Foreign policy sidelined by Obama

Yet after a year vying for the foreign policy limelight as probably the preeminent frequent flyer President in U.S. history, Barack Obama pushed foreign policy issues to the back burner in his State of the Union address.

In a long-winded and laundry-list speech before U.S. Congress, the president raised some key issues affecting the still-anemic American economy. He said correctly that small business remains the engine of economic growth, but failed to specifically show how his administration will create the conditions for sustained private sector job creation and regulatory reduction.

What often sounded like a political campaign speech nonetheless saw his bluster towards the controversial big bank bailouts, something which creates envy but does not create jobs. But even the normally adoring New York Times wrote that the speech “was a confident performance, more defiant than contrite, more conversational than soaring.” Concerning the global economy, he threw down a rhetorical gauntlet based on American fears that the United States is slipping internationally; “China's not waiting to revamp its economy. Germany's not waiting. India's not waiting.” He added, “These nations aren't playing for second-place. Well, I do not accept second-place for the United States of America.”

Again we don't need political bluster but business incentives. Obama called for a doubling of American exports over the next five years, and pledged to “seek new markets aggressively.”

He stated in no unambiguous terms that our trading partners “must play by the rules.” He equally praised a few commercial partners such as South Korea, Panama and Columbia but curiously overlooked mentioning Canada, the European Union, or Japan.

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