Dear Editor:
My jaw dropped when I read Ms. LaPierre’s editorial, “Obama Strong on Foreign Relations”, (Tribune, Thursday, Aug. 8.)  Ever since the entertainer-in-chief went on his “Apology Tour” in 2009, U.S. relations with other countries have suffered immensely. He has thumbed his nose at our allies and broken our nation’s promises to them, while at the same time he has bowed (literally!!) to Saudi leaders and sympathized with Muslim extremists. At the direction of Obama’s DOJ, the Fort Hood shooting has been designated “workplace violence”, despite the fact that the Muslim extremist who carried out the assault that resulted in numerous deaths of American troops as well as life-altering injuries to others admits that he committed the crimes to please Allah. No sympathy for the American victims or their families, but we were cautioned to “withhold judgment” against Nadal Hasan. Ms. LaPierre gives Obama the credit for his “careful planning” that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. She ignores the fact that the reason Obama was able to order the attack on bin Laden was because of programs put into place by his predecessor, George W. Bush – programs that then-senator Obama DID NOT SUPPORT!! And, yes, Osama bin Laden is dead...and so are 15 members of Navy Seal Team 6, the elite unit that did the actual work. They were killed when their helicopter was shot down by al Qaeda forces after Obama and VP Biden spiked the ball and blabbed their names to the world, including al Qaeda. Obama’s “Arab Spring” – the removal of Moammar Khadafy and the “election” of Morsi as Egypt’s president – is a failure. Now he’s sending billions of dollars to al Qaeda related Syrian rebels. As for cancelling talks with Vladimir Putin, Putin – and other world leaders – laughed at Obama when he “asked” them to return Edward Snowden to the U.S. Why wouldn’t they? In the eyes of the world, Obama is weak. No one respects him. That is why Putin took the opportunity to push the envelope and grant asylum to Snowden. Any other leader would have done the same thing. So much for “hitting the reset button” with Russia – thanks a lot for reigniting the Cold War. Ms. LaPierre says Obama has done well to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan – well, we’re still in Afghanistan. We are still recklessly spending American blood and treasure in that hellhole. And, finally, Ms. LaPierre, the time, effort, and space used in capturing and storing the phone and internet communications of millions of Americans – completely without cause – would be better spent monitoring and tracking communications between terrorists and Muslim extremists. Say what you will about George W. Bush – he was not perfect by any means. But after 9/11/01, there were ZERO successful attacks on American soil by terrorists. Since 2009, there have been at least TWO successful attacks on American soil by terrorists (Boston and Fort Hood), and another on our consulate in Benghazi. Obama displayed weakness, not strength, when he apologized for the U.S. and he set the tone for the remainder of his presidency. In five years, he has forfeited the respect that the U.S. earned over two centuries as a major world power. At this point, our country is without a leader as far as the rest of the world is concerned, and we are very vulnerable. Strong on being “cool”? Absolutely. Strong on foreign affairs? NO WAY!!
In God We Trust
Sharon McGinness
Larned