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DougMills/TheNewYorkTimes

"

Afteradecadeofwar,we'

returningthepageandmovingforward,"

thepresidenttoldsupportersinane-mailonSaturday.

ConventionalwisdomholdsthatnoneofthiswillmattertoMr.Obama’sfrayedpoliticalfortunes,whichwillbedeterminedbytheeconomyratherthanthenotchesheispilinguponhisstatesman’sbelt.

YetMr.Obama’swithdrawalfromIraq—acampaignpledgekept—andthesuccessfulNATOaircampaigninLibya—withnoAmericancasualties,andatatinyfractionofthecostofIraq—allowedhimtothreadapoliticalneedle:

reaffirminghiscredentialsasawartimeleaderwhilereassuringhisDemocraticbasethatheismakinggoodonthepromisesthatgothimelected.

Thisone-twopunchmayalsostrengthenthepresident’shandagainsthiseventualRepublicanopponent,accordingtoMr.Obama’ssupporters,bydeprivingRepublicansofacudgeltypicallyusedonDemocraticpresidents,thattheyareweakonnationalsecurity.TheswiftandfiercecriticismofhisIraqdecisionbytheRepublicancandidatesshowshowreluctanttheyaretocedethisadvantagetohim.

“Thereisanaggregateeffecttoallthepresident’sforeignpolicysuccesses,”saidBillBurton,aformerWhiteHouseaidewhoisaseniorstrategistatPrioritiesUSAAction,apoliticalactioncommitteebackingtheObamacampaign.“Thenotionofwhoisastrongerleaderwillbedeeplyinfluencedbythepromisesthepresidentkept.”

Mr.BurtonsaidhecouldforeseetelevisionadvertisementsplayingupMr.Obama’sforeignsuccesses,includingthedeathsofbothOsamabinLadenandColonelQaddafi,thoughhedidnotsaywhetherhisgrouphadmadesuchplans.OnSaturday,Mr.BurtoncirculatedamemotoproducersoftheSundaytalkshowsdrawingacontrastbetweenthecostoftheIraqwarandthelower-costLibyaoperation.

Still,thereislittledoubttheelectionwillbedominatedbytheeconomyandtheweakjobmarket,wherethepresidentisdealingwithasteadydripofbadnewsandscanthopeofimprovementbeforeElectionDay.

AdiscussionofforeignpolicyhasbeenlargelyabsentfromthedebatesamongtheRepublicanpresidentialcontenders,astrikingfactgiventhatthenationisenmeshedinthreemajormilitaryconflictsandthatRepublicanshavehistoricallyclaimedanedgeinnationalsecurity.

“Foreignaffairsisimportant,butwhenplacedagainstthescaleoftheproblemwithjobsandtheeconomy,it’sdwarfed,”saidDavidWinston,aRepublicanstrategist.“It’stheequivalentofahouseonfire:

he’sfixingthewindowwhiletherestofthehouseisburningdown.”

KarlRove,aformerstrategisttoPresidentBush,said,“TothedegreeObamatriestosuggestheshouldbere-electedbecauseofforeignpolicystrength,helookslikehe’sdodgingthemainissue.”

Mr.Obama’spollnumbersalsoshowheisgettinglittlecreditforhissuccesses.Hisapprovalratingshotup11points,to57percent,inaNewYorkTimes/CBSNewssurveyafterheorderedthecommandoraidinPakistanthatkilledBinLadeninMay,butfellbackbelow50percentamonthlaterasfearsabouttheeconomypuncturedtheeuphoria.

Lastweek’ssuccessescouldfadetoo—ifsectarianviolenceinIraqflaresupaftertheAmericantroopsleave,ifLibyabecomesanotherSomaliaorifaterroristgroupmanagestostageanattackonAmericansoil.

“Ifthingsgoofftrackinthenextyearortwo,it’snotgoingtomatterwhatthemilitarysuccesseswere,”saidDavidRothkopf,aforeignpolicyexpertwhohaswrittenahistoryoftheNationalSecurityCouncil.

EvenasformerBushadministrationofficialspraisedMr.ObamaforthevictoryinLibya,theRepublicanpresidentialcandidatesweretryingtodrawattentiontothefailedtalksbetweentheUnitedStatesandIraqoverlegalimmunityforasmallforceoftrainersthatthePentagonhadwantedtoremain.

MittRomney,MicheleBachmann,JonM.HuntsmanJr.andHermanCainallcriticizedthepresident’sdecision,withMr.Romneyissuingthemoststridentcondemnation

TheNextWar

2.Panetta’sPentagon,WithouttheBlankCheck

WASHINGTON—Tanandruddy-faced,DefenseSecretaryLeonE.Panettatookhisseatinahearingroomonemorningthismonthreadyforbattle.Theenemy,hewarnedlawmakersominously,was“ablind,mindless”onethatcould“badlydamageourcapabilities”and“trulydevastateournationaldefense.”

JonathanErnst/Reuters

DefenseSecretaryLeonE.Panettawarnsagainstahollowingoutofthemilitary.

PeteSouza/TheWhiteHouse,viaAssociatedPress

PresidentObamaspeakingtoMr.Panetta,leftofcenter,andmembersofthenationalsecurityteamatameetingaboutthemissionagainstOsamabinLaden,intheSituationRoominMay.

Mr.PanettameantnotAlQaeda,theTalibanorIraqiinsurgents,butacreationofCongresspoisedtoinflictwhathedeemedunacceptablebudgetcutsonaPentagonthat,headmitted,had“ablankcheck”inthedecadeaftertheattacksofSept.11,2001.

“Aftereverymajorconflict—WorldWarI,WorldWarII,Korea,Vietnam,thefalloftheSovietUnion—whathappenedwasthatweultimatelyhollowedouttheforce,largelybydoingdeep,across-the-boardcutsthatimpactedonequipment,impactedontraining,impactedoncapability,”hesaid.“Whateverwedoinconfrontingthechallengeswefacenowonthefiscalside,wemustnotmakethatmistake.”

AsPresidentObama’sC.I.A.director,Mr.PanettaoversawtheraidthatkilledOsamabinLadenlastspring.Nowasthepresident’snewdefensesecretary,heischargedwithclosingthebooksonmultiplefronts—justlastweek,Col.Muammarel-QaddafiwaskilledinLibyaandthelastAmericantroopswereorderedhomefromIraqbytheendoftheyear.ButthebiggestchallengesaheadmayberetrofittingthemilitaryforaneweraofausterityandguardingMr.Obama’snationalsecurityflankheadingintoaturbulentelectionyear.

“Itisoneofthesewatershedpoints,”saidformerSenatorDavidBoren,co-chairmanofthePresident’sIntelligenceAdvisoryBoard.“It’sjustliketheendofthecoldwarwhenyou’reabouttoshiftgearsandwe’regoingtohavetoreprioritizewhatwehavetodo.”

ThedauntingtaskhasfallenonMr.Panetta,a73-year-oldformercivilrightschief,congressman,budgetdirectorandWhiteHousechiefofstaffwhosecareerdatestothedaysofPresidentLyndonB.Johnson.ReturningtoWashingtonfromhisCaliforniawalnutfarmin2009,Mr.Panettaknewlittleoffightingwars.WhathedidknowwasWashingtoninstitutions,atraitthatmadehimathrowbacktotheso-calledwisemencommandingrespectacrosspartylines.Whoelsethesedaysisconfirmed100to0bytheSenate?

Butyoudon’tgetto100to0withoutcompromiseorevolution.ThecoldwardovewhoopposedRonaldReagan’scontrawarinNicaraguainthe1980sandGeorgeBush’sPersianGulfwarof1991hasbecomeawaronterrorhawk,authorizingmoredronestrikesinPakistanthanGeorgeW.Bush.

ThecriticwhodenouncedtortureduringMr.Bush’stenuretookofficeandarguedagainstinvestigatingwhetherithappened.Theco-authoroftheIraqStudyGroupreportcallingforwithdrawingtroopsrecentlypressedtokeepmoretroopsthere.

ThecarefulpositioninghasmadeMr.PanettaonesubjectonwhichMr.ObamaandmanyRepublicansagree.“I’maLeonPanettafan,”saidformerRepresentativePeteHoekstra,whoisnoObamafan.“He’sfairlyhawkishandaggressiveonnationalsecurityissues,”agreedRepresentativeMikeRogers,theHouseintelligencechairman.

RepresentativePeterKing,thehomelandsecuritychairman,saidMr.Panettacouldhaveserved“thetoughestRepublicanpresident,notjustaDemocraticpresident.”

Howlongthatlasts,ofcourse,remainsuncertain.Heistreadingintodangerousterritoryashesearchesfor$450billionindefensecutsover10years.IfanewCongressionaldebtcommitteecannotforgeadeficit-reductionagreementbyThanksgiving,Mr.Panettafaceswhathecallsa“doomsdaymechanism”mandatinganadditional$500billionincuts.

Theissuesonthetableareenormous—thefinancialhealthofadebt-riddencountry,militaryreadinesstoconfrontastill-dangerousworldandmanythousandsofjobsandcontractorbusinessesinCongressionaldistrictsaroundthecountry.ThepoliticalcrosscurrentsaretreacherousforapartysosensitivetoitspublicstandingonsecuritythatMr.PanettaisthefirstDemocrattoserveasdefensesecretarysince1997.

3.JobsPlanStalled,ObamatoTryNewEconomicDrive

WASHINGTON—WithhisjobsplanstymiedinCongressbyRepublicanopposition,PresidentObamaonMondaywillbeginaseriesofexecutive-branchactionstoconfronthousing,educationandothereconomicproblemsoverthecomingmonths,heraldedbyanewmantra:

“Wecan’twait”forlawmakerstoact.

Accordingtoanadministrationofficial,Mr.ObamawillkickoffhisnewoffensiveinLasVegas,groundzeroofthehousingbust,bypromotingnewrulesforfederallyguaranteedmortgagessothatmorehomeowners,thosewithlittleornoequityintheirhomes,canrefinanceandavertforeclosure.

AndWednesdayinDenver,theofficialsaid,Mr.Obamawillannouncepolicychangestoeasecollegegraduates’repaymentoffederalloans,seekingtoalleviatethefinancialconcernsofstudentsconsideringcollegeatatimewhenstatesareraisingtuition.

Thepresident’sannouncementswillbookendathree-dayWesterntripduringwhichhealsowillh