Sunday, July 20, 2014

Obama hits reset button on wobbly public response to Malaysia Airlines shootdown



Obama hits reset button on wobbly public response to Malaysia Airlines shootdown
U.S. President Obama speaks about situation in Ukraine from the White House in Washington
By Olivier Knox, Yahoo News
President Obama on Friday called the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 an “outrage of unspeakable proportions,” declared it a “wake-up call” for timid European leaders, and all but laid blame for the tragedy directly at the doorstep of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Obama’s blunt language, delivered in the White House briefing room from behind a lectern with the presidential seal, offered a stark contrast to his muddled public handling of the disaster a day earlier.

As the news broke on Thursday, the White House signaled that the president had first learned about the world-shaking events from Putin at the tail end of a telephone call arranged at Moscow’s request. With grisly details coming in, Obama went ahead with a heavily partisan public schedule: A speech in Wilmington, Delaware, where he hit Republicans over infrastructure funding, followed by a brace of Democratic fundraisers in New York City.

Obama had begun his speech in Delaware with just seven sentences on the attack, declaring that “it looks like it may be a terrible tragedy” — a jarring response to media reports that were already citing a death toll of nearly 300 people. He did not tie the catastrophe to Russia.

And it was Vice President Joe Biden, not Obama, who first told Americans that the passenger jet had apparently been “shot down — not an accident, blown out of the sky.”

Republicans have recently stepped up their regular criticisms of Obama’s handling of world affairs — a reflection of escalating chaos from Iraq to Libya, as well as Syria's widening civil war, China’s increasingly tense relations with its neighbors, and the collapse of the Middle East peace process. His natural caution in the face of crisis has fed GOP charges that he is too slow to act or give voice to American outrage.

Come Friday, Obama revised his tone, shedding “may be a terrible tragedy” in favor of “outrage of unspeakable proportions,” personally confirmed that “a surface-to-air missile was fired, and that's what brought the jet down,” linked the attack directly back to pro-Moscow Ukrainian separatists, and implicated Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“A group of separatists can't shoot down military transport planes,” he said, “without sophisticated equipment and sophisticated training, and that is coming from Russia.”

Putin’s refusal to halt the flow of weapons and fighters into eastern Ukraine has emboldened the separatists and led them to snub talks with the government in Kiev, Obama charged.

Putin “has the most control over that situation, and so far, at least, he has not exercised it,” the president said.

Obama had a stern message about European leaders, who have resisted U.S. calls for strict economic sanctions on Russia for stirring up armed unrest in eastern Ukraine, fearful that Moscow could shut off westward flows of oil and natural gas.

“This certainly will be a wake-up call for Europe and the world that there are consequences to an escalating conflict in eastern Ukraine, that it is not going to be localized, it is not going to be contained,” he said.

And the world learned from the president that at least one American, Quinn Lucas Schansman, was among the victims.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family for this terrible loss,” said Obama, who noted: “Because events are moving so quickly, I don't want to say with absolute certainty that there might not be additional Americans.”

White House aides had emphasized on Thursday that the president had taken charge behind the scenes. They disclosed his telephone calls to leaders of Ukraine, the Netherlands and Malaysia. They highlighted that he had spoken to Secretary of State John Kerry by telephone and had later consulted CIA Director John Brennan, Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Stephanie O’Sullivan, White House chief of staff Denis McDonough, and deputy national security advisers Lisa Monaco and Ben Rhodes.

It was not clear to what extent Obama, who came to office vowing to “reset” relations with Russia, would change his cautious strategy when it comes to Ukraine. The president has fended off calls from Republicans to upgrade that country’s weaponry and assist its fight against the Russian-backed separatists. One administration official, who requested anonymity, suggested that the airliner tragedy highlighted the need for extreme caution when considering whether to provide advanced weaponry to forces not accustomed to using it.

Asked whether he would escalate the pressure on Moscow, Obama declared that “it's very important for us to make sure that we don't get out ahead of the facts” and noted that he had just announced fresh sanctions on Russian energy and financial firms on Wednesday.

“We had already ratcheted up sanctions against Russia,” he said. “We will continue to make clear that as Russia, you know, engages in efforts that are supporting the separatists, that we have a capacity to increase the costs that we impose on them, and we will do so.”

But Obama ruled out a greater role for the U.S. military.

There’s no way for the president to avoid partisan criticism in the current political climate. But he might take some comfort from the experience of former President Ronald Reagan, the conservative icon who faced sharp words from fellow conservatives over his response to the Sept. 1, 1983, incident in which a Soviet fighter jet shot down a South Korean airliner with 269 people aboard — including a U.S. congressman — killing them all.

Reagan called that attack an “act of barbarism” and referred to it as the “Korean airline massacre.” He ordered Soviet airline Aeroflot’s U.S. operations to be shut down a week after the incident. His personal diary for Sept. 4, 1983, suggests that he took seriously a Republican senator’s suggestion that the United States retaliate against undercover Soviet operators.

“Strom Thurmond made a great suggestion,” Reagan wrote. “We know the whereabouts of many K.G.B. agents [redacted] were looking into the practicality of this [redacted] that would be shooting our selves in the foot.”

He also complained about sniping from his right flank.

"Short of going to war, what would they have us do?” he asked in a speech.

"I know that some of our critics have sounded off that somehow we haven't exacted enough vengeance," Reagan said. "Well, vengeance isn't the name of the game in this."

It wasn’t enough for some conservatives. “The administration is pathetic when it says this proves the President’s words have been right all along,” declared columnist George Will, referring to Reagan’s anti-Soviet rhetoric. “We didn’t elect a dictionary. We elected a president and it’s time for him to act.”

Reagan recorded his personal feelings in a September 17 diary entry.

“Im really upset with George Will. He has become very bitter & personal in his attacks mainly because he doesn’t think Ive done or am doing enough about the Russians & the KAL007 Massacre,” he wrote, before giving Will what Reagan’s admirers in today’s Republican party might regard as the ultimate Reagan kiss-off.

“He also believes I should ask for increased taxes.”

Malaysia
Anwar Ibrahim was the deputy prime minister of Malaysia, and a board member for the International Crisis Group.

Note: Willem Kok was the prime minister for the Netherlands, and a board member for the International Crisis Group.
George Soros is a board member for the International Crisis Group, and was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Committee for Economic Development, and the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Richard H. Davis is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and a managing director at Davis Manafort.
Viktor F. Yanukovich is a Davis Manafort client, and was the president of the Ukraine.
Kenneth M. Duberstein was the VP for the Committee for Economic Development, is a director at the Boeing Company, and a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Donna S. Morea was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.
Barbara G. Fast was a VP for the CGI Group Inc., and a VP at the Boeing Company.
CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.
Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative is Obamacare, his maternal grandmother was Madelyn Payne Dunham, and was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Madelyn Payne Dunham was Barack Obama’s maternal grandmother, and an aircraft inspector for the Boeing Company.
W. James McNerney Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company.
William M. Daley was a director at the Boeing Company, the chief of staff for the Barack Obama administration, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
R. Eden Martin is the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and counsel at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Walter E. Massey is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a regent at the Smithsonian Institution.
Robert S. Osborne is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the EVP & general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).
James R. Clapper was the an executive director, military intelligence programs for Booz Allen Hamilton, and is the director at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence for the Barack Obama administration.
Stephanie O'Sullivan is the principal deputy director for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Melissa Hathaway was a cyber coordination executive for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and a principal for Booz Allen Hamilton.
John Michael McConnell was a director at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and is the vice chairman for Booz Allen Hamilton.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. was a managing director at Booz Allen Hamilton, is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Lee H. Hamilton is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a co-author of Without Precedent.
Benjamin J. Rhodes is a co-author of Without Precedent, and the deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration.
Lisa Monaco is the assistant to the president for home security for the Barack Obama administration, and Robert S. Mueller III was her counsel & chief of staff.
Robert S. Mueller III was Lisa Monaco’s counsel & chief of staff, and a partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Cameron F. Kerry was an associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, John F. Kerry’s brother, and a fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
John F. Kerry is Cameron F. Kerry’s brother, the secretary at the U.S. Department of State for the Barack Obama administration, and married to Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Teresa Heinz Kerry is married to John F. Kerry, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Steven Pifer was a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a U.S. ambassador for the Ukraine.
Carlos Pascual was a U.S. ambassador for the Ukraine, and the VP for the Brookings Institution (think tank).
David M. Rubenstein is a co-chairman for the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a regent at the Smithsonian Institution.
Joseph R. Biden Jr. is a regent at the Smithsonian Institution, and the vice president for the Barack Obama administration.
Shirley Ann Jackson is a regent at the Smithsonian Institution, a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
Alan G. Spoon was a regent at the Smithsonian Institution, and a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Brookings Institution (think tank), the Center for American Progress, and the Committee for Economic Development.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society, a supporter for the Center for American Progress, and is a board member for the International Crisis Group.
Denis McDonough was a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, and is the chief of staff; former deputy national security adviser for the Barack Obama administration.
Richard H. Davis is a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and a managing director at Davis Manafort.
Viktor F. Yanukovich is a Davis Manafort client, and was the president of the Ukraine.
Willem Kok was a board member for the International Crisis Group, and the prime minister for the Netherlands.
Anwar Ibrahim was a board member for the International Crisis Group, and the deputy prime minister of Malaysia.
Thomas R. Pickering is a co-chair for the International Crisis Group, a distinguished fellow at the Brookings Institution (think tank), was the SVP for the Boeing Company, the chairman of review board that investigated the 2012 attack on U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya in 2013, and a U.S. ambassador for Russia.
Boeing Company is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).
Malaysia Airlines Flight 17
All 283 passengers and 15 crew on board the Boeing 777-200ER airliner died.
Almaz-Antey is the defense contractor for Russia, and the producer of missile believed used for the 2014 downing of Malaysia Air Flight 17.
Vladimir Putin is the president of Russia, and was a lieutenant colonel for the KGB.
James F. Collins was a U.S. ambassador for Russia, a senior advisor for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, and is a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank).
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Boeing Company.
Boeing Company is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank), and the Brookings Institution (think tank).
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Jessica Tuchman Mathews is the president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (think tank), a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), was a board member for the International Crisis Group, an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Ed Griffin’s interview with Norman Dodd in 1982
(The investigation into the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace uncovered the plans for population control by involving the United States in war)
Willem Kok was a board member for the International Crisis Group, and the prime minister for the Netherlands.
Anwar Ibrahim was a board member for the International Crisis Group, and the deputy prime minister of Malaysia.
Vernon E. Jordan Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), Valerie B. Jarrett’s great uncle, a senior counsel for Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP, a director at the American Friends of Bilderberg (think tank), and a 2008 Bilderberg conference participant (think tank).
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and was a managing director at Booz Allen Hamilton.
Booz Allen Hamilton is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).
Edward Snowden was an employee at Booz Allen Hamilton, and leaked information about the National Security Agency (NSA).
Robert S. Osborne is the EVP & general counsel for Booz Allen Hamilton, and is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Valerie B. Jarrett is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and her great uncle is Vernon E. Jordan Jr.
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, LLP is the lobby firm for the Boeing Company.
Boeing Company is a contractor for the National Security Agency (NSA).





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