He's No Roosevelt

            It is often said that history repeats itself. If this old saw is true, we should search the past for the wisdom necessary to deal with perilous times such as these.

            I have long been an admirer of Winston Churchill, who led the British effort to resist and eventually to defeat Hitler. One of his greatest achievements was to persuade Franklin
Delano Roosevelt to join him in that effort. It is not an exaggeration to say that these two men saved the world.
            A study of the cooperation between these two giants to defeat Nazism can provide useful lessons for us today. The circumstances parallel those of today in a striking yet alarming way.
            In 1940 Britain stood alone among Western European powers against a Germany that had swept all military resistance off the map. In fact, Britain faced imminent invasion itself. But Hitler chose to invade Russia instead. This gave Churchill the time he needed to look to America for the arms and supplies he needed to build up Britain's defenses. FDR found a way to do it, first with the Lend-Lease program and then with a full conversion of America's manufacturing might to the production of weapons of war. Together, Churchill and Roosevelt prevailed.
            Today, Israel is surrounded by Islamists who seek its annihilation. It desperately needs the backing of the United States to fend off Iran and the fanatic Islamists rising to power on all sides. But can Israel count on us?  
            It is clear to me that President Obama, unlike Roosevelt, is not willing to give Israel America's full support. Should regional conflicts erupt into all-out war, I doubt that Obama will deploy America's arsenal in defense of Israel. The signs are all there.
            In the four years of his presidency, Obama has cultivated a friendship with Islam, but not with Israel. He traveled extensively throughout the Middle East on his apology tour during which he praised Islam, signaled his support for Muslim causes, and bowed to the Saudi king. But, during his entire presidency he has not visited Israel,  his number one ally. Not even once. Further, every meeting with Premier Netanyahu had been contentious and frosty, to say the least. When Netanyahu requested a face to face meeting with Obama when he came to the United Nations in late September, Obama told him he was too busy. Not too busy, of course, for fundraisers and for appearances on David Letterman and The View. This has not escaped the notice of Islamists.           
            If anything, Obama's policies of leading from behind in Libya and non-intervention in Syria have emboldened jihadists and America haters everywhere, as we have seen on the anniversary of 9/11. Our enemies know they have nothing to fear from a weak America. Meanwhile, this administration if falling all over itself to apologize for hurting Islam's feelings. As the caskets of four dead Americans slain in Benghazi are laid to rest, and American flags are being burned across the Muslim world, Obama minimizes these events as "bumps in the road."
            How will our Islam-loving president characterize Iranian missiles raining down on Tel Aviv? More "bumps in the road"?
            A beleaguered Netanyahu may remind us of Churchill. But as Muslims around the world desecrate our flag, stone our embassies, and kill our representatives,  President Obama's weakness and lack of resolve tell us that he most certainly is no Roosevelt.