Peacemakers and Peace Prizes

Let me start by confessing President Obama’s leadership approach makes me ill.  It’s my judgment that his “leadership” has made our nation and the entire world a more dangerous and unstable place.  His racism, partisanship and class-envy agenda has stoked the fires of dissension, rebellion and anarchy.  These wild fires are now out-of-control and might well be beyond the ability of man or government to contain. 

Doing a little introspection (like checking for lumps), I realized my mindset has gone well beyond the mere fact that I believe Obama and his cronies are destroying our country and destabilizing the world-order for future generations – it has become a medical disorder.  Recalling the syndrome that plagued so many liberals when Bush and Cheney were in office, I began a little internet medical research to see if I was suffering from something comparable. 

Using the search term “Bush Derangement Syndrome”, I quickly learned that BDS was discovered by my second favorite Jew, Dr. Charles Krauthammer (Jesus of Nazareth being my favorite).  The definition of BDS according to the good doctor:  “the acute onset of paranoia in otherwise normal people in reaction to the policies, the presidency -- nay -- the very existence of George W. Bush.”  Those most at risk for the dreaded BDS -- Doctor Krauthammer said that it, “generally struck people with previously compromised intellectual immune systems.”

   

Through the power of the internet (and Al Gore’s ingenuity), I was able to uncover my malady – Obama Derangement Syndrome ODS.  There is great comfort in knowing one’s disability has a name.  In a clear-cut case of copy-cat medicine, Dr. Christopher Zimmermann has gone so far as to develop six-stages for the disease. (I’m a four on my good days.)  Here’s an abbreviated list of symptoms:  

Stage One.  Subtle, low level criticisms of Obama's "leadership" abilities.  

Stage Two.  Attacks on the President begin to take on a nonsensical element such as criticism of Obama playing golf, taking a vacation with his family, or eating mustard on his hamburger.  (Zimmerman makes no allowance for golf outings immediately after announcing American beheadings.)

Stage Three.  Unable to call the President by his name, using incendiary monikers such as Barry, Obummer, Zero, etc.

Stage Four.  Use of phrases like, "Anyone but Obama."  The diseased begin to take any position, so long as it is not Obama's position.  Mocking ideas like "hope" and "change" as naive, simply because Obama embodies them.

Stage Five.   Assaults on the President's character begin to imply he is evil at his core. The development of conspiracies that suggest Obama is knowingly executing an agenda that will harm America are commonplace. Questions like, "Is Obama A Bigger Threat Than Al Qaeda?" and "Obama: A Radical Leftist Who Seeks To Dismantle Capitalism?" are common place.

Stage Six.  People who are offended by Barack Obama's very existence.  

Now where were we?  Oh yea, discussing leadership. 

Like it or not, a superpower cannot abdicate its responsibility to lead, anymore than the father of a family can without bad things happening.  The mantle of global leadership, like paternal leadership, is incumbent with the position.  The oxymoronic (maybe just moronic) “leading from behind” is not leadership – it is dereliction of duty.   One only need look to our inner cities to see the consequences of absentee fathers.   Observe the Middle East to see what dereliction and our “Peace through withdrawal” strategy has wrought.  President Obama’s Nobel Peace prize, awarded in anticipation of the peace to come, may well have to be revoked for the mayhem ultimately delivered.

 

Paradoxically, there is another man, a man considered by many to be a man of war, who is credited with bringing about peace.  For the last couple of weeks I’ve been reading a biography about said peacemaker, General David Petraeus.  I was extremely impressed by his thoughts on strategic leadership.

Petraeus said there are four tasks he thinks strategic leaders have to perform:

- First, “Get the ‘Big Ideas’ right.”

- Second, “Effectively communicate the Big Ideas.”

- Third, “Oversee the implementation of the Big Ideas.”

- Fourth, “Capture best practices and lessons…to help refine the Big Ideas.”

After reading that I earnestly, honestly, and objectively tried to identify what Obama’s “Big Ideas” are – what is it he believes in?  Closing GTMO, the Iran deal, climate change, sexual rights (a new government term), Making America Great Again (just kidding).   It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.

What is the “big idea” of the Obama administration – honestly, I have no idea.  

This column appears in The Upson Beacon, 23 SEP 2015 published in Upson County, GA.