How the Economy can End Obama Presidency

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Did the Chicago Gang Fail to Read the Tea Leaves?

It is really great when the political advisors to a president seem to have control of the presidential campaign like the Obama team from Chicago.  David Axelrod and David Plouffe control the campaign and control White House policy as it impacts on the campaign.

After all the broken promises from the first campaign like energy independence and stopping Iran's nuclear program they have adopted a new strategy for the 2012 re-election and it seems like it is based on a couple of guiding principles.

Obama economic and energy principles

"What - me worry?"

"No problem..."

You see, the most under-rated economic barometers of presidential performance by the media, as I have pointed out in numerous articles over the last six years, are the oil and gas prices in America.

Media Deception?

Many people have acknowledged the mainstream media favoritism toward President Obama which is well documented by both your eyes watching and listening to the news, and independent media watchdogs.

A couple of examples are appropriate as evidence.  First, there has been a lot of recent publicity about the success Obama is having with the economy.  And second, the media has stopped reporting on Brent Crude Oil on the international commodity futures market.

Why you might ask did they drop the media attention?  It is not good news for the president. In fact the less said by the media about commodity prices the better because none of the energy news is good for the president.  It might conflict with the happy face Obama appearing the bloob tube.

Here are the facts.

When Obama took office the price of gasoline was $1.85 a gallon.  Today it is over $3.64 a gallon and projected to rise as high as $5.00 a gallon this fall.

Light crude oil has gone from $30.28 a barrel when Obama took office to over $104.00 a barrel today.

Brent Crude, the item the media has stopped reporting and conveniently minimizes the impact of Middle East events on world oil prices, has gone from $35.27 a barrel when he got elected to over $121.88 today.  It may reach $150.00 a barrel this fall according to some experts.

Whether you use Obamanomics or legitimate accounting, the price of gas and oil has spiraled up in the Obama years and more than doubled gas prices and more than tripled oil prices.

But oil may also expose another weakness for Obama, because the Brent oil price also reflects the impact of events in the European zone such as the Greece debt problems or the Iranian oil cutoff.

In other words there can be failures in foreign policy like underestimating the Iranian response to sanctions Obama advocated, that can also impact on our domestic ec0nomy by driving up oil and gas prices.

Instability in the Middle East can have a dramatic and sustained impact on world oil and gas prices here in America.  When Iran cutoff oil to France and the UK this week Brent crude shot up again.  This will greatly aggravate the European recession and reduce USA sales to Europe.

The Obama team was hoping to keep attention off these economic and foreign policy failures with their long term economic impact but you really can't manipulate the financial markets or the knowledge of the American people.  They are reminded of the truth every time they fill the gas tank.

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Who Can Stop Iran and Syria and head off Armageddon?

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Could he come from the Land of the Russian Bear?

As tensions approach the boiling point and the Mideast braces for a possible escalation of the centuries old Arab Israeli conflict, the world is running out of options to stop it.

The United States is incapable because it is firmly aligned behind Israel. The United Nations can do nothing because Russia and China blocked action by the Security Council.

Sanctions have failed to stop Iran and their President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from pursuing their nuclear capability, supposedly for peaceful purposes. At the same time Iran is rapidly developing their missile capability that could deliver nuclear weapons to Israel.

More recently 5 nuclear scientists have been assassinated in Iran, by the Israelis according to Iranian President Ahmadinejad. Several attacks have taken place since on Israeli diplomats in foreign countries by Iran, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

There is no doubt Israel has the determination and firepower to attack the facilities in Iran, they have before. But this time Iran has the ability to respond. No one knows to what extent they have acquired offensive weapons from Russia or China.

What we do know is they have the missile system in place to close down the Straight of Hormuz and thus cut off much of the world's oil supply. The result would cause chaos in the world energy market and the resulting price spike would force the world into another deep recession.

At the same time the people of Syria who have bravely waged a revolution of sorts against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad now face annihilation if a way can't be found to stop Assad from brutally murdering the opposition. Once again the United Nations and United States are helpless in preventing such a catastrophe.

Is it possible that the key to averting disaster in the Middle East, in Syria, Iran and Israel, lies in the only person who can meet with all the sides of the conflicts? That person may be no other than Russian Prime Minister and former President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin.

Now in the midst of an aggressive campaign to again become president of Russia, the election is March 4, Putin may be the only person with the ability to head off the potential disasters.

No doubt leaders from throughout the world shiver at the thought of Putin saving the world from disaster. His unorthodox life style and brash brand of leadership has left people fearful, jealous or disgusted. But he could still be the key to opening the door to resolution of the problems that have the world on the brink of war, a much more serious war than Iraq or Afghanistan.

Love him or hate him, Putin has a relationship with every nation involved in these conflicts and can demand the attention of these hardened opponents.

He has brought Russia back from collapse after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Russia is the only country with the natural resources and military power along with the close proximity to impact on the participants.

Russia has economic incentives to be a peace keeper in the Middle East.

Putin seems to rather enjoy the world stage and it has been a while since he was an actor on it.

Putin could use any such success as a springboard to a popular third term as president.

It would help make Russia a more successful host of the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi.

The combination of benefits that could come to Russia and Putin for intervening in the Middle East crisis more than offset any risk of failure. Putin would be a hero and Russia would enjoy considerable economic benefit.

At present, the Russian veto at the United Nations of any action against Syria along with his support and protection for Iran has cooled his relations with the Western World and any effort to solve these crises would put him in favorable light again.

Putin has led Russia since 1999 as President and Prime Minister. He began his career with 17 years in the KGB, then worked his way up through local politics in the St. Petersburg area.

In 1996 he was called to Moscow to oversee the transfer of Soviet Union assets to the new Russian Federation after the fall of Communism and in 1997 President Boris Yeltsin appointed him to his staff, then named him head of the new Russian Intelligence agency the FSB, successor to the KGB.

In 1999 he became prime minister and when Yeltsin unexpectedly resigned as President on December 31, 1999, Putin was named acting President of the Russian Federation. He was elected president on March 26, 2000, the culmination of his meteoric rise through the often hazardous Russian political system.

Survival is in his genes.

Once elected he is credited with bringing political stability, a decade of economic growth, territorial integrity, and a rapid rise in the living standard to the Russian people.

His passion for athletics and physical activities led to Russia becoming the Olympic host for the 2014 winter games.

Is it possible this controversial personality could become the hero the world needs to avert disaster in the Middle East, a disaster that will reverberate around the globe? You never know.

Someone please forward this to the Russian leader or embassy and maybe a miracle of sorts can happen.
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