the Right has a monopoly on wisdom or justice. What they do have is a stronghold on their own disciples - resulting in utter gridlock in Washington.
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