As far as grand strategy goes, Barack Obama comes to the presidency totally unburdened by his past, as this is truly his first act in international political theater. Plus he's unusually credentialed as a presumed agent of future change -- his biracial background alone. In ideological terms, he's a relatively free agent. That's a huge plus in his asset column as he follows the highly ideological Bush-Cheney administration, because he encounters a world of labeled players, most of whom are eager to come in from whatever "cold" standing vis-a-vis the United States that their current designation implies. That doesn't mean these regimes necessarily seek our affinity but...
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