Obama is about to undermine his own Mideast doctrine

But the conventional wisdom is wrong. There is, in fact, an Obama doctrine. And for the first time since becoming president, Obama seems poised to violate it in an irredeemable way.

First things first: the doctrine. I call it the Doctrine of Disentanglement. Barack Obama is President of the United States because his predecessor invaded one too many Muslim countries. Bush’s presidency might today be considered a success had he limited himself to the war in Afghanistan. But he is widely thought to have overreached in Iraq, and his presidency foundered, clearing a path for an Illinois politician who, as an unknown state senator, denounced not all wars, just stupid ones.

The crucial first lesson of the Bush presidency for Obama was simple: Disentangle the U.S. from Iraq, and then Afghanistan. He has pursued this policy of disentanglement with great vigor, even in the face of obvious evidence that U.S. withdrawal from these nations could well have consequences that will one day force America to re-engage. Short-term, and particularly domestically, these policies have been successful.

The second prong of the Doctrine of Disentanglement is to avoid new entanglements.