by Babs Pomp

Created on: June 18, 2009   Last Updated: June 20, 2009

The mainstream press has heralded Barak Obama's "ground-breaking new Mid-East policy," delivered in Cairo, Egypt (June 2009). Yet, a close examination of Obama's text in comparison to major foreign policy addresses by his predecessor, former President George W. Bush, suggests otherwise. When it comes to US policy in the Middle East, the transition from the George W. Bush to Barak Obama was not so much a change of horses as a change of riders.

Obama is still riding the same ole Mid-East policy horse that his predecessor Bush rode, though each tend to lean toward different sides (Bush, no doubt, right and Obama left). Or is it that those flanking these leaders only view them from one side or the other? If you stand in front - and assess actions and words - you'll find more similarities than differences. These similarities prove that Obama is not "launching a new beginning" in US policy six months into his presidency; instead, he's simply repackaging the same old message.

Wars

Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq continue, along with building tensions in Iran. Bush may have said more about US concerns than Obama, but both claim to support the troops abroad. No troops have yet to come home, nor have agreements been signed moving troops homeward. And no differences in the rhetoric either.

Here's what Obama said in his Cairo speech about the War on Terror (June 2009): "[W]e should [not] ignore sources of tension...[W]e must face these tensions squarely. The first issue that we have to confront is violent extremism in all of its forms...America can never tolerate violence by extremists, we must never alter our principles."

Six months earlier, Bush delivered his last speech as president. He declared: "We are engaged in the defining ideological struggle of the 21st century. The terrorists oppose every principle of humanity and decency that we hold dear. Yet in this war on terror, there is one thing we and our enemies agree on: In the long run, men and women who are free to determine their own destinies will reject terror and refuse to live in tyranny .That is why the terrorists are fighting to deny this choice to people in Lebanon, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Territories. And that is why, for the security of America and the peace of the world, we are spreading the hope of freedom."

Less details for Obama and more specific countries and struggles named by Bush, but the sentiments expressed remain eerily parallel. Also remember: both presidents have

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