Obama complained about the recent negative coverage of his foreign policy, airing grievances that I’d heard him express privately—about how the press ignored the steady work of American leadership and legitimized every demand that he do more to escalate conflicts. He went on a long tangent about how the failures of American foreign policy were ones of overreach, complaining about the lack of accountability for Iraq War supporters who were still the tribunes of conventional wisdom. Finally, he reached the end of his lecture. “What’s the Obama doctrine?” he asked aloud. The silence was charged,
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