SOTU: The World and the Election

How a looming election can concentrate the mind—and discipline the politician!

President Obama’s 2012 State of the Union address focused on domestic issues, as those of presidents of his party traditionally have done. But even within the limited space he left for international affairs, Obama’s laser-like focus on issues that can advance or hinder his re-election is startling.

There were no visions of Israeli-Palestinian peace, a world free of nuclear weapons, and global economic recovery. There was no mention of the United Nations or NATO, no tribute to the shared sacrifices of allies. Climate change flickered, but only as something on which Republicans in Congress refuse to act. In short: we have an election to get through.

For a Democratic president, of course, that means focusing on domestic reform. And Obama in his 2010 and 2011 addresses had devoted just 14 percent of his time to the foreign policy agenda, including trade. (By comparison, half or more of George Bush’s State of the Union speeches covered foreign policy and national security.) This year the needle moved ever so slightly upward, to 15.4 percent. And, quite arrestingly, he began the speech with a brisk catalogue of his foreign-policy re-election themes:

1.       I ended Bush’s war in Iraq.

2.       I’ve made America more respected around the world.

3.       I got Osama bin Laden.

4.       I broke the Taliban’s momentum and have begun our withdrawal from Afghanistan.

To be sure, Obama was careful never to use “I” as the agent for these achievements. He wisely, and perhaps even excessively, attributed the gains to “this generation of heroes” serving in the military.  But it was telling that Obama placed this checklist right up front, before the attention of his audience might begin to wander.

Save for a two-minute detour into international trade policy (“we’ve brought trade cases against China at nearly twice the rate as the last administration “), the rest of the world then disappeared from the speech. Only at 10:04 P.M. Eastern time did Obama return to elaborate on the checklist with which he began.

And here Obama made clear that the guy who took out Osama can’t be messed with by caterwauling challengers, taking direct aim at the Romneys and Gringriches on the campaign trail: “Anyone who tells you that America is in decline, or that our influence has waned, doesn't know what they're talking about.”

In the seven minutes he devoted to detailing the Union’s relations with the rest of the world, he sped through a number of issues not on the campaign short list, but with re-election resonance. He took note of the Arab world’s upheavals “as the tide of war recedes”—a subtle linkage to his troop withdrawals that most in his audience seemed to miss. Qaddafi is gone, Assad is going. 

Burma’s “new beginning” and America’s continuing Pacific role were briefly noted, as was “our iron-clad commitment to Israel’s security.” For liberals, he pointed to “missions we’ve led against hunger and disease.” He mentioned Europe, Asia, and the Americas as places where the “renewal of American leadership can be felt.”

To that renewal he attributed his success in marshaling global unity against Iran’s nuclear program—the one issue on which Obama did use the speech to send a message beyond the American electorate. Yes, there was the saber-rattling about “no options off the table.” But he made clear he was not pursuing regime change, that the “crippling sanctions” are not aimed at bringing down the Iranian government, and that “if Iran changes course and meets its obligations” on the nuclear file, “it can rejoin the community of nations.”

I have taken to watching Obama’s State of the Union addresses in public venues, and Tuesday night I sat in with several dozen of his supporters in my hometown of Trenton, near the New Jersey State House. As the president expressed his defiance of conservative obstruction, the room rang out with shouts of “That’s right!,” “Amen!,” and “Preach it, brother!” 

Certainly his opening checklist—on leaving Iraq and killing bin Laden—drew the requisite applause.  But plainly his base wasn’t as fired up by foreign issues as domestic. His expressed determination to keep Iran non-nuclear inspired a few to clap; many more did so for his ironclad commitment to Israel. He got laughter and applause with the thrust at those who don’t know what they’re talking about. But it was still somewhat listless. These aren’t the issues that are going to send the base knocking on doors.

But Obama made one thing clear to the armies of diplomats in Washington parsing this speech for hidden signals: we’re in re-election mode now.

Comments

[Sally McMillan]

Yes, Obama's in election mode. He wants those Jewish votes, and he's trying to sound angry and determined over Republican obstructionism on domestic issues with some proposals that might appeal to the base that he's lost over the last three years. Unfortunately, we've learned that his words are carefully chosen and not necessarily an indication of what he will fight for. Just look at his choice of advisors.

On foreign policy his interpretation of our "successes" is a huge stretch, devoid of the kind of moral judgment we would hope for, but then, he's a big fan of the military. Let's expand the empire. The sad fact is, look at the alternatives we are presented with. Let's hope for a new face in the presidential race that is truly progressive.