If we are in such a "goddamned freefall" in the Middle East, it couldn't have been due to the illegal invasion of two Muslim countries in the first few years of this century, could it? Apparently there is no culpability assigned to the Bush Administration regarding the gigantic mess in that perpetually unstable part of the world, so, President Obama shoulders all the blame. One might expect such brazenly ridiculous accusations would be countered by an allegedly progressive news host, but that is not the case. On Up With Steve Kornacki , the former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and Turkey, James Jeffrey decided this whole SNAFU is all the fault of that feckless, anti-war occupant of the White House. Mediaite writes:
While the United States can hardly be expected to control all the conflicts, some blame Obama administration actions for intensifying the problem. “We’re in a goddamn free fall here,” Amb. James Jeffrey told Politico this week. Jeffrey served as the Obama administration’s ambassador to Iraq and previously served as a national security advisor with George W. Bush.
Asked by Fox’s Greta Van Susteren to explain the so-called “freefall,” Jeffrey said Friday evening that “we haven’t done everything right, but you start off with a region that… since 1974, is in one or another in a state of crisis. What’s new is in the last few years, since the rise of al Qaeda, the situation has gotten worse. And the recipes we have tried to use to stem the violence and to stem the destabilization of the nation-states in the region by one or another Islamic religious movement, — be it Iranians, ISIS, al Qaeda — have not been successful.”
The former ambassador claims the Middle East has been in a state of unrest since 1974. Jeffrey asserted that President Obama is not reacting
"with the necessary consistency with the support for our allies and the willingness to threaten and use smart military force that has characterized the presidents since the 1950's."
What he failed to realize, and Kornacki was remiss to remind him, was how incredibly calamitous our policy in that region has been. Perhaps a little knowledge of our interference in that volatile part of the world might have been helpful.
Here's the ugly truth: The United States has a nasty habit of inserting itself in the form of CIA-assisted coups. One of the worst episodes was the overthrowing of the democratically elected government of Iran and installing our puppet Shah to rule the nation. We all know the consequences of that course of action culminated in the crisis during the Carter Administration. Knowing this, President Obama has opted to proceed with caution, doing his best not to repeat the awful history so many people, TV news people included, should know.
Jeffrey believes that the president simply does not trust his advisers, therefore he disregards the advice of people who try to repeat that very same disastrous history. Let's face it, Jeffrey wants us to bomb the living daylights out of any nation that threatens our control of the black gold abundant in the Persian Gulf region.
He said that even Carter at least tried to keep our interests in the region, and even if it backfired, our Arab partners/sometimes foes knew we were trying. Things were just downright idyllic during the Reagan Administration if you forget Beirut in 1983 and that silly little Iran-Contra Scandal, so how could President Obama not emulate such success stories? The only inconsistent behavior of our president can be seen as unpredictable actions not based on terrible historical precedent, so it may not manifest itself immediately. Our president is a chess player, carefully calculating his options despite the evil intent of our very own Legislative Branch.
The Midterms in November marked a turning point with regards to Iranian relations, as was suggested by Jessica Taylor of the Hill. Jeffrey suggested that President Obama has ignored the results of the Midterms. The lowest turnout since 1928 does not imply a definitive mandate, nor does it change the way the Executive Branch conducts foreign policy. Naturally, Jeffrey played the mandate card so now, nothing is ever diplomatically decided without Teddy Cruz and Cotton Balls calling the shots. These clowns, along with their fearless orange leader, are inserting themselves right smack in the middle of delicate, well-crafted negotiations which this unholy group of GOP Tea People and Netanyahu are intentionally sabotaging.
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