"Change We Can Count On" is turning out to be just an empty slogan.
As noted in this column on November 9, Barack Obama’s first two presidential acts were not encouraging for those who believed him during the campaign when he said his administration would bring “Change We Can Believe In”. The appointment of Democratic neocons, Joe Biden as vice-president and Rahm Emanuel as chief of staff raised serious questions as to Obama’s commitment to “change” U.S. foreign policy. But, even this writer was willing to give the president-elect the benefit of the doubt until such time as he made more appointments. Well, that time has come. Obama has made three more foreign policy appointments. Each of those appointments indicates no change in direction, but a continuance of failed past policies.…
Article comments
26 - handyguy
the hapless floundering democrats, as weak-kneed and spineless a bunch of dorks as one has ever seen
Are you really referring to the Obama administration with this hyperbolic bit of hyperventilating?
Please don't get Dave started again on the neocons being Democrats.
The relevant facts are that they were ex-Democrats - they became Republicans. And that was back in the 80s and 90s for the most part, so find some other, more accurate term to use now.
The neocon worldview is in such disrepute currently that it is unlikely to be revived any time soon. Wolfowitz, Cheney, Rumsfeld are not running foreign policy any more. And Obama specifically and in vehement terms disagrees with them.
He [and Eric Holder, whom Dave wrongheadedly insists on attacking] have vowed to close Guantanamo, to end torture, to end warrantless wiretapping. Moderate Republicans such as Gates agree with these policies, as of course does Hillary Clinton.
I am beginning to think that one reliable indicator of Obama's making sound decisions is going to be the level of attack from the knee-jerk, loudmouth loon left.
Just like their counterparts among Christian conservatives, lefty pressure groups are never satisfied and always whining. Let 'em whine.
Obama's centrist foreign policy team has been quite brilliantly chosen. Get over yourselves.
27 - Brunelleschi
Obama has no options other than being centrist and pragmatic about foreign policy. He's going to be president, not the emperor.
The foreign policy machinery is too big and too entrenched for a revolution, and it's not on Obama's radar, for obvious reasons.
All of the wars the US is in and gets into are due to entrenched private interests, one way or the other, and this system is way too big for one president to just change. How we do foreign policy is built into how America works and thinks. You can't force a change on that, you can only change a few priorities, speak differently, look and act differently.
Obama will be more an international image upgrade than one of substance.
The US won't pull put of Iraq until the oil law is passed (it was never going to be any other way), and you will see more troops go to Afghanistan before you see less.
Obama's lefty fans are going to have to lower expectations, and at least be satisfied that we don't have a nutjob planning even more oil wars right now.
28 - El Bicho
"assessing whether your comments hold up or make sense before throwing them out there?"
Ah, now I see why the Irony alarm went off.
29 - All For Zion!
The circle of life, as it pertains to politics in the United States and American foreign policy:
- The Jew-controlled media defames and destroys all political candidates who are not completely owned by AIPAC.
- The AIPAC puppets we laughably call our "political leadership" sends billions of American tax dollars to Israel every year.
- The Zionist Jews in Israel use the American welfare payments to purchase weapons with which they slaughter Arab Muslim children.
- Our "political leaders" veto all UN resolutions critical of Israel.
- Muslims understandably view the United States as a puppet of the Zionist entity, and therefore hate us.
- A few outraged anti-American Muslims commit a terrorist attack against Americans somewhere in the world.
- The Jew-controlled media conducts endless interviews with Israeli politicians who erroneously conflate Israel's situation with America's.
- The American sheeple demand that we defend our "ally" Israel to the last goy service-man and service-woman.
- All who disagree are denounced as "Nazis" and "anti-Semites" by media elites who hold dual American-Israeli citizenship.
- Wash, rinse, repeat.