During the 2008 campaign, one of my law partners explained to me why he was going to vote for Barack Obama. No explanation was necessary, the partner in question is a liberal Democrat. But he wanted to explain himself.
My partner’s number one reason for supporting Obama was that electing him would improve our relations with the rest of the world. He took this to be beyond dispute.
I responded that an Obama presidency would probably mean improved relations with Syria. Beyond that, I denied that any improvement was likely.
Today, I confess error. Obama’s presidency has not brought about improved relations with Syria.
Has it brought about improved relations with any country? NBC’s chief foreign correspondent doesn’t think so.
Asked by Home Depot founder Kenneth Langone to identify one country with which the United States has improved relations since President Obama took office in 2009, Richard Engel responded, “I think you would be hard pressed to find that.” He went on to describe the “vortex of instability” produced by Obama’s policies.
I agree with Engel. I’ll discuss specific cases during the next few days.
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