Trump’s Syria withdrawal: A political distraction inspired by Obama, loved by Putin

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Do you remember the phrase, “Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive”? It was used as a rallying cry by the Obama campaign during his 2012 re-election to distract voters away from the failures of his first term.

Joe Biden is credited with creating the phrase, and he would often recite it to conclude speeches where he had bragged about Obama’s so-called success in the Middle East to “responsibly” end the war in Iraq, “decimate” Al Qaeda, and restore America’s standing in the world while simultaneously saving the economy by bailing out the auto industry.

For the sake of this article, let’s ignore the fact that the war in Iraq never really ended and that the bailout of the auto industry began under George W. Bush, who admitted it was anti-free market. The fact is bin Laden was indeed dead, and the auto industry sort of survived.

The reason I took us on this little trip down memory lane is to point out the parallels between Obama’s re-election and Trump’s.

Like Obama, Trump’s first term is full of broken promises and failure. He never got rid of Obamacare, never defunded Planned Parenthood, and never built his wall. His trade war is destroying an economy that was on the mend, and it’s wiping out the only success he can claim — tax cuts.

Meanwhile, Trump’s foreign policy is a failure, our global reputation is worse, and he’s unable to deal with serious threats like Russia’s Middle East aggression due to his numerous scandals involving Russia.

During his 2012 campaign, Obama unilaterally declared that Al Qaeda had been destroyed — a lie told to get re-elected — and claimed this imaginary victory as proof that he keeps his promises and was worthy of another term. Now that his 2020 campaign is underway, Trump is about to do something very similar.

Yesterday Trump unilaterally declared that ISIS has been defeated and that US Troops would immediately return home. This declaration is contrary to the facts on the ground provided by Pentagon, State Department, and coalition officials. And they have serious concerns that ISIS will grow stronger. It will also help Russia, Iran, and Syria protect their interests in the region.

The parallels to Obama are uncanny, and didn’t go unnoticed by Trumplicans like Lindsey Graham and Marco Rubio, although Rand Paul praised Trump for his ability to arbitrarily “declare victory.”

Honestly, I thought we’d see something like this closer to the election. But in a week where Trump’s trade war is walloping Wall Street and he began chipping away at our gun rights, I guess he needed a distraction sooner rather than later.

Trump’s Syria withdrawal is an Obama-inspired political distraction, and since it gives Russia carte blanche to continue its aggression in the Middle East, it’s a distraction loved by Vladimir Putin.

 

 

David Leach is the owner of The Strident Conservative. His politically incorrect and always “right” columns are also featured on NOQReport.com.

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