Charles Krauthammer Speaks to Der Spiegel

Readers of this blog know I adore Charles Krauthammer; I think he's brilliant. I almost always agree with what he says - not always, but almost. I like him because he challenges me; I have to look up some of his references or allusions. Kind of like Dennis Miller. But not exactly.

Krauthammer has a really nice interview in Der Spiegel. He says some things that depress me though, like this:

SPIEGEL: Do you basically think Obama is going to be a one-term president?

Krauthammer: No, I think he has a very good chance of being reelected. For two reasons. First, there's no real candidate on the other side, and you can't beat something with nothing. Secondly, it'll depend on the economy -- and just from American history, in the normal economic cycles, presidents who have their recessions at the beginning of their first term get reelected (Reagan, Clinton, the second Bush), and presidents who have them at the end of their first term don't (Carter, the first Bush). Obama will lose a lot of seats in next year's Congressional election, but the economy should be on the upswing in 2012.

I know in my heart he is right; but oh my, it's a concept that just makes my heart sink. Right now I feel like I am on guard every single second, waiting, waiting to see what ambush is coming from the left next. I think I'm all focused on Obamacare and then out of the bushes comes Cap 'n Tax again, sneaking out of the Senate. Waxman-Markey in new clothes. Always on the watch. About the only bright light I have is that it might get better in 2012 - hell, even 2010 if the elections go well. My optimism hasn't left me completely.

On the "Obama Doctrine," Krauthammer had this to say:

SPIEGEL: You famously coined the term "Reagan Doctrine" to describe Ronald Reagan's foreign policy. What is the "Obama Doctrine?"

Krauthammer: I would say his vision of the world appears to me to be so naïve that I am not even sure he's able to develop a doctrine. He has a view of the world as regulated by self-enforcing international norms, where the peace is kept by some kind of vague international consensus, something called the international community, which to me is a fiction, acting through obviously inadequate and worthless international agencies. I wouldn't elevate that kind of thinking to a doctrine because I have too much respect for the word doctrine.

SPIEGEL: Are you saying that diplomacy always fails?

Krauthammer: No, foolishness does.

I couldn't agree more with that. Yet it, too, is depressing. Especially combined with the thought that we might have to hold on by our fingernails until 2016. Crikey!

Ah well. I adore Charles Krauthammer and I think I'll add an extra prayer for him and for our country tonight. It couldn't hurt.