Indian Crisis Tests Obama

This transition period was supposed to be all about getting a grip on the financial crisis -- and it looked this week as if Barack Obama has succeeded sufficiently to take the Thanksgiving holiday off. But on Wednesday, the president-elect was reminded that he is inheriting messes far beyond Wall Street.

The devastating attacks in Mumbai -- which have left more than 100 dead and three times that number seriously wounded -- have put the war on terror back in competition for Obama's urgent attention. And the reported focus of the attackers in U.S. and European visitors to India makes this anything but a foreign affair.

Wednesday's developments do not quite qualify as the "test" famously anticipated during the fall campaign by Joe Biden, the outgoing Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair who will now serve as Obama's loose-lipped vice president. But Obama and his aides are scrambling to refocus after a key American ally suffered a devastating attack that John McLaughlin, the former acting director of the Central Intelligence Agency refers to as "India's 9-11."

Even if we correct for the hyperbole, there is no question that Obama is going to be answering questions about something other than his post-Thanksgiving shopping plans -- an inquiry he took at a press conference before the attacks began in Mumbai.

The official statement from the president-elect's transition team was crisp, professional and parallel to those from the White House of George Bush, the man Obama will replace in less than two months:

President-Elect Obama strongly condemns today's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of India. These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism. The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks. We stand with the people of India, whose democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to these attacks.

The real measure will come early next week, when Obama will begin to announce key defense and foreign affairs picks for his Cabinet. If Obama had been developing any doubts about keeping Bush Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on the job, they have almost certainly been eliminated. And there can be no doubt that New York Senator Hillary Clinton's claim on the Secretary of State job is strengthened, as Clinton is well connected and well regarded in southern Asia.

This does not mean that Gates and Clinton -- or the other Washington insiders that will accompany them -- are necessarily the right picks. But the pressure for establishment continuity will be greater now than ever. And prospects that the next president might be talked out of his wrongheaded plans to surge more U.S. troops into Afghanistan -- and perhaps Pakistan -- have surely dimmed.

Indeed, on Wednesday night, the president-elect was on the phone with outgoing Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. And no matter what was actually said, the subtext was unmistakable: Barack Obama just lost a little bit more of the space and flexibility that has traditionally been afforded presidents-elect during their transition periods. For better or worse -- and in this case it is probably worse -- events are forcing Obama into the thick of another Bush administration challenge that will not go away when Bush does.

Comments (22)

1. Gates and Hillary Clinton are not the "right picks". The attacks in Mumbai are connected to the war mentality of the establishment in Washington and why we should be flooding the Obama transition team with emails telling Obama why this incident, and this moment in global history, requires not continuity but precisely the change in foreign policy we voted for in voting for Obama - not the war hawks of Gates and Clinton. We need credible people with credible backgrounds in the use of diplomacy and building cooperation through a just foreign policy. Not someone who presided over the war in Iraq and supports nuclear development, and not someone who gave Bush the authorization to go to war and talked about obliterating Iran. The change we can believe in, and demonstrate in actions, that the rest of the world is looking for to take away the legitimization of violence.

   Posted by robins at 11/27/2008 @ 12:24am

2. Posted by HAPPYLonghorn at 11/27/2008 @ 12:07am |

   Is it just me or are HAPPY's postings getting even more and more incoherent?

   Posted by yutsano at 11/27/2008 @ 03:05am

3. Posted by yutsano at 11/27/2008 @ 03:05am

   He's stuck for new talking points.

   He can't attack Obama on actual implemented policies yet (since he's not sworn in), but there's nothing left from the campaign to attack him on that obviously mattered (since Obama won).

   Even the ludicrious Limbagh attempt to blame the decline in the Market on Obama blew up...when he named his economic team and the Market...went up.

   At this point, the Right is more anxious for Obama to be sworn in than those of us who voted for him....they NEED him in office so they can LEGITIMATELY attack him.

   Posted by Mask at 11/27/2008 @ 07:16am

4. Mask...you are right, Obama is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't!!! I'm really surprised that this awful mess in India isn't being blamed on Obama, he's caused everything else apparently. My,God, what a task he has before him though, everything but the kitchen sink being thrown at him. I do have great confidence in him and the team he has put together, whether we agree with his choices or not, I do feel he knows what he is doing.

   Posted by Caj at 11/27/2008 @ 08:54am

5. happy-Please,take your racist idiocy elsewhere.May I suggest a right wing site where your racist nonsense will be appreciated.If you are going to post your racist nonsense on here then,please,make it relevant to the topic.

   Posted by i'm nobody at 11/27/2008 @ 10:49am

6. Well well Caj. Now you know how we Bush supporters have felt like for the past 8 years. He couldn't do anything right. Yes it was damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. He was blamed for EVERYTHING and now it's somebody else's turn to get blamed. I for one will be relieved when Obama takes over, even though I voted for McCain, so the Dems can be blamed for a change. Of course, I do expect for at least a couple of years or more it'll still be President Bush's fault no matter what happens. The media will refuse to blame THE ONE for anything that goes wrong.

   Posted by catmama at 11/27/2008 @ 1:08pm

7. To call this incident "Obama's crisis" is ludicrous. It is an internal affair for the Indian government. Why is that so hard for Americans to understand?

   Posted by NukularProficy at 11/27/2008 @ 1:50pm

8. The reasons behind this attack are unclear, and there is a need for more facts before we make any judgements. This is a very serious attack, but how it effects American interests are unclear. While the method of attack was new to India, it is not surprising that American Business interests overseas might be threatened. I am rather surprised it took so long for them to become a target. Senator Clinton is the Co-chair of the Indian caucus in the Senate, so along with her Israeli caucus responsibilities, I don't know how she will have time to be Secretary of State.

   Posted by P. J. Casey at 11/27/2008 @ 2:04pm

9. As long there is a terrorist, Mr. George W. Bush will be on the mind of the americans people as the president that saved the country of any indiscrimanate terrorist attack from those devilish assessin.

   In your farewell, Mr. President, I will give you, in the name of my family and my own, a greatfull THANK for keeping those diabolics people running, hiding in caves or Guantanamo Base. God bless you Mr. President. George W. Bush forever.

   Posted by suny_4 at 11/27/2008 @ 2:40pm

10. As long there is a terrorist, Mr. George W. Bush will be on the mind of the americans people as the president that saved the country of any indiscrimanate terrorist attack from those devilish assessin.

    In your farewell, Mr. President, I will give you, in the name of my family and my own, a greatfull THANK for keeping those diabolics people running, hiding in caves or Guantanamo Base. God bless you Mr. President. George W. Bush forever.

    Posted by suny_4 at 11/27/2008 @ 2:51pm

11. dear nukularproficy

    right on! this article is more related to what is wrong with america than to any clear-eyed vision of the world.

    Posted by montemerrick at 11/27/2008 @ 2:54pm

12. America is not liked almost exclusively because of Bush's barbaric torture policies which Obama is indicating he has every intention of doing nothing about, with excuses like we have to attend to the economy and other important issues etc. He is dead dead dead wrong. If he let's warcrimes go I will never vote again in any election.America is over.And all the stupid stupid sheeple will be reviled forever, and well they should be, because they do not protest.

    Posted by mystic at 11/27/2008 @ 3:04pm

13. My dear Indian brothers, let us not do anything Ghundi would dislike; we should not jump to conclusions. This attack might have been done by Hindu extermists that want to affect the outcome of the upcoming elections.

    Posted by Rohit1000 at 11/27/2008 @ 4:21pm

14. Posted by HAPPYLonghorn at 11/27/2008 @ 10:40am

    Given you guys were wrong about the "Obama is a socialist and will impose a radical leftist agenda" stuff...

    why should we trust your judgement now?

    heheh

    Posted by Mask at 11/27/2008 @ 4:51pm

15. Posted by catmama at 11/27/2008 @ 1:08pm

    Well,I don't exactly know who else is to blame for the past 8 years do you....have the Republicans not been in control??? If you or any other Republicans think Bush has been a great or even good President then you all must be in the very small minority...is it 30% now!!! So, I guess the rest of us have got it totally all wrong....I don't think so..the man has been out to lunch for years, so inept in so many many things. I don't expect Obama to be perfect by any means and of course he'll make mistakes...but he'll have new ideas, new outlook and much more credibility around the world. Those of you who supported Bush and of course McCain who is also out of touch and that loose cannon Sarah Palin will never see any wrong in them ever. That's the difference between us Dems and you Repubs...if our new President screws up we won't be afraid to say so and hold him accountable, but for you Repubs, you must follow the President regardless even if you don't agree or you are deemed un-patriotic. That is such stupid logic...none of us have to agree with the President whomever he may be....it does not make any of us un-patriotic if we don't.

    Posted by Caj at 11/27/2008 @ 4:58pm

16. I know it takes maybe a week or two, but the terrorism against Palestine matches the Mumbai stats year in, year out.

    Across the globe, there must be 100000-500000 targets similar to those chosen in Mumbai.

    Clearly, there's no way to prevent intermittent small scale, big splash attacks like this.

    Posted by winyahn at 11/27/2008 @ 10:19pm

17. I often wonder why Palestine does not get as much coverage when destruction and carnage happens there, and yet when it's Israel, it's front page news and all over the TV and Bush comes out and condemns it!!! Why is it that Palestinian life seems to be less important than Israeli life and Bush never condemns attacks against Palestine!!!! That has always bothered my, why we are so behind Israel who have their own army,planes and weapons etc and Palestine have none of that, but very basic weapons....I find that unacceptable..ali or no ali.

    Posted by Caj at 11/27/2008 @ 10:41pm

18. I see your comments friends.. and I think by thinking this way you're indeed being captured and victimized of the motives of the terrorist.

    All I would say is, we are the tradition of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", meaning "The Earth is a Family"... and in spite of being a corrupt political sphere and inefficient infrastructure to an extent, we still love welcoming guests, still believing in "Atithi Devo Bhava".

    O:-)

    Posted by RokZRooM at 11/27/2008 @ 10:54pm

19. Well well Caj. Now you know how we Bush supporters have felt like for the past 8 years. He couldn't do anything right. Yes it was damned if he does and damned if he doesn't. He was blamed for EVERYTHING and now it's somebody else's turn to get blamed. I for one will be relieved when Obama takes over, even though I voted for McCain, so the Dems can be blamed for a change. Of course, I do expect for at least a couple of years or more it'll still be President Bush's fault no matter what happens. The media will refuse to blame THE ONE for anything that goes wrong.

    Posted by catmama at 11/27/2008 @ 1:08pm | ignore this person | warn this person

    good.

    Posted by Daisenryaku at 11/27/2008 @ 11:24pm

20. India's 9/11 was British rule. That is called "State Terrorism".

    Posted by WarPriest at 11/28/2008 @ 02:34am

21. To Daisenryaku....11/27/8.

    I'll give you the same response!!

    Well,I don't exactly know who else is to blame for the past 8 years do you....have the Republicans not been in control??? If you or any other Republicans think Bush has been a great or even good President then you all must be in the very small minority...is it 30% now!!! So, I guess the rest of us have got it totally all wrong....I don't think so..the man has been out to lunch for years, so inept in so many many things. I don't expect Obama to be perfect by any means and of course he'll make mistakes...but he'll have new ideas, new outlook and much more credibility around the world. Those of you who supported Bush and of course McCain who is also out of touch and that loose cannon Sarah Palin will never see any wrong in them ever. That's the difference between us Dems and you Repubs...if our new President screws up we won't be afraid to say so and hold him accountable, but for you Repubs, you must follow the President regardless even if you don't agree or you are deemed un-patriotic. That is such stupid logic...none of us have to agree with the President whomever he may be....it does not make any of us un-patriotic if we don't.

    Posted by Caj at 11/28/2008 @ 07:48am

22. With the important, still unclear, gaping caveat of intel concerning flying-plane-into-building attacks which is all that's public at this point, the left doesn't blame Bush for provoking or not stopping 911.

    Don't blame him for Mumbai and won't blame Obama for the next surprise...

    Posted by winyahn at 11/28/2008 @ 7:02pm