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| Obama offers resolve and a strategy — within limits | Obama offers resolve and a strategy — within limits |
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| During his time on the national stage, President Obama has spoken against war and in favor of war, but rarely has he faced as complex a challenge as he did Wednesday night in putting the country on a new and risky path to intensified conflict in the Middle East. | During his time on the national stage, President Obama has spoken against war and in favor of war, but rarely has he faced as complex a challenge as he did Wednesday night in putting the country on a new and risky path to intensified conflict in the Middle East. |
| This was not a moment in which Obama’s principal task was to rally a reluctant country behind some kind of military action against Islamic State terrorists. Fresh public opinion polls this week showed both universal public alarm over the threat posed by the militants and a sharp spike in support for precisely what the president outlined: continued U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and an expansion of those strikes into Syria. | This was not a moment in which Obama’s principal task was to rally a reluctant country behind some kind of military action against Islamic State terrorists. Fresh public opinion polls this week showed both universal public alarm over the threat posed by the militants and a sharp spike in support for precisely what the president outlined: continued U.S. airstrikes in Iraq and an expansion of those strikes into Syria. |
| But if the public had reached a conclusion that military action is needed, those same polls also revealed the depth of the doubts many Americans have about the commander in chief and his leadership. At a time of chaos and violence in the Middle East and turbulence in other parts of the world, the president’s to-do list Wednesday night no doubt included putting those doubts to rest as much as possible. | But if the public had reached a conclusion that military action is needed, those same polls also revealed the depth of the doubts many Americans have about the commander in chief and his leadership. At a time of chaos and violence in the Middle East and turbulence in other parts of the world, the president’s to-do list Wednesday night no doubt included putting those doubts to rest as much as possible. |
| It was just two weeks ago that Obama uttered the lines, “We don’t have a strategy yet” to deal with the Islamic State, just as Americans were recoiling over the gruesome Islamic State video showing the beheading of American journalist James Foley. Days later came another video of a second American journalist, Steven Sotloff, being executed in the same horrific way. | |
| The president used a rare prime-time speech to try to reassure his critics and doubters that neither he nor his advisers underestimate the threat posed by the Islamic State and that they have an answer. He outlined a four-part strategy and said, “Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy.” | |
| But that strategy comes not only with resolve but with boundaries. Americans may want retaliation and a plan to destroy the Islamic State, but they have a distinctly limited appetite for a new and potentially prolonged engagement in a region of tangled alliances and potential quagmires. The new polling shows that there is as much opposition to U.S. ground forces going back into the Middle East in large numbers as there is support for strikes from the air. | |
| Obama also had to reassure the country that he understands those limits. He said the United States would lead a broad coalition to deal with the Islamic State. He pledged that this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He described his policy as a counterterrorism strategy, not the start of a new Middle East war. He said others would shoulder the responsibility for fighting on the ground but said the United States would partner with those forces. | |
| Obama also sought to emphasize that the United States will not go it alone. “American power can make a decisive difference,” he said, “but we cannot do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing their region.” At the same time, he described America as indispensable to bringing stability and security to the world’s most troubled spots. | Obama also sought to emphasize that the United States will not go it alone. “American power can make a decisive difference,” he said, “but we cannot do for Iraqis what they must do for themselves, nor can we take the place of Arab partners in securing their region.” At the same time, he described America as indispensable to bringing stability and security to the world’s most troubled spots. |
| In emphasizing America’s role, Obama drifted toward the end of his speech away from the topic of the moment to a broader description of a country that demonstrated resilience after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and has rebounded from the terrible economic shocks of 2008. It seemed like something of a digression at a time when Americans express growing concerns about the world around them and aren’t as convinced as some economic indicators that the economy is generally good. | In emphasizing America’s role, Obama drifted toward the end of his speech away from the topic of the moment to a broader description of a country that demonstrated resilience after the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and has rebounded from the terrible economic shocks of 2008. It seemed like something of a digression at a time when Americans express growing concerns about the world around them and aren’t as convinced as some economic indicators that the economy is generally good. |
| The balancing reflected Obama’s own understanding of the complexities of what he is taking on and the risks and uncertainties that come with any military mission in that part of the world. It reflects as well the unanswered questions about what comes next and what constitutes success. And, not incidentally, it reflects his own sense that he is a president, as he has often said, who was elected to end wars, not to start them. | The balancing reflected Obama’s own understanding of the complexities of what he is taking on and the risks and uncertainties that come with any military mission in that part of the world. It reflects as well the unanswered questions about what comes next and what constitutes success. And, not incidentally, it reflects his own sense that he is a president, as he has often said, who was elected to end wars, not to start them. |
| That posture served Obama well as a candidate in 2008 when he promised a new direction and approach than that of then-president George W. Bush, who led the country into a war in Iraq under false pretenses and whose administration was criticized for its penchant for unilateralism. In office, Obama has acted on that assurance, displaying a decision-making style that at times has been almost the complete opposite of the man who as president often referred to himself as “the decider.” | That posture served Obama well as a candidate in 2008 when he promised a new direction and approach than that of then-president George W. Bush, who led the country into a war in Iraq under false pretenses and whose administration was criticized for its penchant for unilateralism. In office, Obama has acted on that assurance, displaying a decision-making style that at times has been almost the complete opposite of the man who as president often referred to himself as “the decider.” |
| Obama has made decisions, sometimes very difficult ones, as he did in launching the mission that killed Osama bin Laden with inconclusive evidence that the al-Qaeda leader really was in the compound in Pakistan. He has been aggressive in authorizing drone attacks aimed at killing terrorists. But he has sometimes spent what has seemed like an inordinate amount of time reaching decisions, as in the months-long process about whether to send substantially more forces into Afghanistan in 2009. | Obama has made decisions, sometimes very difficult ones, as he did in launching the mission that killed Osama bin Laden with inconclusive evidence that the al-Qaeda leader really was in the compound in Pakistan. He has been aggressive in authorizing drone attacks aimed at killing terrorists. But he has sometimes spent what has seemed like an inordinate amount of time reaching decisions, as in the months-long process about whether to send substantially more forces into Afghanistan in 2009. |
| Over time, as world events have spiraled into conflict, criticism of the president has increased and the list of particulars has grown. He declined to arm moderate rebel forces in Syria over recommendations of some of his top national security advisers. | Over time, as world events have spiraled into conflict, criticism of the president has increased and the list of particulars has grown. He declined to arm moderate rebel forces in Syria over recommendations of some of his top national security advisers. |
| A year ago, he threatened and then pulled back from launching airstrikes against Syria after the regime of Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people, though he was successful in forcing Syria to give up those chemical weapons. | A year ago, he threatened and then pulled back from launching airstrikes against Syria after the regime of Bashar al-Assad used chemical weapons against his own people, though he was successful in forcing Syria to give up those chemical weapons. |
| In recent months, as the world has watched Russian President Vladimir Putin annex Crimea and move into eastern Ukraine, Obama sought to gain broader support in Europe for tougher sanctions. | In recent months, as the world has watched Russian President Vladimir Putin annex Crimea and move into eastern Ukraine, Obama sought to gain broader support in Europe for tougher sanctions. |
| Republican elected officials in particular have branded Obama as weak and his policies as unsuccessful. The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Obama’s foreign policy approval dropping eight points in the past three weeks to 38 percent, the lowest of his presidency. The survey found that 53 percent of Americans say Obama has been too cautious in dealing with international affairs. Only 10 percent say he has been too aggressive, while a third say he has been about right. | Republican elected officials in particular have branded Obama as weak and his policies as unsuccessful. The latest Washington Post-ABC News poll showed Obama’s foreign policy approval dropping eight points in the past three weeks to 38 percent, the lowest of his presidency. The survey found that 53 percent of Americans say Obama has been too cautious in dealing with international affairs. Only 10 percent say he has been too aggressive, while a third say he has been about right. |
| The president’s advisers dismiss much of the criticism, particularly that coming from Republicans. They point to Bush and argue that the former president’s style and policies are what helped create some of today’s problems. Obama, they argue, is looking at a longer horizon, making decisions not to please cable television pundits but for the long term. He would rather take his time to factor in all the complexities than rush to respond to his critics. If he sustains some short-term damage, they claim not to be overly worried. | The president’s advisers dismiss much of the criticism, particularly that coming from Republicans. They point to Bush and argue that the former president’s style and policies are what helped create some of today’s problems. Obama, they argue, is looking at a longer horizon, making decisions not to please cable television pundits but for the long term. He would rather take his time to factor in all the complexities than rush to respond to his critics. If he sustains some short-term damage, they claim not to be overly worried. |
| That was part of the backdrop of Wednesday’s speech — has Obama’s indifference to those criticisms complicated his ability to project the kind of leadership people expect in a president. The immediate reaction was positive. House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a statement of effusive praise. Boehner called the president “a real leader . . . who understands the threats we face and that America must not face those threats alone.” | That was part of the backdrop of Wednesday’s speech — has Obama’s indifference to those criticisms complicated his ability to project the kind of leadership people expect in a president. The immediate reaction was positive. House Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) issued a statement of effusive praise. Boehner called the president “a real leader . . . who understands the threats we face and that America must not face those threats alone.” |
| Obama has now set in motion a conflict without a definable timetable, a struggle that could last through the remainder of his presidency and beyond. The ultimate judgment about this mission is well into the future. For Obama, it is one of the most difficult tests of his presidency, one that turns him in a new, unexpected and uncertain direction. | Obama has now set in motion a conflict without a definable timetable, a struggle that could last through the remainder of his presidency and beyond. The ultimate judgment about this mission is well into the future. For Obama, it is one of the most difficult tests of his presidency, one that turns him in a new, unexpected and uncertain direction. |