If He Believes It, It Must Be So | The Weekly Standard

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On the eve of the Netanyahu visit to Washington, President Obama gave a lengthy interview to Jeffrey Goldberg that shows a chief executive who has learned next to nothing about the world in his five years in office.

First, kudos to Goldberg: he pressed Obama repeatedly, challenging vague formulations and seeking clarity. Goldberg pushed Obama hard, especially on Iran and Syria.

Obama isn’t good off the cuff, especially when challenged; he is far better with a prepared speech. And what emerged is an awful portrait of the president and his conception of the world.

Take Syria. Here’s what Obama said:

“I think those who believe that two
years ago, or three years ago, there was some swift resolution to this
thing had we acted more forcefully, fundamentally misunderstand the
nature of the conflict in Syria and the conditions on the ground there. …
Over the last two years I have pushed our teams to find out what are
the best options in a bad situation. … But I’ve looked at a whole lot of
game plans, a whole lot of war plans, a whole bunch of scenarios, and
nobody has been able to persuade me that us taking large-scale military
action even absent boots on the ground, would actually solve the
problem. And those who make that claim do so without a lot of very
specific information.”

Who are these people who have inadequate information, misunderstand the conflict in Syria, and think there is much more the United States could have done? They include both of Obama’s secretaries of state, Clinton and Kerry, his former defense secretary Leon Panetta, and his former CIA director David Petraeus—all of whom wanted much more U.S. support for the Syrian rebels. And perhapsmore to the point, take the case of Fred Hof.

If He Believes It, It Must Be So | The Weekly Standard