Not all terrorism: Obama tries to change subject
Breitbart
Barack Obama’s advisers plan to remove terms such as “Islamic radicalism” from a document outlining national security strategy and will use the new version to emphasize that the U.S. does not view Muslim nations through the lens of terrorism, counterterrorism officials say.
The change would be a significant shift in the National Security Strategy, a document that previously outlined the Bush Doctrine of preventive war. It currently states, “The struggle against militant Islamic radicalism is the great ideological conflict of the early years of the 21st century.”
The officials described the changes on condition of anonymity because the document is still being written and is unlikely to be released for weeks, and the White House would not discuss it. But rewriting the strategy document is the latest example of Obama putting his stamp on U.S. foreign policy, as with his promises to dismantle nuclear weapons and limit the situations in which they can be used.
The revisions are part of a larger effort about which the White House talks openly, one that seeks to change not just how the U.S. talks to Muslim nations, but also what it talks to them about, from health care and science to business startups and education.
That shift away from terrorism has been building for a year, since Obama went to Cairo and promised a “new beginning” in the relationship between the U.S. and the Muslim world. The White House believes the previous administration based that relationship entirely on fighting terrorism and winning the war of ideas.
“You take a country where the overwhelming majority are not going to become terrorists, and you go in and say, ‘We’re building you a hospital so you don’t become terrorists.’ That doesn’t make much sense,” National Security Council staffer Pradeep Ramamurthy said.
Ramamurthy runs the administration’s Global Engagement Directorate, a four-person National Security Council team that Obama launched last May with little fanfare and a vague mission to use diplomacy and outreach “in pursuit of a host of national security objectives.” Since then, the division has not only helped change the vocabulary of fighting terrorism, but also has shaped the way the country invests in Muslim businesses, studies global warming, supports scientific research and combats polio.
Before diplomats go abroad, they hear from the Ramamurthy or his deputy, Jenny Urizar. When officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration returned from Indonesia, the NSC got a rundown about research opportunities on global warming. Ramamurthy maintains a database of interviews conducted by 50 U.S. embassies worldwide. And business leaders from more than 40 countries head to Washington this month for an “entrepreneurship summit” for Muslim businesses.
“Do you want to think about the U.S. as the nation that fights terrorism or the nation you want to do business with?” Ramamurthy said.
Obama’s foreign policy posture is not without political risk. Even as Obama steps up airstrikes on terrorists abroad, he has proven vulnerable to Republican criticism on security issues at home, such as the failed Christmas Day airline bombing and the announced-then-withdrawn plan to prosecute self-described 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York.
Peter Feaver, a Duke University political scientist and former Bush adviser, is skeptical of Obama’s engagement effort. It “doesn’t appear to have created much in the way of strategic benefit” in the Middle East peace process or in negotiations over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, he said.
Obama runs the political risk of seeming to adopt politically correct rhetoric abroad while appearing tone-deaf on national security issues at home, Feaver said.
The White House dismisses such criticism. In June, Obama will travel to Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, and is expected to revisit many of the themes of his Cairo speech.
“This is the long-range direction we need to go in,” Ramamurthy said.
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Wild Thing’s comment……..
Each time he favors the Muslims in any way, he is putting us in a weaker and weaker stand in the entire world. He could csre less. I could live 10 lifetimes and I will never get over the shock that Obama and all about him got elected by half of a country I love so much.
Didn’t he even say he would stand with his muslim brothers? This man is not someone I want trying to decide what to do with rogue nations. Everything I needed to know about radical islam I learned on 911. They are bad people with bad intentions.
Bush started this nonsense by not referring to our enemy by their real title. He used the generic “terrorists” instead of calling them muslims. Now we have a muslim sympathizer in the White House who calls America a muslim country and praises “?all the wonderful things islam has done for the world?”. obama also blames America for any differences with islam. I don’t know what this “Long Legged Mack Daddy” will do if we are attacked by muslims again.
When in the hell is this nubian punk emperor wannabe going to be impeached. It’s obvious he is the true ENEMY OF THE STATE who is doing his very best to destroy America.
So much for the “reality based” Leftists like Obama. They have an amazing willingness to ignore the facts when they don’t suit their hopes and dreams.
Obumbles is constantly going on about how nuclear weapons don’t serve Iran’s goals. Funny thing is, the Iranians have made it clear they do just that.
But this isn’t just some fun foible of Obumbles, this stuff matters. We fight reluctantly, have volunteer forces, and generally want out as quickly as possible. We’ve been at this going on 9 years now and it’s hard to keep people focused at the best of times. By mushing up the reasoning behind our actions and the continued sacrifices of our troops and their families, Obama makes it harder for the nation to continue to support the necessary costs, financial and more importantly in terms of casualties. Then again, for Obumbles that may be a feature and not a bug.
I have no doubt our troops know exactly who they are fighting and it must be discouraging for them to hear their Commander in Chief so disconnected from their realities.
Lynn’s got it exactly right. During one of obama’s Ad nauseum speeches he did indeed say, if forced he would choose the muzlims over anyone else.
I don’t believe he’s as smart and articulated as the midea claims. I believe he’s the puppet and someone like soros or someone like him is pulling the strings and moving his mouth. I doubt if obama has ever had an original thought in his entire life. The words have all been written down for him for memorization of to read off a teleprompter. obama is a charade.
His hard core constitutents claim he’s just like us, what they don’t notice he is not just like them only in color and that’s where the likeness ends. They were promised everything very few are starting to ask, “hey, where’s mine”. It is a sorry situation when the American people have to be bought in order for one Soutpiel Puppet to become dictator. His constituents bought the whole ball of wax and now its starting to melt.
Lynn, ditto that!!!!
Thank you everyone so much for your input and thoughts about this.
Think Manchurian Candidate.