JINSA’s Michael Makovsky Quoted in the Washington Post
The GOP needs a foreign policy adult
By Jennifer Rubin
March 3, 2014
The president’s embarrassingly weak response to Russian aggression in Europe, following his about-face on Syrian use of WMDs last year and the deeply flawed interim Iran agreement, should unnerve even the most loyal Democrats. The president is overwhelmed, if not paralyzed, by world events, and the plethora of threats increase with each failed response to determined adversaries. America is vulnerable because our president has been weak and his policies foolish.
The GOP needs a foreign policy adult
By Jennifer Rubin
March 3, 2014
The president’s embarrassingly weak response to Russian aggression in Europe, following his about-face on Syrian use of WMDs last year and the deeply flawed interim Iran agreement, should unnerve even the most loyal Democrats. The president is overwhelmed, if not paralyzed, by world events, and the plethora of threats increase with each failed response to determined adversaries. America is vulnerable because our president has been weak and his policies foolish.
The immediate and long-term implications for U.S. national security are grave. As David Kramer of Freedom House writes, “After all, if the authoritarian tyrant Vladimir Putin is allowed to get away with his unprovoked attack against his neighbor, a blatant violation of that country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, then U.S. credibility, already damaged by Obama’s poor handling of Syria, will be down to zero.” President Obama’s weakness will accelerate our allies’ willingness to go it alone, especially in the Middle East. For them to depend on the Obama administration would be irresponsible at this point. His cluelessness will encourage not only Russia but also China, Iran and North Korea to test if there is any red line the president will defend.
Moreover, the White House is spinning away, insisting the invasion of Ukraine makes Obama look strong. Such is the self-delusion that has infected the White House. Rather than respond with actions to Putin or tough words for Iran and/or Syria, Obama threatens Israel, vowing the United States will be unable to defend it if it doesn’t get on board with the “peace process,” bizarrely suggests the Palestinian Authority’s president (who incites violence and won’t recognize the Jewish state) is ready for peace and decries those (presumably senators in his own party) who favor sanctions. His angry words reveal a president who has ceased to pay attention to facts.
His twisted perception and his refusal to recognize his own missteps should put Israel and its friends on notice: This president is a greater hindrance to Israel’s security than any American president in history. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s spokesman responded on the record to the president’s outburst: “There should never be any question that the United States will assist our ally Israel if needed against all aggressors. Threatening that relationship will delay peace, not hasten it.”
The president’s foreign policy collapse has a number of political ramifications for the pro-Israel community and for both political parties.
A GOP aide remarked on the president’s anti-Israel spasm: “This is stunningly one-sided. When will the president speak of Palestinian intransigence, refusal to acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, continued incitement of hatred against Israel and the continued threat of terrorism that Israel faces from groups who refuse to even acknowledge Israel’s existence?” Never, of course. Michael Makovsky, CEO of pro-Israel JINSA, commented on the president’s anti-Israel diatribe: “This public blast right now against Israel was not only unwarranted and unjust, but clearly counterproductive, making the motivation suspicious. But it should nicely lift the spirits of Iran and other enemies.”