Foreign Policy About Respect and Strength, Not Hope and Change

With less than 40 days to go until the election, foreign policy has been the focus recently with the attacks on our embassies two weeks ago and the United Nations General Assembly taking place this week. The President’s handling of these issues could make or break his fortune in November.

Every day we are learning more information about what the administration knew about the September 11, 2012 attacks on our embassies and when they knew it that contradicts what they’ve said publicly. President Obama and his administration are projecting mixed messages at best, and weakness at worst, to the world. This gross incompetence scares our allies and emboldens our enemies.

Just this week President Obama spoke at the United Nations and had the chance to take the lead on the issue of Iran developing an atomic bomb. He paid some lip service to the Iranian nuclear threat, but unbelievably dedicated only 232 words in his speech – out of more than 4,000 – to perhaps the biggest security threat the world faces today.

Why would Iran take sanctions seriously when the leader of the free world only gives them two paragraphs at the UN? The Iranian nuclear situation needs to be front and center for the Oval Office, especially considering the unrest and instability across the Middle East.

In our latest film “The Hope and The Change,” written and directed by Stephen K. Bannon, we spoke to disaffected Democrats and independents who had supported Obama in the past. Here is what a few of the people in our film said about President Obama’s foreign policy, especially as it related to his infamous 2009 speech in Cairo, Egypt.

“The United States is not respected the way it used to be.”

“I think now nations are questioning our decisions, questioning our president, wondering you know why we’re in the state we’re in.”

“He was showing more weaknesses than strength.”

“I think we’re less respected now.”

All these sentiments were expressed before our embassies in Cairo and other cities across the Middle East were stormed and our ambassador to Libya assassinated with three other diplomats. I can’t imagine what these skeptical voters would be saying today.

Forget the failing messages of hope and change, with foreign policy it’s all about respect and strength, which President Obama woefully lacks.