NEW YORK TIMES: …[Former president George W.] Bush told the 700 donors attending a closed-door Republican Jewish Coalition spring meeting that he would not criticize President Obama, whose aim to degrade and ultimately destroy the Islamic State he applauded. But the former president nevertheless offered comments that many in the audience viewed as a tacit critique of his successor.
Mr. Bush voiced skepticism about the Obama administration’s pursuit of anuclear deal with Iran. Although he had begun the diplomatic effort to press Iran to give up its nuclear program, Mr. Bush questioned whether it was wise to lift sanctions against Tehran when the Islamic government seemed to be caving in, and suggested that the United States risked losing leverage if it did so…
While Mr. Bush told the group that he had changed course when warranted, he stressed that when leading America, “you gotta mean it” when talking tough, and that the nation’s allies and enemies needed to know where an American leader stood. Many attendees heard in those remarks a reference to Mr. Obama’s ultimately empty threat against Syria not to cross the red line of using chemical weapons… (more)
EDITOR: How convenient it is for President Bush to forget the lack of Congressional and popular support for retaliation against Syria. As things worked out, and we do not know what occurred behind the scenes, there have been very few if any subsequent poison gas attacks.
The presidency is more than just posturing, something that Bush excelled at. It takes courage to reverse course based on new information.
