It would appear that the Obama administration’s botched handling of Syria is the straw that broke the camel’s back. After a succession of foreign policy failures after interventions in Egypt and Libya, not to mention the abandoned failures of Iraq and Afghanistan, Syria may be all she wrote for Obama’s credibility as a Commander-and-Chief. The latest average of polls show President Obama’s job approval on foreign policy has cratered to its lowest levels, with 36.5% approving and 53.5% disapproving of President Obama’s handling of foreign policy.
| Poll | Date | Sample | Approve | Disapprove | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average of Polls | 8/28 – 9/8 | — | 36.5 | 53.5 | -17.0 |
| McClatchy/Marist | 9/7 – 9/8 | 856 RV | 38 | 54 | -16 |
| CNN/Opinion Research | 9/6 – 9/8 | 1022 A | 40 | 57 | -17 |
| FOX News | 9/6 – 9/8 | 900 RV | 39 | 54 | -15 |
| USA Today/Pew Research | 9/4 – 9/8 | 1506 A | 33 | 57 | -24 |
| The Economist/YouGov | 8/31 – 9/2 | 1000 A | 28 | 50 | -22 |
| NBC News | 8/28 – 8/29 | 700 A | 41 | 49 | -8 |
The president will attempt to sell the American people of a U.S. intervention in Syria, but public opinion is overwhelmingly against such action, with far too many Americans claiming that they simply do not trust Obama’s war-time leadership. Opposition to a U.S.-Syrian conflict has been steady, and despite John Kerry attempting to use his foreign policy credibility to sell the action, opinion is not going in their favor.
| Poll | Date | Sample | Support | Oppose | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average of Polls | 8/31 – 9/9 | — | 30.3 | 58.7 | Oppose +28.4 |
| McClatchy/Marist | 9/7 – 9/8 | 963 A | 32 | 58 | Oppose +26 |
| FOX News | 9/6 – 9/8 | 900 RV | 36 | 61 | Oppose +25 |
| Associated Press/GfK | 9/6 – 9/8 | 1007 A | 26 | 61 | Oppose +35 |
| CBS News/NY Times | 9/6 – 9/8 | 1011 A | 30 | 61 | Oppose +31 |
| CNN/Opinion Research | 9/6 – 9/8 | 1022 A | 39 | 59 | Oppose +20 |
| Reuters/Ipsos | 9/5 – 9/9 | 1450 A | 26 | 52 | Oppose +26 |
| NBC News/Wall St. Jrnl | 9/5 – 9/8 | 1000 A | 33 | 58 | Oppose +25 |
| Rasmussen Reports | 9/6 – 9/7 | 1000 LV | 27 | 59 | Oppose +32 |
| USA Today/Pew Research | 9/4 – 9/8 | 1506 A | 28 | 63 | Oppose +35 |
| ABC News/Wash Post | 9/4 – 9/8 | 1020 A | 30 | 64 | Oppose +34 |
| Gallup* | 9/3 – 9/4 | 1021 A | 36 | 51 | Oppose +15 |
| The Economist/YouGov | 8/31 – 9/2 | 1000 A | 20 | 57 | Oppose +37 |
While speaking abroad in London, Sec. of State John Kerry, spoke about the possibility that Assad would give up his stockpile of chemical weapons to avoid a U.S. strike. In a dismissing voice, Kerry said that the only way to avoid a strike would be if Assad “turned them over” to the United Nations, which he shrugged off as “not going to happen.” Diplomacy may turn out to the resolution to this close-call of a conflict, but not in a manner that makes anyone but Russian President Vladimir Putin look credible and capable.
Many Americans simply did not pay attention to Obama’s comments during the campaign season, in which he stated that he would have more “flexibility” after his last election to then-Russian head of state, Medvedev. During the campaign, Mitt Romney was chastised for stating that Russia was our number one geopolitical foe by the Obama attack team, who quipped that the 1980s called and they want their foreign policy back.
What a real shame that on-the-job training is not afforded to American presidents, because Mitt Romney was of course, correct. Unfortunately, it is too late to reverse the damage that President Obama has done to American power and credibility, all in the name of Mr. Obama saving face, a floundering and pathetic attempt at salvaging his own credibility at the expense of America’s stature on the world stage.
