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The Realist - Fred Kaplan - POLITICO Magazine

Obama’s belief in American values isn’t entirely rhetorical; he will sometimes place ideals above interests, though rarely when the two collide. He seems unmoved by the triumphalism that animated George W. Bush’s foreign policy, in part because he sees the bloody, futile legacy it left in the sands of Iraq―but also because it’s just not his style. During his first presidential campaign, when he said he had “enormous sympathy” for the foreign policy of President George H.W. Bush and his national security adviser Brent Scowcroft―ultimate realists―many thought Obama was just taking a whack at his predecessor, H.W.’s son. Maybe he was, but he also meant it. Perhaps more than any president since Dwight Eisenhower, Obama defines the national interest narrowly and acts accordingly. And in following this course, he has been much more successful than his critics allow. In fact, his deepest failures have occurred when he has veered off his path.

Obama Admires Bush - New York Times
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/d1021/20131130#1385808795
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/d1021/20130127#1359294844
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/d1021/20081004#1223130225