WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama used his first State of the Union address after once again ramping up U.S. military involvement in the Middle East to describe his foreign policy as a judicious mix of military force and diplomacy — and left no doubt he believes positive engagement with the international community is key to what he called “a safer, more prosperous world.”
“I believe in a smarter kind of American leadership,” Obama said. “We lead best when we combine military power with strong diplomacy; when we leverage our power with coalition building; when we don’t let our fears blind us to the opportunities that this new century presents.”
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“I think maybe we could be doing more,” Engel said, discussing the ISIS threat. “But we’re doing the best we can right now — we don’t want troops on the ground.”
