Middle East In Flames

Gary Bauer, Contributing Author: The news from the Middle East seems like déjà vu. American embassies under attack; U.S. flags ripped down; mobs chanting "Death to America!" Sadly, it's not a bad mind trick, but the bad reality of Barack Obama's failed foreign policy.

Once again, Obama's constant kowtowing to radical Islam has borne poisonous fruit. A dedicated civil servant, Ambassador Christopher Stevens, was brutally murdered last night along with Sean Smith, a foreign service officer, and two U.S. Marines. Photos suggest Stevens was dragged half-naked through the streets.

According to CBS News, Libyan security forces moved Ambassador Stevens and his colleagues from the consulate to a supposedly more secure building. But then members of the Libyan security team reportedly directed the mob to the second building. Obama praised those security forces this morning, although there is no evidence they did their jobs.

In addition to the attack on Ambassador Stevens, the American embassy in Cairo, Egypt, was temporarily overrun yesterday. Radical Islamists scaled the walls, tore down the U.S. flag and raised a black flag that read, "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is his messenger." These attacks in Egypt and Libya were quickly blamed on a web video (which virtually no one has seen or heard of) that is critical of Mohammad.

Prior to the attack on the Embassy in Cairo, the staff released the following statement:"The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions. … Respect for religious beliefs is a cornerstone of American democracy. We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others."If only the Obama Administration were as concerned about the feelings of American Catholics and evangelicals, whose feelings -- and rights -- it is trampling with Obamacare and its efforts to redefine marriage.

Yet on the anniversary of 9/11, Obama embassy officials release this abject apology to Muslims condemning their fellow Americans for exercising their free speech rights. Last night, Governor Mitt Romney's campaign blasted that pathetic statement, saying, "It's disgraceful that the Obama Administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks."

The Obama campaign said it was "shocked" by Romney's "political attack." Yet the White House also condemned the embassy statement, saying, "The statement by Embassy Cairo was not cleared by Washington and does not reflect the views of the United States government."

What made the embassy think such a statement was a good idea in the first place? No matter how hard the White House tries to deny it, there is no doubt that the bureaucrats in Cairo were simply reflecting the left-wing, politically correct mindset of the administration they serve!

But let's not lose sight of the bigger issue here. There is no movie, speech, photograph, painting, picture, essay, etc., that causes these murderous outbursts. Those are merely the excuses for such violence.

What causes these attacks is a radical Islamic infrastructure that keeps thousands of people on the edge of murderous rampages. They are pushed over the edge whenever one of these convenient excuses emerges. Radical Islam is violent! That Obama and Clinton don't understand this is why more dead Americans will come home in body bags in the days ahead.

Government sources now suggest these attacks were likely coordinated, may have involved the use of heavy weapons and were planned for the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Yet the Obama Administration played right into the charade of "Muslim outrage" over our alleged insensitivity. Don't fall for the claptrap that a filmmaker is responsible.

It is also a reflection of Obama's weak approach to foreign policy. His outreach to the Muslim world, his grand speech in Cairo, his letter to the ayatollah, his embrace of the Arab Spring -- all of it was naïve. Clearly it has not won us any friends or brought stability to the region.

This morning, Governor Romney faced reporters and stood by his indictment of Obama's weakness, saying, "I think it's a terrible course for America to stand in apology for our values. When our grounds are being attacked and being breached … the first response of the United States must be outrage at the breach of the sovereignty of our nation. An apology for America's values is never the right course."

Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) said today, "The lack of leadership is about to lead to an explosion in the Middle East, and I hope people will start to focus on foreign policy, because it really does matter."

On every front -- economic, national security and social issues -- Obama's instincts are not those of the average America.
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Gary Bauer is is a conservative family values advocate and serves as president of American Values and chairman of the Campaign for Working Families.

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