Will Marshall* writing in Politico: Can Hillary Fix Obama's Mess?

[flpoljunkie]

Emphasis mine

*Who is Will Marshall?

Will Marshall is one of the founders of the New Democrat movement, which aims to steer the US Democratic Party toward a more centrist orientation. Since its founding in 1989, he has been president of the Progressive Policy Institute, a think tank affiliated with the Democratic Leadership Council.

He recently served on the board of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, an organization chaired by Joe Lieberman and John McCain designed to build bipartisan support for the invasion of Iraq. Marshall also signed, at the outset of the war, a letter issued by the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) expressing support for the invasion. Marshall signed a similar letter sent to President Bush put out by the Social Democrats USA on Feb. 25, 2003, just before the invasion. The SDUSA letter urged Bush to commit to "maintaining substantial U.S. military forces in Iraq for as long as may be required to ensure a stable, representative regime is in place and functioning."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Marshall

THE FRIDAY COVER
Can Hillary Fix Obama’s Mess?
By WILL MARSHALL August 14, 2014

On Barack Obama’s watch, Democrats have defined their international outlook largely in reactive and negative terms. The president has focused on fixing his predecessor’s mistakes, leaving unclear what positive role he envisions for America in the 21st century. “Don’t Do Stupid Stuff” may be sound advice for college-bound kids, but it’s not a foreign policy doctrine.

Where George W. Bush reached too quickly for the blunt instrument of military force, Obama stresses its limited utility for solving complex political problems. Bush’s “Freedom Agenda” had a utopian and triumphalist ring; Obama eschews moralizing and puts human rights and democracy on the diplomatic backburner. Bush’s unilateralism strained ties with key U.S. allies, Obama is only too happy to lead from behind and shift responsibility for solving global problems to multilateral coalitions.

And, given the economic mess he inherited, and the need to repair the domestic foundations of U.S. strength, it’s understandable that Obama has sought to limit America’s exposure to foreign conflicts.

Six years into his tenure, however, the world doesn’t seem to be cooperating with Obama’s policy of risk-averse retrenchment. Russia has reverted to its bad old ways, resurrecting a Soviet-style police state and menacing its neighbors. Europe’s inability to respond effectively has forced Obama to put America back in the business of checking Moscow’s aggression. Washington also is getting sucked back into Iraq, dashing the president’s hopes of extricating the United States from a Middle East convulsed by jihadist and sectarian violence.

much more from this neocon 'progressive...'

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/08/hillary-clinton-obama-foreign-policy-110023.html

[d_b]

1. thanks for this:

"Who is Will Marshall?

Will Marshall is one of the founders of the New Democrat..."

No need to read any further.

[flpoljunkie]

2. Absolutely a need to read further and be informed

[d_b]

3. You did inform me

He's a DLC style wet noodle wanker. No need to read more, or care about what his opinions are.

[CJCRANE]

4. I've got a horrible feeling

about all this.

[flpoljunkie]

6. I find it hard to believe Marshall would write this without running it by the Clintons

[CJCRANE]

7. That's why I've got a horrible feeling.

I had a hunch a few weeks ago that this was the way things would play out and every new tidbit just confirms that hunch.

[JaydenD]

8. Very likely it may even have been encouraged by the Clintons.

I just can't say enough times how sickened I am by them and their tactics and falsehoods.

This line bothers me very much:
And, given the economic mess he inherited, and the need to repair the domestic foundations of U.S. strength, it’s understandable that Obama has sought to limit America’s exposure to foreign conflicts.

Does he mean that if Bush didn't put the economy in the crapper that Obama would be slinging his six guns like Jr.? Am I to understand that Hillary will not seek to limit foreign conflicts. Of course, I do understand she loves to get her wars on.

[CJCRANE]

9. It's the constant neocon drumbeat complaining about "war fatigue"

and trying to persuade us to be their toy soldiers and rush off into harm's way again.

It's been more than ten years since the last war was initiated so they're eager to kick off another one.

[GeorgeGist]

5. Suckers will vote for such shit.

[karynnj]

10. He ignores the complicated realities

It is strange to say that Obama "eschews moralizing and puts human rights and democracy on the diplomatic backburner." Just this MONTH, lets look at two counter examples - the rescue of the people on the mountain - providing food and airstrikes to help them get a path to freedom AND the fact that Obama (and Kerry) were obviously motivated by the loss of life in Gaza and worked in good faith (something that Netanyahu absolutely did NOT do) for a ceasefire.

What you have here is someone still willing to use words like " utopian and triumphalist" to describe the immoral wars that Bush started. Does it matter that he did it speaking of "spreading democracy"? Not to mention - where exactly did "he spread democracy?" Neither Iraq or Afghanistan are doing all that well. Not to mention, I am completely sick of the use of "lead from behind" to describe Obama's policies.

Look at the worst trouble spots and tell me what country is leading?

- ISIL - The US is taking the lead in prodding Iraq to get its act together to make this fire. At this point, we succeeded on a humanitarian mission and have pushed Iraq to form a government WITHOUT DEFINING WHO IS IN IT. Does most of the country seriously want us doing more there? They rejected McCain's estimate of 100 years.

-Ukraine/Russia - the US led on the sanctions and though Russia annexed Crimea, it seems that Ukraine will resolve the issue with separatists.

- Israel - We tried to help with a peace deal and a ceasefire. Neither have worked and they will only work when Israel and the Palestinians both want them to. As to if Obama helped Israel, remember that he and Kerry were instrumental in eliminating a huge stockpile of chemical weapons in unstable neighboring Syria.

- Afghanistan - we are also winding that down. By the way, it likely will not be a shining star showing what the US can do - however, that was the REAL truth under Bush.

[flpoljunkie]

12. Great post. Marshall ought to read Fareed Zacharia's column in today's Wapo.

Fareed Zakaria: The fantasy of Middle Eastern moderates

By Fareed Zakaria
August 14 at 8:52 PM

Hillary Clinton was expressing what has become Washington’s new conventional wisdom when she implied, in her interview with Jeffrey Goldberg in the Atlantic, that “moderates” might have prevented the rise of the Islamic State. In fact, the United States has provided massive and sustained aid to the moderates in the region.

Remember, the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, was created in Iraq and grew out of that country’s internal dynamics. Over the past decade, the United States helped organize Iraq’s “moderates” — the Shiite-dominated government — giving them tens of billions of dollars in aid and supplying and training their army. But, it turned out, the moderates weren’t that moderate. As they became authoritarian and sectarian, Sunni opposition movements grew and jihadi opposition groups such as ISIS gained tacit or active support. This has been a familiar pattern throughout the region.

For decades, U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East has been to support “moderates.” The problem is that there are actually very few of them. The Arab world is going through a bitter, sectarian struggle that is “carrying the Islamic world back to the Dark Ages,” said Turkish President Abdullah Gul. In these circumstances, moderates either become extremists or they lose out in the brutal power struggles of the day. Look at Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Libya and the Palestinian territories.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/fareed-zakaria-the-fantasy-of-middle-eastern-moderates/2014/08/14/1e8807a8-23e6-11e4-86ca-6f03cbd15c1a_story.html?hpid=z3

[Jamaal510]

22. +1

[TwilightGardener]

11. The PNAC crowd comes roaring back, attaching itself to Hillary.

[AtomicKitten]

13. that is really scary

that's what I voted against in 2008
It reminds me of that IWR vote. It can't be forgotten or disregarded or discounted.

[TwilightGardener]

14. Yup.

[Avalux]

15. WTF WTF WTF n/t

[Jack Rabbit]

16. Will Marshall is a neo-conservative Democrat

He is as worthy of respect as Larry Summers.

[bigwillq]

17. No. She'll only make it worse, imo (nt)

[sendero]

19. I dunno...

.... but as I recall, Hillary voted for the Iraq War Resolution and Obama against it.

IMHO, Obama is now busy trying to clean up Hillary's mess.

Idiot.

[davidpdx]

20. Obama wasn't in Congress at the time

Yes, Hillary Clinton voted for it. That is one of the many reasons I won't vote for her.

[sendero]

21. Thanks for the correction...

... obviously he did not vote against it but he did speak out against it as an Illinois state senator.