Originally Posted by Villages Kahuna;210962[B

]Lordy, I hate to return to using George W. Bush as an example. But you're the one who chose to contrast him with President Obama.
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If you'll recall during Bush 43's initial campaign, his almost complete absence of knowledge of foreign policy was repeatedly exposed. His problem was so great that his father, Bush 41, lined up a series of foreign policy experts to conduct private tutoring sessions for him. The history written of the time describes the fact that Dubya seldom sought the counsel of any of the experts his Dad lined up for him with the exception of one--Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the ambassador from Saudi Arabia--with whom he was particularly friendly. So George W.'s foreign policy, particularly as regards the Middle East, tended to reflect the feelings and desires of the Saudi royal family. In addition, Bush 43 was known to reject the inclusion of any people experienced in foreign policy in his administration. He particularly rejected the idea of seeking the counsel of any from academia, who might have spent their lives studying foreign policy, history and foreign cultures.

Understanding Bush's experience, rejection of the idea of understanding various points of view, and a "snap judgement" decision-making style pretty fully explains why our foreign relations sank to such a low point during the terms of the last administration.

No, I think you're 180-degrees off, DK. President Obama didn't begin with any more experience than George w. Bush. But he has consistently sought out the advice and recommendations of a wide range of people experienced and expert in foreign policy. He is known for thoughtfully considering such input before making foreign policy decisions, or any other kind of decision. People may not always agree with the foreign policies he chooses, but for sure they are well-researched and thought out. I believe we're going to see a vast improvement in our relationships with other sovereign nations during the Obama administration. More importantly, I think we'll begin to see that we will begin to achieve many of our national objectives as the result of improved foreign realtions--which after all is the objective of foreign policy in the first place.