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'Foreign Threats: Politics & Policy': Amb. John Bolton breaks down why he believes Pres. Obama's foreign policy has failed worldwide
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This is a special edition on the record foreign threats politics and policy.
And tonight new and deadly anti American violence exploding across the globe tens of thousands of protesters clashing with police in Pakistan.
And get this it was the -- -- government who is supposed to be our ally that call for today's protest.
-- the latest foreign policy crisis to hit the Obama administration trying to deal with the deadly terrorist attack at a US consulate in Libya.
Big growing nuclear threat from Iran and increasingly chilly relationship with Russia.
Not to mention growing tensions with our very close ally Israel.
Now tonight in the special edition of on the record we -- taking a closer look at -- Obama's foreign policy.
Is the leader -- free world living up to his title is he.
Leading.
-- all these threats and dangers.
What we do not see -- steady and consistent.
American leadership.
In the days ahead.
And in the years ahead.
American foreign policy needs moral clarity and firmness of purpose.
Four years later almost after the Nobel Peace Prize been awarded where do we stand in the nation in case you haven't heard bin Laden's dead.
That's good fast but that's not a foreign policy.
Is anybody deterred from attacking America's interest in the -- because bin Laden's -- Does anybody -- I better not go over the wall of the embassy in Egypt you know we killed them live.
There is no coherent foreign policy -- time -- we need went.
As far as the Middle East is concerned this president's national security policy has been an abysmal failure at -- Obama has.
Has demonstrated a great lack of clarity -- to -- foreign policy as I've watched over the past.
Three and a half years.
The president has had some successes he's had some failures it's a hit or miss.
Approach but it has not been based upon sound foreign policy.
My opponent and his running made our.
-- the foreign policy.
But.
From all the way seeing a third.
They want to take us back to an Arab blustering and -- the cost America so -- After -- you don't call Russia our number one enemy.
Not all kind of -- Unless you're still stuck in -- Cold War mind -- If I -- Jewish and I work from Israel I would not be at all happy.
What Barack Obama hit it is a disaster what's going on.
Studio is in big trouble with Barack Obama.
Are we better.
Off in the Middle East now -- we were four years ago absolutely.
Knock life.
Because the policies of the administration and the way it's been handling itself.
And hits keep coming president Obama's form posse is also losing popularity with many voters.
The president's approval on foreign affairs has fallen since it console attack in Libya and the mideast protests.
According to the latest Wall Street Journal NBC news poll.
40% of voters approve of the president's job performance and foreign affairs while 46%.
Disapprove.
Now that is a 5% drop from last -- approval ratings.
So from the Middle East to Russia to China why are so many Americans losing confidence in president Obama's handling -- foreign policy.
Former UN ambassador John Bolton joins the -- there.
Good evening.
If you hard to write a book on the last three and a half fears of president Obama's foreign policy what would be the title.
The failure of Obama's foreign policy -- it -- the question for America and for citizens as voters.
Is as it's always been what is America's role in the world what are we need to do to protect and advance our interests around the world.
Promote peace and and and be sure that our friends and allies are protected.
Under generations.
Since Franklin Roosevelt.
We have followed a peace through strength policy that America's strong place in the world politically economically and military help protect our interest.
Barack Obama has reversed that he believes in withdrawing American influence he thinks we are too much in the world.
And that the world will be a better place with a receding declining America I think that's a prescription for disaster both at the level of grand strategy and and and any number of imminent threats we face.
I -- a number -- countries justice and -- would look at -- -- across the last three and a half years let's start first with Russia and -- Obama's -- would be with Russia.
How is he doing.
Well it's -- it's been a failure across the board and you know he he laughs about Romney's remark on Russia.
Mr.
President you know they still have more nuclear weapons than any other country in the world and fortunately.
Al-Qaeda doesn't have them yet.
But the president has given end.
To Moscow on missile defense for the American homeland where we are the missile defense program he inherited has been guided.
He agreed to a very ill advised strategic arms control treaty.
He has watched -- carry through on.
His intention to re establish Russian hegemony in the space of the former Soviet Union without America's standing up to it and -- rights watch Russia.
Fly political cover for the nuclear weapons programs of Iran and North Korea.
We have conceded and conceded in conceded and we have gotten nothing back.
-- -- now want to Syria and I might note that the Washington Post editorial board wrote an editorial dated yesterday which it says Iran shows no hesitation.
About intervene in Syria.
Get primarily -- in the body with that the United States is not combating that and that that Iran is moving in Syria and that spells big trouble for Israel.
Well indeed on a whole range of fronts -- -- support for terrorism continues they have.
And influence the O'Malley key regime in Iraq to their -- they are backing me aside regime in Syria and they're prepared to shed a lot of Syrian blood to keep aside and power.
They continue to arm and finance the terrorist Hezbollah and Lebanon and Hamas.
In the Gaza Strip and worst of all they continued to build a broad and deep nuclear weapons program and what's unmistakable.
Despite.
The bluster which is coming from the Obama administration.
They are not afraid of the United States they do not fear this president.
They do not fear the United States they do not fear consequences for their actions and as long -- that.
That belief holds true in Tehran -- continue to support terrorists and build a nuclear weapons program.
A US senator once said to me when I was lamented about the fact that there are so many problems you know across the world.
He said to me is that we can't solve these problems that we can only manage them and that that should be that should be our goal in light of the fact there's so many variables for which we have actually no control.
Are we at least managing these different areas is different hot spots around the world and you give him at least at a good grade of managing them.
Now -- and I don't agree with the premise that we can't solve problems that's a very European view of the world I think Americans are problem solving people and I think that's what we ought to try to do recognizing we may not be able to do everything but I think that when asked approaches to sort of throw up our hands and say we have to.
To manage the confusion.
The president's biggest problem is he just doesn't pay enough attention.
To national security it doesn't interest him again this distinguishes him.
From the long line of -- going on a bipartisan basis going back to Franklin Roosevelt Obama does not wake up every morning thinking what threats does the United States face to do it today and what -- I have to do to keep America strong he's much more interested in restructuring our domestic way of life and we have paid a price for that over these three and a half years.
Investor -- thank you much --
