Thursday, June 04, 2009
More distractions for the President
A quick hit on today’s David Ignatius piece: Obama's Hard Choice: Settlements
“He has a rare gift for seeking the middle ground -- on race, on national security, even on abortion. But it will be hard to stay in the middle on this one. Obama will have to articulate U.S. policy more clearly and emphatically than have any of his predecessors, and he will have to demonstrate that he means what he says. To make peace, he will first have to make some enemies.”
If there is one thing we’ve learned about the governing style of this President, it is that the number one factor in any decision Barack Obama makes is the impact such a decision will have on Barack Obama. I believe he would order in the Seabees to raze every settlement if he thought that would inevitably lead to a successful Two-State Solution for him to claim ownership of. However, even the foreign policy newbies making up this group surely recognize that nothing will happen in that region until the Palestinians stop beating up on themselves. Accordingly, there is no reason for this President to press much more against Israel than he already has and take a needless political hit …although how much of a hit is, I guess, debatable.
Side Note: He gushes that the President “has a rare gift for seeking middle ground”? He thinks that’s rare among politicians? This President – like just about every politician with their eye on a future election – seeks a middle ground (however defined) when he is unable to force his position by other means. What’s rare is the number of politicians for which this trait of political survival is so fawningly described.
And what exactly does Mr. Ignatius think Mr. Obama’s so-called middle ground on abortion entails? His not pushing to make the procedure mandatory?
“He has a rare gift for seeking the middle ground -- on race, on national security, even on abortion. But it will be hard to stay in the middle on this one. Obama will have to articulate U.S. policy more clearly and emphatically than have any of his predecessors, and he will have to demonstrate that he means what he says. To make peace, he will first have to make some enemies.”
If there is one thing we’ve learned about the governing style of this President, it is that the number one factor in any decision Barack Obama makes is the impact such a decision will have on Barack Obama. I believe he would order in the Seabees to raze every settlement if he thought that would inevitably lead to a successful Two-State Solution for him to claim ownership of. However, even the foreign policy newbies making up this group surely recognize that nothing will happen in that region until the Palestinians stop beating up on themselves. Accordingly, there is no reason for this President to press much more against Israel than he already has and take a needless political hit …although how much of a hit is, I guess, debatable.
Side Note: He gushes that the President “has a rare gift for seeking middle ground”? He thinks that’s rare among politicians? This President – like just about every politician with their eye on a future election – seeks a middle ground (however defined) when he is unable to force his position by other means. What’s rare is the number of politicians for which this trait of political survival is so fawningly described.
And what exactly does Mr. Ignatius think Mr. Obama’s so-called middle ground on abortion entails? His not pushing to make the procedure mandatory?
