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December 16, 2009
Exclusive: In Matters of Foreign Policy, Actions Speak Louder than Words
Presidential Policy: Does It Make the Grade?, James Jay Carafano, PhD
It’s hard to argue anything but that the President’s acceptance speech in Oslo topped foreign policy and national security news last week. His remarks proved surprising. They included an eloquent defense of the right of nations to defend themselves. That said, he bent over backwards in his speech to add comments to please the right and the left. In an analysis of his remarks, Heritage scholar Helle Dale noted, “On the one hand, he also correctly reminded the audience of the importance of the United States security umbrella that made post-World War II global prosperity and stability possible. (He could not resist the obligatory reference to American mistakes, though.) On the other hand, he apparently credited the post-World War II institutions like the United Nations with keeping World War III from breaking out in Europe.” Nevertheless, Obama won over more than a few pundits on the right, including Robert Kagan, who found much to admire.
Still, while it was generally a fine speech…it was just a speech, and America’s enemies will judge the president more by his actions than his rhetoric. The president has certainly stopped many right-wing critics in their tracks with his decision to not throw in the towel in Afghanistan and an oft times eloquent defense of the right of self-defense in his Nobel Prize speech. Perhaps, they opine "we are seeing a maturing president, maybe we have reached a turning point, maybe there is a little bit of realism in all of us?" We'll see.
Let's see what happens:
1) if things go bad in Afghanistan, what will the president do?
2) if the White House backs an "amnesty" bill that puts the immigration issue back on the front pages;
3) if they push healthcare and cap and trade bills and get them passed; regardless of how bad they are, who was thrown under the bus, or what deals were cut to get them through;
4) if the president signs a son of START treaty that compromises American security.
Let's see if America's enemies fear the backbone trumpeted in the Oslo speech or take their signals from unending stream of failed compromises and negotiations that characterized the first year of Obama administration diplomacy. Like the famous assessment of the "French Revolution" at the Paris Peace talks during the Vietnam War (what's the impact of the revolution? too soon to tell.), it is too soon to say "here is the real Mr. President." 2010 will likely tell us much more about who leads America. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, the president continued his pattern of neglecting national security news on the home front. The arrest of five Americans in Pakistan once again highlights the fact that we cannot neglect extremism on the home front. Yet, the White House has done little to press the case for reauthorizing the authorities in the Patriot Act that are due to expire this year. Heritage Homeland Security expert Jena McNeill wrote back in October how vital it was for Congress to act. Now, the clock is ticking loudly and the President and Congress have still failed to act.
So, last week the president gets an “A” for rhetoric, but no “A” for action.
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., is a leading expert in defense affaires, intelligence, military operations and strategy, and homeland security at the Heritage Foundation
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