The Audacity of Small Ball

Obama's embrace of incrementalism and his defense of carefully picking and choosing where to intervene will undoubtedly be seized upon by the purveyors of the "small ball" critique as evidence that they are right -- that this is a president who is too cautious, leaning away, leading from behind, and not getting much done from that position. But the approach he is describing also reflects admirable characteristics such as prudence and realism. The grandiosity of political rhetoric and nostalgic depictions of past leaders aside, most presidents apply just such an approach most of the time. For example, when pushed by his right to militarily confront the Soviets, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower set the pattern ultimately followed by all his successors by avoiding direct conflict and relying patiently on the entropy of a flawed communist system, consistent pressure, and management of smaller proxy conflicts to bring down America's adversary.