Historians today question the decisions of Neville Chamberlain, the Prime Minister of Britain during the 1930’s. Mr. Chamberlain wanted to avoid a major conflict with Nazi Germany, so he engaged in what some called, an “appeasement foreign policy,” which many historian believed allowed Hitler to grow too strong, causing mass devastation to the Jewish people
In the case of politics, appeasement is usually used to describe a leader who’s weak on foreign policies, one who prefers to “sell out” instead of standing firm for his/her beliefs.
At a Jewish meeting earlier this week, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney used the word “appeasement” a total of seven times when describing President Obama’s foreign policies. A well-played attack of the President by Romney, as the word itself brings back a very negative meaning for the Jewish people – a very strong voting block in American politics.
“Internationally, President Obama has adopted an appeasement strategy,” Romney said. “Appeasement betrays a lack of faith in America, in American strength and in America’s future.”
But Romney is not the only Republican candidate using the word to describe President Obama’s foreign policies. Newt Gingrich has said it on a few different occasions. “America is the first business of the State Department,” Gingrich said at a recent meeting,”not appeasing our opponents.” Gingrich also said that he is often worried, and the cause of his worries are “based on a State Department which has consistently engaged in appeasement.”
Yesterday, a White House reporter asked President Obama to respond to the Republicans appeasement claims. His answer, in my view, was classic;
“Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22 out of 30 top al-Qaeda leaders who’ve been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement –or whoever’s left out there, ask them about that.”
Republicans have no legs to stand on when it comes to foreign policies, and their willful effort to lie to the American people, trying to suggest that President Obama is a weak leader on foreign issues when the opposite is so blatantly obvious, is pure insanity.
