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Bush Shift To Center Shakes Up Campaign

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The Washington Post

Published: July 20, 2008

WACO, Texas - With his moves last week involving Iraq, Iran and North Korea, President Bush accelerated a shift toward centrist foreign policies, a change that has cheered Democrats, angered some Republicans and roiled the presidential campaign.

In just the past two days, Bush sent his first high-level emissary to sit down with Iran, agreed for the first time to set a "time horizon" for withdrawing troops from Iraq, and authorized Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to join North Korean diplomats at six-party talks about ending that country's nuclear weapons program.

The maneuvers underscore how much the Bush administration has changed since 2002, when he proclaimed Iran and North Korea to be part of an "axis of evil." Now Bush is pushing forward with diplomatic gestures toward both countries while breaking with a long-held position on troop withdrawals in the interest of harmony with the new Iraqi government.

Many Democrats view the developments as evidence that Bush is moving closer to military and diplomatic policies that their party's presumptive presidential nominee, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, has long advocated. The steps could also help the likely GOP nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain, some analysts said, since he can now voice support for pulling out U.S. troops without appearing disloyal to Bush.

John Bolton, a former United Nations ambassador for Bush who has become one of his most vocal conservative critics, likened the developments to breaches in a dam that is about to burst. "Once the collapse begins, adversaries have a real opportunity to gain advantage," he said Saturday. "In terms of the Bush presidency, this many reversals this close to the end destroys credibility. ... It appears there is no depth to which this administration will not sink in its last days."

One of the administration's most surprising shifts came in regards to Iran.

The White House has repeatedly refused to engage directly with Tehran until the Islamic republic stops its work toward enriching uranium. But Undersecretary of State William Burns joined other foreign envoys in Geneva on Saturday as they met with Iran's top nuclear negotiator.

Jon Alterman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said that the administration's combined steps on Iraq, Iran and North Korea could end up helping McCain.

"He can say he supports the administration position, and that position will be supported by more Americans," Alterman said.

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