I really don't like cynicism all that much, it's easy to be cynical but it really contributes very little. Take, for example, this opinion piece by Lionel Beehner, a former writer for the Council on Foreign Relations, who offers a cynical take on President-Elect Obama's new foreign policy team:
Pardon the metaphor, but Obama is trying to put lipstick on the pig that is US foreign policy. His national security team looks no less hawkish than the team assembled during Bush's second term. If I may ask, how is Hillary Clinton signing a communiqué or Robert Gates asking for more defense funding a “new dawn” exactly?
These cabinet appointees are all very capable professionals who have demonstrated their willingness to embrace a new vision for American foreign policy, one based on pragmatism, a return to diplomacy, and the assertive multilateralism that used to be the hallmark of American foreign policy. I find much here to be optimistic about, so I’m dismayed that some could so easily dismiss this group as reflecting the past rather than the future. Why don't we at least give them the chance to be confirmed by the Senate and take office before rushing to judgment?