Pragmatic President Obama appointed another pragmatist, Tom Donilon, to replace retiring National Security Adviser General James L. Jones. The Jerusalem Post reported on Jone's tenure:
Obama cited the renewed push for peace in the Middle East as one of the major accomplishments of Jones’s 20-month tenure, along with resetting relations with Russia, dealing with Iran and Al-Qaida and winding down the war in Iraq.
So why change the horse in the middle of those active streams? Because Obama wants to be seen as driving policy.
Washington insiders said they didn’t expect a dramatic change in foreign policy with the transition, especially in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in part because Obama played such a key role in crafting policy, in part because Donilon has already been involved with the issue at the NSC and in part because other Obama administration officials could overshadow him.
“I don’t think he’ll be a [primary] foreign policy-maker in the Middle East because of the greater experience and influence of Secretary of State Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden,” said Morris Amitay, a former executive director of AIPAC who was in touch with Donilon during his time in the Clinton administration.
Why would pragmatic Obama stick his nose into his weakest area, international relations and war? He didn't appear to lead on health care and financial reform. Obama couldn't deliver basic honesty on the BP disaster.
In December 2008 General Jones & Hillary Clinton approved Israel's pummeling of Gaza. Obama sat on his lips and hands while Israel turned Gaza into a stinking charnel house. Pragmatic President Obama does theater as well as his hand's on predecessor. Obama's a bit less folksy, that's all.
