Joe Gandelman: "Obama’s Foreign Policy Inclination To Bush 41 Becomes More Evident"

Asserts the moderate-liberal blogger, about similarities between President-Elect Barack Obama and former President George H.W. Bush: "Last week in this post I noted that the incoming Obama administration was in some ways a reinvention of the Bush 41 administration due to President Elect Barack Obama’s close ties and selection of some people linked to the administration of the first Bush administration, which pursued a tough but realistic foreign policy. The Washington Post’s E.J. Dionne Jr. addresses that issue in his column today..."

Mr. Gandelman continues his commentary: "But a foreign policy closer to the days of Bush 41 would not be politically scandalous or controversial for most Americans. Bush 41 was known for foreign policy building, diplomacy and trying to formulate and implement foreign policy with an eye on world consensus. It wasn’t the go it alone if necessary approach where talk of the importance of diplomacy mean you’d be classified as a wimp. Bush 43’s administration was marked by an approach and attitude towards foreign policy that ran counter to how it was conducted for years by presidential administrations of both parties. There will be some Americans who rejected that approach but most likely a return to foreign policy involving the weighing all options, consensus and coalition building, and the importance of option analysis versus ideology will likely be a relief to many here and abroad — and be a change that many will welcome."

My response: Where and when did President George W. Bush ever "go it alone" in foreign policy? Never, and so the claim is false.