Foreign policy advice

If you didn't read this article in yesterday's NY Times, you should. What an impressive system of filtering expert advise to get Senator Obama up to speed on the myriad complicated issues of foreign policy. I loved knowing that he starts his day thinking about the rest of the world. His process for doing so seemed thoroughly in keeping with the smart way he's run his campaign, and bodes well for what kind of future President he would make, seeking advice widely and immersing himself in the issues. I couldn't help but doubt that the current resident of the White House approaches the subject of foreign affairs -- or any subject -- in such a focused, professional way.

Although the piece was nominally about foreign affairs, it caused me to reflect on the serious consequences of how a president governs, nearly as much as what is achieved. Process is not something we voters reflect upon, much, in the media heat of a campaign. But is it any wonder that our current president's hands-off, leave-it-to-the-experts style of government has resulted in gross incursion of our civil rights at ome and an erosion of trust in America abroad? We would be better off for more procedural transparency from those who govern, not just on what they decide but on how they reached their conclusions.