McCain Adviser "Gobsmacked" By Obama's Cabinet

Max Boot, a violently hawkish neoconservative blogger and McCain campaign staffer, professes himself surprisingly impressed by Barack Obama's staff picks:

As someone who was skeptical of Obama's moderate posturing during the campaign, I have to admit that I am gobsmacked by these appointments , most of which could just as easily have come from a President McCain. (Jim Jones is an old friend of McCain's, and McCain almost certainly would have asked Gates to stay on as well.) This all but puts an end to the 16-month timetable for withdrawal from Iraq, the unconditional summits with dictators, and other foolishness that once emanated from the Obama campaign. His appointments suggest that, if anything, his administration will have a Reapolitiker, rather than a liberal, bent, although Clinton and Steinberg at State should be powerful voices for "neo-liberalism" which is not so different in many respects from "neo-conservativism". Both, for instance, support humanitarian interventions in places like Darfur and Bosnia. ...

Only churlish partisans of both the left and the right can be unhappy with the emerging tenor of our nation's new leadership.

Michael Goldfarb, another McCain blogger, agrees. Conservative Ross Douthat predicted recently that "on an awful lot of issues, the Obama foreign policy will end cutting to the right of Bill Clinton's foreign policy, which was already more center-left than left." He also wrote that "Obama already made fans of Niall Ferguson and Eli Lake; by 2012, I wouldn't be surprised if he's converted Max Boot as well." Apparently, it didn't take nearly that long.

Comments

[111]

Wiki on Realpolitik and Power Politics -

Realpolitik (German: real “realistic”, “practical” or “actual”; and Politik “politics”) refers to politics or diplomacy based primarily on practical considerations, rather than ideological notions. The term realpolitik is often used pejoratively to imply politics that are coercive, amoral, or Machiavellian. Realpolitik is a depiction of foreign policy that should be based on considerations of power, not ideals, morals, or principles.

Henry Kissinger was a proponent of this belief ... the policy meant dealing with other powerful nations in a practical manner rather than on the basis of political doctrine or ethics—for instance, Nixon's diplomacy with the People's Republic of China, despite the U.S.'s opposition to communism and the previous doctrine of containment.

As used in the U.S., the term is often similar to power politics. Power politics is essentially a way of understanding the world of international relations: nations compete for the world's resources and it is to a nation's advantage to be manifestly able to harm others. It prioritizes national self-interest over the interest of other nations or the international community.

Techniques of power politics include, but are not limited to, conspicuous nuclear development, pre-emptive strike, blackmail, the massing of military units on a border, the imposition of tariffs or economic sanctions, bait and bleed and bloodletting, hard and soft balancing, buck passing, covert operations, and asymmetric warfare.

[Invox]

Regardless of what Boot thinks, Obama will be his own man and I don't think he's going to be a predictable left, right, center or anything else. Pragamatists never are. They do what's best, not what an ideology directs them to do.

Suddenly, we have this big bunch of right-wingers praising Obama. I wonder what they want. Right-wingers don't heap praise on Democrats for nothing.

[Maezeppa]

Max Boot is trying to find a toehold - his livelihood depends on it. When Max came to LA Times, I called them and cancelled my subscription. LAT put a professional smoothie on the phone to assure me that the loss of Sheer and the appearance of Boot was but one of many changes in the offing and that I should stick with it because I'd be pleased with the "new" format.

I said, "You don't get it. This change that has come over your paper is like my having a terrible death in the family".

[JohnPone]

Boot = T U R D

[sonoffestus]

I guess the blossom fell off the.............

[zest]

The repubs care little for the plight of the Iraqi people. They went to war for OIL and not other reason. Their war created this global economic downturn and the resulting drop in the price of OIL. Hopefully the recession proof economy of HOUSTON will now start to feel the pinch. What goes around comes around.

[JohnnyBoyyy]

Whuuut???

IF you haven't been called to the Office of The President-Elect in Chicago by now, Mr. Boot and Mr. Goldfarb, Mr. Obama must not need your input - Okies.

Your best bet would be to become a part of the solution - NOT a part of the problem.


This Is OUR Time - This Is OUR Moment.

Barack Hussein Obama II
President-Elect
United States of America

[Willow712]

He's gobsmacked because Obama is using common sense and doing his best and hiring the best? What did he think we'd all be doing after the election, wearing Castro clothes and working in the fields? Duh, that's why the Repubs are so wrong. they think we are all stupid children that they have to take care of. I suspect that he found out we are actually responsible adults. And even if Gates is kept on, that does not mean he doesn't have to do what the President wants him to do. If Obama says, "get them all out of there", that will be Gates' job. Gates is merely a suggester of how to do things. Obama has the last word.

[Jules1]

The only reason the surge worked was because of the ethnic cleansing at the same time, that is a fact, no pre-conditions? He is correct, you cannot set preconditions such as stop all that your doing or I will not talk with you, Bush tried that, look where it got us, there is a difference between pre-conditions and preparing, when will people understand that? Change yes, there will be change in how things are done and how the government is run, change does not me faces, where would Obama draw from if he hired all new people, no one would have any experience???

[Rog49Thomas]

What this all evidences is that some of these whack jobs actually believed the campaign rhetoric that Brother Neo was going undermine our imagined way of life with dangerous leftist agenda.

[tjirish44]

I read that Weekly Standard blog. I agree the "Surge" basically worked. But here is an issue regarding the surge that the GOP and the Right conveniently overlook... First one of the great things about Jon Stewart's show is the writers/editors look backward and see what so & so said in past about an issue showing their contradictions. LOOK BACKWARD here. Bush did not come up with the Surge or engagement Realist policies that the Right is now trumpeting until.... UNTIL the Republicans lost congress in 2006 elections. Votersand Democrat congress "forced" Bush to change his view point and policies on Iraq and other foreign diplomacies. If Bush had tried to stay the course after Nov 06. He would have walked right into a stone wall from congress. Hence Rumsfeld resignation and Bush's policy change's. No telling what would have happened if GOP had retained control of congress. GOP controlled congress after losing seats may have forced Bush to change. We shall never know.... But make no mistake! DEMS winning congress forced Bush from a political stance: TO CHANGE IRAQ POLICY! The fact the Democrats have failed to convey this message to mainstream is one of the Dem's one failures. It's amusing the Right overlooks this. That is why we have a Democracy. So voters can force a chage in policies.

[Grunty1]

Very good observation.

[IntExec]

Boot needs to get the boot off this site. He just doesn't get it.

[sjones66]

It's almost funny watching the Right try to co-opt the success and brilliance of a man they were accusing of being a terrorist sympathizer and Muslim (as if this were a bad thing) just a few weeks ago. A man they said who didn't "love America the way you and I do..."

And they speak of honor? Which one is it? Should they all be disqualified from office for "palling around with a terrorists sympathizer"? Revisionism, partisan attacks, southern strategy, hatred and division, no accountability, Rovian politics.....that's what the GOP stands for and that's what Americans said NO to. In an election that can only be described as a real mandate, unlike the self-named mandate of the Bush re-"election".

[maddronn]

What ever floats your boat, buddy. Maybe Obama can really reach across the aisle and bring stupid pricks into the fold.

[ebanks84]

Boot needs to boot himself in the rear and keep his mouth shut. I'm sure Obama doesn't need his views one way or the other.

[PatA]

Spare me, the wagon has pulled out from the barn and none of you people are on it! Trying to get a little face time by acting as if we care of you approve of our next Cabinet. Pfffft.

[SailFree]

One notes that conservatives and Republicans tend to decency and good manners. One can hardly imagine a significant Democrat making such complimentary remarks on McCain appointments...

[Boomerwoman]

SailFree, I just love your sarcasm...uh, it is sarcasm isn't it? That is, the idea that "conservatives and Republicans tend to decency and good manners". Very funny.
And if you are serious...uh, well, have a good Thanksgiving. This year I am thankful that we voted for a man with brains who has the ability to actually use them. And I wish John McCain and Sarah Palin a very peaceful Thanksgiving. There...now you've seen a Democrat making nice.

[goldnchyl]

'Still in that alternate reality, eh?

[Grunty1]

[Republicans tend to decency and good manners]

Then how do you explain yourself?