The Washington Post's Fred Hiatt is taking Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and President Barack Obama to task for recent decisions that diminish the role of the United States as a world leader. Hiatt cites the Republican backlash against immigrants and Cantor's "our way or the highway" approach to government as examples of a crisis in leadership. Not only does it send the wrong message to other nations that pattern their governments after ours, but it also out of step with what countries that are emerging as world leaders are doing.
Hiatt doles out his critique of the Democrats in the form of President Obama, who has all but abandoned his ideology on leadership, which he eloquently shared in his 2009 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. "We have borne this burden not because we seek to impose our will. We have done so out of enlightened self-interest — because we seek a better future for our children and grandchildren, and we believe that their lives will be better if others' children and grandchildren can live in freedom and prosperity," said Obama.
He also spoke about the importance of allies, new and established. Hiatt doesn't see those words in action because President Obama "undermined NATO by refusing to let U.S. forces play a full part" in Libya. Hiatt also questions President Obama's laser focus on deficit reduction at all costs — including world leadership.
Hiatt raises some interesting points, demonstrating that the president's recent actions are not that far removed from those of Republican leaders and place the role of the United States as a world leader in jeopardy. We would also add that it places Obama's position as the leader of this country in jeopardy.
We suspect that if voters had wanted a Republican president, then they would have voted for one. We also suspect that if Americans wanted lawmakers that just walked away from budget talks because they placed private interests ahead of public needs, then we would live in another country — like Libya. Our takeaway from this piece: Posturing and politicking should not pass for real leadership on either side of the aisle, and if it continues to happen, then our position as a world leader is doomed.
Read more at the Washington Post.
In other news: International Arrest Warrant Issued for Qaddafi.
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