On CNN on Tuesday, former CBS “Evening News” anchor Dan Rather was asked about President Barack Obama’s critics complaining he is not using his influence around the world to quell ongoing international crises.
Rather said, “The biggest change in the world over the last 50 years plus is we came out of World War II as the supreme power in the world we could have taken any territory we chose. We chose not to take territory, but we were the world’s ranking power. Now today, you have others, China is an economic superpower. They’re not yet a military superpower but they want to become so. The world is much more diffused in terms of power.”
“We as a people in the United States are having difficulty coming to grips with that, whether we have a Republican president or a Democratic president, the rest of the world is having to come to grips with that. There was a time when you say let’s call the USA, they’ll solve this problem,” he continued.
“With President Obama, I think he understands but we need to understand when you speak of the power of the presidency which you hear on cable television everywhere about, well, President Obama’s not using the power of the presidency,” Rather added. “The basic power of the American presidency is the power to persuade. to persuade your own people, to follow your leadership and to follow those persuade those overseas to follow. Now, the power of the presidency has been declining through at least our last two presidencies with president George W. Bush and there’s no magic wand that President Obama can wave to solve that.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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