Senator Barack ObamaDealing With the Day of Reckoning -- In From the Cold
On the heels of Joe Biden's prediction that Barack Obama would be tested early in his presidency, The New York Times offers a list of three potential challengers. Venezuela, Russia and Iran, awash in petrodollars just a few months ago, are now facing a severe budget squeeze, thanks to the recent, dramatic drop in oil prices.
Of course, the Times doesn't actually predict a confrontation with these countries. Taking a more diplomatic approach, reporters Simon Romero, Michael Slackman and Clifford Levy wonder if "the countries can sustain their spending--and their bids to challenge U.S. hegemony.
But it doesn't take a foreign policy expert to understand the flip side of that argument. Facing an American president with little experience in international affairs, one (or more) of the rogue states might provoke a regional crisis, believing that an Obama Administration would respond less forcefully.
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My Comment: A good analysis and a discussion on the"what if" from the "In From the Cold" blog. My own personal impression of Barack Obama is that if he is tested by a rogue state, he will respond in kind. He will have to .... his credibility will be on the line .... and one thing that strikes me about Sen. Obama in this campaign season is that he does not like it when his credibility is questioned.