Obama: Lunatic and Buffoon; Erdogan: Just a Lunatic

Submitted by Michael S (United States), Jun 4, 2015 at 22:05

I get your point, Daniel: Erdogan is a dictator, oblivious to elections and other legal niceties.

Your implied comparison between Erdogan and Obama is also appropriate. As an example of the latter's dictatorial tendencies, I might note that, at least in the eyes of Qatar's "Peninsular" website, Obama has already decided the outcome of the upcoming nuclear talks with Iran:

Obama has reiterated his position on two occasions after the Camp David Summit to reassure those who have doubts that there is going to be a final nuclear deal with Iran.

He emphasised that the agreement will be signed at the end of this June, which is the best possible scenario, and that it will carry Obama's signature and will ensure the freezing of Iran's nuclear programme (not terminating it).

-- http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/views/political-views/341487/gcc-priorities-post-camp-david

It's a shame, that America's dictator, besides being an absolutist ruler, is also a buffoon who is destroying his own country. He's like a football ("gridiron", for you Aussies and Brits) quarterback who calls the upcoming plays to the other team instead of his own. If I were the Ayatollah, I would be rolling with laughter at the above statement. I would be musing,

Let me see, Oh-bama has promised me a deal, no matter what I say or do. How many more concessions can I extract from him?

Erdogan is a lunatic, but not a buffoon. His thinking is pretty understandable: He wants power, absolute power, and more power still; but, unlike Obama, he doesn't have self-destructive tendencies: he has no inclination to have Turkey cede anything to anyone.

If Erdogan's still in charge five or ten years from now, I would expect him to be like "Gog" of Ezekiel 38-39, and invade Israel -- after militarily intervening in Syria (and perhaps Iraq). Just how that will come about, I don't know. Somehow, Turkey will have to supercede Iran as the principal menace in the region. That would go against Obama's plans, because Big O seems to have chosen Khammeini to be the Big Kahuna. Perhaps Iran will have a great setback, that surprizes even Obama? I hope it will.

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".