By Sal Bommarito

Has our president checked out? The man was crucified after rushing out of a press conference (about the beheading of James Foley) to make a tee time. Ignoring the avalanche of bad press about spending too much time with his buddies, instead of acting like the leader of the free world, he played golf the next day as well. Clearly, no one is going to deny Obama his next 18 holes.

 

The president has little interest in the plethora of pressing issues throughout the world and within his own country. He eschews conversation about race relations, the IRS scandal (we now know officials lied to Congress), Syria, Iraq, ISIS and Palestine for global warming. The world is seemingly under assault by evildoers, and Obama wants to study polar icecaps.

 

Fatigue may be what every president experiences in his last two years. Being a lame duck leader with a hostile Congress is not fun. But, somebody’s got to run the operation. If you are President of the United States you really should not delegate management of the country to others. Rumor has it that Valerie Jarrett, the president’s principal adviser, is now the most powerful person in the world.

 

The president has ignored ISIS, the latest incarnation of radical Islamic aggression. Defense Secretary Hagel has told us that the group is a clear and present danger to the Middle East and to the U.S. ISIS has tactical military capabilities and a ton of funding from rich Arabs in the region and from pilfering oil and materiel in Syria and Iraq. Does anybody think ISIS is strong enough to repel 24-hour bomb sorties? The Iraq military under Saddam Hussein was crushed in days. The U.S. should initiate bombing immediately.

 

The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is out of control. We need to be supportive of Prime Minister Netanyahu, but even he needs to be reined in from time to time. The combatants cannot piece together a multi-day cease-fire. Isn’t that what the U.S. is supposed to do? Shouldn’t we be insisting that the warring factions stop fighting and start negotiating? Where is the leadership?

 

Ever since the Middle East and Ferguson, Missouri have flared up, not a word can be seen in the press about immigration. In the meantime, illegals are streaming into our country inflaming an already outrageous situation. Ten million plus immigrants have entered the country already, yet our government has not done a damn thing to stop it. The U.S. has become an open door country. We now effectively accept any one from any country because if you cannot get in legally, you can just stroll across the border. We sent over 200,00 troops to Iraq to defend (unsuccessfully) its democracy, yet we do not protect our own borders from assault. Bring soldiers home and send them to Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California.

 

And what about Ferguson? Well, Al Sharpton is running that circus. The man is a civil rights ambulance chaser and self-promoter. He has been accused of a number of inappropriate activities over the years. But most of all, he thrives on controversy surrounding African Americans. Without discontent, Sharpton would be out of work. He is not the man the administration should depend upon to help the black community solve problems relating to poverty and unemployment. Nevertheless, Sharpton is effectively a member of the Obama cabinet based upon recent reports in the news.

 

If the president cannot take the heat, if he just wants to play golf, he should step down.

 

 

By Sal Bommarito

The New York Times published an article today titled “A Terrorist Horror, Then Golf: Incongruity Fuels Critics.” I wonder how long it took to come up with this title.

 

The Times went through the motions of recognizing the president’s behavior for what it was- totally un-presidential and insulting to the family of James Foley. The president made heartfelt comments about the beheading of the American journalist, and then sprinted off to the golf course and yucked it up with his buddies.

 

In contrast, Prime Minister David Cameron of Great Britain cancelled his vacation “because the accent of the masked killer suggested he came from Britain.” And, in 2003, George W. Bush gave up golf for the balance of his tenure because the Iraq war was raging at the time.

 

The Times is playing the role of apologist for Barack Obama as it has been doing during his entire presidency. But, this time even the Times recognized that the president was being insensitive.

 

In this regard, the story goes into all of the mental health and emotional aspects of being president, as if Americans do not understand how difficult it is to lead the free world. But, the point that needs to be made is that no president should engage himself in golf or any public sport on the heels of such a horrifying terrorist incident. Obama supporters are going to respond that every president needs down time because the job is so stressful. This is true, but Obama needs to be more careful about the timing of his actions. Maybe waiting a day before heading out to the links would have made more sense.

 

This president has an air of superiority that is raking on Americans and foreigners alike. His condescending rhetoric and insistence that he can make every decision for every American and for the entire world without conferring with others is causing Democrats, Republicans and other heads of state to become uncomfortable.

 

The administration took the opportunity to announce shortly after this story broke that it had sent troops into Syria to rescue Foley and other Americans being held hostage. The mission was not successful, as the hostages were not where intelligence indicated they would be.

 

Why was this announcement important? A cynic might think that public reaction to the beheading was so strong that the administration felt it needed to announce that it tried to save Foley. This sounds like a cover your rear move by Obama and company. And, why would the U.S. give any details about a  rescue operation anyway? The mission should have been kept confidential. Why admit to failure to the whole world and to our enemies?

 

It is becoming more difficult to justify the actions, or inaction, of this administration. The president stayed out of the Syrian conflict for the most part, emboldening a new terrorist menace, ISIS. ISIs is now threatening Syria, Iraq and even the U.S. according to some experts. Is it the next Al Qaeda, planning an attack on American soil?

 

The U.S. is responding meekly in Iraq. The amount of force employed to save the Kurds has been lacking. Much more intensive airstrikes should be utilized, if in fact we will not send troops.

 

In Israel, the administration is moving towards the Palestinian perspective. Sure, popular opinion is backing the oppressed Palestinian citizens, but Hamas is the real evildoer. It is launching rockets at a furious pace at Israel, our most important ally in the region. Obama should be supporting Prime Minister Netanyahu as he fights to preserve the existence of Israel.

 

The president should respond to the beheading of James Foley with great force, as I indicated in my op-ed  yesterday. It’s time America started leading, something only possible with the use of force in the Middle East.

 

 

In recent months, some observers of Barack Obama are attributing the president’s sliding approval ratings to uncomplimentary personality traits. These depictions go far beyond his seemingly detached method of governing. Frankly, it appears that the president would rather not be the leader of the free world any longer.

 

What does it take to be a great leader in the 21^st Century? I’m sure managerial experts could provide any number of characteristics that define a leader. I want to focus on just one. Earlier today, I began reading “Blood Feud . . .” written by Edward Klein, a well-known Obama-basher. The book discusses the bad blood between the Obamas and the Clintons. Klein also wrote “The Amateur,” another tome about the shortcomings of Mr. Obama.

 

A few pages into “Blood Feud,” I came across a quote attributed to Vernon Jordan, D.C. powerbroker extraordinaire. He said, “Consultation is not in the DNA of the Obama administration.” Jordan was a former adviser to Bill Clinton and has worked with Obama since his first election.

 

The implications of Jordan’s comment really got me thinking. How could any president eschew consultation and be successful? Does Obama really believe that he can lead the greatest nation on earth with just the help of Valerie Jarrett, Michelle Obama, David Plouffe and a few others, and not confer with other informed people?

 

The most successful presidents in American history achieved greatness under difficult circumstances. Certainly, times have been tough for Obama, affording him a chance to build his legacy. But, many believe he is failing miserably, something that is reflected in his declining polls. What are missing in the White House are experts proficient at economics, policy, war, the Middle East, health care, etc. I believe the president has performed poorly because he is either not listening to or getting lousy advise from his current advisers (or both). And, he does not solicit help from outside his inner circle, including members of Congress.

 

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Barack Obama bamboozled the world with his dazzling personality and carefully orchestrated rhetoric. In fact, he is a talented campaigner. But political campaigns consist of promises and beautiful days ahead. The really difficult stuff begins on Inauguration Day. The selection of very well qualified advisers is critical to a president’s success. Unfortunately, Obama needed capable advisers more than most new presidents. In his first book, Klein said, “[The president] is inept in the arts of management and governance.” After only a few months as Senator, Obama was elected president primarily because he’s a great orator. He might be one of the most unprepared men to become president of the United States.

 

The president has had many missteps during the past six years domestically and in foreign affairs. In all fairness, Obama inherited the Great Recession, but his first initiative was to enact the Affordable Care Act and set aside the need for economic stimulus. This decision has had a long-term impact, and it prolonged the current crisis.

 

ACA became law without any input from Republicans because the Democrats controlled all branches of government. That soon changed and the opposition never let him forget his demeaning approach. The result has been government paralysis ever since. The situation will likely worsen as Republicans make more gains in Congress this November.

 

Since then, the president has not made any great strides to improve the economy, but he has attempted to govern by fiat and regulation making business more difficult in a period that screams for more economic activity. It is true that the belligerence on Capitol Hill has exasperated legislative deliberations.

 

In foreign policy, the situation is just as bad. Our relationship with virtually every ally and opponent is worse now than ever. American might, money and counsel carry little weight. Even the Israelis no longer believe we can deliver.

 

I suppose it’s too late for Obama to change. The impending elections will only increase paralysis in Washington. But, Obama can always make speeches to unions, play golf and hang out with Hollywood celebrities to pass the time until his tenure ends.