Obama's foreign policies

As much as I like Barak Obama, he's got to get a better grip on foreign policy.

In August 2007, he said he'd be willing to attack targets in Pakistan even without its government's approval. [Source] Hm. I thought that attacking a target in another country without permission is one of those "acts of war" -- a curious policy with a nominal ally.

In November, he said he'd be willing to meet with Iranian leaders without conditions, a sharp contrast with the Bush administration's policy of insisting on changes in their anti-U.S. policies first. [Source] While that's not an entirely bad policy, he'd have scored more points if he'd mentioned who he would talk with. Most Western leaders see Iran as monolithic and make a big stink about President Ahmadinejad, but it's Supreme Leader Khamani who really calls the shots. [Source]

Then, there's his recent denouncement of the Free Trade Agreement with South Korea, followed not-so-coincidentally by an endorsement by the Teamster's Union. [Source] While Clinton, having already criticized the agreement months ago, is no better, his sacrifice of a reasonable foreign policy on the altar of the Democratic base is sadly familiar.

I understand that U.S. foreign policy has long been driven by domestic concerns (i.e. military interventions in banana republics, Cuban exiles vs. Castro, and Chinese yuan revaluation), but I had hoped for a greater sensibility from a man who seemed so prescient about intervention in Iraq.

While I understood that the rubber of his rhetoric about change and unity would some day have to meet the road of practical policies, as a person for whom foreign policies matter most, I must still confess myself disappointed.