UNDER THE BUS – AT 9:10 A.M. ET:  Before the White House intervented in a political disaster last week, the Democratic Party was throwing God and Israel under the bus in its new platform – leaving God out entirely and dropping the previous, routine entry that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel.

But a new statement by Hillary Clinton throws Israel right back under that same bus, and is, in my view, a major foreign-policy blunder, clearly ordered at the presidential level.  Israel has been asking that the United States issue clearer "red lines" to Iran, indicating just what lines cannot be crossed to avoid action by the U.S. that goes beyond economic sanctions.  The prime minister of Israel had announced that his office was in negotiations with the White House over just such red lines.  Now the administration has pulled the rug out from under him, at a critical time.  From Bloomberg:

The U.S. is “not setting deadlines” for Iran and still considers negotiations as “by far the best approach” to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.

While Clinton said in an interview yesterday that economic sanctions are building pressure on Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last week the sanctions aren’t slowing Iran’s nuclear advances “because it doesn’t see a clear red line from the international community.”

Asked if the Obama administration will lay out sharper “red lines” for Iran or state explicitly the consequences of failing to negotiate a deal with world powers by a certain date, Clinton said, “We’re not setting deadlines.”

COMMENT:  That is absolutely dumb.  All Clinton had to say is, "We're studying the matter."  By rebuffing "red lines" the secretary of state gave Iran a much-desired victory, a victory it received while giving us nothing in return.

Once again we show weakness.  The sanctions haven't worked.  There's no indication that they will.  Even the Europeans, especially France, are showing impatience with our policy.  But Obama doesn't budge...unless he plans some dramatic move for just before the election, to show his temporary "resolve." 

The administration claims that its foreign policy is one of its great selling points.  I fail to see it, for I fail to see a single foreign-policy victory by the Obamans.  Indeed, Hillary Clinton is setting herself up for a presidential run in 2016, and maybe it's time for all her swooning admirers to look carefully at her tenure as secretary of state.  Yes, she's worked hard.  No one denies that.  But, like too many of her intellectual class, she seems more interested in the process than in the result. 

We are failing with Iran.  We are also failing in South America, where our influence has faded.  The Russians ignore what we say.  The Europeans have grown contemptuous.  The Arabs laugh at us.

Welcome to the Grand Illusion.  It's time for Hillary to answer some questions.  Don't wait for the mainstream media.

September 10, 2012