In his latest fireside-chat style video, former Texas governor Rick Perry weighs in on foreign policy issues and calls for stronger American leadership in the world:
There’s a lot of talk in America today about leadership, and America’s role in security on the international stage.
“As someone who believes America is the greatest force for freedom and prosperity in the world, it’s frustrating to see the president shuffle from one crisis to the next, and to hear his words ring hollow when there should be unwavering resolve.
“But let’s step back for a minute and imagine the view from the outside, imagine how the president’s weakness and fecklessness are received by both our friends and our enemies.
“Imagine the view from Tehran – as they’re trying to negotiate a nuclear agreement with the United States – when they see the leaders of the western countries scrambling to get Vladimir Putin to sign a piece of paper that he’ll completely ignore within hours.
“After seeing this administration fail to name the enemy that has viciously slaughtered innocent men, women and children for months, imagine the great confusion in the Supreme Revolutionary Council when they heard U.S. Undersecretary of State Rick Stengel say we will win this war with words by engaging Isis on Twitter, and we should fear not because Isis isn’t as powerful as Buzzfeed when it comes to social media.
“And imagine their great glee when they realized this wasn’t a parody.
“But maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by any of this when the president calls the most dangerous Islamist terrorist group on the planet the JV team.
“For our friends, the view is bleak, as they hear this president’s empty words and watch him miscalculate and underestimate time and again the absolute necessity of American leadership on the world stage.
“What does it look like from Tel Aviv when our president is more willing to negotiate with Iran than to hear the concerns of our strongest Middle Eastern ally…
“What does it look like from the streets of Paris when the President of the United States fails to show up in France after the worst terror attack in that country in decades…
“And what does it look like from the squares in Poland, where a people so recently freed from subjugation by Russia see Putin getting away with dismembering Ukraine, and wonder if this president will act to save NATO.
“They see President Obama’s actions, and perhaps just as importantly, his inaction and see confusion where there should be moral clarity. Unreliability where there should be unwavering support.
“This is not the America I know. The choice we face in 2016 is whether we can endure a future that looks like the last six years.
“Our children will not inherit an America with greater opportunity when America continues to shrink from its role in the world.
“Americans are starving for leadership that will act and solve the great challenges we face today.
“Leadership that isn’t ashamed to see America lead the world again and that stands with its allies again.
“This is the view we must tirelessly protect. This is the view the world needs to see. And this is the view
“I’ll be sharing with Americans as I continue to travel this country.”
