Lesson for Obama: Enjoy the Good Times While They Last
By Jamelle Bouie - Nov 10th, 2008 at 2:00 pmIn today’s Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby doesn’t see the global “Obama lovefest” lasting very long:
Antagonism to the United States is as old as the United States. It didn’t begin with the current president, unpopular though he is, or in response to American military action in Iraq. Nor is it going to vanish Jan. 20.
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Popularity is nice, but it isn’t the goal of U.S. foreign policy. Great nations have great interests in the world - interests that cannot always be secured through patient negotiation or Security Council resolutions. As the foremost military power, the United States must at times be “the world’s reluctant sheriff,” using force to maintain order or defend liberty. President Obama may speak more softly than his predecessor, but he will still be carrying a very big stick. Like other presidents, he will be loudly condemned when he uses it. As George W. Bush can tell him, the abuse goes with the job.
Jacoby is missing a crucial point in his analysis: It is for the most, the content of our actions — and not merely the fact that we act — which drives anti-American sentiment. That said, I do agree with what seems to be the main thrust of Jacoby’s op-ed, which is that the “era of good feelings” towards Obama will come to an end when it become apparent that he doesn’t break completely with George W. Bush’s policies, as I wrote on my own blog last month:
On some issues — namely Pakistan, but there are others — an Obama administration’s approach will not be noticably different from the Bush administration’s. Moreover, the Bush administration dealt a tremendous amount of damage to the United State’s reputation; even with a President Obama, some countries will be skeptical — if not a little hostile — to attempts by a President Obama to assert American leadership. If Obama decides to deploy troops somewhere — which, if his rhetoric is any indication, I guarantee will happen — you can probably expect to see some resistance from allies (like Great Britain) who have been basically been taken advantage of by the Bush administration.
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