JVLV: “THE LEFT IS BRILLIANT BUT WRONG, THE RIGHT IS RIGHT BUT STUPID” By Jiri Valenta with Leni Friedman Valenta, November 2, 2014

.As the mid-term 2014 elections are upon us, and 2016 looms, this blog is dedicated to the memory of my late, Russologist colleague, U.S. General William E. Odom. Thus it´s title bears his adagio on the propensities of America´s left and right, frequently repeated by him to my former students at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in the mid 1980’s. It comes with the caveat that voters take an objective and hard look at the effect of America’s electoral politics on our foreign policy in 2008 and 2012, with an eye to better things in the future.

In 2008, the nation rejected national war hero John McCain, a star Senator in defense and foreign affairs, in favor of junior Senator Barack Obama, a well-meaning, law professor-turned community organizer, highly articulate, yet inexperienced and naive. Four years later, with the patently false battle cry that Al Qaeda had been decimated, Obama defeated former Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney, an accomplished and experienced business leader, amidst the ongoing, Benghazi-gate cover up.

Why did less qualified Obama prevail? In the last six years, our national interests have become hostage to various segments of the Democratic Party coalition, which is dependent upon single issue voters. The energy independence crucial to our Middle East posture, has been stumped by the demands of the ecological lobby, symbolized by the stalled Keystone Pipeline. Our national security has been compromised at our unprotected, southern borders by the Hispanic lobby, and the Democrats´ desire to welcome hundreds of thousands of potential, Central American voters for their party. Our war against Muslim terrorism has been jeopardized by appeasement of anti-war activists both on Iraq and Afghanistan. The somehow declining influence of the Jewish lobby has been mirrored by the attack of White House officials on Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, and pursuance of a weak deal with nuclear aspirant, Iran.

Nor should we forget that during the 2013 Sochi Olympics in Russia, Obama´s main concern was sending a delegation to focus on Russian gay rights. This, in lieu of personally engaging President Putin as JVLV suggested, and treating him as an equal, but with a tough warning against intervening in the Ukraine. The continuous conflict in the eastern Ukraine, and Putin´s shift to Cold War brinksmanship over NATO allies by his air force, is likely conditioned by the Russian leader ´s resultant perception that U.S. foreign policy is gridlocked and Obama is a paper tiger. Had Obama initiated military aid to Kiev as JVLV proposed in the Kyiv Post (April 21, 2014), Putin would have likely ceased his intervention.

Sadly, the GOP under Bush, boasts no better foreign policy laurels. True key Republican legislators, John McCain, Lindsey Graham and Kelly Ayotte, have opposed Obama´s follies; his reset with Russia, the premature withdrawals from Iraq and Afghanistan leaving no residual forces, the toadying to Iran and censuring our only strategic ally and only democracy in the Middle East, Israel. They also called earlier for action against the use of WMD on civilians by Syria´s Assad, and measures to halt the spread of ISIS and Ebola.

However, GOP leaders, have not articulated coherent and viable, alternative foreign policy strategies. The GOP stellars, McCain and Graham , were generally right in opposing Obama´s appeasement, and naiveté. Yet even they committed strategic errors, such as calling for sanctions against the Egyptian military leader, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, after his overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood´s Islamist, Morsi. Yes, Morsi came to power through a free election, but so did Hitler. John McCain, should get better Russologist advisors. Putin ridiculed him for publishing an appeal to the Russian people in Pravda, a communist daily almost no one in Russia now reads. The latest gem, however, is GOP speaker John Boehner´s assertion that, “Bush would have punched Putin in the nose for invading the Crimea.” John, you forgot, Bush did not punch Putin in the nose when he invaded Georgia in 2008 and carved out two of her provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Also, please don´t forget that Putin is a 9th degree Black Belt! The bitter truth is that Bush ’43 matches Obama in an equally abysmal record in foreign policy. He and his NSA, Rice, disregarded repeated warnings by George Tenet´s CIA of a coming attack on our homeland (9/11); even one August 6th, Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) memo entitled, “Bin Laden determined to Strike in the U.S.”

Following 9/11, came Iraq War II; to paraphrase Richard Haass, a war of “choice” rather than of “necessity.” Haass, the former director of policy planning at the State Department, found the courage to recall Condi´s July 2002 fiat that, ‘“the decisions were made ”’ and unless Iraq gave in to all our demands, war was a foregone conclusion.” When the war came, Odom prophetically posited, “Bush`s invasion of Iraq was the "greatest strategic disaster in United States history." This is the same Odom who, unlike some of us Russologists and cheerleaders of Condi years earlier (myself included), bravely commented that, after reading her article [in World Politics] , Odom mused, “I couldn't even figure out what she meant. [As a scholar] she just wasn't significant. It would be very hard for me to figure out why Stanford gave her tenure on [the basis of] her publication.” Bush should be commended for his almost flawless response to 9/11; the invasion of Afghanistan. However, to our national disgrace, we entered the war in Iraq through our leaders prevaricating about Saddam Hussein´s ties with Al Qaeda and possession of WMD. Not only America´s national reputation, but that of such a distinguished figure as former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, was severely damaged by his U.N. presentation based on misleading Intelligence.

Then, when CIA director Tenet belatedly refused to have the CIA take part of the blame for wrong Intelligence, he was thrown under the bus! Remember “slam dunk?” Two days before the 2014 election, with the President´s repudiation by democrats in key states, the GOP should be doing much better. Getting rid of former boxer-turned majority leader Harry Reid is essential to turn the Senate into a working body. He is holding up even bi-partisan legislation. But the GOP might not get there. Although they are by and large right, as Odom quipped, they also engage in stupid policies. In the last elections, Tea Party candidates, with their hot headed demands on abortion rights, and gay marriage, unnecessarily antagonized women and gays.

The GOP is doing better this time; nevertheless, they have committed other unwise acts. The 2013 shutting down of the government over Obamacare was one of them (except that the national eye was turned on promising, out-of-the-box thinker, Senator Ted Cruz.) Republicans are good naysayers to Obama, yet so far, none of the GOP candidates have had the courage of Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the RNC –turned senate candidate of Virginia, to reveal a viable alternative to Obamacare.

The same is true in foreign policy. Obama´s strategy, or lack of it, in the wars against ISIS and Ebola, has been criticized, but clear, alternative strategies have not been articulated by the GOP. Repeating the mantra that we need boots on the ground in Iraq and Syria is not enough! No matter who wins on November 4, bipartisan-oriented legislators must identify the new civilization threat of Islamic fascism and work towards educating the American public. As with Nazi fascism and communism earlier, the struggle is an ideological one. Like Karl Marx´s work and that of Lenin, the Koran provides for two interpretations. Under Marx , the first interpretation of communism evolved to “Euro-communism”-turned social democracy. The second interpretation remained militant, Leninism. In part, communism was defeated in Europe, because of the West’s ability to play off the social democracy interpretation against Leninism. Odom understood this perfectly. In the same way, we should distinguish and employ peaceful Islam against the virulent militant brand. This requires a kind of statecraft we have not seen in Washington for years.

Secondly, the new Congress must encourage legislation in support of new thinking policies on the Middle East. We have to figure out what should be our policies towards promiscuous Turkey, shattered Syria, deceptive Iran, and Iraq¬-- a state existing only on paper. Third, how should we assist and reward the only boots on the ground, the tolerant and brave, Muslim Kurds? In the Middle East, should we continue to favor 1919 outdated Versailles Treaty status quo, denying statehood to thirty million Kurds? Or restructure Iraq along the lines proposed years ago by Leslie Gelb and Senator-turned Vice President Joe Biden?

The outcome of the election is presently unknown. It´s still possible the Dems will snatch a Senate victory from the jaws of defeat by one or two votes. But already now is the time to start thinking seriously about the 2016 presidential elections. Above all, we must learn from past follies. Support and vote for leaders who are genuinely qualified. The presidential candidates should be experienced governors or senators with the passion of a leader, of high intellect, well read like Richard Nixon yet without his dark side.

A word about Nixon. As his last advisor, Dimitri Simes, has shown, Nixon was only U.S. statesman who understood that we did not win the Cold War. To him, American statecraft had to treat Russia as Big Brother but as an equal power with its own national interests. He prophetically saw Russia´s recovery as eventually leading to vigorous and traditional search for her place as a Great Power.

In electing our president, we also should demand to know in advance who they intend to appoint as their Secretary of State and NSAs. "I tell my students that policy-making is 90 percent blocking and tackling and 10 percent intellectual."--Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

No, Condi , Madeleine and Hillary. Policy-making is not 10 percent intellectual. Seventy percent should be intellect, studying and earlier practicing of the art of genuine diplomacy. Only 30% should be blocking, tackling, socializing and relentless junket trips. Secretaries of State should have a Henry Kissinger or Jeanne Kirkpatrick academic background, with high intellect and an accomplished record of new ideas. Preferably, they should neither be lawyers nor party nomenclature socializers, nor spouses of former presidents, but genuine leaders with experience in national security bureaucracies and a deep understanding of critical world issues in different regions.

The final judgment of Secretary of State John Kerry, is not in. However, three of his predecessors have engaged in some follies in dealing with terrorism and rogue regimes. Two of them, Albright and Rice, displayed naiveté in coping with North Korea, thus helping to legitimize an inhuman rogue regime with nuclear ambitions. Finally, there is Hillary´s cover-up of Benghazi-gate.

Final word. CFR President Richard Haass is one of the best qualified candidates for Secretary of State for either party. Like Odom an accomplished analyst, he possesses an intimate knowledge of critical issues in several world regions, and had the courage to reveal the bitter truth about Iraq War II. Former Congresswoman Jane Harman, President of the Wilson Center, is another strong choice for Secretary of State or NSA. Both have all the prerequisites for attaining the stature of a Dean Acheson or Henry Kissinger. In conclusion, we need well prepared, highly qualified men and women who consider their appointment as a mission in defense of America´s national interests, rather than a step to higher honor for themselves.