FAILURE – AT 10:16 A.M. ET:   The Obamans want to promote their foreign policy as one of the great successes of this administration, but it's hard to find a real success, except for the bin Laden raid, which Obama personally led in his Superman suit. 

Andrew Malcolm, of IBD, notes the contradiction between Obama's Libya policy and his Syria policy, showing the inconsistency and confusion that has many foreign leaders dismayed.

Fifteen months ago, you may recall, it took only the threat of Moammar Gadhafi killing civilians to launch President Obama into launching Tomahawk missiles and U.S. planes and other NATO forces leading from the front.

Because, the president explained 10 days later after he'd taken his extended family on a South American tour, America is a civilized country, when it suits the president's purposes. (Never mind his baseball card al Qaeda "kill list.") And he simply could not permit such a threat to humanity.

Gadhafi had run his country with the same brutality for more than four decades, since Obama was a third grader somewhere eating dog snacks. The assaults ended up ending the dictator's reign and life, the unfortunate joy of which was caught on video of Hillary Clinton all smiles.

Cross the Mediterranean. Now, in Syria, we have months and months of actual killings of civilians by the thousands. Women, children, the whole bloody brutal works to beat down an insurgency.

And what does Obama, just back from 13 campaign fundraisers in four "work" days, do this week?

He sends out his oft-befuddled press secretary to warn Bashir al Assad once again that he really better stop this stuff. Or else. Or else, actually, nothing will happen, save for more ineffective sanctions. And perhaps further tightening of limits on his Western wife's credit cards.

Syria is a regional linchpin, much more important than Libya as Iran's surrogate and Israel's neighbor and terrorists' safe haven. What do you suppose accounts for this distinct dictator difference in Obama's attitude?

Can you say Russia, Syria's chief arms supplier? More specifically, Vladimir Putin, the new old president. Since Day One Obama has been sucking up to the Russians for some reason. Ostensibly it was to get their cooperation in reining in Iran's nuclear program. That worked well.

COMMENT:  That nails it.  Failure portrayed as success.  Obama's current foreign policy seems to be:  Don't rock the boat before the election. 

It's after the election that I worry about, if Obama is still in office.  Which ally gets the shaft?  Which enemy gets appeased?  Which reality gets ignored?  I dont' say Romney is a godsend.  But whoever sent him knew more than whoever sent Obama.

June 8, 2012