People believe there are marked differences between George W. Bush and Barack Hussein Obama. One's black, the other white. One's liberal, the other conservative. One's loved, the other vilified.
But historians will see it differently, at least when it comes to foreign policy and national security. They will see the glaring similarities between the two men. After promising to abolish all of the "power grabs" of his predecessor, Obama has abolished few of them and in fact as extended many, like the FISA law and created new ones like banning assembly at government buildings. On the foreign policy front, some have noted that there are 100 ways Obama is like Bush.
Whether Obama broke promises or not is at times debatable. What is without question is the fact that Presidential policy and the U.S. Global Initiative changed on September 11, 2001 and so our world agenda had to change.
Obama supporters say that this is because Bush created a new brand of foreign policy that effectively bound the new President (and future Presidents) to his political will.
Obama detractors say the President is at best weak and at worst, the leader of Bush's third and fourth term.
Still, no progressive is happy with the situation and the conservatives pretend to be mad but notice that they are not angry about any of the wars, military actions or other aggressive moves by President Obama.
The President's second term goals have been stated. They include gun control, gay rights, immigration and the continuation of the aforementioned global policy.
So, if you're waiting on a big change, then you'd better start thinking about 2016. And how creepy will that picture look when Hilary Clinton's face is morphed in.
© 2013
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