Bolton: Obama's UN Address Naive, 'Post-American'

(NEWSER) - The "usual suspects" in the neoconservative camp are apoplectic at President Obama's behavior at the UN, writes Andrew Sullivan. After all, he had the nerve to "engage foreign powers as equals rather than as subordinates." Obama's critics, of course, see America as always in the right—even after the Bush-Cheney years and the corresponding plunge in international stature. "Obama's promise was and is a rebranding of America," says Sullivan. More»

(NEWSER) - Hugo Chavez paid President Obama a high compliment at the UN today, asserting that he doesn't have the same satanic odor as George Bush. "I don't smell sulfur anymore," the Venezuelan leader told the General Assembly. "It's gone. Now it's the smell of something else—it's the smell of hope." A few years ago, Chavez famously took to the UN podium where Bush had spoken and said it smelled of sulfur, suggesting he was the devil, notes the Wall Street Journal. More»

Obama will raise post to Cabinet, appoint anti-genocide crusader

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama will name Susan Rice as his UN ambassador when he unveils his foreign policy team today, the New York Times reports. Rice (no relation to Condoleezza), was an assistant secretary of state under Bill Clinton, but has been an Obama adviser since the beginning. She’s an advocate of using “dramatic action” against genocide, including military force if need be. More»

Most believe Iraq war was unsuccessful

(NEWSER) - After a decade of war, America's troops aren't feeling very war-like. President Obama currently leads Mitt Romney among veterans who have served since the Gulf War by seven points—a wider lead than he has among the general populace—according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll , and many say it's because of his stance on defense. One former master sergeant, for instance, says he's a Ron Paul supporter, but in the general election he's voting for whoever he thinks is less likely to start "knee-jerk reaction wars," even if it means voting for "that Democrat." More»

Iran tensions dominate talks

(NEWSER) - President Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu tried to project an image of unity today as the president welcomed his Israeli counterpart to the Oval Office. Speaking to reporters before their closed-door meeting, Obama said, "The United States will always have Israel's back," echoing his AIPAC speech. Netanyahu, meanwhile, thanked the president for recognizing that "Israel has the sovereign right to make its own decisions." According to the New York Times , Israeli officials interpreted Obama's remarks to mean that the US won't block an Israeli preemptive strike . More»