The American Spectator : America Cops to the World

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America Cops to the World

By Jay D. Homnick on 9.28.09 @ 6:07AM

He who is without sin always casts the first stone.

Is this irony or what?

President Barack H. Obama went to the U.N. to announce it is time for the U.S. to stop being smug, arrogant and condescending about its international role, in a preachment he delivered with a tone and manner that could only be described as smug, arrogant, and condescending. He hardly came across as a humble penitent confessing the conclusion of his agonizing soul-searching, especially since the only souls he searched were those of previous occupants of his office. He was content to filet the soul of George W. Bush and serve it up in a bowl of homily grits.

It bothers me some that our President sees in our history a greater source of regret than of pride, but that bother I could shirk with a shrug. What is truly nettlesome is that every word in every sentence in every paragraph in every speech is trite, hackneyed boilerplate Leftism 101 available at a university near you. Not one solitary original insight eye-opened anybody. We have heard this stuff ad nauseam and having this man of putative brilliance recycle this pap is more than a bit disturbing. Instead of boring into the yawning chasm between the competing worldviews that define our time, he bored us into a chasmal yawn.

What is Obama's main point? He says the United States has been too conceited in the past, needs to be more contrite in future and cannot be the world's policeman. For this I had to get up early in the morning? What is new, even slightly new, in this? It reminds me of W.C. Fields, whose doctor told him if he did not stop drinking he had only six months to live. Twenty hard-guzzling years later, he went to a different doctor who gave him the same warning. "You must be a very masterful physician," Fields said. "Two decades after the fact, you confirmed precisely the diagnosis of a top specialist."

Throughout the 1970s we heard this refrain repeatedly. It was posed as an argument to vacate Vietnam, to be polite to Communists in Chile, to defer to Khomeini and his crazies in Iran, to yield to Mugabe's murderers in Rhodesia (now called Jim Bob Something-or-other). Of those four examples, we stupidly acquiesced to every one of those complaints or demands or whatever they were, with the exception of Chile. The result? Vietnam turned Communist and brutalized the lives of millions. At least now it has normalized to some degree. Iran became a madhouse and Zimbabwe a charnel house. Only Chile has been stable and normal, affording full rights to its citizens.

Ronald Reagan became President in 1981, and all that did was amplify this leftwing litany into a cacophony. Even NPR raised its voices loud enough to be heard over the refrigerator motor. The visionaries of the left have no hindsight, so the killing fields in Cambodia and the farrago of fallout from the disastrous '70s did not slow them down one stride -- with the notable exception of the recently departed Irving Kristol and a few fine friends.

When Bill Clinton became President in 1993, that view was again the official one. In his second term, Madeleine Albright became Secretary of State, openly declaring then -- as she did again last week in a speech -- that the United States should not be the only superpower. If we are too strong the world lacks symmetry, you see. But again, today our point is less the inanity of all this, but the stupefyingly, stutltifyingly passé nature of this set of ideas or sentiments whose time has long since come and gone.

Perhaps originality is overrated. Perhaps we should go back to old ideas. But if so, let's not recycle failed ideas from the last two centuries. Let's go back to the oldest ideas of all, ones that have stood the test of time. If we do that, we shall discover that evil will always be present, that it will prey upon the weak if it is not stopped by the strong, and that when the virtuous are blessed with strength they are obligated to lead in protecting the weak.

One postscript to Obama's speech. After he said we cannot be the world's policeman, and other countries need to get into the act, the Swiss complied. They arrested Roman Polanski for something he did 32 years ago to a woman who is now a grandmother and would like the case closed. I'm feelin' safer already.

About the Author

Jay D. Homnick, commentator and humorist, is a frequent contributor to The American Spectator. He also writes for Human Events. Here he performs his original composition, "Buy You (Bayou) a Drink".

Letter to the Editor View all comments (45) | Leave a comment

Mattled| 9.28.09 @ 8:01AM

Even my friends who thought this was the smartest man ever are having a hard time proving it.

As I've said before; Marxists aren't smart. If they were, the U.S.S.R. would still exist today and Cuba, Venezuela, and NoKo would be beating away people wanting to get in with a stick.

melvin| 9.28.09 @ 8:30AM

Obama's meteoric rise to the Presidency and his style of leadership are striking similar to Adolf Hitler.
Hitler was a great orator that had the capacity to have Germans spell bound by his rhetoric as does Obama.
Hitler projected order and confidence as a strong leader but behind the scenes the Nazis operated a dysfunctional form of government that was anything but orderly.
Obama projects confidence in his speeches but in reality our government currently operates in a dysfunctional manner.
Hitler leadership style was extremely loose and in his speeches at the many rallies he spoke with vagueness and non-specifics in which he wanted Germany to go and left the specifics to, I guess what we would call czars today, and these German Czars governed by what would please Hitler a game of one oneupmanship if you will.
Hitler constantly had rallies and gave speeches to project to the German people that all was well and Germany was on track to reclaim former glories.
Obama is constantly in front of the camera or other forms of media to project to the American people that the recession is over and all is well for recovery but in reality, it is not, and the banking industry is still in disarray and becoming ripe for a government takeover.
Hitler came to power through a series of unfortunate events in Germany and not by the German people embracing Nazi ideology.
Obama also rose from obscurity in a short time by a series of unfortunate events that happened in this country and not necessarily Americans as a whole embracing his Marxist ideology.
It appears that the future for us is going to be a very, very rough ride.

victor| 9.29.09 @ 1:17AM

Shhhhh! You cannot mention Hitler in any way shape of form.
Slo Todd will wet himself.
No matter how true, it or anything is, he will pitch a fit.
He will just stamp his size 3 YoSemite Sam feet.

Curtis| 9.28.09 @ 9:17AM

Whats real fun is the hypocrisy: President Clinton launching a cruise missile every ten minutes when he wasn't sending troops to Kosovo, JFK half-launching an invasion of Cuba. LBJ reading the body count tarot cards, and now Obama trying to figure out the best way to win in Afghanistan without killing anyone.

An unending litany of poorly executed operations with restrictive ROEs, fuzzy feel good goals, and more lawfare then a full season of JAG.

For people who don't want to be world police, they sure run a military like a police force. Well, more like the keystone kops.

David Gonzalez| 9.28.09 @ 9:36AM

Mr. Homnick---

Being a paronomasiac of the worst order, I never thought that I would have the opportunity to convey (inveigh?) this thought, but your puns are even worse than mine! (Thanks for the smart-Alex jingle.)

Klabautermann| 9.28.09 @ 9:48AM

Mr. Homnick you sound all wee weed up. This president is the most articulate man to ever rule over all of these 57 states. I must conclude that you are a racist.

On a serious note. How does a narcissist react when he is no longer held in awe but retains his power?

Kurt| 9.28.09 @ 10:49AM

Just like he is now-more arrogance, more hubris, and ensueing folly.

Alan Brooks| 9.28.09 @ 10:08AM

"When Bill Clinton became President in 1993, that view was again the official one. In his second term, Madeleine Albright became Secretary of State, openly declaring then -- as she did again last week in a speech -- that the United States should not be the only superpower. If we are too strong the world lacks symmetry, you see. But again, today our point is less the inanity of all this, but the stupefyingly, stutltifyingly passé nature of this set of ideas or sentiments whose time has long since come and gone."

Clinton, that's the point. If we condemn Bush's mistakes too much, that leaves the years (Clinton's) leading up to 9-11.
However, when you mention 1993, it brings back the recycling of the primitive Right's animus towards Clinton now being heaped on Obama.
It's getting too stale.
Whether it is Toddard sticking pins in Bush, or Glenn Beck sticking pins in Clinton/Obama, it is just entertainment.

Alan Brooks| 9.28.09 @ 10:12AM

BTW,
I know Jay D. Homnick isn't part of the dumbed down publik edukation (their parents couldn't afford private skools) Rightwing.

But though Glenn Beck and, esp., Rush, are anything but dumb, most of their listeners are.

bahmi| 9.29.09 @ 8:44PM

My, we are so stuffy and all knowing, aren't we?You must be so smart, right? You are clearly a humanoid variant called Homo blowhardus.
Beck and Limbaugh are great Americans, unlike you, the putative underachiever.

Extremely Extreme Extremist| 9.28.09 @ 10:19AM

"On a serious note. How does a narcissist react when he is no longer held in awe but retains his power?"

Nukularly?...Is this a joke?

'Cause that sh*t ain't funny, man...

victor| 9.29.09 @ 1:14AM

"On a serious note. How does a narcissist react when he is no longer held in awe but retains his power?"
Number One, they never admit that no one cares anymore and
Number Two, who the heck are you anyhow?

Alan Brooks| 9.28.09 @ 10:20AM

...Having written the above, we can't expect truck drivers to read the Federalist Papers at lunchtime,
and then call up Rush and expound on the passages.
Colleen Sheehan at NR made a valid point:
politics forces so many to be autodidacts. And, to be perfectly cynical, if politics didn't exist-- which would be Heaven-- we could leave the public out of everything.

Now THAT would be Heaven.

victor| 9.29.09 @ 1:12AM

No public, yeah, that's heaven, alright, to you elitist scum, perhaps?

Ray| 9.28.09 @ 10:31AM

I agree with just about everything in this article, except the title. I think the title should read: Obama Cops Out on Leadership Abilities.

S.L. Toddard| 9.28.09 @ 11:38AM

For once I agree with much of what Mr. Homnick has to say here. It represents a change in tone but not in policy. To whit:

"He says the United States has been too conceited in the past, needs to be more contrite in future and cannot be the world's policeman."

He says garbage like the stuff Mr. Homnick alludes to here in order to make the bitter pill of American liberal interventionism easier to swallow; Obama will not cease America's policing the world - far from it. He will intervene no less than his predecessor; the difference is that he will couch his interventionism in prettier language, to make it more palatable to the world.

Neoconservative interventionists should rejoice - there is much for you all to celebrate in Obama's speechifying.

Alan Brooks| 9.28.09 @ 4:19PM

but what are you, Toddard? if you like Chomsky, then why would you want to comment at AS?
You wouldn't comment at TNR that you admired George Wallace, would you?

victor| 9.29.09 @ 1:11AM

Who in their Right Mind would ever read or admit to reading Noam Chompsky?

S.L. Toddard| 9.29.09 @ 7:28AM

One of my favorite television moments was when Noam Chomsky absolutely destroyed William F. Buckley in televised debate. It was extremely revealing. Buckley came off sauve, with his affected mid-Atlantic accent, and Chomsky basically came off like an over-earnest nerd, but as far as the argument goes poor Buckley was revealed to be an empty suit. He was absolutely destroyed, and spent the whole time being outmaneuvered and out-debated, and didn't score one point - watch it yourself. You'll see. Though it's possible he just underestimated Chomsky and didn't prepare at all. Man, what a drubbing.

I'm also a huge fan of Gore Vidal. Another great American patriot.

Oldefarte| 9.28.09 @ 1:09PM

Who really GIVE AN EXCREMENT----this man is nothing but a sympathizer to the anti-American global sentiment that has existed for years! It's ludicrous and amazing that America has bailed out Europe in WWII, faught communism in SE Asia and Korea, rebuilt Europe from its WWII destruction etc; and what have those bastards ever done for America [absolutely NOTHING]. Now you have this inept, inexperienced COMMUNITY ORGANIZER constantly beating the drums of AMERICA IS GUILTY OF THIS THAT AND THE OTHER, when he owes his lifetime of public financial support/education to the American taxpayers who funded the expensive/private universaties that he attended. What a CROCK OF YOU KNOW WHAT!!!!!

Jon B.| 9.28.09 @ 1:45PM

"It bothers me some that our President sees in our history a greater source of regret than of pride, but that bother I could shirk with a shrug. What is truly nettlesome . . . Not one solitary original insight "

Yeah, the treason's not so bad but God forbid we should be bored. Doesn't this just typify modern establishment Conservatism, that cringing avoidance of confrontation, the resistance reduced to snarky sniping about the bully's grammar from the schoolyard corner. As to the main point, perpetual war for perpetual power has been a disastrous failure for the Republicans (and the nation), buy a vowel. Republicans and the Conservative Country Club can no longer expect such tricks to work, they must become adults and develop a real vision for society that goes beyond their personal portfolios, and they can start by doing something about the open borders before it's too late.

S.L. Toddard| 9.28.09 @ 2:37PM

Extremely well said. Bravo.

Alan Brooks| 9.28.09 @ 4:21PM

yeah, you can be sure Chomsky's big on border control.

S.L. Toddard| 9.29.09 @ 7:19AM

Are you aware that it's possible to agree with someone on some things but not on other things?

victor| 9.29.09 @ 1:07AM

Course, we all know who's behind the Open Borders crowd, don't we? Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, eh?

S.L. Toddard| 9.29.09 @ 7:24AM

Well, I know who was behind maintaining our open borders for the entire decade-plus the GOP controlled the House and Senate and the 8 years the GOP had the White House. That was the period that proved that the Republicans are a Big Government, open-borders party, despite the lip service they cynically pay to conservative principles when trying to rally the base. The GOP had years and years of nearly unlimited power in which to shut down the borders, slash spending and shrink the federal government. They *chose* to do otherwise. So we now know that, if given power, the GOP will elect to maintain open borders and flood our country with foreigners, they will elect to increase spending dramatically, and they will elect to expand the federal government exponentially and attempt to invest it with unlimited power.

Of course, the Fox News Right thinks this agenda is "conservative", so really we're all screwed.

Wally| 9.28.09 @ 1:50PM

How is that permanent war thing working out for America anyway? Well, we have a strong weapons industry. Halliburton and Blackwater, when not under indictment, are making lots of money off the taxpayer. Fighting two wars gives lots of training to the military to fight enemies who actually threaten us. And internationally most people really, really hate the United States.

Yeah, forget this "work with our allies to achieve common goals" stuff. That's communism! Or fascism... I keep forgetting which. Whatever horrible thing cooperation wth our allies is called, we should not have been doing it during WWI, WWII, the Balkans, establishing international criminal courts, reducing dumping of hazardous waste, reduding tariffs, fighting child trafficking.....

Christopher Manion | 9.28.09 @ 2:00PM

Mr. Homnick's "irony" borders on Michael Moore in terms of being "sick-o." Look at this:

>>They [the Swiss] arrested Roman Polanski for something he did 32 years ago to a woman who is now a grandmother and would like the case closed.

What treacly trash.

Polansky didn't do "something" to a "woman," he raped a 13-year-old. She was a child.

Polansky drugged her before he raped her. Mr. Homnick considers that just "something."

Yes, his victim has forgiven him. Christ calls on us to forgive the way He forgave His executioners from the Cross.

Mr. Homnick's grotesque logic suggests that rapists should always choose Christian children as their victims. If their victims forgive them, then the law should be ignored and the rapist should freely roam Hollywood unimpeded by laws punishing child rape.

Perhaps the rapist might even consider looking for more 13-year-old "women" to "do something" to.

Well, if Polanski gets the Homnick treatment and is declared free to "do something" again, I can only pray that his next victim's father has a shotgun.

Alan Brooks| 9.28.09 @ 4:23PM

did you know Roman settled out of court with her for an 'undisclosed' (that means six figures) sum?

Alan Brooks| 9.28.09 @ 4:26PM

... by that I mean it's no wonder she forgave him.
"thanks for the moola-- thou art forgiven"

Alan Brooks| 9.28.09 @ 4:30PM

she thought: "Roman for $.5 million, you can rape me anytime."

victor| 9.29.09 @ 1:08AM

What an utterly disgusting thing to say.

Christopher Manion | 9.28.09 @ 4:35PM

"The last temptation is the greatest treason:
To do the right deed for the wrong reason."

T.S. Eliot, Murder in the Cathedral

davelnaf| 9.28.09 @ 2:51PM

In Stockholm syndrome fashion leftists in the west instinctively want to surrender to the homicidal troublemakers of this planet so as to avoid the reality of what has to be done in order to deal with them.

COnservative Bob| 9.28.09 @ 3:13PM

Christopher Manion
I agree with you on the shotgun part.
Roman Polanski plead guilty to having sex with a 13 year old and ran when he thought the judge might not be as agreeable as the DA.
I have never understood why he has been so celebrated by the left. What exactly does one find to celebrate in adults victimizing children?
There are at least 2 crimes here the rape of a child and flight to avoid the consequences of those actions.
But he makes great movies? Or maybe not.

Al Adab| 9.28.09 @ 4:44PM

Anyone think to ask Cybil Sheppard what she thinks?

Ken (Old Texican)| 9.28.09 @ 3:40PM

Toddard
I LIKE pax Americana. Screw you. Go hide in the corner and let grownups do the hard jobs for your pink li'l hiney.

COnservative Bob| 9.28.09 @ 3:55PM

Sorry that should read pled...

S.L. Toddard| 9.28.09 @ 6:03PM

"What conservative critics ignore and what Andrew only touches on towards the end is that the Bush administration oversaw setback after failure after defeat for American influence and power. Iran has become a far more influential regional power thanks to the folly of Bush’s invasion of Iraq, democracy fetishists helped to strengthen the hold of Hamas in Gaza to the detriment of Palestinians and Israelis, and Russophobes helped to encourage Saakashvili’s recklessness with talk of NATO membershop and provoked Russian ire with the recognition of Kosovo that led to the de facto permanent partition of an American ally. Hawks have routinely unleashed forces they do not understand, cannot control and are unwilling to contain, and they still have the gall to shout “Appeasement!” when someone else tries to repair some small measure of the damage they have done. Compared to this partial list of Bush’s major failures, Obama has done reasonably well simply by not persisting in some of his predecessor’s errors, but it is far too early to speak of success or payoff and it is a mistake to measure Obama’s success in the way that his supporters wish to do."

http://www.amconmag.com/lariso.....ed-away-6/

Should anyone here wish to acquaint themselves with the concept of "Conservatism", they would do themselves a favor to familiarize themselves with Daniel Larison.

Al Adab| 9.28.09 @ 6:24PM

Bush Administration was hardly a Conservative one. That is part of the problem with current political alignment. All too many ASSume Republicans are Conservatives while nothing could be further from the truth.

Meanwhile Toddard, you might want to expand your reading list to include, Burke, Kirk, Sowell and a few others to grasp Conservatism. Keep posting.

victor| 9.29.09 @ 1:24AM

Sowell may be just outside of Slo Todd's ken.

S.L. Toddard| 9.29.09 @ 7:18AM

I've read Kirk's Conservative Mind, of course, and was introduced by him to Burke, whose work I've read though not extensively. From what I've read of Sowell, to put him in the company of Kirk and Burke is blasphemous. You might as well add Rich Lowry or Jonah Goldberg or any other uber-statist advocate for unlimited goverment power at NRO.

victor| 9.29.09 @ 1:09AM

Hey Daniel, why don't you and your narcissistic prose go back to whence you came?

Smithy| 9.29.09 @ 4:34AM

To compare Obama with Hitler is a mite stupid. Hitler was far smarter. He called the European leaders bluff and won the day in that regard. It was only when he thought himself indestructible and a God of sorts that grave mistakes were made. The above commentator is correct Obama is a spent match. He has nothing new to say, he has fizzed.

Claudia Monteverdi| 9.30.09 @ 12:07PM

Dear Mr. Homnick,
A materpiece with fewer flaws than the Hopw Diiamond--Thanks. Th bouillabaisse of showopffy, nasty, inept letters above, with the exception of Mr David Gonsalez, who stoutly accepts second place in punmanship to you (without offering any examples) the letter writers appear to be preoccupied wiith demonstarting just how smart they are.
Hitler, Vidal, Eliot...does not one detect a rather vivid string here? One might toy with the Mussolini concept up to the point when we begin to compare the brains in Il Duce's right big toe with whatever mass in Mr Obama's skull poses as a brian. Nah! The best comparison is clearly, undenyingly, absolutely (God I love adverbs) the Genarliissimo himself, Juan Peron: a two biit version of Il Duce who found a magic formula which still persists and rules in his native land.."Give the Unions everything, give the people every coceivible social benefit, keep them cheering at massive winning sports egvents and then plunder and steal and rapoe and pillage---Nah, not even him, he was a genuine "Man on a White Horse" the "O" guy is an absolute ZERO....one last thought, speaking of rape and pillage, the contrast between the dismissal of the judgement in the Black Panther case and the grabbing of Mr Polansky is astonishing. Not so?

Mr Homnick, just plain and simple a great column.

Respectfully,
Claudia Monteverdi,
Argentina
BTW, as they say in my province (Patagonia) "if you don't relish my spelling, you may jolly well enjoy munching upon the proffered alternative---One does One's Best (Gore Vidal)