Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:09:07 +0000 – By Andrea Tantaros
Conservative Political Commentator/FOXNews.com Contributor
President Obama is feeling the heat lately for his limp foreign policy postures, showcased now more than ever with the increasing violence and chaos following Iran's presidential election. Surprisingly, the critique is stemming from both sides of the aisle and is beginning to crescendo. Since the announcement of Ahmadenejad's victory, Obama's response has been more than unimpressive, it's been plain impotent. If Iran is the ringing red phone, Obama is putting the call straight to voicemail.
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Apparently in this administration, forceful, timely responses have been reserved for houseflies instead of our most threatening enemies.
The president believes that we shouldn't "meddle" when it comes to Iran (or anyone else for that matter). Obama doesn't want to appear like he is directing the protests; but even so, the Iranian government has already accused America of "interventionist" statements. Remind me again why democracy promotion is such a bad thing?
President Obama: you aren't the leader of some insignificant Caribbean territory. You are the leader of the free world.
The world expects you, like your predecessors, to lead. But the global community is quickly learning not to hold its breath. In mere months, Obama has transformed the United States of America from the world's policeman to the world's cheerleader. We're now the Mr. Rogers of foreign relations. Even Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden are urging Obama to toughen up.
How can someone so quick to meddle in private domestic enterprises - from insurance to banking to the auto industry - remain so hands off when it comes to our national security?
Iran needs some major meddling. The same goes for North Korea. In fact, according to a recent Rasmussen poll, North Korea is seen as a bigger threat than Iran, China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan - surpassing Iran by a more than two-to-one margin on voters' worry list.
The scariest part about both is that the two countries are intrinsically linked. Though the administration insists it's keeping an eye on Iran, Iran is watching North Korea and how we deal with them. We deal with them through the Chinese. Problem is, our leverage with China is limited considering that they hold the bulk of our ballooning debt. Plainly put: if the North Koreans decide to sell a nuclear weapon the likely customer will be from Tehran. That is why sitting on our hands and spending our nation into an economic choke-hold will result in unprecedented American vulnerability.
This is one "holy crap" moment that photo ops and late night talk show appearances can't fix. It's time for the Obama administration to swat down stubborn, rogue regimes and anyone who seeks to threaten our safety. That's what I call real pest control.
Andrea Tantaros is a conservative political commentator and columnist. Her commentary can be found at www.andreatantaros.com.
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