By Sal Bommarito

The controversy about Rudy Giuliani’s suggestion that President Obama does not love America was nothing more than a publicity stunt. After reading an article in the New York Times about Giuliani’s comment, it’s clear that at least one of Obama’s chief apologists, The Times, has missed this point. Rudy wants to be relevant on a national level, and he sought the attention of the Republican base. His tactic was to question the president’s love of country. A very awkward confrontation has ensued. My take on the debate is, “A president can’t love America, if he or she doesn’t love all Americans.”

Saying someone does not love his or her country is a very serious indictment in this age of political correctness. No one has the ability to look into someone else’s heart to make an assessment of true feelings. Most people listen to words spoken and observe actions taken to form opinions.

Some of Obama’s words and actions during his tenure have been very critical of America and many Americans. The Times article points out that the president has in fact made these types of comments, but suggests that he often follows up by saying that America is the greatest country in the world, or something in that vein.

It’s important to define what “love America” really means. If it means love of this country and all of its inhabitants, it’s not a stretch to conclude that Obama does not love America to the fullest extent.

Consider the president’s attacks on the wealthiest among us, the so-called 1%ers. If the affluent committed crimes as they accumulated wealth there would be no controversy. But, the president has often indicated that affluent people do not pay their fair share. If your fair share is your tax bill, what is Obama’s point? Is it unfair, unreasonable, illegal, immoral or insensitive to work hard and accumulate money, or even to inherit wealth? Obama suggests that the affluent should further subsidize the poor. This would be acceptable if our leaders first tried to put this group of people to work, and simultaneously eliminated the waste and inefficiencies in our “big” government.

Obama’s handling of recent tragedies such as Ferguson has made certain American feel uneasy. Why didn’t the president demand that protesters act within the law? Why did he turn the other way when demonstrators destroyed their own city by looting local businesses?

Obama has been vicious towards his opposition in America. From the outset of his administration, he has not reached across the aisle in Congress. His vitriol increases when others disagree with his policies and decisions. On a number of occasions, Obama acted like he despised the members of Congress. In fact, he  wantonly circumvented the responsibilities of Congress with dubious executive orders.

In spite of very favorable treatment by the press, President Obama has repeatedly shunned efforts by reporters to obtain more information about scandals that have plagued his administration (including the IRS, Benghazi, Veterans Administration to name a few). And, pertinent information about the Middle East/ISIS crisis is considered top secret. Ironically, the president has deprived Americans of important data (like how is the ISIS war coming along?) while at the same time, he telegraphs his battle strategy to the enemy (the U.S. will not employ ground troops).

Obama’s “unloving” attitude extends far beyond the borders of the U.S. A short list of countries and leaders on his hate list includes: Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin, N. Korea, Arab countries, et al. In fact, diplomatic policies have led many nations to doubt that the U.S. is a reliable ally. But, the greatest hypocrisy is that the president is hell-bent on signing a treaty with Iran that will likely enable it to develop a nuclear weapon. Is this smart diplomacy, or is it a deal that he thinks will solidify his legacy? When did Iran redeem itself of being a destabilizing force in the Middle East? And, when did it prove that it would be responsible with nuclear weapons?

Regularly, on grand international stages, President Obama has degraded the U.S. He attempts to ingratiate himself to others by exposing America’s problems. His vision of history is closely correlated to our enemies. Whenever something negative transpires, it is because of U.S. actions. America is responsible for the emergence of Al Qaeda, ISIS, Hamas and Hezbollah because we have been loyal to our most important ally, Israel, at least up to this time.

The president empathizes with other countries that have racial, religious and social issues. The only problem with doing so is that the law protects every minority in the America, and other countries commit crimes, including genocide, against competing cultures, religions and sexes. America is not anything like the rest of the world. America is not perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot better than most other places on Earth.

As Obama has attempted to change the culture of America, he has completely abandoned two of his greatest supporting groups. In spite of his tilted comments relating to police brutality towards African Americans and the like, very little has been done to create jobs. Yet, food stamps and other services have increased dramatically. Moreover, the plight of Millennials has worsened over the past six years. Jobs are scarce and school indebtedness is crippling.

So, where is the love? Who and what does President Obama love? I think Rudy initiated a very relevant debate.