New Age Islam

Islam and the West

05 Oct 2011, NewAgeIslam.Com

Obama the Idealist has Taken Fright

By Simon Tisdall Bin Laden's killing aside, his foreign policy has all been waffle, dithering and drift.

Candidates run on hope. Incumbents run on their record. But Barack Obama, lining up for a second term at the White House next year, has little to offer on either score. The heady optimism of 2008 has dissipated. At home, Mr. Obama is primarily associated with hard times: only 34 per cent of voters approve of his handling of the economy, according to a recent poll. Abroad, his presidency has come to stand for impotence and incompetence. He promised new beginnings; what he has delivered, for the most part, is waffle, dither and drift. In Libya, as elsewhere, Mr. Obama talked the good fight from the sidelines. Speaking about Syria in August, he condemned President Bashar al-Assad's “imprisoning, torturing and slaughtering” of pro-democracy demonstrators and demanded he step aside immediately. Mr. Obama's handling of his legacy wars — Afghanistan and Iraq — provides little to crow about on the stump. If Mr. Obama is re-elected it won't be due to his international achievements — unless you think killing Osama bin Laden is worth another four years. -- Simon Tisdall http://newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamIslamAndWest_1.aspx?ArticleID=5627