Has Barack Obama had it too easy from foreign correspondents jaundiced by 8 years of George W. Bush? Perhaps, but ready to put things to right is Corriere della Sera journalist Lorenzo Cremonesi, who puts Obama’s foreign policy credentials under renewed scrutiny in today’s newspaper.
His main question is, what would Obama have done had he been in the White House for the 9/11 attacks? An interesting question, perhaps, although its possibilities are limited by Cremonesi given that he’s sure of the answer:
“But there’s a more profound question: what would Obama have done had he been in Bush’s place on the 11th of September 2001? The suspicion remains that he probably wouldn’t have acted so differently to Bush, including the invasion of Iraq”
It’s lucky, isn’t it, that Italy’s paper of record has sophisticated journalists like Cremonesi, who with their insight and expertise can see beyond superficialities like the fact that Obama was one of the many who spoke out publicly against the war in Iraq*. And this highlights the difference, once again, between blogs and the professionals. One format privileges opinions over fact-based analysis.
*On October 2, 2002, the day President George W. Bush andCongress agreed on the joint resolution authorizing the Iraq War,[134] Obama addressed the first high-profile Chicago anti-Iraq War rally in Federal Plaza,[135] speaking out against the war.[136][137] On March 16, 2003, the day President Bush issued his 48-hour ultimatum to Saddam Husseinto leave Iraq before the U.S. invasion of Iraq,[138] Obama addressed the largest Chicago anti-Iraq War rally to date in Daley Plaza and told the crowd that “it’s not too late” to stop the war.[139] – Source – Wikipedia
[1] “Ma c’è una domanda ben più profonda: cosa avrebbe fatto Obama se fosse stato al posto di Bush l’11 settembre 2001? Il sospetto è che probabilmente non si sarebbe comportato troppo diversamente da Bush rimane, compresa l’invasione dell’Iraq.” – Obama e lo spettro delle Torri Gemelle, Corriere della Sera 06/11/2008