We Need a Leader, Not a Law Professor, In the White House
Posted on November 17, 2015
I'm not an Obama hater.
He was born in America. He is not a Muslim. I would enjoy playing pick-up basketball with him. I would be happy to drink some beers with him.
He has a nice family. I’m not sure about his wife, who scares me a bit, and I don’t love his associates, some of whom I think don’t like people like me (Valerie Jarrett comes to mind).
I also respect the President because of the office he holds.
But that doesn’t mean I like every decision he made. And some I downright detest.
I think his executive order on immigration was a huge mistake. I think Obamacare will be one more entitlement that we can’t afford. He should have vetoed the first stimulus package and insisted on a bipartisan approach.
The President is firmly ensconced on the left-wing of his party. He is a redistributionist more than a proponent of pro-growth policies.
But I am willing to disagree with Mr. Obama on economic policy without being disagreeable. He won the election, so he gets to plot the economic strategy that he wants.
I must say, though, when it comes to foreign policy, the President’s actions concern me greatly.
Never have we had a chief executive who is so ill-suited to lead a country at such a critical moment in our nation’s history.
Mr. Obama seems to lack all conviction when it comes to beating ISIS.
He refuses to go all-in.
He was more than happy to get our troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan when it suited him politically. In fact, he ran his reelection campaign partially on that theme.
But when it comes to leading a coalition to beat these Islamic extremists, he is tentative, uncertain, and uninspiring.
The civilized world is literally at war with these non-state terrorists. And what does America do? Well, not much.
I appreciate that the President doesn’t want to put our troops into harm’s way. We should be very careful when it comes to committing blood and treasure to any foreign adventure.
But ISIS is not just any threat. It’s a real and present danger. It has not been contained, despite the President’s assurances hours before the Paris terror attacks.
Some things are worth fighting for. Ridding the world of ISIS is one of them.
But the President isn’t in to it.
His press conference yesterday left most people, including the usually pro-Obama media, cold and uninspired.
Mr. Obama actually said this yesterday, “What I’m not interested in doing is posing or pursuing some notion of ‘American leadership’ or ‘America winning.'”
Well, Mr. President, the American people actually want America to win. And the rest of the civilized world wants America to lead. I think even the Russians and the Iranians would be happy to see more American skin in the game.
Mr. Obama would make a fine Constitutional law professor. He is cool, detached, analytical.
We don’t need a professor right now. We need a leader.