Arlene Kushner on Two Critiques of Foreign In Obama's State of the Union Address

From Arlene Kushner:
February 14, 2013

Downs and Ups

Update on my update: Little Zakkai has had a tough time since last I wrote -- as, unquestionably, have his parents. 

On Monday he successfully came through surgery to remove growing tumor nodules on his spine.  Following the surgery, he was given what was supposed to be a routine MRI to be sure all was well.  But it was discovered that in spite of the diligence of the two surgeons who worked on him with great care, a nodule on the spine was missed.  The doctors recommended re-opening the incision, which had not yet healed. And so, yesterday, this 2-1/2 year old went under the knife for the second time in 48 hours.

But the upbeat news now is that he's doing beautifully and will probably be moved out of ICU today and discharged before long.

Please G-d, Zakkai, after five surgeries, is now tumor-free and will recover quickly. (This picture of him is not from now -- he's not recovering that fast.)

 

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President Obama has delivered his State of the Union address, and Barry Rubin, a very savvy commentator, has now taken it apart in "Careful Phrasing Conceals Disasters." 

Rubin provides multiple examples of ways in which Obama distorts the situation (offers untruthful pictures), or implies something that isn't true while taking care to not quite lie.  A few examples follow (emphasis added).

Barry Rubin Analyzes The Strange Claims In Obama's State of the Union Address

Barry Rubin analyzes State of the Union Address on Foreign Policy: Careful Phrasing Conceals Disasters, focusing more on Obama's foreign policy claims than on his statements on the economy.

For example, Rubin notes that this time around, Obama did not claim to have destroyed Al Qaeda:

Notice a very strange and ungrammatical formulation: “Most of Al Qaida’s top lieutenants have been defeated.” I think this can only be understood as an incomplete change in the traditional slogan that al-Qaida has been defeated. The administration can no longer make this argument so it is looking for something that gets in bin Ladin’s assassination and that of other al-Qaida leaders (al-Qaida has been decapitated) with hinting that al-Qaida has been defeated.

Obama Will Brag About His Human Rights Support During State of the Union Address -- But Those He Claims To Support Know Better

“Mr. President…over recent months, statements by your administration have similarly failed to address violations and have even blamed protesters and victims for violence committed in the context of demonstrations. Indeed, the stances of your administration have given political cover to the current authoritarian regime in Egypt and allowed it to fearlessly implement undemocratic policies and commit numerous acts of repression.”
Open letter to Obama from Bahieddin Hassan, director of the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, quoted by Barry Rubin

In Obama to America: I'm Backing Democracy and Human Rights; Egyptian Human Rights’ Activist: No, You're Not!, Barry Rubin notes that in his State of the Union Address, Obama is expected to brag about his support for democracy and human rights in the Middle East:

But consider this amazing fact. Exactly two years ago there were massive demonstrations in Egypt against the Mubarak regime, which was a U.S. ally. Today there are massive demonstrations in Egypt against the Mursi, Muslim Brotherhood regime, which hates the United States and opposes its interests. The Mursi regime has killed more demonstrators than the Mubarak regime did during the comparable period.

Barry Rubin: As The State of the Union Speech Shows: The Problem with Obama Isn’t Just Political or Ideological, It’s Ignorance, Inexperience, Character, and Incompetence, Too

As The State of the Union Speech Shows: The Problem with Obama Isn’t Just Political or Ideological, It’s Ignorance, Inexperience, Character, and Incompetence, Too

By Barry Rubin

I’ve been waiting for someone to voice my reaction to President Barack Obama’s State of the Union message. But and since I haven’t seen anyone else do it — I’m not referring to the foreign policy aspects which I analyzed fully here but the whole speech — I’ll do it myself.

It was very scary.

Why? I am reminded of the famous scene in The Caine Mutiny embedded above in which the captain is testifying at the court-martial of officers who removed him from command during a storm on the basis of mental incompetence. Perhaps you remember the brilliant film performance by Humphrey Bogart. As he testifies about his fine job of command, the captain slowly breaks down into coherence. He pulls out of his pocket some little steel balls which he rolls endlessly in his hand. Click. Click. Click. The court-martial officers look at each other and you can see in their faces what they are thinking: This man is bonkers.

Video: Quick Comparison Of Obama State Of The Union Addresses

Yes, I'm sure that politicians in general, and presidents in particular, rework successful themes--but it's still jarring to see this from the president touted as being such a smooth expert speaker as Obama.

Here is a comparison of the 2012 State of the Union Address with Obama's State of the Union Address of 2011 and 2010:

Video: Cato Institute Debunks Obama's 2012 State Of The Union Address

Scholars from the Cato Institute respond to and debunk claims made by Obama in his 2012 State of the Union Address




Technorati Tag: Cato Institute and Obama and State of the Union Address.

Barry Rubin: Obama’s State of the Union Speech: My Response Discovers Some Curious Insights and Strange Formulations

Obama’s State of the Union Speech: My Response Discovers Some Curious Insights and Strange Formulations

By Barry Rubin

In his State of the Union message, President Barack Obama began by wrapping himself in the flag, patriotism, and love of the armed forces while trying to highlight his foreign policy achievements. Among his points:

–“The United States [is] safer and more respected around the world.”

Presumably, a lot of Americans will believe this. The United States may be said to be safer in terms of facing direct terror attacks but that was basically true in 2002. As for “more repected”—a phrase no doubt chosen to seem more statesmanlike than saying “more popular,” that is a joke. If there’s one thing that should be obvious (and this is often revealed even by international public opinion polls) the United States is not more respected at all.