by Stephen Lendman

Obama long ago lost credibility. Nothing he says can be believed. He lies, deceives and misinforms.

His political career reflects it. He can't be trusted.

On August 28, he held a short press conference. He did so ahead of America's Labor Day weekend.

He began with a statement before taking questions. It's painful listening to his dissembling.

His comments exclude telling Americans what they most need to know. Willful deception substitutes.

His agenda excludes good faith. His public posturing reflects it. His war against American workers went unexplained ahead of the day commemorating their struggles.

His support for corporate America facilitates permanent job losses, lower wages, fewer benefits, gutted work rules, less health and safety protection, and forfeited security through lost benefits and pensions.

Obama: "As commander-in-chief, I will always to what is necessary to protect the American people and defend against evolving threats to our homeland."

Fact Check: He's beholden solely to monied interests. His policies harm most people at home and abroad. America's only threats are ones it invents.

Obama: "Because of our strikes, the terrorists of ISIL (the Islamic State - IS) are losing arms and equipment. In some areas, Iraqi government and Kurdish forces have begun to push them back."

IS "poses an immediate threat to the people of Iraq and to people throughout the region."

"And that"s why our military action in Iraq has to be part of a broader, comprehensive strategy to protect our people and to support our partners who are taking the fight to ISIL."

"And that starts with Iraq’s leaders building on the progress that they've made so far and forming an inclusive government that will unite their country and strengthen their security forces to confront ISIL.

Fact check: America created IS. It serves both as enemy and ally.

CIA operatives and US special forces train and direct their fighters.

Washington's enemy in Iraq is its ally in Syria.

Bombing IL has nothing to do with humanitarian intervention, protecting Americans, supporting our partners, and uniting Iraq under inclusive governance.

It has everything with serving the interests of Big Oil. It's about achieving unchallenged regional dominance.

It's about making the world safe for war profiteers. It's about stoking fear. It's needed to enlist popular support for more war.

It's about ravaging one nation after another. It's about assuring pro-Western subservient governance.

It's about plundering nations for profit. It's about imperial's dark side. It's about creating a world unfit to live in.

Obama: "…Russia is responsible for the violence in eastern Ukraine."

"The violence is encouraged by Russia. The separatists are trained by Russia."

:They are armed by Russia. They are funded by Russia."

"Russia has deliberately and repeatedly violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

"And the new images of Russian forces inside Ukraine make that plain for the world to see."

"This comes as Ukrainian forces are making progress against the separatists."

Fact check: Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.

It ousted a democratic government. It replaced it with neo-Nazi infested fascists. It did so lawlessly.

Since conflict erupted last November, Russia went all-out for peaceful conflict resolution.

Washington consistently and repeatedly sabotages its best faith efforts.

Russia didn't invade Ukraine. Its military forces don't operate in its territory.

They haven't compromised its sovereign independence. So-called images of heavily armed Russian hoards inside Ukraine don't exist.

Obama: At next week's NATO summit in Britain, "we'll focus on the additional steps we can take to ensure the Alliance remains prepared for any challenge."

"Our meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission will be another opportunity for our alliance to continue our partnership with Ukraine."

"And I look forward to reaffirming the unwavering commitment of the United States to Ukraine and its people when I welcome President Poroshenko to the White House next month.

Fact check: US-led NATO's only "challenge(s)" are ones it creates.

Ukraine is America's newest colony. Obama wants it used as a dagger pointed at Russia's heartland.

He wants it part of NATO. He wants US bases on its territory. He wants Russia's sovereignty challenged.

He wants it weakened and destroyed. He wants pro-Western stooge governance replacing it.

Putin is considered public enemy No. 1 for championing multi-world polarity, scorning imperial's dark side, and protecting Russia's sovereign independence.

It bears repeating. Obama solely serves monied interests. He doesn't give a damn about popular ones at home or abroad.

Obama: "Our focus (in Iraq) is to protect American personnel on the ground," provide humanitarian aid where needed, "do an effective assessment of Iraqi and Kurdsish capabilities," and "mak(e) sure that (IS) is not overrunning Iraq."

Fact check: As explained above, US interests are polar opposite ones Obama claimed.

Obama: "(V)iolence…in Syria has obviously given (IS) a safe haven there" in parts of the country. "(T)o degrade (IS) over the long term, we're going to have to build a regional strategy. (W)e're not going to do that alone."

"We're going to have to do that with other partners, and particularly Sunni partners, because part of the goal here is to make sure that Sunnis both in Syria and in Iraq feel as if they’ve got an investment in a government that actually functions, a government that can protect them, a government that makes sure that their families are safe from the barbaric acts that we’ve seen" by IS.

"And right now, those structures are not in place. And that's why…Syria is not simply a military issue."

It's a "political" one. It "involves all the Sunni states in the region and (their) leadership recognizing that this cancer (must be) defeat(ed)."

IS "has come to represent the very worst elements in the region that we have to deal with collectively."

Expect a "long-term project." It involves "stabiliz(ing) Syria" through "moderate" Sunni governance.

It involves regime change. "…Assad has lost legitimacy (by) killing tens of thousands of people."

"We will continue to support a moderate opposition inside of Syria, in part because we have to give people inside of Syria a choice other than ISIL or Assad."

Asked if he needs congressional approval to confront Syria, Obama said as "Commander-in-Chief, I have the authority to engage in the acts that we are conducting."

"We don't have a strategy yet. "(T)here is no point in me asking for action (by) Congress before I know exactly (what will) be required…to get the job done."

Fact check: Obama uses IL fighters against Syrian ones. They're imported from dozens of countries.

CIA and US special forces arm, train and direct them. Obama's "partners" are rogue NATO ones, Israel, and extremist regional states.

Obama considers Syria's sovereign independence a "cancer." It's important to defeat, he stresses.

Its "worst elements" include opposition to Washington's imperial project. Assad is wrongfully blamed for America's crimes.

He's vilified for defending his nation's sovereignty. He's overwhelmingly popular.

In june, he was reelected president by a nearly 89% majority. It was through a democratic process independently judged open, free and fair.

International law prohibits nations from interfering in the internal affairs of others. America does it repeatedly.

It does it extrajudicially. It does it through heavy-handed pressure, threats, coups, assassinations and war when other methods fail.

People everywhere deserve better. Washington wants them denied free choice. Obama is the latest in a long line of rogue US leaders.

He wants Western interests replacing Syrian sovereign rights. He claims unilateral authority to do it.

Obama: "I consider (current) actions (in Ukraine) a continuation of what's been taking place for months now."

"(T)here is no doubt that this is not a homegrown, indigenous uprising in eastern Ukraine."

"The separatists are backed, trained, armed, financed by Russia."

"Throughout this process, we've seen deep Russian involvement in everything that they’ve done."

"…Putin and Russia have repeatedly passed by potential off-ramps to resolve this diplomatically."

"(W)e will take additional steps primarily because we have not seen any meaningful action on the part of Russia to actually try to resolve this in diplomatic fashion."

"And I think that the sanctions that we've already applied have been effective." Obama wants tougher ones imposed.

He's "encouraged by the degree to which our European partners recognize even though they are bearing a cost in implementing these sanctions, they understand that a broader principle is at stake."

Fact check: It bears repeating. Washington bears full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions.

It's dirty hands orchestrate events on the ground. They manipulate them. They harm ordinary Ukrainians.

They create regional instability. They risk belligerent confrontation with Russia.

Moscow has nothing to do with ongoing conflict. Washington supports and encourages it.

Its European partners are pressured to going along against their own interests. Russia wants things resolved diplomatically. It's gone all-out to restore peace and stability.

Obama: "We are not taking military action to solve the Ukrainian problem."

Fact check: US-led NATO forces increasingly encroach closer to Russia's borders. Washington wants US bases encircling it.

Doing so is hugely provocative. Imagine Washington's reaction if Moscow planned deploying its forces along America's northern and/or southern borders.

Imagine if its warships patrolled its east, west, and Mexican Gulf waters. Imagine if its warplanes patrolled close to its airspace.

Imagine potential war erupting. Imagine it following provocative US-led NATO plans.

Claiming a Russian threat doesn't wash. None whatever exists. Moscow prioritizes peaceful co-existence.

America is obsessed with empire building. Advancing it matters most.

Confronting Russia is irresponsible. Doing it belligerently is madness. Don't expect Obama to explain.

-###-

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs.

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour