Iran and Syria mock Secretary of State Clinton; Obama yawns

In a recent post, I wrote about the diplomatic stiff-arm response the Obama administration had received from Syria after it lifted travel restrictions and nominated an ambassador to the country for the first time since 2005.  It is actually much worse than I thought.  The Guardian (UK) paints a picture of utter contempt and mockery for the United States, and more specifically, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:

Iran and Syria put on show of unity in alliance Clinton finds 'troubling'Ahmadinejad and Assad accuse the Americans of trying to dominate Middle East

The presidents of Syria and Iran put on show of unity Link to this video Iran and Syria put on a show of defiant unity today, scorning US efforts to break up their alliance and warning Israel not to risk attacking either of them.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, flew to Damascus for talks with Bashar al-Assad days after the US appointed an ambassador to Syria after a five-year gap – a move seen by some as the start of a diplomatic thaw.

"The Americans want to dominate the region but they feel Iran and Syria are preventing that," Ahmadinejad said during a press conference with Assad.

"We tell them that instead of interfering in the region's affairs to pack their things and leave. If the Zionist entity wants to repeats its past errors, its death will be inevitable."

Assad made clear that Syria would not distance itself from Iran, its ally since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. "We hope that others don't give us lessons about our region and our history," he said. "We are the ones who decide ... and we know our interests. We thank them for their advice. I find it strange how they talk about Middle East stability and at the same time talk about dividing two countries."

Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, said yesterday that the US was troubled by Syria's relationship with Iran and characterised the appointment of an ambassador as a "slight opening". Ties between Washington and Damascus were downgraded after the murder of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, in 2005 was blamed on Syria.

Al-Jazeera reported that Ahmadinejad also met Khaled Mash'al, the Damascus-based leader of the Palestinian movement Hamas, and Ramadan Shallah of Islamic Jihad, both of which are supported by Tehran. Links between Hamas and Iran have been highlighted by the killing of the Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, by an alleged Israeli hit squad in Dubai.

Two years ago the military leader of Lebanon's Hizbullah, Imad Mughniyeh, was assassinated in Damascus in an attack that was also blamed on Israel's secret service, the Mossad. It was not clear whether Ahmadinejad was also meeting Hassan Nasrallah, the Hizbullah leader.

Syria and Iran announced they were cancelling visa restrictions between their countries. "We must have understood Clinton wrong because of bad translation or our limited understanding, so we signed the agreement to cancel the visas," Assad said. (emphasis mine)

I don't think this is what President Obama envisioned when he made his inaugural address in January of 2009:

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West--know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

The U.S. has extended its hand to Syria and received the equivalent of a middle finger in response.  Call me old fashioned, but I don't think any U.S. President worth his salt would allow his Secretary of State, a former First Lady and U.S. Senator to be mocked in this way without a strong response.  It's time to roll up the welcome mat to Syria, recall the new ambassador before he gets to Damascus, reinstate the travel advisory and impose a gasoline embargo on Iran.

To delay, is to concede nuclear nation status to a regime devoted to the destruction of Israel and the United States of America.