Obama Goes Wobbly on Latin America

Churchill presents a wonderful metaphor, inspired by Edmund Burke, of the importance of consistency in leadership. He describes the ship of state, buffeted by winds, tacking left and right, from policy to policy, but always heading toward a main point in the distance. Lesson: circumstances call for adjustments, so long as principles remain firm.

It’s unlikely that the Obama administration administration uses Churchill as a foreign policy touchstone for much of anything. Consider the battling inconsistencies of purpose and policy in the current administration’s dealings with Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.