Obama’s Tour of Alaska: What Are His Motives?
In response to my piece on Obama’s Tour of Alaska Focuses on Climate Change, a skeptical reader notes: The President’s speech was a sop to all his old faithful supporters, a bid to create a legacy for good intentions.
I’m not 100% sure about Obama’s exact motives. Personally, I’m a lot more charitable, but that’s just me. It will also be interesting to see how he and his presidency will come to be regarded over time. I’m betting that universal health care and environmental consciousness will be important issues for a very long time, and that his administration will be seen as a watershed event on both these.
Don’t forget peace in the Middle East. First, the sanctioning of Iran was an unprecedented achievement – gaining enough control over an unconquered sovereign nation’s oil exports so as to gain leverage to influence them… I genuinely thought that such a thing was a pipe dream, and posted as much many times.
Then, using that leverage to negotiate a strong agreement that will keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapons program for more than a decade… and pushing it through.
This is as big of a deal as the Camp David Accords.
So: recovery, banking reform, universal coverage, first-ever long-term drop in emissions corresponding to a period of economic growth, maintained for 6 years and counting, and pulling the Middle East from the brink of war and a nuclear arms race…
Not so bad a legacy.
I totally agree, FWIW.