During the Q&A at the Truman event today, Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, asked Richard Danzig and Bill Perry what Obama’s national security strategy might look like.
During the Q&A at the Truman event today, Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, asked Richard Danzig and Bill Perry what Obama’s national security strategy might look like.
Danzig laid out three principles of the emerging Obama Doctrine:
1. The U.S. can’t do everything by itself
- The U.S. must get its allies to assume the burden militarily
- International security problems require the U.S. to use non-military assets
Anne Marie-Slaughter, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton, said at the event that this emerging doctrine should be called “Strategic Leadership.” Danzig suggested “Sustainable Security” or “Balanced Security.”
Danzig also recommended that when talking about Obama’s national security credentials this election season, Democrats should emphasize two things.
First, Obama’s character and temperament should be offered as evidence of the type of Commander-in-Chief he will be. Obama’s even-keeled disposition will allow him to stay calm during times of crisis. This stands in stark contrast to John McCain, who is known to react angrily and quickly when things don’t go his way.
Second, Danzig said Democrats should play up Obama’s desire to be surrounded by people who disagree with him. This will ensure that Obama does not fall victim to the type of groupthink that facilitated the Bush administration’s irrational push for war in Iraq. McCain has demonstrated similar tendencies. He likes to cast around for an idea and, once he finds it, he latches on, digs in, and blocks out dissenting opinions.
Finally, both Danzig and Perry noted that Obama’s national security policies have really set the tone of the debate recently. The Bush administration and the Iraqi government both have now endorsed Obama’s call for a timeline for withdrawal in Iraq. And McCain has adopted Obama’s policy of sending more troops into Afghanistan to help quell resurgent terrorist activity.
