"Blink"

I used to wrestle in high school; it taught me self-discipline and to be prepared for any opponent. Wrestling also gave me an insight into “reading people”, to recognize trepidation of fear in an adversary. Some opponents would look down to avoid eye contact, some would look upward, probably to get some help from “above”. I saw wrestlers who didn’t want to “lock-up” and skirted the mat to delay the contact and this showed me a fearful challenger. When you sense fear in any opponent, you acquire a psychological edge that can be invaluable during a match. 

In the year 1962, our President, John F. Kennedy, was confronted with a huge decision when it was revealed that there were ballistic missiles deployed on the island nation of Cuba, and they were put there by the communist Soviet Union. It is only about 90 miles from Cuba to the coast of the United States and these missiles were well within their range of capability to attack most American cities. The distance was so close that response to any attack would be very difficult and it was almost certain that millions of American lives would be lost if such an attack was launched. 

For thirteen days, the possibility of a nuclear war hung over the United States as Kennedy and his Cabinet worked tirelessly trying to find a solution. 

JFK finally responded with a naval blockade of the Cuban mainland and warned Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, that “any attack from the island of Cuba against any nation in the western hemisphere would be considered a direct attack on the United States by the Soviet Union and would be met with a full military retaliatory response against the Soviet Union.”  

It didn’t take very long after Kennedy’s statement for Khrushchev to “rethink” the policy of missile bases in Cuba, and a nuclear war was avoided. Jack Kennedy didn’t “look down” or “gaze at the ceiling” for strength, he stared into the eyes of conflict and his opponent “blinked” because he believed Kennedy meant what he said!!

Recently, our President, Barack Hussein Obama, canceled his scheduled meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The cancellation was in response to the granting of political asylum to “whistle-blower” Edward Snowden after the Obama Administration had asked that Mr. Snowden be extradited back to the United States to face criminal indictments.

In the past, Mr. Putin has “out-foxed” Mr. Obama, and he has seen our President do quite a bit of “hand-wringing” and “letter-writing” when confronted with a problem, but very little else during a crisis. Mr. Putin has seen his opponent “blink” on many occasions and he has a handle on his opponent’s weaknesses. He is taking this occasion to show the rest of the world how ineffectual Mr. Obama really is when he is challenged, and regardless of Mr. Obama’s supporters, our President appears, once again, a weak leader.

I don’t believe Mr. Putin actually gives a damn about Edward Snowden and he is just using him as a political tool to point at the weak American President who has tried to “laugh off” this political snub. There are many who are now criticizing Putin for his action, but behind closed doors, I’m sure there are many who are “nodding their heads” in agreement with the Russian President.

My fellow Americans, we don’t have a JFK or a Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office at this time. If we are confronted with a real crisis, he will “blink” and the United States of America will be in real trouble. This is the price we will pay for reelecting Barack Hussein Obama; a man who will “blink” when things get tough!!