Maybe the explanation for this seeming blunt self-contradiction is that Barack Obama has “evolved” on the prospect of a nuclear Iran in much the way he did on the issue of gay marriage. (Er, OK, he didn’t actually evolve on gay marriage, according to his former top adviser, David Axelrod, which could be construed as meaning that Obama lied, and we just can’t have that rumor circulating because Obama — as Axelrod can probably also attest — is as honest as the day is long.)
But I digress. A tweet by Obama dated Oct. 22, 2012 has been unearthed by a Twitter user named Matthew in which the president enlarged upon the security risks of allowing Iran to pursue its nuclear ambitions:
My, how times have changed… pic.twitter.com/sqOPkd2AX3
— Matthew (@Matthops82) March 24, 2015
Then again, in 2012 Obama had reelection on his mind. He wasn’t thinking about his legacy, which is looking kind of thin these days, with his signature legislative achievement, Obamacare, in distinct danger of having its legs kicked out from under it. He needs something to flesh out his résumé in his remaining time in office, so why not add a notch to his foreign policy credentials and make common cause with a nuclear Iran?
Whether that or something else is the explanation for this bizarre about-face, it is interesting to consider how all over the political map Obama has meandered in just six years. And to think there were skeptics who doubted that a community organizer (whatever that is) could run a world power!
