Sunday, March 20, 2016

Speak Hopefully and Carry a Big Shtick

I think the next president will need to give an outreach speech to the American Allies world to undo the damage our president has done to it.

Behold the president who restored our reputation with our allies (you do remember the nonsense charge that President Bush wrecked our friendships, right?):

American alliances are not in good shape these days, with many countries worrying that President Obama does not value the alliances, their own role in those alliances, or the commitments our alliances imply to the safety of states that are to some degree dependent on the United States.

It is therefore mysterious why the president decided to inflict further damage in interviews with The Atlantic.

Well, maybe not a speech. The outreach speech to the Islamic world hasn't seem to have done squat diddly. But our president had no clue about the history of our relations with the Islamic world let alone the causes of ill feelings.

Hope and change was just a marketing gimmick, it is clear.

I really don't get nuance. After viewing it in action for 7 years, how is it different from ineptitude?

UPDATE: Although I don't think the leading contenders for either major party is the one to repair this damage.

We live in interesting times.