Obama Demonstrates Fear, not Courage

Challenging times call for extraordinary courage. But at the risk of sounding indelicate, the only cojones associated with President Obama are the ones lined up on the putting green, where his frequent appearances have given rise to a new meaning of the term “stay the course.” You’d think the so-called leader of the free world would at least sound courageous. But at recent press conferences, Mr. President has sauntered in, often late, leaned nonchalantly on the podium, and delivered a lackluster “lecture” in a tone of voice...

Almost sixty years ago, then-Senator John F. Kennedy received a Pulitzer Prize for his book Profiles in Courage. Chapters of the book are devoted to eight U.S. Senators throughout history and from all shades of the political spectrum. A common thread of personal courage unites them all. While Kennedy chose these politicians specifically for their “acts of bravery and integrity,” their ultimate measure lay in the degree of risk they were willing to personally endure from their bold and often unpopular actions. In times of crises -- whether in war or peace -- true heroes are those who put on the block all that they have striven to possess: their reputations, fortunes, futures -- even their very lives. By that definition, very few modern politicians qualify to wear the badge of courage, least among them Barack Obama.

One of the most cowardly decisions Obama made was to ignore his own “line in the sand” with Syria and then to trust the dangerous matter to a dictator like Putin. Both actions were taken because, unlike those of true courage, he put the cost to his own popularity and convenience ahead of everything else. He has never in his life had to risk much, and doesn’t seem about to start now. Ultimately, Obama fears the unpopular course of action because he lacks the courage to confront the world as it is. Obama’s immediate challenge is to remove his blinders and view the world as it is, not as he hopes it will appear in his fast-evaporating legacy. He needs to take his eye off the little ball on the green and fix it firmly on the big ball called Earth. That will, in itself, take a measure of courage.

Read more: [link to americanthinker.com]