Extrajudicial killings and a one term President

The extrajudicial  killing of two American citizens in Yemen, ordered by President Obama has set  another dangerous precedent  that has serious and far reaching implications for the US Constitution and its controls on the restraint of executive power.
At some point the American government changed its policy of kidnapping terrorist suspects and flying them to Guantanamo for trial,  to just killing them. The presumption of innocence until proven guilty and the right to a fair trial or even unfair trial blown out the window by the drones they employ or in the case of Bin Laden the Navy seals that made up the assassination squad.
This must surely be a deeply disturbing development and Obama's refusal to allow the advice he was given to be interrogated publicly bodes badly for his presidency.
For an eloquent man he has become increasingly incompetent and unable to convert his vision either at home or abroad.
The economy is in shambles, his confused and hypocritical foreign policy especially with regard to the Arab Spring and his continued blind support for Israel , is isolating America and harming its long term interests. From a man of promise he has become a man of promises.
Gone are the chants of " Yes we can"  and now only faint echoes of the man who was elected can be heard.
Whether it is the office of the Presidency that has caused this insolence or whether the advice he is receiving is tainted and corrupt only time will tell, however this looks increasingly like a one term Presidency.
In the meantime, as he reflects on his opposition to a Palestinian state or he grapples with the murders he has ordered for political gain he would do well to remember the following thought from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr: "There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic…but one must take it because it is right".

impotent america

With the holy month of Ramadan less than three weeks away the world is no closer to getting rid of Gaddafi in Libya, or Assaad in Syria. In fact both dictators seem to be emboldend by the impotence and lack of resolve shown by America and its allies.
The NATO bombings no doubt have taken their toll on Gaddafi's ageing military capability  but months after the campaign started it is NATO's  determination that is beginning to show cracks.As for Syria democratic rhetoric has only empowered the bloodthirsty regime to continue its brutal crackdown.
Partly due to the hypocritical approach that America has chosen to apply to the Middle East and partly due to incompetence, corruption and moral failings the influence they once enjoyed is rapidly fading.Their lack of a coherent and just solution for the Palestinian Israeli issue and their reliance on corrupt dictatorships have helped erode the core values they claim to espouse
Unfortunately there is no political Viagra to cure the impotence, with a failing economy and confused sense of morality the once infallible America no longer holds the key to peace.
Change in the Middle East is inevitable and it is up to the citizens to take charge of their destiny and no longer rely on the lip service to democratic values that  the west claim as their own. 
The people of the Arab spring have shown remarkable courage, over coming their fear to shake of the shackles of repression. The hypocrisy they received shows it is time to remember the great heritage of the Arabs for it is there where true emancipation lies.

Armageddon and Hypocritical Diplomacy.

Rumours are abounding of a dangerous and ill conceived  secret Saudi Israeli deal being hatched for Saudi backing for a military option against Iran with America having negotiated the supply of armaments and weaponry including state of the art jet fighters and military bases in a sixty billion plus $US, this if verified ,brings the region ever closer to Armageddon .
As The Syrian regime plunges deeper into the chasms of brutality with the International Community remaining shamefully silent and Saudi Arabia pushing for a new Saudi ruled republic in southern Yemen it is astonishing to what degree America and Europe are willing to sacrifice their ideals for short term commercial pragmatism .
In Libya meanwhile Gaddafi is still ignoring the will of the International Community despite having finally lost the backing of Russia. The Cameron-Sarkozy visit to Benghazi supposedly to give backing to the transitional government will once again prove to be only a photo opportunity.
Whilst double standards and hypocritical approaches are applied to the desire for freedom and self determination then one can rule out any meaningful change in the region.
Israeli intransigence to finding a fair and equitable peace with the Palestinians will only add fuel to this fire.
Real freedom and peace must be universally applied. Hope has be able to triumph over adversity and commercialism otherwise our morality will be outflanked our perversions.