For
the purpose of this exercise let’s look at parts of The Washington
Post‘s 2008 endorsement of Obama. I am using the Post as an example of
what we saw so frequetly because even though the Post is a liberal
paper, its editorial position regarding foreign policy is generally
responsible. However in the Post’s enthusiasm for Obama, all caution
was disregarded and they promoted a man who did not really exist.
... in describing the paper’s expectations of Obama’s foreign policy,
the editors wrote:
But
Mr. Obama, as anyone who reads his books can tell, also has a
sophisticated understanding of the world and America’s place in it. He,
too, is committed to maintaining U.S. leadership and sticking up for
democratic values, as his recent defense of tiny Georgia makes clear.
We hope he would navigate between the amoral realism of some in his
party and the counterproductive cocksureness of the current
administration, especially in its first term. On most policies, such as
the need to go after al-Qaeda, check Iran’s nuclear ambitions and fight
HIV/AIDS abroad, he differs little from Mr. Bush or Mr. McCain. But he
promises defter diplomacy and greater commitment to allies. His team
overstates the likelihood that either of those can produce dramatically
better results, but both are certainly worth trying.
I do not see a single thing here that has been proven correct. (The
Post later expressed concern over Obama’s intent to withdraw troops
from Iraq. He did that in defiance of their concerns, but they still
endorsed him for a second term.) In particular it is hard to see that
Obama’s diplomacy has been defter or that his commitment to allies has
been better that demonstrated by President Bush.
For a comprehensive look at what the president has done wrong in
foreign policy read Abe Greenwald’s On His Watch in the January issue
of Commentary. This is a devastating critique of the multiple mistakes
the president has made contributing to even wider spread instability
over the past seven year. Greenwald correctly identifies how Obama
viewed and views himself.
(The
full deal)
