Obama's SOTU Address: Where Was the Mention of Foreign Policy?

I joined a Blog Talk Radio broadcast last night and one of the things we discussed is the absolute failure of Obama's foreign policy as President - not entirely because his policies have failed so much as this guy simply DOESN'T HAVE A FOREIGN POLICY! And this article at Family Security Matters focuses in on how lacking the State of the Union address was in regards to the foreign spector as well as national defense. Some of you may remember President George W. Bush's SOTU when he laid the cards on the table regarding the "Axis of Evil." Well, Bush, at the time, was at least being up front with the American people...Barack Hussein Obama has opted for the ignorance tactic - let's not talk about the security of our nation and maybe we'll be okay.

In the lead up to the 2008 Presidential election, polls that were taken revealed Obama in good shape on almost all issues important to the American people except for one - national security. Well, Obama has proved the American people right - they had a reason to be concerned.

From the article:

The President’s State of the Union address topped the news on the foreign policy and national security front last week. It was most notable for how little it said about how Obama planned to exercise his responsibilities as commander-in-chief and leader of the free world. It was understandable that the address would focus on “jobs” since that rises as the number one issue of concern in every poll. That said, the skimpiness of the speech on foreign policy was shocking.

There was a short list of top issues that the President really needed to address in the State of the Union. Unfortunately, from defense to trade to Afghanistan to missile defense he gave them all short shrift. Iran did not even rate a mention.

I want to point out something mentioned in this article - the lack of even a mention about Iran. Let's do a quick recap regarding the current situation with Iran in this world:

• Iran continues to move ahead with the development of nuclear development and the obvious development of nuclear weapons
• Iran continues to provide weaponry to the Taliban in the War in Afghanistan
• Iran continues to meddle in the political and military situation in Iraq
• Iran continues to position itself as the chief enemy of Israel
• Iran continues its support of the terror groups, Hamas and Hezbollah, and recently has positioned itself to become the ultimate ruling body in the government of Lebanon (Israel's neighbor)
• Iran continues to work with Hugo Chavez to arm Venezuela with sophisticated weaponry, perhaps even nuclear
• Iran continues to form an alliance with North Korea

Okay, look at that list and ask yourself...."Doesn't that country's current activities at least warrant some acknowledgment of concern from our President?" We have a rogue nation operating in the world and setting the stage for some cataclysmic consequences and Barack Hussein Obama wanted to talk about solar shingles on some roofs in Michigan.

I won't even get into the fact that Obama didn't want to speak about the North Korean crisis, the Chinese buildup of military capabilities or the threats to our country from the South.

Whoever the Republican candidate is for the 2012 Presidential election, if he/she is smart, foreign policy will be rammed home with the American people - we had doubts about it when Obama ran the first time and he has done nothing but substantiate those doubts and turn it into a firm, rational fear.

State of the Union Address - What Was Left Unsaid?


The President’s State of the Union address topped the news on the foreign policy and national security front last week. It was most notable for how little it said about how Obama planned to exercise his responsibilities as commander-in-chief and leader of the free world. It was understandable that the address would focus on “jobs” since that rises as the number one issue of concern in every poll. That said, the skimpiness of the speech on foreign policy was shocking.

There was a short list of top issues that the President really needed to address in the State of the Union. Unfortunately, from defense to trade to Afghanistan to missile defense he gave them all short shrift. Iran did not even rate a mention.

Immigration did come up in the speech, but not in a way that gives us any hope that we can expect this administration to get serious about our broken borders and deeply flawed immigration system. Heritage homeland security expert Jena McNeill notes

“[i]nstead of using such an important speech to present talking points meant to placate the pro-amnesty lobby, he should have emphasized the need to avoid amnesty while securing the border and enforcing laws inside the United States. These actions—along with reforms in visa services, a pilot temporary worker program, and greater cooperation with Mexico on security concerns and free market reforms—can make real progress toward solving the problem.”

The only solid homeland security news came from the department charged with implanting it. Last week, the color-coded threat system, officially known as the Homeland Security Advisory System, was nixed by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. She should be applauded for getting rid of a system that has zero credibility and has done little to achieve its goal of informing the public about potential threats. Heritage had proposed abandoning this approach almost immediately after it was created. This viewpoint was shared by a taskforce organized by Napolitano in 2009 to examine whether the system should be abandoned. The taskforce concluded that the system

“has suffered from a lack of credibility and clarity leading to an erosion of public confidence such that is should be abandoned.”

Napolitano plans to replace the current system with something that is understandable, credible and actionable.

Meanwhile, overseas protests exploded across North Africa and the Middle East. Unfortunately, our White House which detests dealing with any crisis mostly played the role of a bystander. On the one hand, the US has to stand as a champion for freedom and encourage the expansion of liberty. On the other, the US must be wary about cheerleading popular protests that get hijacked by anti-democratic forces or Islamist extremists. Uncertain on how to advance both these goals, the administration has done mostly—nothing.

For the week the President gets a grade of “B” for “being there,” though it is hard to see what the White House did last week to exercise the mantle of American leadership.