Jimmah Carter II: Electric Boogaloo.

So, it seems that in December, one Mr. Warren Weinstein was kidnapped by terrorists in Pakistan.  Now, I'm sure this is old news to you, and I just missed it.  Wait, no?  Hmmm... maybe more on that another time.

In any case, said terrorists released a list of demands including all kinds of things the US cannot agree to and continue to prosecute the War with Terror.  Among these demands were cessation of air-strikes, release of prisioners, and all the other usually goodies.  No word on if they asked for a jet, fueled and ready to go, at the airport.  So far, we have not acceded to these demands.

So, now, a new tape has been released in which Mr. Weinstein informs President Obama that if the US does not comply, he (Mr. Weinstein) will be killed.  Now, there are all kinds of unanswered questions, here.  Among them: why was he in Pakistan in the first place (I've heard conflicting reports), why haven't the terrorists lost their patience already, and why a list of demands that they must know the US will never meet?

Beyond those questions though, and the obvious hope for Mr. Weinstein's safe return, there lies a whole host of other problems for the President.  His options are very, very limited.  He can just let Mr. Weinstein die, which would be... bad PR.  He could attempt to negotiate with the Terrorists, which would be futile, at best.  Or he could try to devote resources to finding and rescuing the hostage.  That's problematic, at best, and highly likely to fail.  In any case, I simply do not see how he avoids the comparisons to Jimmy Carter.  Jimmy Carter who, quite famously, failed to rescue hostages in Iran.

Barack Obama is, at least on foreign policy, at least as bad as Mr. Carter was.  Our allies are beginning to distance themselves from us- to the extent that Israel appears to be getting ready to go out on its own and ignore any help or (more likely) lack thereof from the United States.  Our enemies neither respect nor fear us, and openly flaunt that fact.  Terrorists are getting more bold, if not any more effective.  And Barack Obama, he of no feck, seems either unable or unwilling to do anything about it.  Carter II?  No.  Carter was merely a dim foreshadowing of the stuttering flustercluck that is Barack Obama.