In 1984, Jeane Kirkpatrick, a lifelong Democrat who Ronald Reagan appointed Ambassador to the United Nations, took to the stage at the Republican National Convention in Dallas. The Republicans and this Democrat roundly mocked the unseriousness of the Democrats who wanted to replace Ronald Reagan. Calling them “San Francisco Democrats” — the Democrats had held their convention in San Francisco — Kirkpatrick delivered many broadsides that ring true today. As she said of these San Francisco Democrats, “they always blame America first.”

The San Francisco Democrats in 1984 included the Lt. Governor Massachusetts who, that year, would be elected to the Senate — John F. Kerry. Within months of taking his Senate seat, Kerry and Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa would head to Nicaragua and help the Soviet backed Daniel Ortega. Through Kerry’s efforts, the House of Representatives scuttled funding the Western backed Contras. The Soviet Union then poured money in to help Oretega’s Sandinistas.

The San Francisco Democrats who blame America first are now in charge of our foreign policy. The outcome is as Kirkpatrick saw. The San Francisco Democrats put their head in the sand, blame America first, and foreign powers smelling weakness and unseriousness begin plotting. The San Francisco Democrats have ignored the timeless truths of Ronald Reagan’s “Bear in the Woods” ad. In their childish superiority, they think it all jingoistic nonsense.

As Kirkpatrick said at the time,

When the San Francisco Democrats treat foreign affairs as an afterthought, as they did, they behaved less like a dove or a hawk than like an ostrich – convinced it would shut out the world by hiding its head in the sand.

Today, foreign policy is central to the security, to the freedom, to the prosperity, even to the survival of the United States.

And our strength, for which we make many sacrifices, is essential to the independence and freedom of our allies and our friends.

Kirkpatrick quoted Jean Francois Revel, who wrote, “Clearly, a civilization that feels guilty for everything it is and does will lack the energy and conviction to defend itself.” Guilt is a central tenet of Obama’s foreign policy. Playing Yassar Arafat, Barack Obama speaks of American greatness at home, but tours the world apologizing for our actions. He seems to believe the world would be better off if the United States were just one of many equal nations instead of the last best hope for mankind.

He and the liberals he surrounds himself with bathe themselves in guilt over American sins. They delay their responses seeming to hope that maybe Russia, China, and other world powers will see the globalist purity of Obama’s motives. The foreign policy of the San Francisco Democrats is the foreign policy of children who believe with enough happy thoughts and pixie dust we can soar to Neverland.

Jeane Kirkpatrick concluded her speech in 1984 in a way that rings true to this day and is reflected in the wit and wisdom of Obama Administration today.

They said that saving Grenada from terror and totalitarianism was the wrong thing to do – they didn’t blame Cuba or the communists for threatening American students and murdering Grenadians – they blamed the United States instead.

But then, somehow, they always blame America first.

When our Marines, sent to Lebanon on a multinational peacekeeping mission with the consent of the United States Congress, were murdered in their sleep, the “blame America first crowd” didn’t blame the terrorists who murdered the Marines, they blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When the Soviet Union walked out of arms control negotiations, and refused even to discuss the issues, the San Francisco Democrats didn’t blame Soviet intransigence. They blamed the United States.

But then, they always blame America first.

When Marxist dictators shoot their way to power in Central America, the San Francisco Democrats don’t blame the guerrillas and their Soviet allies, they blame United States policies of 100 years ago.

But then, they always blame America first.

Vladimir Putin did not read Barack Obama’s soul. He just read Obama’s resume and knew he could take him. He knows Obama is the heir of the San Francisco Democrats and their blame America first foreign policy.