Remember when President Obama first took office and then proceeded immediately on his “International apology to the World” tour?  Instead of making friends, it showed America as a weakened partner.  And the damage has been done.

We have put all of our support behind President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan as the country’s future, despite widespread corruption. We have spent billions of our treasure and thousands of American lives, only to have Karzai threaten to join the very enemy that we are fighting on his behalf.

Then we pick a fight with Israel – the only democracy in the Mideast and a staunch ally that may play a role in stopping Iran’s nuclear program.  It’s folly. We try to make friends with our enemies and ignore our real friends.

The New York Times recently wrote this about the “Obama doctrine.” It is shocking.

“If there is an Obama doctrine emerging, it is one much more realpolitik than his predecessor’s, focused on relations with traditional great powers and relegating issues like human rights and democracy to second-tier concerns. He has generated much more good will around the world after years of tension with Mr. Bush, and yet he does not seem to have strong personal friendships with many world leaders.”

Have we ever had a president who relegated issues like human rights and democracy to second-tier concerns?  As the beacon of world democracy, has our country given up on human rights for the world?  When the rest of the world ignores human rights, it makes the world that much more unsafe.  We have an obligation – a Conscientious Equity – to spread our way of life around the world.  If we do not change course, our way of life and that of the Western World will be forever imperiled.