Reality check

Steven King in today's Irish Examiner:

Therefore, with the 2008 elections and the subsequent removal of the bogeyman that is George W Bush, many believe – or, at least, pray – that transatlantic relations will begin to settle back to the cosy position they were in before the hated neo-cons were given their head.

The new administration, Democrat or even Republican, will surely be keen to distance itself from such an unpopular administration which – according to the conventional wisdom – has forfeited America's good name by abandoning the rule of international law and opting for military force as the first option, not the last.

There is something in this thesis. Name a leader who does not come to power promising change. But those counting down the days until January 2009 would be wise not to get carried away. There will be no revolution in American foreign policy doctrine. A softer, more contrite tone than that previously associated with George Bush, yes, but a wholesale rejection of the policies he has pursued, no.

No revolution. I haven't followed the debates religiously, but mostly what I've heard is that the style rather than the substance of America's foreign dealings will change.