BU Now » Obama

An analysis of President Obama’s Iraq Address

Jo Breiner — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:56:39 +0000

President Obama spoke from the Oval Office on Tuesday night declaring “it’s time to turn the page” on the seven-year combat mission in Iraq.

International Relations professor William Keylor gave his analysis of the president’s speech in an interview on NECN saying “This war is coming to an end not with a bang, but with a wimper.”

Contact William Keylor at 617-358-0197, wrkeylor@bu.edu

Obama hits new low in polls

Dick Taffe — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:57:39 +0000

With all eyes toward November’s mid-term elections, a new Washington Post/ABC poll shows only 43 percent of Americans approving the job President Obama is doing on the economy, a new low for him. A new CBS poll has that number at 40 percent, with 54 percent disapproving. Political science Professor Graham Wilson, author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective,” says studies show voters’ memories are short so if the economy were to recover over the next few months there would still be hope for the Democrats in the fall.

“But the Democrats are very vulnerable because Obama, supposedly a great communicator, has failed to tell voters a story that they can understand of why the state of the economy isn’t his fault and why the steps he’s taken to address it make sense. So at this point, the Democrats’ future is out of their control.”

Contact Graham Wilson, 617-353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu

Anger and leadership

Dick Taffe — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 18:30:15 +0000

Although “coolness” was a factor that helped get him elected, President Obama has come under fire for not showing more anger — with banks, terrorists, or oil spills. School of Management Professor Kathy Kram, an expert on executive leadership development, says temperment is basically a set of preferences for how one wants to be in the world — and staying cool has been what has worked for Obama through his career. Leaders must show emotion, she says in a BU Today interview, and Obama seems more inclined to express his emotions in a planned, thoughtful way rather than in random outbursts.

“I think a lot of times constituents are looking for passion. I suspect that Obama’s logical, rational, fact-based approach can sometimes mask his passion. Maybe that’s what the public is looking for at the moment: the passion to get things right.”

Contact Kathy Kram, 617-353-4269, kekram@bu.edu

Obama under political fire

Dick Taffe — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 17:33:17 +0000

From the handling of the Gulf oil spill to internal Democratic primary politics, President Obama is under intense political fire and the White House is getting defensive. Political science Professor Graham Wilson, author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective,” says some of the criticisms are ironic.

“One irony is that when the health care bill was being blocked by the Republicans, many questioned whether Obama was capable of horse trading and cracking a few heads politically. ‘Too cerebral, insufficiently political’ was the criticism. Now he is being criticized for trying to cut deals.”

Contact Graham Wilson, 617-353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu

Director of national intelligence quits

Dick Taffe — Fri, 21 May 2010 20:18:16 +0000

Retired Navy Admiral Dennis Blair resigned as national intelligence director after only 16 months on the job — pushed out by President Obama who will name a successor. Political science Professor Joseph Wippl, director of the BU Center for International Relations and a 30-year CIA operations officer, said it’s an impossible job because it doesn’t have budgetary or personnel authority over all 16 intelligence agencies.

“Expect another U.S. military man to become DNI. The military is always good for hopeless causes in civilian leadership.”

Contact Joseph Wippl, 617-353-8992, jwippl@bu.edu

From Joan Salge Blake:

Lauren Davalla — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:55:17 +0000

President Obama reportedly has high cholesterol… Michele says it’s from too many burgers. How about a bean burrito instead? Here’s why: Beauty and the Beans.

Obama rethinking nuke policy

Dick Taffe — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:09:42 +0000

The White House reportedly is rethinking the nation’s nuclear weapons strategy to aim at permanently reducing the U.S. arsenal while rejecting swear-no-first-use proposals. Attorney Philip O’Neill, author of “Verification in an Age of Insecurity” and who teaches national security law at BU Law, says this nuclear review should be the time and place for a little policy ambiguity.

“Preserving that option in present circumstances makes continuing good sense in the absence of verifiable arms control progress. Declaratory policy in this instance should follow rather than lead that effort.”

Contact Philip O’Neill, 617-951-2253, poneill@eapdlaw.com

Obama’s export goals questioned

Dick Taffe — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:27:47 +0000

Although President Obama pledged in his State of the Union address to double U.S. export growth over the next five years to help create jobs, experts are saying that’s virtually impossible. International Relations Professor Kevin Gallagher, a specialist in globalization and development, says the only time U.S. exports ever doubled was when the Nixon administration raised import charges from 1969 to 1974 to protect manufacturing and trim the trade deficit.

“There is no way the administration would mimic that policy, as it would trigger a trade war and enrage many constituents at home.”

Contact Kevin Gallagher, 617-353-9348, kpg@bu.edu

Dealing with TBTF institutions

Dick Taffe — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 17:28:13 +0000

President Obama has proposed taxing banks that have benefited from TARP bailouts and restricting banking trading activities so depositor funds are not put at risk. In a Boston Globe op-ed, Law Professor Cornelius Hurley, director of the Morin Center for Banking and Financial Law, says it would be more effective to make too-big-to-fail institutions return every dollar of the subsidy they get by being able to borrow funds at a lower rate than less complex institutions.

“We must remind ourselves and Obama that the subsidy comes out of taxpayers’ pockets.”

Contact Cornelius Hurley, 617-353-5427, ckhurley@bu.edu

State of the Union address

Dick Taffe — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 19:55:13 +0000

President Obama has hinted that some of his State of the Union address on Wednesday will propose some economic relief for middle-class families. But what else? Political Science Professor Graham Wilson, author of “Only in America? American Politics in Comparative Perspective,” says Obama must define what his overall strategy will be moving forward.

“An expert commission on the deficit will accomplish nothing practically, but might work politically.”

Contact Graham Wilson, 617-353-2540, gkwilson@bu.edu