Pompeo Slams Obama’s Middle East Policies: ‘The Age of Self-inflicted American Shame Is Over’ [Full Speech]

EXCERPT:

POMPEO: “Emboldened, the regime spread its cancer’s influence to Yemen, to Iraq, to Syria and still further into Lebanon: Our penchant, America’s penchant for wishful thinking allowed to us look the other way as Hezbollah, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Iranian regime, accumulated a massive arsenal of approximately 130,000 rockets and missiles. They stored and positioned these weapons in Lebanese towns and villages in flagrant violation of international law. That arsenal is aimed squarely at our ally, Israel. When Bashar Assad unleashed terror upon ordinary Syrians and barrel-bombed civilians with sarin gas, a true echo of Sadam Hussein’s gassing of the Kurdish people, we condemned his actions, but in our hesitation to wield power we did nothing. Our eagerness to address only Muslims and not nations ignored the rich diversity of the Middle East and frayed old bonds. It undermined the concept of the nation state, the building block of international stability. And our desire for peace at any cost led us to strike a deal with Iran, our common enemy. So, today, what did we learn from all of this? We learned that when America retreats, chaos often follows. When we neglect our friends, resentment builds. And when we partner with our enemies, they advance. The good news, the good news is this. The age of self-inflicted American shame is over. And so are the policies that produce so much needless suffering. Now comes the real new beginning.”