The Barack Obama Story (Updated)

President Barack Obama The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20500 Dear President Obama, Nothing you don’t know, but let me just say it: the world’s a weird place. In my younger years, I might have said “crazy,” but that was back when I thought being crazy was a cool thing and only … Continue reading “The Barack Obama Story (Updated)”

Forget Benghazi and Focus on What Matters

For weeks and months, the foreign policy debate in the United States has focused on the non-issue of whether the Obama administration played politics with the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Although the more important issue should be how to improve the security of diplomatic facilities in Libya, Republican and media focus … Continue reading “Forget Benghazi and Focus on What Matters”

Obama as Wilson:
Playing the Historical Analogy Game

A drone war that takes out old ladies in the name of “fighting terrorism” — a “regime change” campaign that plays with the fate of millions — a President supposedly committed to “transparency” who has topped the unprecedented secrecy and authoritarianism of his predecessor — a foreign policy that subsidizes and blindly supports a racist … Continue reading “Obama as Wilson:
Playing the Historical Analogy Game”

Educating the President

It is interesting to note that while Americans elect a president based on their perception of what he will do to create jobs and lower taxes, the issues that seem to rise to the surface and demand attention are frequently related to foreign affairs. Witness how in the aftermath of the election there has been … Continue reading “Educating the President”

Obama’s First-Term Track Record on Civil Liberties

“I was a constitutional law professor, which means, unlike the current president, I actually respect the Constitution.” – Barack Obama, March 2007 Four years after Barack Obama was elected on a platform of “change you can believe in,” he’s now promising America that the “best is yet to come.” However, on almost every front — … Continue reading “Obama’s First-Term Track Record on Civil Liberties”

Kill Lists Will Continue

Outside of websites such as Antiwar.com, there has been remarkably little commentary over the issue of the White House–managed kill lists, which played no part in the election but will nevertheless continue to be a keystone of security policy in the new administration in Washington. Details on how the lists were developed and maintained surfaced … Continue reading “Kill Lists Will Continue”

The Bombs-Away Election

Many Americans are rightly disgusted by the non-choice they are offered in the presidential race every four years. This year is no different despite the serious problems that the United States faces at home and abroad. Mitt Romney has no actual plan to fix the economy, and the record of President Barack Obama over the … Continue reading “The Bombs-Away Election”

The Foreign Policy Debate: Coke or Pepsi?

Monday’s presidential debate on foreign policy, as one might have expected, supplied more than its share of howlers. Mittens, for example, referred to Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez as one of the “world’s worst actors.” In response to an early Obama administration statement to the effect that “the United States has dictated,” Romney said: “The United States … Continue reading “The Foreign Policy Debate: Coke or Pepsi?”

Debate Summary: Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel

One striking impression of this debate was that out of some 17,000 words uttered by both candidates and the moderator, about half of them were about domestic policy. Neither candidate wanted to talk about foreign policy — because the differences between them are negligible. Out of this half, about 1500 words were devoted to the … Continue reading “Debate Summary: Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel”

Romney’s ‘Me Too’ Foreign Policy Debate

The much awaited foreign policy debate Monday night probably did nothing to create a clear contrast between President Barack Obama and his challenger Mitt Romney. It did, however, confirm that neither candidate offers much of a foreign policy vision moving into the November election. Furthermore, it proved that Romney’s “Grand Strategy” is nothing more than … Continue reading “Romney’s ‘Me Too’ Foreign Policy Debate”