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Originally Posted by Mazer
The executive branch still presides over military and diplomatic affairs.
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I wouldn't disagree with that, but there will be a new approach taken by the executive in response to both the changing political reality and context domestically and the reality of the worsening situation American foriegn policy has found itself in the last six years. Whether or not you want to attribute this change to the elections or not is perhaps arguable, but it's at least a significant factor.
Feith, Perle, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld, the neo-cons are all gone. Alright, Cheney's still there. These were the chief cheerleaders for war and coined the new lexicon of the last 6 years, Global War on Terror, Pre-emptive Strike and Enemy Combatant. They argued the World had changed since 9/11 and that meant changes in the way power was projected.
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
have become an abject failure and are heading for a strategic defeat. It's been 6 years and 3 years and they are worsening, year on year.
So the administration is being forced to change to a foriegn policy based on realism rather than ideology for both political (message from the electorate) and practical reasons.
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President George W Bush has turned back to the "wise men" of his father's administration that senior foreign policy officials have derided over the past six years as out-of-touch and overly willing to compromise and accommodate America's adversaries.
Robert Gates, the new Pentagon chief, is the self-described "ultimate insider". A CIA boss under Mr Bush Snr, he served alongside James Baker, then secretary of state. Both men have been privately horrified at the conduct of the Iraq war.
Their new centre-stage positions could have profound implications for the future of the Iraq war and Iran, with which Mr Gates favours dialogue.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main...wuselec310.xml
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These are smart guys, they faced down the Soviets and Saddam and won twice, back when the U.S could still win a war and keep it won. Let's see if Bush takes Baker's recommendations on board when he reports in a few weeks. That will show whether things have changed or not.