To Be or Not to Be: Obama’s Hamlet Moment
Does the world respect America anymore? It seems President Obama’s lack of leadership on foreign policy issues has whittled the nation’s influence and credibility down to nearly zero. Since civilian uprisings erupted in the Middle East this year, it seems the president is more content thinking about what action the US might take rather taking any action.
While images of Rodin’s famous Thinker sculpture come to mind, Obama seems more like the tragically flawed Hamlet hopelessly brooding over whether to avenge his father’s death and reclaim Denmark. Hamlet chooses not to act and things go very badly.
Hamlet: Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pitch and moment,
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.
These words could just as well be uttered by Obama. As stability unraveled in Egypt and citizens fought for democracy and the end of a 30 year dictator, Obama for weeks never condemned President Hosni Mubarak’s behavior or ordered him to step down. Instead he and his administration, uttered muted calls for “free, fair and credible elections.”
“I just spoke to him after his speech,” Obama said, “and told him he has a responsibility to give meaning to those words, to take concrete steps and actions that deliver on that promise. Violence will not address the grievances of the Egyptian people. Suppressing ideas never succeeds in making them go away.”
Blah, blah, blah, Mubarak laughed at these calls for peace and dug in even more, refusing to step down. Meanwhile Israel and the rest of the world heard these comments and thought “are you kidding me, what weak response from the US.”
In the end, it was the Egyptian military refusing to turn on the protestors and the protestors’ persistence which forced Mubarak to abandon power and flee Egypt. While the president is so caught up in being politically correct and afraid of offending some Arab countries, dictators are surfeiting on the spoils of his inaction.
This brings us to the tragic tale of Libya. Weeks ago, Libyans caught the same democracy fever and led by rebels tried to oust Moammar Gadhafi from his 41 years of tyrannical reign. Once again mums was the word from the Obama administration. The president, his UN Ambassador Susan Rice and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton had this wait and see approach. At first the rebels made gains against Gadhafi but in a bloody reversal of fortune that quickly slipped away. More than two weeks ago, Britain and France were seeking support for enforcing a no-fly zone over Libya while the Obama administration publicly debated the merit of a no-fly zone.
Finally, after dithering around for weeks and doing nothing, Obama was shamed into voting for the UN resolution to enforce a no-fly zone over Libya. More than 100 Tomahawk cruise missiles have been launched from American and British ships and submarines and the president finally found words of condemnation for Gadhafi he should have summoned weeks ago: “ We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy.”
Yet, sadly America stood by idly as Libyan rebels fought for freedom. But the most embarrassing part of this tragedy is the “UN Security Council resolution was introduced by the mighty power of Lebanon, pushed above by the French, and embraced by the Arab League.” As the Wall Street Journal pointed about Obama, leader of the free world, was shamed into finally acting after ever other country under the sun urged action against Gadhafi. But if the United States, under the helm of Obama, had moved from contemplation to action sooner Libyan rebels would have held on to their advantage and the US and its UN allies wouldn’t be facing such quagmire.
Right now I bet lots of Americans are thinking President George W. Bush isn’t looking so bad. Meanwhile Bahrain appears to be disintegrating into chaos, as government forces try to kill the democracy movement taking root there and even called in the Saudi military for assistance. Once again we see strong rebukes from the Obama administration to Bahrain or Saudi Arabia. As Yemen meltdown over calls for democracy, Obama has been more readily “condemning the violence” there, which is somewhat in encouraging.
The United States certainly can’t afford to get involved militarily in every nation in the Middle East experiencing unrest because its people have been denied basic freedoms for centuries. But the US can and should support peoples fight for democracy and condemn atrocities with strong words from the start instead of waiting on the sidelines to see how bad things get.
Right now President Obama looks more like a leader in waiting than the leader of the free world. What has become of America? Now is not the time “to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,” but rather “to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them.” The world is watching to see which path the president will choose.
Tags: President Obama!
“We cannot stand idly by when a tyrant tells his people there will be no mercy…” I said that as Obamalosi signed a healthcare bill most people didn’t want.
Indeed, President Obama’s contempt for the will of law abiding “American citizens make President Obama and/or other misfit leaders namely affiliated with the Democratic Party, a tyrant/despot to the power of infinity!
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-278743
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-265276
……It is beyond me as to why so many U.S. born Black voters supported Obama for President when……
A. Obama talked down to droves of U.S. born Black men, pertaining to “being an unfit father” while doing absolutely nothing to improve the quality of life in any U.S. born Black community.
B. His real world experience in both the practice of law, and use of the Constitution is questionable.
Please let me know if you’re looking for a writer for your weblog. You have some really good articles and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d absolutely love to write some material for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Thank you!
Please let me know if you’re looking for a article writer for your weblog. You have some really good posts and I feel I would be a good asset. If you ever want to take some of the load off, I’d love to write some content for your blog in exchange for a link back to mine. Please shoot me an e-mail if interested. Thanks!
It is a little something I have to find more information about, many thanks for the posting.
So being that Obama took over a sinking ship that Bush and his fellow criminals left us we should thank him for what he’s done for the country…Despite getting no help at all from the racist republicans…even on things that they supported..Black conservatives need to wake up and realize that the GOP doesn’t care about you…just ask Herman Cain , Colin Powell , Faye Anderson , Micheal Steele etc….
Ceyseau(dot)net and inept leaders
When U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas ruled against John Thompson, who was about to be executed, until DNA & other strong evidence exonerated him. President Obama, and the CBC remain silent and will not impeach Clarence Thomas.
Of what good is a member of the executive, judicial, or legislative branch of government who does not uphold his or her oath of office in behalf of the innocent egregiously violated by the atrocities of government of the same ethnicity?
When President Barack Obama talked down to Black men on Father’s Day in 2008, he lost any hope of Michael Lofton exercising his right to vote for Obama.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj1hCDjwG6M
You Tube Video: “Barack Obama’s Speech on Father’s Day” by BarackObamadotcom
Heck President Barack Obama talked down to Black men/Black Fathers before a predominately Black church congregation on Father’s Day…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xd5ZnSOYUkg
You Tube Video: Waters on Obama’s call to “Stop crying”
…and he talks down to Black people again when petitioned to use his influence to reduce high unemployment in the Black community by stating “”stop complaining” and “put your marching shoes on.”
ceyseau(dot)net and inept Black leaders
http://www.ceyseau.net/
……While BO does nothing to uphold his sworn oath of office to serve untold numbers of law abiding U.S. born descendants of slavery egregiously violated by government.
When President Barack Obama talked down to Black men on Father’s Day in 2008, before a predominately Black Church Congregation, he lost any hope of Michael Lofton exercising his right to vote for Obama.
You Tube Video: “Barack Obama’s Speech on Father’s Day” by BarackObamadotcom
Web Source and Documented by: Ceyseau(dot)net and inept Black leaders
……While President Barack Obama does nothing to uphold his sworn oath of office to serve untold numbers of law abiding U.S. born descendants of slavery egregiously violated by government.
The most important function of every elected official is exercising his or her oath of office to uphold the U.S. Constitution, the “Bill of Rights”., etc.
President Obama and/or other treasonous elected Black leaders are doing more harm to the U.S. born descendants of slaves, and others, than all the years of “Jim Crow”, any “David Duke” KKK member etc., by not competently representing U.S. born Black people, other law abiding U.S. citizens, and legal immigrants.
Malcolm X: Who Taught You To Hate Yourself?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRSgUTWffMQ
Unlike the pseudo black leaders of today such as Justice Clarence Thomas, President Barack Obama, Congresswoman Karen Bass, 2nd District LA County Supervisor Mark Ridley Thomas, 10th District Los Angeles City Councilman Herb Wesson, 8th District Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks, etc., etc., refuse to function as required by his or her oath of office, or are so incompetent he or she do not know what to do….
…… Malcolm X truly stepped up to the plate……
…..Just before being assassinated by one or more members of the Nation of Islam…
Malcolm X strived to organize the black community to uphold the existing laws on the books, the Constititution, “the Bill of Rights”, etc., & to hold all elected leaders accountable.
Ceyseau(dot)net and inept leaders
This I believe is Malcolm X’s greatest contribution to the Black community. This contribution does not live on today because the Black community and our own leaders do not promote this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZlY2Oycdfo
You Tube Video: “The black middle class dropping the ball with their children” Uploaded by pinkkelephant on Mar 17, 2010
That’s not all the black middle class, black leaders, etc., are dropping the ball on.
Source: Ceyseau(dot)net and Inept Leaders
http://www.ceyseau.net/
It won’t be business as usual. To get my support or vote, President Obama, or any other elected Black leaders must uphold the U.S. Constitution in behalf of law abiding U.S. born descendants of slavery egregiously violated by the atrocities of government.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but other than that, this is great blog. An excellent read. I’ll certainly be back.