Obama’s Big Trip

I know we bloggers are supposed to say something profound about every news item that comes down the pike, but I have little to say about Obama’s big Mideast and European trip.  It seems like the kind of thing wonks get super-excited about that has little long-term impact.  I do think it’s surprising he’s making so many specific commitments, and I think there’s something conceptually off about his desire, essentially, to import the troops, tactics, and procedures of Iraq into Afghanistan.  In other words, he embraces the nation-building approach whole-heartedly, he just thinks it’s a waste of time in Iraq.  This suggests a natural, calculating politician whose deeds will fall short of his high-falutin’ rhetoric.