And then there are the Iranians. Remember President Obama's olive branches to this crew? First, he promised in the campaign that he would sit down with the Iranians with no pre-conditions. And in February he sent a secret letter to Russian President Medvedev promising to renege on the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in Eastern Europe if the Russians could persuade the Iranians to forego their nuclear weapons program.
When that gambit flopped, this week the State Department announced that indeed the U.S. would sit down in direct talks with the Iranians along with the Germans and representatives of the other permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. And how did the Iranians respond to our friendly overtures? By charging an American-born journalist with spying and holding a secret trial whose results could be catastrophic for the young woman.
Pardon me if I'm unimpressed by the president's international prowess so far. When will the left learn that self-flagellation and blame-America-first rhetoric isn't enough to buy the love of our enemies? And even our friends can turn quisling when we show no spine.
If President Obama wants to restore America's reputation, he can start by showing strength, not weakness. He's made the right decision by increasing our commitment to fight terrorists in Afghanistan. Now he has to make it clear to the Pakistanis that if they want our aid, it comes with strings -- namely, taking on the terrorists in their tribal regions.
President Obama needs to learn that being loved by the world is not nearly as important as earning respect -- and that comes by honoring our commitments to our allies and punishing those who threaten our peace and security.