Never underestimate the power of results. People have a way of forgiving and forgetting as long as you can produce the results. The dubious manner in which President Obama ordered military intervention — covertly and overtly and there was a lot of overt stuff going on — in Libya was no doubt legally questionable. However, the facts remain Muammar Qaddafi is dead. Osama bin Laden is dead. Anwar al-Awlaki is dead. We prevented diplomatic catastrophe in the Saudi Ambassador assassination plot. The president’s confidence is growing and he sees momentum going against the status quo regimes in the Arab World.
President Barack Obama hailed the lifting of the “dark tyranny” over Libya after the new government confirmed Muammar Gaddafi had been killed, issuing a warning to other dictators in the Middle East – and particularly Syria – that they could be next.
Although Obama did not name Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, it was he Obama had in mind when he said the rule of the iron fist in the Middle East is inevitably coming to an end. Those leaders that try to deny the push for democracy will not succeed, he predicted.
For those who refuse to acknowledge these things are out of touch with what is actually happening. From a purely historical perspective, especially in light of the age of terror and Middle East despotism, some pretty profound things have come to pass during Obama’s presidency. We should make no mistake about it, President Obama has delivered. Forget about deriding comments about “leading from behind” and “bowing to dictators.” President Obama actually has results to show and one helluva chapter already written in his presidential memoir.
Whether any of this translates over into restocking his political capital at home is doubtful. Obama has proven himself to be insanely partisan, divisive, and unprepared to fill the role as leader of the free world. Besides, domestic issues always outweigh foreign affairs and the American people have plenty to contend with here. A majority of Americans feel President Obama is unworthy of a second term. That sentiment is unlikely to change and any bounce he receives will likely subside. But it should not prevent us from tipping our hat in the direction of the President of the United States for some very historical accomplishments.
Sic Semper Tyrannis!