With the latest international gaffe from the Obama Administration coming on the coattails of a 12-month period of global disrespect and escalation, more are pondered the other side of the Democratic coin from 2008.
“The election turned around because of one nostalgic ad during the heat of the 2008 campaign.
“Many Americans now are glad that they came to see the light on the wings of the president’s State of the Union address.
“Caught in the presence of now-President Hillary Clinton in the infamous 4 AM ad was the image that Americans could not see clearly as they were caught up in the potential of history: that Senator Barack Obama, though charming, talented, and persuasive, may not have the foreign relation experience or the international respect that the former senator from New York gained through decades-long relationships.
“Perhaps America should shudder to think about what our world would be like with Iran, North Korea, al Queda, and others taking more calculated risks to expand their influence globally without the presence of the former First Lady and first woman President of the United States in office and her protégé-in-arms as Secretary of State, not the other way around.”
I guess we can tell you, after all.
The quote that could have been given as a precursor to President Hillary Clinton’s State of the Union address for 2010 if the former first lady had pulled a few minor-yet-important moves during her 2008 presidential campaign (e.g., give the Iowa Caucuses a little more attention). However, the growing list of many Americans that have consistently felt “buyer’s remorse” as a result of supporting President Obama’s nomination and election to the White House (including the Congressional Black Caucus, many moderate Democrats, military leaders, and a number of closeted Hillary supporters) now rue the approaching State of the Union address from the Obama Administration, one that will be filled with statements spinning hollow spending efforts and ambiguous defense strategies.
Conservatives may generally agree that it would have been difficult to recapture the White House in 2008 after eight years of Bush-bashing nationally, a moderate Republican presidential candidate, and a polarizing surprise vice-presidential unknown. If a Democratic victory was imminent, what would the world look like today under the other Democratic frontrunner?
Would the presence of a President H. R. Clinton in the Oval Office – similar to the image seen in the famous advertisement two years ago – have been a deterrent in the launching of North Korean missiles on successive American holidays, a contrast from what we saw under the Obama watch last year? Would President H. R. Clinton have had more of a positive impact on al-Qaida threats domestically and –as we saw just on Christmas Day – internationally than President Obama has so far? Would she have been successfully stemmed the Iranian march toward nuclear weapons or Israel’s waning support for the American president, items that we did not experience in 2009?
Just as he did in the presidential campaign, President Obama will need to find the right moves to reverse the image of Clinton’s famous “3 AM” advertisement, starting with providing balanced leadership for improved security, prosperity, and unity within America in 2010. His State of the Union speech this month must be a statement of renewal steering in that direction for action – namely, behavior that contravenes the partisan, apologetic, and unproductive rhetoric that has come from the administration on most fronts so far during this presidency.
Or, to put it better: do something that makes us know that Mrs. Clinton didn’t get it right after all at 3 a.m.
Lenny McAllister is a syndicated political commentator and the author of the book, “Diary of a Mad Black PYC (Proud Young Conservative,)” purchased online at www.tinyurl.com/lennysdiary and www.amazon.com. He has been featured on multiple outlets and shows including XM Radio’s “The New School” and Fox News’ “Glenn Beck.” Follow him at www.twitter.com/lennyhhr and on Facebook at www.tinyurl.com/lennyfacebook .