Subscribe to RSS
Subscribe by Email
Rice´s withdrawal: the right call for the wrong reason.
Archive for the ‘Foreign Policy’ Category
December 6th, 2012
Category: Foreign Policy
According to Aaron David Miller, who worked for six different Secretaries, success at Foggy Bottom depends on a close relationship with the President: The president must have your back. Without this, the game is over before it begins. All presidents support their secretaries of State, but not all get the support critical to success. Baker [...]
November 20th, 2012
At this writing, Middle East watchers are, well, watching to see if Israel and Hamas can reach a cease-fire. Signs are good, but pessimists are rarely disproved in the Middle East. There is little doubt that Jerusalem would like a genuine cease-fire. Even though the Israeli public strongly supports Operation Pillar of Defense, it is [...]
November 18th, 2012
Category: Foreign Policy, Israel, Permanent campaign, Republican Party, Uncategorized, Watching Conservatives
For the last 20 years, the Right has worked hard to convert support for Israel from an area of bipartisan consensus into a topic for Republicans to beat Democrats with. Even Washington’s most tepid disagreement with the Israeli government will be lept upon by right-wingers as an indication that the US is selling out the Jewish [...]
October 23rd, 2012
In repeatedly talking about “nation building here at home,” Obama tapped into the one feeling ardently held by American voters that is unmentionable in polite company: moderate isolationism.
September 18th, 2012
Perhaps the most outrageous part of Romney’s deservedly-infamous speech to the $50,000-a-plate dinner was his assertion that he inherited nothing from his upbringing. After all, he was only the son of the CEO of American Motors and then the Governor of Michigan, who went to one of the country’s best prep schools and then to [...]
July 26th, 2012
Category: Campaign 2012, Defense and national security, Foreign Policy, Mitt Romney, Republican Party
In the last three days, Mitt Romney and his campaign have: 1) At best lied about and at worst divulged confidential conversations with the Australian foreign minister; 2) Been unable to distinguish “Russia” from “the Soviet Union”; 3) Used crude racial/ethnic stereotyping that even the Torygraph thinks is over-the-top; and now 4) Insulted Great Britain [...]
July 23rd, 2012
Mitt Romney says that the Australian foreign minister told him that America is in decline and wants Romney policies to bring it back. A few hours later, the Australian foreign ministry states that Romney’s account is “not correct.” In other words, about to head on a foreign trip, Romney has managed to get into a [...]