Assad Rejects Talks With Israel; Mocks Obama

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to resume peace talks with Syria without preconditions.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is willing to mediate those talks.

However, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is not interested in talking to Israel at this time.

Assad is only interested in talking if Israel hands over The Golan Heights. But if Israel were to do that then why would Syria talk to Israel? Why talk to Israel if Syria can get what it wants without going to the negotiating table? Or put another way why buy the milk when you can get the cow for free?

A peace agreement between Israel and Syria would have been a bigger coup for Sarkozy than marrying Carla Bruni. President Obama hasn't exactly been a smashing success in getting Israel and the Palestinian Authority to resume peace negotiations. Nor has he shown leadership in prosecuting the War in Afghanistan. If Sarkozy brokered such a deal other countries would look to him for world leadership before looking to Obama.

But Assad is no dummy. For Syria, if there are to be any negotiations with Israel then the U.S. has to be involved. But since the Obama Administration has been on the sidelines, Assad made a point of describing it as "the weak point" concerning peace talks.

Many on the Left decried America's place in the world during the Bush Administration. But when the leader of a hostile nation openly describes the Obama Administration as "the weak point" then what does that say about America's place in the world?

Not very much I'm afraid.