US ambassador to Poland: Bush and Obama not far apart on foreign policy.

Thomas Stephenson, US ambassador to Portugal, sums things up quite well! Both Bush and Obama will continue the policy of US imperialism. Obama may differ somewhat in style. Obama will speak more intelligently and coherently but still carry a big or even bigger stick. This is from portugalresident..


Updated: 13 November 2008

Obama and Bush are not so far apart says ambassador

By CHRIS GRAEMEchris@the-resident.comSWEEPING INTERNATIONAL policy changes from the new Barack Obama administration are unlikely, United States Ambassador to Portugal Thomas Stephenson has warned.Addressing members of the American Club in Lisbon last week, the ambassador pointed out that America was the first nation in the world to elect an African-American president in what was a predominantly white country.He admitted that the Black, Hispanic and youth vote had been decisive in an election which saw the Democrats paint Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland blue. While the Republican ambassador conceded the election victory of America’s first black presidential candidate was “amazing”, “demonstrating what American democracy was all about”, he warned that when it came down to brass tacks, foreign policy would not significantly differ from the Bush administration.“Expectations are running high, the elections in the US have confirmed in America what had already been confirmed for some time – that Bush was less than popular,” he said.“Will Obama be different in terms of foreign policy? – I don’t think so for three reasons: Bush is not a unilateralist as some think and neither is Obama likely to be. Bush has shown a multilateral approach over Korea, Iran, Georgia, Kosovo, working closely alongside our international allies and organisations such as NATO, the UN and the EU,” Ambassador Thomas Stephenson pointed out.“I don’t think there will be a lot of difference between Bush and Obama once you have left aside election rhetoric. When you examine the details of their positions on foreign policy there’s not much difference between them,” said Ambassador Stephenson.The ambassador also said that Iraq had been a “non-issue” in the election campaign as US armed forces had made inroads into insurgency and gained control over the country.Another reason was that both the State Department and Defence Department were “difficult institutions to turn around quickly in terms of policy changes” while he argued that the basic fundamental direction would be the same.“While US interests would remain similar, what would differ was the “change in style and approach” from a gung-ho Texas style which had been unpopular in Europe to a more sophisticated and diplomatic approach which would be “more style than substance”.