Since the elimination of Iranian terrorist leader Qassem Soleimani, much of the world has rightfully held its collective breath in fearful anticipation of what might be to come.
Iran is indeed a dangerous terrorist state that not only has a powerful standing army, air force, navy and advanced weapons systems - including ballistic missiles and a growing space program - but also controls multiple proxy terrorist organizations responsible for killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children.
Included on that list of victims are thousands of American military personnel and contractors.
These were facts that former President Obama knew when he deliberately chose a policy of appeasement and cash payoffs instead of strength and accountability as the way to deal with Iran.
Since the elimination of Iranian terrorist leader Qassem Soleimani, much of the world has rightfully held its collective breath in fearful anticipation of what might be to come.
Iran is indeed a dangerous terrorist state that not only has a powerful standing army, air force, navy and advanced weapons systems - including ballistic missiles and a growing space program - but also controls multiple proxy terrorist organizations responsible for killing and injuring hundreds of thousands of innocent men, women and children.
Included on that list of victims are thousands of American military personnel and contractors.
These were facts that former President Obama knew when he deliberately chose a policy of appeasement and cash payoffs instead of strength and accountability as the way to deal with Iran.
While the Obama White House hid from the true definition of the word "leverage," Iran's state-run media was more than happy to brag that Iran had just forced the United States to pay a ransom.
Former Congressman Ed Royce (R-Calif.), who chaired the House Foreign Affairs Committee at that time, condemned the deal: "Sending the world's leading state sponsor of terror pallets of untraceable cash isn't just terrible policy. It's incredibly reckless, and it only puts bigger targets on the backs of Americans."
Former Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) seconded Royce's warning: "Paying ransom to kidnappers puts Americans even more at risk. ... The White House's policy of appeasement has led Iran to illegally seize more American hostages."
Said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), "President Obama's disastrous nuclear deal with Iran was sweetened with an illicit ransom payment and billions of dollars for the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism."
What many Americans don't realize is that the Obama White House took the ransom money from something called the "Judgment Fund," which is administered by the Treasury. That little-known account is entirely paid for by American taxpayers and was set up in such a way that Obama could bypass congressional approval to pay the cash to Iran.
Those who continually praise and defend Obama often describe him as "brilliant." There is no doubt the former president is an intelligent person, certainly bright enough to realize - and admit, at least to himself - that the cash he turned over to the murderous regime leading Iran to ruin was not used for altruistic purposes.
Any honest assessment would conclude that at least part of that secretive, massive payment was used to finance terrorist attacks against Americans, our allies and innocent civilians. Trump is correct on that point.
For that reason, Obama should apologize for the thousands wounded and killed in terrorist attacks since Iran took possession of that tainted cash. That is his debt to pay.
Douglas MacKinnon, a political and communications consultant, was a writer in the White House for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush, and former special assistant for policy and communications at the Pentagon during the last three years of the Bush administration.
No comments:
Post a Comment