Traps: Maximalism and Underperformance

I understand the frustration of progressives as they see moderate after centrist trotted out. Where is our bone? they cry plaintively--if indeed they are willing to settle for bones. Some are so bold as to think they can set President-elect Obama's priorities for the first 100 days or first 10 days or whatever.

They can "set" the controls, as long as they set them to the desired specifications: focus like a laser on the economy while the foreign policy team gets rapidly up to speed.



Reach out to most every country with meetings at appropriate levels. Meet first with closest allies, and set up Presidential face time by mid-year for the most important ones with which we are less closely allied (Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq (when they're ready), India, China, and--I'd argue they belong in this category, though they are allied with us--Turkey). With Russia, a more subtle approach aimed at defusing tensions on NATO expansion, missile defense, and Russia's energy bullying of Europe, with the payoff being active cooperation on Iran.

The grand strategy should be to bring all nations out of "failing state" status. This is a progressive objective of the first order. First term, Obama should focus on Asia; in the second term, Latin America and Africa. "Security, Health, and Livelihood" should be the objectives of a program to get the one billion or so people in nations on the edge away from the abyss.