Professor Obama Lectures Europe
President Obama wrapped up his meeting of NATO allies yesterday with a speech in Brussels that sounded more like a lecture from a college professor than a bold proclamation from the leader of the free world. For many Europeans, it seems their infatuation with Obama is over.
Obama told our allies that every NATO member "must step up." That must seem like an odd statement after Obama cancelled missile defense systems in Poland to appease Russia and is now cutting our own military.
When European leaders pressed Obama to speed up energy exports, he reportedly rebuffed them and told them to do more to become energy independent. Meanwhile, his administration and its radical environmental allies are doing everything possible to hold our energy industry back, fighting new drilling technology, delaying the Keystone pipeline and restricting offshore exploration, while they waste taxpayer dollars on alternative energy boondoggles.
Most disconcerting, Obama again revealed his hand when he made this statement: "Ukraine is not a member of NATO -- in part because of its close and complex history with Russia. Nor will Russia be dislodged from Crimea or deterred from further escalation by military force."
Not surprisingly, CNN reports today that "A new U.S. intelligence assessment concludes that a Russian incursion into eastern Ukraine is more likely than previously thought…" The Russian military buildup is now estimated to be at least 30,000 troops and is "reminiscent of Moscow's military moves before it went into Chechnya and Georgia in both the number of units and their capabilities." (Ukraine says there are at least 100,000 Russian troops poised on its borders.)
And why not? By explicitly taking options off the table yet again, and even echoing Putin's justification of ethnic and historical claims, Obama has practically invited Putin to take whatever neighboring territory he wants!
Several commentators noticed that Obama paused during his remarks for what he thought were applause lines, but there was no applause. After wrapping up a press conference with the Dutch prime minister, Obama thanked the crowd and waved as he walked off the stage to the sound of just one man slowly clapping.
The President And The Pope
After leaving Brussels, President Obama flew to Rome, where he met with Pope Francis for nearly an hour. Politico writes that Obama was seeking a "halo effect:"
"President Barack Obama was once the biggest superstar on the international stage. On Thursday, he headed here to benefit from the popularity of his replacement: Pope Francis. The 50-minute meeting was a rare chance for Obama to associate himself with a world leader whose cool factor far outweighs his own…"
Politico is right about that. A new poll from the Associated Press finds that Obama's disapproval rating has just hit a record high of 59%.
When Ronald Reagan met with Pope John Paul II, they had a common goal -- to defeat godless communism. What do Obama and Pope Francis have in common? The meaning of marriage? The sanctity of life?
According to Politico: "Obama planned to use the closely watched meeting to show how aligned he is with the pope on income inequality, poverty and immigration…"
While the White House may want to talk about income inequality, poverty and immigration, the Vatican made it clear that Pope Francis raised other issues too.
In a statement released after their meeting, the Vatican said the pope and the president discussed "questions of particular relevance for the Church in [America], such as the exercise of the rights to religious freedom, life and conscientious objection…"
Those very questions were before the Supreme Court yesterday precisely because the Obama Administration is on the opposite side of each one.
Are You Smarter Than An American University Student?
I struggled between laughing and crying as I watched the latest video from our friends at the Media Research Center. MRC reporter Dan Joseph went to the campus of American University in Washington, D.C., and asked AU students if they could name one -- just one -- United States senator. He asked how many senators each state had. Watch it here.
At first it made me chuckle. But then I remembered that these students are part of the Millennial generation, which tends to be very liberal on many issues. They approvingly nod their heads at whatever their left-wing professors say, and they get their news from Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and other late night comedians who routinely mock conservatives and Christians.
Friends, if you have children or grandchildren in college today, please talk to them about current events and issues making headlines. These young adults may be heavily influenced by the popular culture, but do not underestimate your own influence. Family matters!