Bill Clinton, STFU

[karynnj]

139. I don't for the following reason

Last edited Sat Jun 15, 2013, 03:51 PM - Edit history (1)

There is NO way it helps Obama.

First off, he assumes as fact that the reason Obama has been reluctant is public polls. What chutzpah that anyone taking a position that disagrees with Bill's is doing so for reasons other than thinking it best for the country and the world. Second, he engages in the idiotic idea that one is a "wuss" if they are unwilling to expand a war. Obama's position - even now- is that they want a political solution to limit the blood shed. Is that why he never criticized Bush's lying the country war in 2003? I guess he was impressed that Bush was not a wuss.

Also, let's look at how it plays had Obama made either choice.

1) Let's assume that Obama did not move to give military aid. If Assad vanquished the rebels, Clinton would claim that had Obama listened to him or earlier to Hillary Clinton, Syria would have a nice democracy under the rebels - a veritable paradise on earth. If Syria is still a mess in 2015/2016, again Obama was wrong and we should have gone in earlier or with more. Even if the rebels won and established an Islamic state, he would argue that it would have been more moderate had we done exactly what he was thinking.

2) Let's assume that Obama soon provides military aid and things get worse - it was because Obama waited too long or did too little. If Obama agrees to a no fly zone and it pulls us into an even worse conflict than Iraq, it is because Obama did it wrong. If aid allows the rebels to have a better position, they suddenly become a cohesive group and expel the Al Qaeda foreign fighters and they then agree (and Assad does as well) to do Geneva 2 and to find a political solution, Clinton will claim that it was HIS push that made Obama go in the right direction. (ie Clinton = wise, foreign policy statesman ALPHA male; Obama is the inexperienced, naive person who lucked into the Presidency. )

This is a long term power move. The intent is that no matter what, Clinton wins. Add in that the media is already including in all stories that Clinton added his voice to McCain's - and implying that they (the media's two BFF) pushed Obama to do this. In addition, whatever happened to Clinton's excuse (2007 vintage) that former Presidents resist commenting on the sitting President - especially on foreign policy. I guess that is just when your wife is running for President and you did not speak out when you were likely the only Democrat who could have had a megaphone to speak against rushing to war in 2003 - and that is an issue hurting her in the Democratic primaries.