Whether a musical instrument is called a fiddle or a violin depends on where it is being played – – if on Jed’s porch it is a fiddle and if in an orchestra it is a violin. One thing is for certain, in the current Syria fiasco, Obama is playing second fiddle and Putin is playing him like a Stradivarius in the hands of a master.
On the positive side, John Kerry’s make-up man has managed to make him appear to be dead no more than three days. With his charisma, that might be somewhat of an improvement. The immutable constant with Kerry is that he is unable to dazzle the American people (Massachusetts liberals notwithstanding) with brilliance, so he must resort to attempts at baffling us with the remains of what the bull had for lunch. For those of my generation who served in Vietnam, Kerry’s betrayal qualifies him as a self-serving, despicable creature.
President Putin of Russia issued Obama an eleventh hour reprieve by suggesting that Syria would turn over its chemical weapons if America would withdraw its threat to intervene militarily. Call me cynical if you must but Vladimir Putin has made it abundantly clear that he does not respect Barack Obama. Therefore we are left to consider one of three possibilities:
• President Putin has found religion and wants to exhibit his newfound morality by doing the humanitarian thing.
• President Putin has manipulated President Obama into another unforced error, and this surrendering of chemical weapons is nothing more than a ruse to further discredit Obama, and by extension, America.
• President Obama has given away some American interest of great value to obtain President Putin’s assistance. Since I trust Putin and Obama about equally, I must wonder what concession Putin could get out of Obama. If that proves to be the case, that would entice him to help our esteemed titular leader out of his self-induced mess.
One thing is for certain – Obama has been outmaneuvered by Putin on the Syria issue. The threatened bombing will fade away into the sunset and will not be mentioned again. While that is a good thing, America’s worldwide respect and authority will have disappeared with the same setting sun. With three more years of Obama and his minions America will have about the same authority in the eyes of the world as Liechtenstein. That actually might be a good thing because it would keep our politicians out of other countries’ internal affairs. That way we can focus on Slick Willie’s affairs if Lady Clinton is elected President.
Personally I think that all this is the “Wag the Dog” movie but with second- rate actors. There is a reason why President Obama was so committed to bombing Syria — and logic would dictate that the reason goes beyond his drifting away from his teleprompter and making an ill-advised statement establishing a “red line in the sand.” President Obama is so besieged by phony scandals that he needs some type of distraction to change the conversation. Why not try something as simple as shooting some missiles into a few sand dunes in Syria and then claim that he has done a magnanimous deed for humanity? Putin’s intervention takes some of the idiot quotient away from Obama, but it’s also a mixed blessing that allows a few in the media to refocus on his phony scandals.
The ever-changing messages coming from the Obama administration can only give the manufacturers of Aleve, Advil, and Arthritis Strength Tylenol a surge in sales – for the rest of us, it is just headache-inducing confusion, deception, and misrepresentation as usual. Now we are told that there is no military solution in Syria – then why the need for the missiles? Is everyone in the Obama administration suffering from schizophrenia?
When you look at all the attempts at “sleight of hand” that Obama has used since he came onto the world stage, you won’t ever lose money underestimating how low Mr. Obama will stoop to avoid personal responsibility — because his bar is completely on the ground.
Have a good week.
Bill Shuey is a freelance writer who lives in Murphy, NC. He may be contacted at: washuey@brmemc.net.
