Obama’s policy towards the atrocities of the Assad regime has shifted from one of hollow, feeble rhetoric to one of “secret” support of the rebels. To perhaps side-step the certain scrutiny of those critical of American involvement in the region, the President has made the decision to operate in the Syrian theater only indirectly—through the auspices of the Turkish government—coordinating the support of the rebellion from a U.S. air base in Adana, a city in southern Turkey.
Bearing that in mind, now consider yesterday’s mysterious photo of our president in the Oval Office, with the Turkish Prime Minister on the telephone in one hand, and a Louisville Slugger clutched firmly in the other:
With the Turkish media now abuzz wondering about the “hidden message” contained in such a curious power-pose, I wonder if this isn’t simply an over-literalization of Roosevelt’s much cited prescription for U.S. foreign policy: “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
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