One of the remarkable things about getting older is the opportunity to see history repeat itself. Those of us who are old enough to remember enduring the abysmal economy of the late 1970s frequently tend to forget that there were other factors in Ronald Reagan’s landslide victory over Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election.
While Carter’s inept economic policies were most certainly the major factor that year, his equally maladroit foreign policy played a role in the demise of his presidency as well, especially the events that were unfolding in the Middle East at the time.
For 444 days, from November 4, 1979 until January 20, 1981, Carter increasingly appeared paralyzed as 52 Americans were held hostage by Islamist radicals who had overrun our embassy in Tehran, Iran. After a failed military rescue attempt resulted in the deaths of eight American servicemen, in addition to being regarded as an incompetent chief executive, Carter was increasingly viewed as a virtually impotent commander in chief; and a whopping majority of the electorate would hold him accountable for his considerable failures that following November.
The Iranians shrewdly waited to see who won the U.S. election. Of course, Reagan crushed Carter at the polls. The moment the new president was sworn in, the hostages were released. Few but the most diehard cynics would today deny the obvious reason.
Thirty-two years later, history is repeating itself on a not so dissimilar world stage, with Barack Obama in the role of the hapless President Peanut, and Mitt Romney as the Gipper.
A mob of extremists invaded the grounds of our embassy in Cairo, Egypt this week and replaced the American flag with an Islamic banner. The Obama administration claimed this was in response to an unflattering Internet video about the Muslim prophet Mohammed. Their initial hand-wringing, knee-jerk reaction was to issue a statement condemning “the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims — as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions.”
That’s right. Instead of attacking the attackers — in either word or deed — our government condemned those who had made the video.
Within hours, obviously emboldened by Jimmy Obama’s wimpy rejoinder, Islamist savages attacked the American Embassy in Libya and murdered four diplomats, including our ambassador.
Obama’s reaction? With Secretary of State Hillary Clinton by his side for strength and credibility, he spoke cool platitudes from the White House Rose Garden about “working with the Libyan government to bring those responsible to justice.”
Later reports stated that these attacks may well have been orchestrated and coordinated by al-Qaida, but Jimmy Obama stuck to his story about the “offensive video.”
Playing the Gipper role beautifully, Romney responded by stating that he was outraged by the attacks and by the deaths of the Americans. “It’s disgraceful that the Obama administration’s first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks.”
This brought waves of questions from the ever-inquiring minds of the national media, invested as they are in getting Jimmy Obama re-elected. How could Romney dare to comment on this issue at a time like this? Tsk! Tsk! Tsk! Isn’t politics supposed to stop at the water’s edge? Etc., etc., yada, yada, blah, blah, blah. (Honestly, doesn’t that sum up their analysis sometimes?)
But playing the title role that will surely make him the next President of the United States, Ronald Romney stuck to his guns:
“America will not tolerate attacks against our citizens and against our embassies,” he said. “We also will defend our constitutional rights of speech and assembly and religion. We have confidence in our cause in America. We respect our Constitution. We stand for the principles our Constitution protects. We encourage other nations to understand and respect the principles of our Constitution because we recognize that these principles are the ultimate source of freedom for individuals around the world.”
What would the Gipper say about that? I think he would say, “Now that sounds like a president!”
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no matter what the biased media says and no one listens to them any way mitt stepped to the base and said what needed to be said. while barry is finding excuses and acting like it was a small squabble mitt did not mince words about the terriost. of course barry is not going to say much about it being a brother of the terriost nation but mitt is an america and cares about us. he will work with the terriost. man what a statement. you cannot work with the terriost. you have to stop tem by whatever means it takes. mitt know this and is saying as much. wake up people your mastewr is not for america. he told you he would stand by the mulim in his few first speeches. and he is doing so.when are you going to realize it? after they over run us?
I remember those days all too well. I remember having to make appointments just to buy gas and even then you were rationed. I remember the 21% rates on common loans. I remember high unemployment. I remember our hostages held in Iran for over 400 days. I also remember that while Ronald Reagan was actually taking the oath of office the hostages were being set free. What a glorious day that was. They let the hostages go because they KNEW Reagan wouldn't tolerate this kind of crap. Jimmy Carter was and is a weak man and a weak politician. And history is repeating itself and I don't want to to go there. And all of you brain dead stupid people who support OHOMO are driving this nation into oblivion. You WILL regret what you're doing. One day it may be too late to save America. You'd better change your tune while there's still time. I've been there and I remember and I assure you , you don't want to live in those times. But you will if you support OHOMO !
I remember the long gas lines, gas rationing and only being able to buy gas on certain days based on your license plate number…..When Romney and Ryan are elected maybe Jimmy can hire him at Habitat??
great man Mitt Romney,also Paul Ryan , so intelligent , makes the Obama and Biden , commie trash, look like the ugly dumb , scum that they are , Time to throw out the trash , and bring in the class .
i don't know who not to trust, a guy that never drinks, or a gay that likes to bathe with men and takes a token beer with another black man, in the presence of a white man… (beer summit)