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A Dose Of Moral Clarity
Netanyahu Calls Out Lethargic UN; Obama Chooses To Appease Terror
By HERB DENENBERG, For The Bulletin
If you’d like to see the sharpest contrast between moral clarity and moral bankruptcy, between real leadership and the standard campaign fluff, between sensible proposals and meaningless generalities, compare the recent U.N. speeches of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Barack Obama, the appeaser and apologizer.
Perhaps the best example involves the contrasting views on the U.N. Recall that during the time frame when the world heard Obama and Netanyahu at the U.N., they also heard the genocidal terrorist maniac Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the clearly deranged terrorist, dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Then, of course, the U.N. had to give a forum to the murdering thug Hugo Chavez. The appearance of that trio, led our former ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, to observe that this was just business as usual at the U.N. That perhaps tells you all you need to know about the nature of the U.N. But in case you missed it, Gov. Mike Huckabee found the essence of the U.N. when he described it as ACORN on an international basis.
So what does Mr. Obama add to the wisdom of such lights as Messrs. Gadhafi, Chavez and Ahmadinejad? He says the U.N. is “indispensable” and that America has “reengaged” with the U.N. and that, “We’ve rejoined the Human Rights Council.” He commits the U.S. to apply its foreign policy through the corrupt, inefficient organization that favors tyrants and human rights violators more than democracies and human rights advocates, defenders, and true believers.
Consider that Human Rights Council, which Obama gleefully notes that the U.S. is rejoining – having earlier withdrawn from the Council as it was a pesthole of human rights violators and anti-American projects. This Human Rights Council virtually ignores countries where human rights violations are epidemic such as China, Cuba, North Korea, and Zimbamwe. It reserves its criticism for Israel. The Human Rights Council gives leading roles to human rights violators. For example, the follow-up to the notorious anti-Semitic 2001 World Conference Against Racism was chaired by Libya and vice-chaired by Iran.
The indictment of the U.N. would take a multi-volume encyclopedia to fully catalog, but its essence can be captured by its pervasive corruption, most notably the oil-for-food program that provided kickbacks to Saddam Hussein and his thug associates instead of providing necessary goods to the Iraqi people. And another U.N. essence is its total failure to maintain peace and prevent genocide. The U.N. is a powerful force for anti-Americanism, tyranny, and socialism, but not for peace-keeping or genocide-prevention.
With that U.N. history staring him in the face, Obama has reengaged with the U.N., acting more like he is running for president of the world rather than trying to protect the interests of the U.S. He offers only the mildest, boiler-plate criticism of the U.N. saying it is “imperfect.” (And now we know, he held back an attack on Iran for its latest violation of U.N. resolutions and international treaties, because Obama wanted to give his sermon on disarmament.)
In contrast, Netanyahu lays out a detailed indictment of U.N. failures, including a searing indictment of Ahmadinejad.
“Yesterday, the man who calls the Holocaust a lie spokes from this [U.N.] podium. To those who refused to come here and to those who left this room to protest, I commend you. You stood up for moral clarity and brought honor to your countries.
“But to those who gave this Holocaust-denier a hearing, I say on behalf of my people, the Jewish people, and decent people everywhere: Have you no shame? Have you no decency?
“A mere six decades after the Holocaust, you give legitimacy to a man who denies that the murder of six million Jews took place and pledges to wipe out the Jewish state.
“What a disgrace! What a mockery of the charter of the United Nations! Perhaps some of you think that this man and his odious regime threaten only the Jews. You’re wrong. History has shown us time and again that what starts with attacks on the Jews eventually ends up engulfing many others…
“Whenever they can, they impose a backward regimented society where women, minorities, gays or anyone not deemed to be a true believer is brutally subjugated. The struggle against this fanaticism does not pit faith against faith nor civilization against civilization.
“It pits civilization against barbarism, the 21st century against the 9th century, those who sanctify life against those who glorify death.”
Obama, instead of fully addressing the number one threat to world peace — Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons — calls for world disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation in general, he calls for new international treaties, and of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he only says, “They must be held accountable. The world must stand together to demonstrate international law is not an empty promise, and treaties will be enforced. We must insist that the future does not belong to fear.” He always speaks in the purely general, without reference to how anything really happens in the real world.
Poor Barack Obama. He thinks he is still campaigning and keeps putting out his flowery rhetoric about change, avoiding anything even close to meaningful proposals and specific action. He keeps giving the same speech, enchanted by his own rhetoric. He has never moved out of campaigning mode and into the governing mode. Iran is about to go nuclear and threaten to engulf the Middle East and the world in an apocalyptic conflagration, and Mr. Obama can only tell us we have to “insist that the future does not belong to fear.” He doesn’t even call on the U.N. to impose sanctions or to take needed action. And now to add insult to energy, with multiple international and domestic crises hanging over his head, he takes off to make a pitch for Chicago’s application for the Olympics. He obviously has no sense of priorities, and prefers paying a political favor to the corrupt Chicago political machine rather than doing the nation’s business. He goes off on this European trip, but doesn’t have time to talk to his commanders in Afghanistan. He’ll be flying to Denmark, while U.S. servicemen may be dying because he hasn’t made a decision on the war in Afghanistan.
In contrast, Netanyahu describes the threat of nuclear Iran in compelling terms and calls for needed international action:
“But if the most primitive fanaticism can acquire the most deadly weapons, the march of history could be reversed for a time. And like the belated victory over the Nazis, the forces of progress and freedom will prevail only after a horrific toll of blood and fortune has been exacted from mankind. That is why the greatest threat facing the world today is the marriage between religious fanaticism and the weapons of mass destruction.
“The most urgent cha llenge facing this body is to prevent the tyrants of Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Are the member states of the United Nations up to that challenge? Will the international community confront a despotism that terrorizes its own people as they bravely stand up to for freedom? ...
“The people of Iran are courageously standing up to this regime. People of goodwill around the world stand with them, as do the thousands who have been protesting outside this hall. Will the United Nations stand by their side?”
You know where Netanyahu stands on this. You also know where Mr. Obama stands. He did not even speak up for the courageous Iranians demonstrating in the street when those demonstrations erupted. No, he seemed only interested in negotiating with these tyrants and terrorists. In fact, if you review Mr. Obama’s record and history, you will find he stands up for nothing, except his own glorification. Back in the days of his work with the corrupt Chicago political machine, he was once called upon to help reform it. He refused. Mr. Obama is only what his history, record, and associates suggest. He has never accomplished anything in his life, and has never displayed moral courage or moral clarity. He seems to be wrong on every major decision, and has the unique distinction of being the first president in history who hates his own country. But that quality was obvious from his record and his associates. Perhaps that explains why he seems to connect better with people like Messrs. Castro, Chavez and Ahmadinejad than Netanyahu.
Mr. Netanyahu demonstrated he loves his country and defended it. As usual, Obama demonstrated again he hates his country and, as usual, kept apologizing for it. He gave the impression again that America was a constant sinner, until the Obama administration came to power.
When a great nation elects a president who has not been vetted and properly investigated and understood, it has a formula for unthinkable catastrophe. And now we are only in the first eight months of that unfolding catastrophe. And to answer Netanyahu’s questions to the U.N., “Have you no shame? Have you no decency?” The answer is “no.” And the same questions, if put to Mr. Obama, would produce the same answer.
Herb Denenberg can be reached at advocate@thebulletin.us
Perhaps the best example involves the contrasting views on the U.N. Recall that during the time frame when the world heard Obama and Netanyahu at the U.N., they also heard the genocidal terrorist maniac Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the clearly deranged terrorist, dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Then, of course, the U.N. had to give a forum to the murdering thug Hugo Chavez. The appearance of that trio, led our former ambassador to the U.N., John Bolton, to observe that this was just business as usual at the U.N. That perhaps tells you all you need to know about the nature of the U.N. But in case you missed it, Gov. Mike Huckabee found the essence of the U.N. when he described it as ACORN on an international basis.
So what does Mr. Obama add to the wisdom of such lights as Messrs. Gadhafi, Chavez and Ahmadinejad? He says the U.N. is “indispensable” and that America has “reengaged” with the U.N. and that, “We’ve rejoined the Human Rights Council.” He commits the U.S. to apply its foreign policy through the corrupt, inefficient organization that favors tyrants and human rights violators more than democracies and human rights advocates, defenders, and true believers.
Consider that Human Rights Council, which Obama gleefully notes that the U.S. is rejoining – having earlier withdrawn from the Council as it was a pesthole of human rights violators and anti-American projects. This Human Rights Council virtually ignores countries where human rights violations are epidemic such as China, Cuba, North Korea, and Zimbamwe. It reserves its criticism for Israel. The Human Rights Council gives leading roles to human rights violators. For example, the follow-up to the notorious anti-Semitic 2001 World Conference Against Racism was chaired by Libya and vice-chaired by Iran.
The indictment of the U.N. would take a multi-volume encyclopedia to fully catalog, but its essence can be captured by its pervasive corruption, most notably the oil-for-food program that provided kickbacks to Saddam Hussein and his thug associates instead of providing necessary goods to the Iraqi people. And another U.N. essence is its total failure to maintain peace and prevent genocide. The U.N. is a powerful force for anti-Americanism, tyranny, and socialism, but not for peace-keeping or genocide-prevention.
With that U.N. history staring him in the face, Obama has reengaged with the U.N., acting more like he is running for president of the world rather than trying to protect the interests of the U.S. He offers only the mildest, boiler-plate criticism of the U.N. saying it is “imperfect.” (And now we know, he held back an attack on Iran for its latest violation of U.N. resolutions and international treaties, because Obama wanted to give his sermon on disarmament.)
In contrast, Netanyahu lays out a detailed indictment of U.N. failures, including a searing indictment of Ahmadinejad.
“Yesterday, the man who calls the Holocaust a lie spokes from this [U.N.] podium. To those who refused to come here and to those who left this room to protest, I commend you. You stood up for moral clarity and brought honor to your countries.
“But to those who gave this Holocaust-denier a hearing, I say on behalf of my people, the Jewish people, and decent people everywhere: Have you no shame? Have you no decency?
“A mere six decades after the Holocaust, you give legitimacy to a man who denies that the murder of six million Jews took place and pledges to wipe out the Jewish state.
“What a disgrace! What a mockery of the charter of the United Nations! Perhaps some of you think that this man and his odious regime threaten only the Jews. You’re wrong. History has shown us time and again that what starts with attacks on the Jews eventually ends up engulfing many others…
“Whenever they can, they impose a backward regimented society where women, minorities, gays or anyone not deemed to be a true believer is brutally subjugated. The struggle against this fanaticism does not pit faith against faith nor civilization against civilization.
“It pits civilization against barbarism, the 21st century against the 9th century, those who sanctify life against those who glorify death.”
Obama, instead of fully addressing the number one threat to world peace — Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons — calls for world disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation in general, he calls for new international treaties, and of Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he only says, “They must be held accountable. The world must stand together to demonstrate international law is not an empty promise, and treaties will be enforced. We must insist that the future does not belong to fear.” He always speaks in the purely general, without reference to how anything really happens in the real world.
Poor Barack Obama. He thinks he is still campaigning and keeps putting out his flowery rhetoric about change, avoiding anything even close to meaningful proposals and specific action. He keeps giving the same speech, enchanted by his own rhetoric. He has never moved out of campaigning mode and into the governing mode. Iran is about to go nuclear and threaten to engulf the Middle East and the world in an apocalyptic conflagration, and Mr. Obama can only tell us we have to “insist that the future does not belong to fear.” He doesn’t even call on the U.N. to impose sanctions or to take needed action. And now to add insult to energy, with multiple international and domestic crises hanging over his head, he takes off to make a pitch for Chicago’s application for the Olympics. He obviously has no sense of priorities, and prefers paying a political favor to the corrupt Chicago political machine rather than doing the nation’s business. He goes off on this European trip, but doesn’t have time to talk to his commanders in Afghanistan. He’ll be flying to Denmark, while U.S. servicemen may be dying because he hasn’t made a decision on the war in Afghanistan.
In contrast, Netanyahu describes the threat of nuclear Iran in compelling terms and calls for needed international action:
“But if the most primitive fanaticism can acquire the most deadly weapons, the march of history could be reversed for a time. And like the belated victory over the Nazis, the forces of progress and freedom will prevail only after a horrific toll of blood and fortune has been exacted from mankind. That is why the greatest threat facing the world today is the marriage between religious fanaticism and the weapons of mass destruction.
“The most urgent cha llenge facing this body is to prevent the tyrants of Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. Are the member states of the United Nations up to that challenge? Will the international community confront a despotism that terrorizes its own people as they bravely stand up to for freedom? ...
“The people of Iran are courageously standing up to this regime. People of goodwill around the world stand with them, as do the thousands who have been protesting outside this hall. Will the United Nations stand by their side?”
You know where Netanyahu stands on this. You also know where Mr. Obama stands. He did not even speak up for the courageous Iranians demonstrating in the street when those demonstrations erupted. No, he seemed only interested in negotiating with these tyrants and terrorists. In fact, if you review Mr. Obama’s record and history, you will find he stands up for nothing, except his own glorification. Back in the days of his work with the corrupt Chicago political machine, he was once called upon to help reform it. He refused. Mr. Obama is only what his history, record, and associates suggest. He has never accomplished anything in his life, and has never displayed moral courage or moral clarity. He seems to be wrong on every major decision, and has the unique distinction of being the first president in history who hates his own country. But that quality was obvious from his record and his associates. Perhaps that explains why he seems to connect better with people like Messrs. Castro, Chavez and Ahmadinejad than Netanyahu.
Mr. Netanyahu demonstrated he loves his country and defended it. As usual, Obama demonstrated again he hates his country and, as usual, kept apologizing for it. He gave the impression again that America was a constant sinner, until the Obama administration came to power.
When a great nation elects a president who has not been vetted and properly investigated and understood, it has a formula for unthinkable catastrophe. And now we are only in the first eight months of that unfolding catastrophe. And to answer Netanyahu’s questions to the U.N., “Have you no shame? Have you no decency?” The answer is “no.” And the same questions, if put to Mr. Obama, would produce the same answer.
Herb Denenberg can be reached at advocate@thebulletin.us
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