Pirate's Cove

I’m just straight up stealing The Corner’s headline for John Bolton’s commentary on President Kumbaya’s United Nations speech (via DrewM at Ace of Spades)

Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton tells NRO that President Obama’s address to the U.N. was “a post-American speech by our first post-American president. It was a speech high on the personality of Barack Obama and high on multilateralism, but very short in advocating American interests.”

“It was a very naïve, Wilsonian speech, and very revealing of Obama’s foreign policy,” says Bolton. “Overall, it was so apologetic for the actions of prior administrations, in an effort to distance Obama from them, that it became yet another symbol of American weakness in the wake of the president’s decision to abandon missile sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, and his recent manifest hesitation over what to do in Afghanistan.”

“The most significant point of the speech was how the president put Israel on the chopping block in a variety of references, from calling Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegitimate to talking about ending ‘the occupation that began in 1967.’ That implies that he supports going back to 1967 borders,” says Bolton. “Obama has a very tough road ahead. He is frequently taking the side of the Palestinians, who don’t have a competent leader who can make hard decisions and compromises in the future.”

I listened, or, at least, half listened, to most of Barry’s U.N. address, and, while he attempted to add in some “well, you better like us and help us, or I’m telling mommy’s,” it was all about pandering to thugs and dictators. You know, his standard fare.

Three other parts stand out, of the many many nutty things he said

On my first day in office, I prohibited – without exception or equivocation – the use of torture by the United States of America. I ordered the prison at Guantanamo Bay closed, and we are doing the hard work of forging a framework to combat extremism within the rule of law. Every nation must know: America will live its values, and we will lead by example.

First of all, Gitmo is no closer to being closed than when he made the pronouncement that it would be closed within 12 months of January 12, 2009 when he signed the order. Second, a good chunk of the countries represented tend to use torture before they even ask the first question, so, I doubt they were really impressed.

This body was founded on the belief that the nations of the world could solve their problems together.

Not really. It was a way of having the US and USSR snipe at each verbally instead of with weapons.

All of this must support efforts to strengthen the NPT. Those nations that refuse to live up to their obligations must face consequences. This is not about singling out individual nations – it is about standing up for the rights of all nations that do live up to their responsibilities. Because a world in which IAEA inspections are avoided and the United Nation’s demands are ignored will leave all people less safe, and all nations less secure.

Now, Barry may have been speaking specifically about nuclear weapons, but, if memory serves, Iraq refused to live up to their obligations, including IAEA inspectors, and faced the consequences of 17 UN resolutions, culminating in 1441, authorizing the use of force, which, if memory serves, Barry gave a speech against and refused to vote to fund. How ’bout dat!