2016 Postmortem
Related: About this forumFareed Zakara: Obama’s leadership is right for today
By Fareed Zakaria, Published: May 29
Because of his unsure and indecisive leadership in the field of foreign policy, questions are being raised on all sides, the writer declared, adding that the administration was plagued by a Hamlet-like psychosis which seems to paralyze it every time decisive action is required. Is the writer one of the many recent critics of Barack Obamas foreign policy? Actually, its Richard Nixon, writing in 1961 about President John F. Kennedy. Criticizing presidents for weakness is a standard practice in Washington because the world is a messy place and, when bad things happen, Washington can be blamed for them. But to determine what the United States and Obama should be doing, we have to first understand the nature of the world and the dangers within it.
The administration has fought al-Qaeda and its allies ferociously. But it has been disciplined about the use of force, and understandably so. An America that exaggerates threats, overreacts to problems and intervenes unilaterally would produce the very damage to its credibility that people are worried about. After all, just six years ago, the United States closest allies were distancing themselves from Washington because it was seen as aggressive, expansionist and militaristic. Iran was popular in the Middle East in 2006 because it was seen as standing up to an imperialist America that had invaded and occupied an Arab country. And nothing damaged U.S. credibility in the Cold War more than Vietnam.
Obama is battling a knee-jerk sentiment in Washington in which the only kind of international leadership that means anything is the use of military force. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail, he said in his speech Wednesday at West Point. A similar sentiment was expressed in the farewell address of President Dwight D. Eisenhower, a strong leader who refused to intervene in the Suez crisis, the French collapse in Vietnam, two Taiwan Strait confrontations and the Hungarian uprising of 1956. At the time, many critics blasted the president for his passivity and wished that he would be more interventionist. A Democratic Advisory Council committee headed by Acheson called Eisenhowers foreign policy weak, vacillating, and tardy. But Eisenhower kept his powder dry, confident that force was not the only way to show strength. Ill tell you what leadership is, he told his speechwriter. Its persuasion and conciliation and education and patience . Its long, slow, tough work. Thats the only kind of leadership I know or believe in or will practice.
Maybe thats the Obama Doctrine.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-obamas-disciplined-leadership-is-right-for-today/2014/05/29/7b4eb460-e76d-11e3-afc6-a1dd9407abcf_story.html
Cosmocat
(14,573 posts)He is thoughtful, measured and sharp as a tack.
And 100 times tougher than anyone gives him credit for.
Somalian Pirates have Americans hostage, he give the order to have them killed and is rolling eggs on the white house lawn while they get bullets in their mellons.
They THINK they know where OBL is, he gives the DARN RIGHT order to have special forces go in and get him while many in the inner circle are scared of their shadows on it, and he goes to the press correspondents dinner while it is about to happen and never bats an eye.
They get OBL and he makes a simple, under stated statement about it.
Darn crying shame the republicans control the media and have such incredible partisan hatred for any democrat and the country is dull enough to either buy whole sale their bullshit or just give up paying attention because they are so boorish.
This is a really good president, and sadly half wit Ronny is the modern embodiment of jesus himself and this great man is and will be marginalized.