Where Is President-Elect Obama During The Israel/Hamas War

U.S. President-elect Barack Obama gets out of his SUV before boarding a plane for a 12-day Hawaii vacation at O'Hare airport in Chicago, December 20, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Obama Monitors Mideast Fighting From Hawaii Vacation Spot -- FOX News

Barack Obama's top adviser said Sunday that the president-elect is keeping in touch with the Bush administration on events in the Mideast, as Israel tries to put an end to Hamas strikes from Gaza.

President-elect Barack Obama is closely monitoring the violence in Israel and Gaza and is in contact with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, his top adviser said Sunday.

But David Axelrod refused to offer an opinion on the fighting between Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas terrorists.

"As Hamas began its shelling, Israel responded," Axelrod said on CBS' "Face the Nation." Obama has been in Hawaii on vacation with his family during the holiday.

Hamas terrorists have been firing dozens of rockets and mortars into Israel since it decided earlier this month to abandon a months-long ceasefire with Israel. On Sunday, two rockets struck close to the largest city in southern Israel, Ashdod, some 23 miles from Gaza, reaching deeper into Israel than ever before.

In response to the return to fighting, Israel continued a second day of airstrikes into Gaza. So far, nearly 300 people, a large majority of them Hamas militants, have been killed there.

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My Comment: There is not much that he can do right now. He can only watch and see where the players are when he assumes the Presidency on January 20.

Who Has Obama's Ear On The Mideast?

From Time Magazine/Blogs:

Middle East watchers are trying to follow a behind the scenes contest for Barack Obama's ear when it comes to the region. The winner could become the incoming administration's single most influential advisor on the area--perhaps Obama's Middle East czar. Obama has properly emphasized that as president he will set the policy, and his subordinates will be tasked with implementing it. Yet his choice of Middle East guru-- a special envoy, or whatever the title may be-- will be an important signal of his inclinations. And given the complexities of the Middle East, and the complex intersection of those complexities with American politics nowadays, it's hard to exaggerate the influence such a position could have as the question of war and peace hangs in the balance in Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon and Iran.

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President-Elect Obama Has Wide Support For His Policies On Iraq And Afghanistan

Senator Barack Obama at a campaign event Monday in Albuquerque.
Josh Stephenson/Bloomberg News (Photo from The New York Times)

Poll: U.S. Public Generally Backs Obama on Iraq, Afghanistan -- Washington Post

Most Americans Want U.S. to Pull Out of Iraq, but Stay Committed to Afghanistan.

Americans are more upbeat about U.S. prospects in Iraq than at any time in the past five years, but nearly two thirds continue to believe the war is not worth fighting and 70 percent say President-elect Barack Obama should fulfill his campaign promise to withdraw U.S. forces from the country within 16 months, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Meanwhile, most Americans support the war in Afghanistan and a slim majority say the conflict there is essential to battling global terrorism, the poll found. Yet, a majority of Americans also believe that the U.S. military action there has been unsuccessful.

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My Comment: As the war continues and expands in Afghanistan .... these numbers may change.

Foes Ready To Test Obama Overseas

From The International Herald Tribune:

MADRID, Spain: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev chose the day after Barack Obama's election victory to brandish a threat of ballistic missiles. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said of the president-elect: "I hope he doesn't end up being one more imperialist."

As for Al-Qaida, it likened Barack Obama, the first black U.S. president, to a favored slave doing his master's bidding.

Obama's running mate, Joe Biden, predicted the new president would quickly be tested by a dangerous world. That test might come from anywhere, but attention has focused on North Korea, Iran, Russia and Venezuela, and the al-Qaida terror group.

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More News/Commentary On President-Elect Obama

Obama Moves Transition Ahead -- Voice of America
Obama, and America's Place in the World -- Christian Science Monitor opinion
Obama's 9/11 Challenge -- Toronto Star editorial
Obama's Options on Iran -- Los Angeles Times
How Obama Can Keep America Safe -- New York Times op-ed series
Should Obama Continue Bush's War on Terrorism? -- LA Times online debate
Obama's Afghanistan Hurdles -- Robert Kaplan, The Atlantic opinion

Pakistan, India, And The Obama Administration -- A Conversation At NPR

Senator Barack Obama arrived in the Senate in 2005 with the competing roles of celebrity and freshman. David Scull for The New York Times

From NPR:

Indian officials believe Pakistan is linked to the terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Pakistani authorities maintain they are cracking down on militants. Both countries have nuclear weapons. Should the president-elect place a U.S. intervention in the region on his list of priorities?

Guests:

Ted Koppel, NPR senior news analyst, and former anchor, ABC News' Nightline

Ahmed Rashid, author of Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia

Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations

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Obama Transition Team Pushing for Secret Legal Memos

From Law.com:

A senior Justice Department official said Tuesday that "99.8 percent" of the department's work with President-elect Barack Obama's transition team has gone smoothly. The 0.2 percent snag: The department has reservations about granting the team's request to review classified legal opinions related to secret CIA and National Security Agency programs.

In a roundtable discussion with reporters last week, Attorney General Michael Mukasey declined to discuss specific requests made by transition staff regarding opinions issued by the Office of Legal Counsel, the arm of the Justice Department that provides legal advice to the president and all other executive branch agencies.

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My Comment: Hmmmm .... someone does not want someone else to read the secrets right now.

Iran Rejects Obama's Carrot/Stick Policy

From The Jerusalem Post:

Iran has rejected a suggestion by US President-elect Barack Obama that a carrot and stick policy of economic incentives and additional sanctions might persuade the Iranian government to change its behavior.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hasan Qashqavi, said Monday that Obama's proposed policy was unacceptable and had failed in the past.

Qashqavi reiterated Iran's refusal to suspend enrichment Monday and said the US must recognize Iran's "nuclear right" before the country would dispel concerns about its program.

He also said Obama would have to alter the current administration's confrontational policy toward Iran to overcome the present impasse.

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My Comment: The only things that Iran will accept are the carrots. Forget about the sticks.

Poll: Americans Back Obama Troop Redeployment Plan

Photo: U.S. soldiers gather at the "Cross Swords" in Baghdad's secure Green Zone earlier this year.

From CNN:

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Americans back Barack Obama's plan to move U.S. troops from Iraq to Afghanistan, a new national poll indicates.

Fifty-five percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Thursday back the president-elect when it comes to reducing the number of American combat troops in Iraq and increasing the number in Afghanistan.

"The reason is simple," said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. "The war in Iraq is very unpopular, while a majority support the war in Afghanistan."

Sixty-three percent of those polled oppose the war in Iraq, with 36 percent "favor" it. Fifty-two percent "favor" the war in Afghanistan, with 46 percent in opposition.

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My Comment: The CNN headline states that the public supports President-elect Obama's Afghanistan policy. But when one reads the substance of the article, we find this support is not overwhelming. In fact .... 46% of the population is against the war in Afghanistan, with 52% in favor. Not reassuring numbers.

Think-Tank Comments On Iran Worry Israel

(Photo from Breitbart)

From The Jerusalem Post:

Israeli officials expressed concern Wednesday about some of the recommendations in a report top American experts have prepared on Middle East policy for the Obama administration, including expanding engagement with Iran and possible responses should Teheran acquire nuclear capabilities.

The report, drafted by the Council on Foreign Relations and the Brookings Institution, will be a major focus of the latter's Saban Center for Middle East Policy forum this weekend for top US and Israeli officials, as Washington heavy hitters try to play a role in shaping the policies of the next administration.

Foreign Ministry officials weren't thrilled about the report's recommendations, but downplayed its significance.

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My Comment: President Obama has made it very clear that he is going to pursue a foreign policy that will be different from President Bush's.

People do not like change .... Israel is only naturally responding to this change, but until we all know what that policy will be .... we must then be patient.

Obama’s Team Of Stars: Can He Manage It?

Powerhouse appointees: President-elect Obama’s team includes people with strong, and possibly conflicting, views – posing a potential management challenge. (Charles Dharapak/AP)

From The Christian Science Monitor:

Some inner-circle conflict can be of help to a president, but building a sense of teamwork will be key.

President-elect Barack Obama has earned accolades from Democrats and Republicans alike for the high-powered national security and economic teams he has unveiled.

As a young and relatively inexperienced chief executive, Mr. Obama has assembled a group of advisers known more for their sterling credentials than for their loyalty to him. That alone speaks to a certain confidence on Obama’s part, a self-possession that was on regular display during the long presidential campaign. The selection of this team also shows a willingness to take risks, particularly his choice for secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton, his bitter rival for the Democratic nomination. And it speaks to the grave nature of the times, with the US fighting two wars and mired in what economists predict will be a long, deep recession.

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My Comment: We shall see .....

Obama Teams Are Scrutinizing Federal Agencies

From The Washington Post:

Wearing yellow badges and traveling in groups of 10 or more, agency review teams for President-elect Barack Obama have swarmed into dozens of government offices, from the Pentagon to the National Council on Disability.

With pointed questions and clear ground rules, they are dissecting agency initiatives, poring over budgets and unearthing documents that may prove crucial as a new Democratic president assumes control. Their job is to minimize the natural tension between incoming and outgoing administrations, but their work also is creating anxiety among some Bush administration officials as the teams rigorously examine programs and policies.

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My Comment: For some outside observers transitions are always fun .... new people coming in .... old people going out .... tensions in the air .... tempers flying .... arrogance on full display from the new comers .... disdain from the old timers ..... sigh ..... and I thought my work environment was hostile.

After Sharp Words On C.I.A., Obama Faces A Delicate Task

From The New York Times:

WASHINGTON — For two years on the presidential campaign trail, Barack Obama rallied crowds with strongly worded critiques of the Bush administration’s most controversial counterterrorism programs, from hiding terrorism suspects in secret Central Intelligence Agency jails to questioning them with methods he denounced as torture.

Now Mr. Obama must take charge of the C.I.A., in what is already proving to be one of the more treacherous patches of his transition to the White House.

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My Comment: Form the outside looking in, it appears that the new administration wants to fight Al Qaeda with rules that were used to fight past wars. I am not comfortable that this is the right policy, especially with an enemy like Al Qaeda whose mindset is to fight a war on a level that has never been done before.

Barack Obama Says US 'Will Maintain Strongest Military On Planet', As Clinton Confirmed Top Diplomat

From The Telegraph:

President-Elect Barack Obama has declared that the United States should maintain the "strongest military on the planet", while aiming to restore his country's global moral leadership.

Mr Obama promised greater use of diplomacy and greater emphasis on building alliances around the world as he formally introduced his national security team, which included Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

But the former Illinois senator, whose rise was built on his opposition to the Iraq war, delivered a message of surprising toughness that at times could have come from George W Bush.

Mr Obama said: "To ensure prosperity here at home and peace abroad, we all share the belief we have to maintain the strongest military on the planet."

With the responsibilities of office just seven weeks away, he added that his administration was "absolutely committed to eliminating the threat of terrorism".

"We cannot tolerate a world where innocents are being killed by extremists," Mr Obama said in the wake of Bombay attacks, adding that he was "heartbroken" by the deaths of six Americans in the massacre.

"We have to bring the full force of our power, not only military but diplomatic and political, to deal with the threats," he said, also vowing that the US would stand with India.

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My Comment: Easier said then done.

President-Elect Obama's U.S. Foreign Policy And National Security Team

Much is expected from Obama's new team [Reuters](Photo from Al Jazeera)

New Security Adviser's Biggest Challenge:
Reaching Consensus -- CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President-elect Barack Obama's national security adviser, Gen. Jim Jones, said Monday the challenge he will face will be to achieve consensus among the disparate members of the new president's national security team.

Jones will be working with a number of high-profile Cabinet members, including Sen. Hillary Clinton as the new secretary of state, and Robert Gates, President Bush's current secretary of defense.

Jones said he needs to ensure the president-elect's vision is achieved.

"At the end of the day, [on] the major issues, he will make the decision and everyone will salute smartly and carry it out," Jones said in a phone interview soon after the official announcement in Chicago, Illinois, of Obama's national security team.

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More News On President-elect Obama's Defense And Foreign Policy Teams

Obama Stresses Diplomacy with New National Security Team -- Los Angeles Times
Gates's Top Deputies May Leave -- Washington Post
Obama's national security team -- Al Jazeera
With Appointments, Obama Moves On From the Campaign -- New York Times
Obama Sees 'Path' Out of Iraq -- Washington Times
Obama Names Team to Face A Complex Security Picture -- Washington Post
Team of Rivals to Keep Obama's Promise of Change -- The Times
National security adviser seeks to forge consensus -- The Guardian
Obama’s national security team faces tough challenge -- People's Daily
Obama's Security 'Team of Rivals' -- Christian Science Monitor
Nomination of Rice for UN Post Indicates Multilateralism Shift -- Washington Post
Obama Picks Cause New Headaches -- Washington Times

Obama Stresses Diplomacy With New National Security Team

From The L.A. Times:

The president-elect formally introduces the group, including Hillary Clinton as secretary of State nominee -- and Susan Rice as ambassador to the U.N., a position he's restoring to Cabinet level.

Reporting from Washington and Chicago -- President-elect Barack Obama on Monday introduced his national security team, made up of centrist Washington insiders, and promised an overhaul of foreign policy to give added emphasis to diplomacy and bring a "new dawn of American leadership."

Appearing at a Chicago news conference with secretary of State nominee Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and five others whom he plans to put on his team, Obama said his administration would restore U.S. standing in the world through alliance-building and international institutions, as well as by maintaining American military might.

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My Comment: Beyond the platitudes of how they want to bring about international cooperation through diplomacy .... there is little if any substance or specifics here to discuss or analyze. I guess we will really know the issues start to rise and the policies are enacted.

5 Things The War Cabinet Says About Obama

File photo shows President-elect Barack Obama during a news conference in Chicago November 26, 2008. (John Gress/Reuters)

From the Politico:

President-elect Obama made official the worst-kept secret in Washington this morning: that his national security team will be headlined by a bitter political rival (Clinton) and a member of President Bush’s war cabinet (Gates).

Beyond the obvious symbolism, however, Monday’s moves also offer some important evidence on the best-kept secret of the past two years: how will a President Obama actually govern in these troubled times?

The parlor game of who gets what job is largely over, save a few of the less prestigious cabinet gigs. Here is what today’s announcement – combined with the unveiling of his top White House staff and economic team – tell us about the 44th president as he prepares to take over.

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My Comment: The Politico is convinced that President Obama will govern by consensus .... utilizing a "parliamentary" approach to government. I do not see this at all. When one looks at his political history, he was always partisan and left wing. There was never any desire to work in the spirit of consensus .... or to go to the other side for consensus. I do not think there is one piece of legislation that he can point to that was done with this spirit.

When I look at his national defense team, I only see appointees (with a different philosophy .... like Robert Gates) gone in a few months, and the rest of the team wholefully inexperience in foreign affairs. If anything, I find this team to be a transitional team .... a team that will either replaced with 18 months or completely subservient to the White House.

Sen. Hillary Clinton is the exception .... and what happens there will be interesting.

Obama Says S.Asia Is Chief Threat To U.S.

Photo: Getty Images

From Reuters:

CHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. President-elect Barack Obama said on Monday militants based in South Asia represented the biggest threat to the United States and he was "absolutely committed" to eliminating the threat of terrorism.

"We cannot tolerate a world where innocents are killed by extremists based on twisted ideologies," Obama, who takes office on January 20, told reporters after naming his national security team.

"We're going to have to bring the full force of our power -- not only military but also diplomatic, economic and political -- to deal with those threats. Not only to keep America safe but also to ensure that peace and prosperity continue around the world."

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My Comment: The platitudes that one expects from a President in waiting. No substance .... yet.

Obama's Strong-Willed National Security Team

THE TEAM: No longer a rival, Clinton and Obama hold similar positions on many issues. Gates, center, is admired by the Obama team despite significant differences over nuclear weapons policy. Jones has separated himself from the Obama playbook on a few issues, including troop withdrawal. Carolyn Kaster / AP; Roslan Rahman / AFP/Getty Images; Dennis Cook / AP

Form The L.A. Times:

With Clinton as secretary of State, retired Marine Gen. James Jones Jr. as national security advisor and Gates remaining in Defense, Obama will have a choice among often starkly differing views.

Reporting from Washington -- President-elect Barack Obama says he wants to lead an administration where strong-willed senior officials are ready to argue forcefully for differing points of view.

It appears that in two months, he'll get his wish, and then some.

Obama's new national security team is led by three veteran officials who have differed with each other -- and with the president-elect -- on the full menu of security issues, including Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, nuclear weapons and Arab-Israel conflict.

The president-elect is expected on Monday to begin introducing a team that includes Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), whom he has chosen as secretary of State; retired Marine Gen. James L. Jones Jr., tapped to be the new national security advisor; and Robert M. Gates, who has agreed to stay on as Defense secretary.

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My Comment: Gates will be gone in less than year, Sen. Clinton has been on the wrong side of major policy issues .... with Iraq being the center piece. Marine Gen. James Jones Jr. is known .... but is also unknown (He is the wild card in this mix).

Officials: Obama Set To Introduce Clinton Monday

President-elect Barack Obama pauses as he speaks with the media at a food bank in Chicago, November 26, 2008. (John Gress/Reuters)

From Yahoo News/AP:

A deal with Bill Clinton over his post-White House work helped clear the way for Hillary Rodham Clinton to join President-elect Barack Obama's national security team as secretary of state, reshaping a once-bitter rivalry into a high-profile strategic and diplomatic union.

Obama was to be joined by the New York senator at a Chicago news conference Monday, Democratic officials said, where he also planned to announce that Defense Secretary Robert Gates would remain in his job for a year or more and that retired Marine General James L. Jones would serve as national security adviser.

The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly for the transition team.

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My Comment: The Clintons are back .... this is going to be fun.

France Warns Obama On Iran

From The Toronto Star:

Doubts also expressed about Afghan troop plan

PARIS–French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner warned U.S. President-elect Barack Obama yesterday of potential dangers involved in his plans to deal more directly with Iran and send more troops to Afghanistan.

Obama has made clear he plans a new approach to dealing with Iran and its nuclear program, including direct talks if needed, a break from the outgoing administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, which pursued a strategy of isolation.

Kouchner, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said he welcomed Obama's plans but urged him to be careful in dealing with the Iranians, who have been negotiating with major powers for years.

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My Comment: I am hearing concerns about President-elect Obama's foreign policies. The French are just the first out of the box.