Obama the Fundraiser Is an AWOL President

President Obama is on the west coast raising campaign finds for the Democratic Party and its candidates. Obama's performance rating is at a negative 55%, with only 42% approving of his performance as president. Democrats and Republicans, and many in the US media, are critical of Obama's seeming inattention to the multiple crises in the world that he could be central in solving if he were at the White House directing US diplomatic efforts. Instead, for the third time in three weeks, Obama has chosen political fundraising over bringing his unique office to bear on the world's many serious crises, which are summarized here. ~~~~~ *US Secretary of State John Kerry is in Cairo and Jerusalem, lending support to Egyptian efforts to broker a ceasefire in the latest bloody Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. At least 680 Palestinians and 35 Israelis have lost their lives so far in a confrontation that shows few signs of ending. Kerry reported progress in indirect negotiations and Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal called for a temporary truce to allow humanitarian relief into Gaza. But Meshaal said Hamas would keep fighting Israel and would not agree to a more lasting ceasefire without a full negotiation of terms : “We need the calm for a few hours to evacuate the wounded and assist in the relief. This means a real truce backed by a real relief program offered to the people of Gaza,” But, Meshaal insisted that there will be no permanent ceasefire until Israel stops the Gaza blockade and agrees to full terms. ~~~ *Fears are mounting that if the Egypt-Kerry effort fails to bring a ceasefire, other jihadist groups will join the fight against Israel, notably Hezbollah, now heavily engaged in Syria helping the al-Assad regime. Jihadist cleric al-Maqdisi is reported to have said : “True, we are fighting in Syria, but our heart yearns to arrive and fight the sons and brothers of the apes and pigs [the Jews].” The jihadist cleric said Gazans must be patient and wait for either victory or martyrdom, and that Allah will soon send “extraordinary soldiers" who will fight and defeat the Jews. ~~~ *The FAA has lifted its ban on air travel to Israel by US carriers, a ban that many Americans saw as a commercial attack on Israel and a large boost to Hamas, which now has another means of harassing Israel - the indiscriminate firing of rockets toward Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport, a criminal violation of civilian airspace that Obama has yet to criticize or condemn. ~~~ *Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and his Cabinet announced today their resignation. They will remain in place as an acting government until elections in October. Yatsenyuk said : "I announce my resignation after the collapse of the coalition and the blocking of government initiatives," Ukrainian political experts said they expected the resignation, which could not come at a worse time as Ukraine remains embroiled in a war with pro-Russia separatists trained, armed and encouraged by Russia. Obama seems to have left the Urkaine crisis off his To-Do list. ~~~ *The pro-Russia separatists shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH-17, killing 298 people, where looting continues and 100 bodies remain unaccounted for at the crash site still controlled by separatists. And just yesterday missiles fired from Russia, as reported by Ukraine, shot down two Ukraine fighter jets, bringing the total of military planes shot down by separatists to at least six. ~~~ *Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin remains determined to hold onto east Ukraine, and according to Ukraine and US military intelligence monitoring, continues to send military supplies and equipment into Ukraine, despite his statements calling for a ceasefire. ~~~ *A double car bomb exploded in a central Baghdad commercial street, killing 21 and wounding 33. Earlier in the day, Iraqi lawmakers elected veteran Kurdish politician Fouad Massoum as the nation's new president, as they struggle to form a new government amid the militant blitz that has engulfed much of northern and western Iraq, leaving Iraq in tatters. ~~~ *And there are also : Afghanistan, where a total withdrawal of US troops is increasingly seen as leading to a future Taliban or ISIL-led takeover. Syria, where the rebels remain under-supported and ISIL is in control of large areas in the rebel strongholds in the north. Iran, where nuclear disarmament talks are stalled, except for Obama's agreement to release more millions of dollars to Iran to keep them at the negotiating table. And we have not even mentioned the US crises - the border crisis and Obama's seeming decision to leave the mess to border state Governors and their National Guards, Obamacare needing serious modification if it is to survive (not my preference), the Benghazi and IRS scandals, and unemployment. ~~~~~ Dear readers, the White House says the President is always available, wherever he may be. That is just not good enough. He needs to be in Washington doing his job, because nobody else can do it for him. If he thinks that raising money will save the Democratc majority in the Senate in November, he is wrong. His political galivanting will make even more Americans turn against him, seeking stability and leadership from a GOP Congress - to fill the vacuum left by an AWOL President Obama.