BY RON JAGER—
During the past two weeks, my visit to America has brought me to Texas, and to New York. Two entirely different regions, representing the very essence of America’s vast pluralistic ethnic make-up. Yet, what seemed to unify the many different cultural and ethnic expectations of these good and decent people was the hope and prayer, that Barack Obama will not be re-elected, and that America will have the common sense to make this happen. After entering the fourth year of the Obama Presidency, we can judge these expectations to be well-warranted. Obama has already lost the election; he just doesn’t realize it yet.
President Obama knows that he is in trouble, so he has put leading the country on “hold” and is now solely focused on campaigning for his re-election. It seems at times that Obama is unable to differentiate between campaigning and governing. What’s even more troubling is how Obama feels so much at ease in sharing with us all his achievements, convinced that his rhetorical skills will obscure his ignorance, managing to always come across like someone who really doesn’t know what he is talking about.
At times, Obama appears to have adopted a “hear no evil, see no evil” approach that may conflict with the facts and with statements made by his own administration. This habit of talking so as not to listen to others, wiser, more immersed in international diplomacy is sadly depicted by how America is meeting the challenge of a nuclear Iran. After three and a half years of worthless “engagement”, and bowing low to tyrants and dictators reminiscent of the Middle Ages, Obama has enabled the Iranians to continue unimpeded and has brought us to the current stalemate that favors the Iranians well on their way to building a nuclear bomb. The Iranians are the first to understand the United States is a strong superpower militarily but a weak country in terms of its leadership. Obama refuses to see the obvious; he persists in threatening Israel rather than threatening Iran. The heads of the Pentagon and the CIA are now worried sick that Israel might attack Iran. Its amazing how Obama’s administration forgets that its Iran that’s the greatest threat to world peace.
Barack Obama has over the course of his Presidency repeatedly expressed his disinterest in military action and has consistently blinked every time a confrontation with Iran was necessary, instead opting for tactics and diplomacy.
This method of public diplomacy is favored by many in the West, especially the Europeans but scorned by the Arabs, they the Arabs understand that in the Middle East, he who blinks and hesitates means tacit and passive agreement. Obama has yet prove that he can initiate strategic military action or declare a war, the Iranians perceive Obama as the type of leader that is interested only in withdrawing the US military presence from the Middle East not increasing America’s presence. Remember, the idea is not to govern, not to lead but to campaign and get re-elected.
The current regime in Iran is the same leadership that engaged in a war with Saddam Hussein in which a million people died. This same Iranian leadership had propogated martyrdom by sending thousands and thousands of young boys, some 12 years old, into Saddam’s minefields on motortbikes to clear the way for the Iranian Revolutinary Gruard troops. These young boys were given green plastic “keys to paradise” to wear around their necks. This is the true face of the Iranian regime. As long as they don’t feel threatened, as long as they continue to feel as if Obama won’t give Israel the green light to endanger their continuing rule of Iran, they will continue chanting “Death to America”, and “Death to Israel”, and they will continue developing their nuclear arsenal. Only the real threat of regime change will evoke the Iranians to start cooperating with the West. Why is that Obama misses this simple basic rule of the Middle East.
The good news is that Obama will not succeed in undermining Israel and her leadership as to what needs to be done. Remember the 1981 bombing of the Osirak reactor outside of Baghdad. Then too, there were those who claimed that the strike was pointless because Saddam Hussein would just rebuild the reactor and obtain a weapon, this, however, never happened. Then too, Israel’s leadership was under constant and intensive pressure to refrain from destroying Iraq’s nuclear arsenal. The attack on the Osirak reactor outside of Baghdad was executed by 8 planes and it took no more than 4 minutes, the eighth attack plane was piloted by Ilan Ramon Z”, Israel’s beloved astronaut who perished in the Challenger space shuttle. Learning the lessons of tomorrow means that we must learn the lessons of the past. Israel and her leadership have never forgotten our past. The history of the Jewish nation has always been a compass as to where we are headed. Israel will with God’s help overcome the threat by Iran, and do whatever must be done to protect the Jewish nation, those that hinder and endanger Israel will never be around to learn the lessons of tomorrow.
Ron Jager is a 25-year veteran of the I.D.F., served as a field mental health officer. Prior to retiring in 2005, served as the Commander of the Central Psychiatric Military Clinic for Reserve Soldiers at Tel-Hashomer. Since retiring from active duty, he provides consultancy services to NGO’s implementing Psycho trauma and Psycho education programs to communities in the North and South of Israel. Today Ron is a strategic advisor to the Shomron Liaison Office.