A President Grows up - a little

Michael Barone is certainly not a left leaning pundit, so it makes this article worth reading - all the way to the end.

Why all these Obama reversals? There is a cynical explanation and a noncynical explanation. The cynical explanation is that candidate Obama was happy to exploit the issue when he was seeking the votes of the many Democratic primary voters who wanted America to leave Iraq whatever the consequences, but now is backtracking when facing a larger constituency, most of which wants America to seal its victory in Iraq and Americans to be protected against terrorism.

I choose to believe the noncynical explanation. As commander in chief, Obama looks soldiers and CIA personnel in the eyes and shakes their hands, knowing that some of them might die following his orders. It’s a terrible responsibility. Look at how the presidency aged Bill Clinton and George W. Bush — or Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt. Listen to Roosevelt’s D-Day radio broadcast, which in its entirety is a prayer (think of the uproar if Bush had done that!), and hear his voice nearly crack. FDR knew that thousands of Americans following his orders would die, as more did in the next few days than have in six years in Iraq.

I believe Obama is taking this responsibility seriously. And in doing so he has found himself not indicting but validating the decisions his predecessor took, and any conscientious president would have taken, to protect the nation.