Without U.S. leadership the Soviet Union may still exist and Israel may stand entirely alone. Without the leadership and commitment to freedom of the United States, countries around the globe will be left to fend for themselves. In such an environment, concepts such as the rule of law and respect for human rights including freedom of conscience and the equality of women will also take a back seat to expediency and self-interest or the perversions of radical Islam.
In China, the world's second largest economy, human rights advocates are routinely imprisoned for speaking out for religious freedom or freedom of speech - as are their attorneys. The Chinese one-child policy, "fully" understood by Vice President Biden, forces parents to abort their children and makes "it's a girl" produce tragedy rather than joy for millions of Chinese families. Are these the values that are going to promote our interests, save us money and strengthen the resolve of our allies?
Whether we like it or not, the absence of American military and global political leadership will only result in Thucydides' description of ‘justice' around 400 BC, "the right of the strong to rule" or, to put it more succinctly, "might makes right." That is anathema to what this country has stood for since its inception.
President Obama rightly takes pride in the service of our troops, but then cuts their funding and lays thousands of them off rather than controlling and cutting excessive non-defense related federal spending and addressing the need for entitlement reform. Instead he explodes government through ObamaCare and a binge of government spending. His spending priorities stimulate the left rather than our national security or economy.
The primary responsibility of the Federal government and the Commander-in-Chief is to keep our country safe. In fact, it's one of the few functions that the federal government must oversee. But cutting our military does not keep us safe, nor does it promote our interests around the world. President Obama and the left want to have a military to showcase on occasion, but they do not want to stand strong for our interests around the world.
This is a deficit that both our allies and our enemies see. History shows us that we always end up paying the interest on this deficit at some point. There will be serious consequences from the radical Islamists heading the Iranian Regime and its leftist partners in Latin American. We have even seen a resurgence of Communist China promoting its interests abroad.
As a result of President Obama's deficit in the whole idea and vision of the United States, his defense policies are creating a deficit in American military strength. While the national debt certainly is a critical area worthy of concern, it is vital that the cure not be worse than the disease. As any doctor will tell you, the first rule of medicine is "first, do no harm."
President Obama's defense strategy, though, has done much harm.
I have been challenging the despots and radicals in Iran and Syria for a decade; President Obama is still undermining our security and interests and deciding his course. America is hungry for leadership, our allies across the world are hoping for it and our troops deserve it. Let's deal with the real deficit, and not create a new one for America's interests and values around the world.
