Tuesday, June 30, 2009

The Post-American Presidency

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Judging a new American President's national security policies after six months in office is a perilous enterprise, especially in the case of Barack Obama, where constant incantations of "change" and serial criticisms of his predecessor are the order of the day.

Nonetheless, during the 2008 primaries, Democratic candidates fiercely debated their respective abilities to handle the "3am call," and Joe Biden later warned that the inexperienced Illinois Senator would be "tested" early in his tenure. Now there is a partial record, and, more importantly, a worldview on which we can grade Obama's performance.

Obama is the first post-American President. Central to his worldview is rejecting American exceptionalism and the consequences that flow therefrom.

Since an overwhelming majority of the world's population would welcome the demise of American exceptionalism, they are delighted with Obama.

One student interviewed after an Obama town hall meeting during his first presidential trip to Europe said ecstatically,

"He sounds like a European."

Indeed he does... [snip]

Obama is daily acting out his worldview, and the prospect of more of the same should be deeply troubling to Americans and America's global allies.

Obama simply does not see America's strength as a particular asset, or its causes and interests as more than many other causes and interests competing in the world out there somewhere between Albania and Zimbabwe.

Long after global Obamamania has worn off, the geostrategic consequences of this insouciance will be sorely felt...

[Long, Bolton, Highly Recommended > ]

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