B+ for Obama Foreign Policy, F for Not Owning It

After 'yearlong drift,' Obama can't keep passing buck to Bush

(NEWSER) - President Obama loves to blame things on George W. Bush, and on Monday he did it again, referring to the “long years of drift in Afghanistan.” He must be trying to “explain away his own, well, yearlong drift on Afghanistan,” writes Charles Krauthammer . In March, Obama solemnly announced a new strategy following what he called a “comprehensive strategy review.” Now, he obviously wants to switch course. More»

Army sergeant perished in Afghanistan saving an injured comrade

(NEWSER) - Army Sgt. Jared Monti, who died in 2006 while trying to save the life of a wounded comrade in Afghanistan, was awarded the Medal of Honor this afternoon at the White House. "Jared Monti saw the danger before him and went out to meet it," said President Obama. He presented the citation to Monti's parents, Paul and Janet, describing their son as "one in a million," the Boston Globe reports. More»

Afghanistan casualty's return first to be covered since end of 18-year-old ban

(NEWSER) - The press was allowed to cover the return of a fallen US soldier last night for the first time since President Obama lifted an 18-year-old ban, the Washington Post reports. The family of Air Force Staff Sgt. Phillip Myers, who was killed by a bomb in Afghanistan Saturday, gave permission for the media to be there as required under the new policy. More»

Bill Keller offers lessons from Iraq

(NEWSER) - As the drum-beating grows louder on Iran and Syria, Bill Keller looks back on Iraq and beyond. To avoid a debacle, there are five questions we should ask ourselves before entering a war, he writes in the New York Times :

1. "How is this our fight?" Are American interests directly involved, as in Afghanistan after 9/11? Are we supporting an ally? Or are we simply "promoting freedom"?
2. "At what cost?" While Libya was easily targeted at low risk to American troops, an attack on Syria would mean, in one military expert's view, "we'd be killing a lot more people." Then there's the cost of stretching troops and the financial implications of war.

Strikes occurring every 4 days under Obama: report

(NEWSER) - A few days back, President Obama said that US drone attacks in Pakistan had "not caused a huge number of civilian casualties." But a Bureau of Investigative Journalism report finds that somewhere between 282 and 535 civilians, including 60 children, have been "credibly reported" killed in the campaign. Secondary strikes target groups of rescuers shortly after attacks, while other drones have killed dozens at funerals. Obama has drastically escalated the drone program; some 260 strikes have occurred an average of once every four days under his administration. More»