https://hotair.com/headlines/archives/2012/12/15/secretaries-of-safe/feed/HotAir is the leading conservative blog for breaking news and commentary covering the Biden administration, politics, media, culture, and current elections.en-usTue, 09 Jun 2026 15:20:32 -0400<![CDATA[Obama believed, and those around him believed perhaps even more strongly, that his own oratorical and convening gifts &#8212; the sharp break from Bush which he was prepared to make &#8212; was itself a powerful diplomatic tool that would raise America&#8217;s standing in the world and change its relations with adversaries and rivals. The policy of &#8220;engaging&#8221; even adversaries like Iran and North Korea was based both on a calculus of mutual interest and on the magic of a new moment and a new man. But it turned out that the &#8220;Obama Effect,&#8221; as one senior State Department official called it, was much weaker than expected. &#8220;The idea was that there would be something reciprocal from bad actors,&#8221; the official said, &#8220;and we found out very quickly that wasn&#8217;t the case. We&#8217;ve gone back to a more traditional sort of approach.&#8221; &#8230;]]>Sat, 15 Dec 2012 10:05:59 -0500<![CDATA[Erika Johnsen]]>https://hotair.com/headlines/2012/12/15/secretaries-of-safe-n98301