Is Obama choosing Wall Street over Main Street, War over Peace?

As a real liberal, albeit a moderate one, I have not been very pleased with Obama's choices both for filling foreign policy positions and economic ones. Robert Scheer covers his economic appointees and doesn't like much - the foxes were put in charge of the hen house and you can see the feathers in their teeth.

On the foreign policy front, Robert Dreyfuss is saying I told you so.

Out of the blue, in the third presidential debate, Obama cited Jones as someone he trusts on national security. He is an advocate for stepped-up defense spending.

While Justin Raimondo is saying liberals will be disappointed over his administration's foreign policy as an anti-war candidate in the primaries appoints war mongers when he takes office.

The outlook for the foreign policy of the new administration is not good. I foresee a protracted period of confusion and internal struggle, punctuated by periodic foreign crises in which Team Obama will be all too eager to prove their "toughness." Diverted by trouble on the home front, President Obama is likely to let the tremendous opportunities opened up by his international popularity and stature go to waste. Putting Hillary Clinton to work on forging a Middle East peace agreement is another example of Bizarro World logic in action

How bad are Obama's picks? -

Max Boot, a violently hawkish neoconservative blogger and McCain campaign staffer, professes himself surprisingly impressed by Barack Obama's staff picks

About eight years ago I had a bad feeling about Bush as he picked the worst from previous Republican administrations, mixed with a few unknowns, for some foreign policy positions. At least he appointed the moderate but political Colin Powell. Condi Rice was the academic unknown with conservative friends. I am getting similar bad feelings about Obama - only tempered by the fact it will be pretty nigh impossible to be as bad as Bush.

At my most optimistic I told my friends on Facebook I am considering Obama like other Democratic Presidents, a ruthlessly pragmatic centrist who depends on grassroots progressives to push liberal programs. We can give thanks for that in a president instead of a bellicose conservative prone to gambling and following even worse advisers.

Tags: Obama, picks, appointments, centrist, wall street, main street, economic, foreign, military, the future