On Thursday evening in a glittering Berlin, Mr. Obama delivered a tone poem to American and European ideals and shared history.
But he was vague on crucial issues of trade, defense and foreign policy that currently divide Washington from Europe and are likely to continue to do so even if he becomes president — issues ranging from Russia, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan to new refueling tankers and chlorinated chickens, the focus of an 11-year European ban on American poultry imports.
Europeans admire Mr. Obama’s political skills, and welcome his apparent readiness to respect opposing points of view. For many here, that raises the prospect of a sharp break with the policies of the Bush administration, especially in its first term, when the United States chose to ignore the Geneva Conventions at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, rejected the Kyoto accord on global warming and invaded Iraq, starting a war that some of America’s European allies opposed.
This from the NT Times and all I can say is huh? Vague policies? he is a politician–that is what they do. But on the other hand, vagueness travels both ways–McCain is more vague than Obama–but both are masters at obfuscation.