Peter Beinart on National Security

Most of my writing on this blog will focus on foreign affairs and sports. Not in relation, but those are two of the items which I feel most comfortable writing about. So...

In addition to a forthcoming post on changes in Philly sports in the aftermath of actually winning a championship, I wanted to point out a recent article by the man who I think deserves more acclaim and credit for his insight than he receives. His editorial in this week's issue of TIME Magazine encapsulates his analytical abilities, writing style and profound ability to look at all angles of a situation. Every time I read something by Peter Beinart, I come away thinking two things: that he's a really smart guy and that I agree with him. While you might not concur with him as often as I do, I believe you will agree that he possesses an intelligent grasp of political, and particularly international, events.

The link below will take you to his recent piece on why President-Elect Obama is selecting those like Senator Hillary Clinton and General Jim Jones for his national security team. Not only is Obama attempting to mollify the political right for the future with these moves, but Beinart also somewhat assuages me, an opponent of choosing Clinton to be his Secretary of State. I am certainly not alone, as numerous experts much more well-versed than I have labeled the appointment of Clinton in particular as dubious. These selections are not signs that Obama will abandon his position of leading U.S. foreign policy in a new direction from his presidential predecessor, but rather delineate a vital recognition that in politics you must protect your flanks while working with people who can still carry out your policies. A clean break with the past is not procluded with the (temporary?) inclusion of someone like Bob Gates in his Cabinet.

Beinart does an excellent job of synthesizing this material in his piece. He also wrote a great cover story for TIME just after the election on parallels in political shifts between 2008 and previous political eras. Great articles in TIME Magazine sadly stand out these days, and Beinart seems to author his fair share of them.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1862446,00.html