LA Times: Obama flirts with a doctrine

Los Angeles Times ^ | March 31, 2011 | By Doyle McManus

[Oldeconomybuyer]

Is an Obama Doctrine in foreign policy developing before our eyes?

The president and his aides wave off the idea, at least if it means seeing the U.S.-led military intervention in Libya as a one-size-fits-all model.

In a 2005 pledge that some called the Bush Doctrine, our last president also declared the United States to be on the side of democracy activists everywhere. Obama has already used more military force in a country of secondary strategic interest than Bush ever did.

Right now, Obama and his staff are too focused on winning the war in Libya to spend much time elaborating on the fine points of a grand doctrine. They know that if Moammar Kadafi is toppled in a matter of weeks, they'll look brilliant; if Kadafi hangs on, they'll look like blunderers.

But the president and his aides also see the revolution in the Arab world as the most important event of Obama's time in office — as important, perhaps, as the end of the Cold War in 1989.

They are already working on a larger policy to help it come out right, including a big international aid program — one they hope will be funded partly by Arab oil states — to help Egypt, Tunisia and other new democracies succeed.

They won't call it a "doctrine," but it will almost certainly look like one. From here on out, they say, this will be the centerpiece; this will be what Obama's foreign policy is about.

[chris37]

Imhotep Obama’s doctrine is simple.

Caliphate.

[BobP]

Led into war by a president who can't be trusted we end up helping the Brotherhood take over North Africa!

Hope and Change.... Tragic.

Barack ''Jackwagon'' Hussein: A National Embarrassment

[Steve Van Doorn]

Let me add one doctrine:
Chaos doctrine - When two Islamic factions fight keep the war balanced

I don't know if that is what he is doing though.

[Brad from Tennessee]

It's no new doctrine but the continuation of Obama’s energy policy to raise the price of a U.S. gallon of gas to $8. Had the U.S. and NATO stayed out of this fracas Benghazi would have fallen weeks ago to Qaddafi. It wouldn't have been pretty but order would have been reestablished for a while and oil prices would have stabilized. Instead the oil price keeps rising.