Indeed, for all the shifting words, Mr. Obama has left the bulk of Mr. Bush’s national security architecture intact so far. He has made no move to revise the Patriot Act or the eavesdropping program. He has ordered Guantánamo to be closed in a year but has not turned loose all the prisoners. The troop buildup in Afghanistan resembles the one Mr. Bush ordered in Iraq two years ago.Every administration chooses words wisely, which is understandable. Also understandable, is the relative pacifistic tone considering a campaign propelled by his opposition to the Iraq War. However politically understandable it is, the free pass he's been given for embracing Bush's policies is incredible. I mean, Obama's viability as a candidate was driven by the majority disapproval of Bush's policies, mostly of his foreign policy. Hope and Change resonated, because of the sentiment of hopelessness, right or wrong, was prominent in the cultural zeitgeist.
He's been relatively pragmatic so far overseas. The best decision's been not letting his "foreign policy guru" VP Biden into the mix. While Russian "button-gate" and DVD's for Gordon Brown show Obama's underlying disinterest in foreign policy, I'll take protocol gaffe's if it means maintaining a strong position abroad - regardless if it's a War on Terror or an Overseas Contingency Operations.
