national security policies

In a speech Thursday, President Obama defended his decision to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, describing the situation there as "a mess; a misguided experiment that has left in its wake a flood of legal challenges." Obama also spoke about American values and said his national security policies represent a new direction.

So, Dick Cheney has been going around telling everyone that President Obama is making us less safe by daring to change some of the Bush era national security policies.

But Jack Goldsmith at The New Republic says Cheney’s criticisms don’t hold up. Obama has actually changed very little outside rhetoric and packaging.

Usually, when people debate why the conservative movement has hit hard times, they argue about whether Republicans are fiscally conservative enough or whether they are too focused on social issues.

Rarely does the third tent pole of modern conservativism get mentioned: the national security conservatives.

But that’s the exact group to blame argues Daniel Larison in The Week: