Team Obama seems to believe words trump reality

Richard Fernandez notes that Communist China, ISIS, Putin and numerous dictators of smaller countries, like Fidel Castro and that wacko ruler of North Korea, have found a fundamental weakness or vulnerability in Western politicians--and they're exploiting it.

Seems Western elites have adopted a kind of religion:  That words and treaties and press releases trump reality.

Does that sound insane?  Unbelievable?  Yes, but look at the record:  The emperor has raised brazen lying to an art-form.  He and his lackeys get away with it because they know no reporter has the balls to call them on it.

So the emperor declares that Yemen is an example of one of their foreign-policy successes.  Promptly a month later that government is overthrown by Iranian backed Houthi rebels.  Most rational people would think that would be a stunning defeat for Obama’s claimed foreign-policy "success."

Not at all, citizen!  Instead it's spun as a canny "strategic shift."

You probably think I'm just making that up--because it's too unbelievable to be true.  Well, here's a link to The Wall Street Journal headline: “In Strategic Shift, U.S. Draws Closer to Yemeni Rebels.”

Team Obama--from top to bottom--believes words trump reality.  And in fairness, since they've discovered they can lie *brazenly* and stay in office, there's some twisted logic there.  But as bad as that is, it's not the worst effect.  Far more devastating is that by believing words trump reality, they uncritically believe that agreements or promises or treaties by other nations or national leaders will actually bind those nations.  That is, the Others will do what they say they'll do.

Aw, isn't that cute?  One pictures the 6th-grade bully telling his victim "Give me your lunch money and I won't bother you again."  And of course that works out so well, right?

Look how eagerly Obama allowed supposed "deadlines" to pass on achieving an "agreement" with Iran regarding that nation's nuclear weapons program.  "Deadline" passes, and Obama extends it.  Second "deadline" passes, Obama extends it again.  You'd think most rational people would view those acts as evidence of a foolish overeagerness to get something--anything--signed so Obie can have a piece of paper to wave (shades of Neville Chamberlain) so he can proclaim yet another "foreign-policy success."

Does anyone think for a moment that the Iranians haven't figured that out?

Any agreement--no matter how terrible--is enough to send Washington elites into a frenzy of celebration at the brilliance of the smartest president ever.  (Yes, that's sarc.)


Another example of Obama and Democrats' bedrock belief that word trump reality is Obama's refusal to call Islamic terrorism Islamic terrorism.  There's always some other explanation:  a lone wolf, or mere "workplace violence," or a totally understandable reaction to a cartoon or a video or someone not handling a koran correctly, or...you get it.  Even after the Nigerian Islamic terror group Boko Haram--clearly not responding to any of the above--murders thousands in repeated attacks on unarmed Christian villagers in Nigeria, Obama still can't bring himself to call it Islamic terrorism.

Instead the White Hut releases a posed pic of Moochelle holding a piece of paper with a hashtag printed on it.

That'll fix things.  You bet.

Want another example?  "We never negotiate with terrorists."  That's State spokeswoman Jen Psaki.  Oh?  Then how do they describe Obama personally ordering the release of five senior Taliban commanders in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl?  Wait, I know:  In Obama-speak, even the Taliban aren't "terrorists."

Words trump reality, eh?  A demented, juvenile concept.  A superstition, in fact--little different from primitives believing that chanting the right words will heal a sick person.

Charming.

But not a good basis for national policies.