It is hard to label some areas, especially in national security, as traits of the left or the right. I've seen people on the left call Obama the most secretive president since Nixon (this is the man who says he he transparent, which makes the hypocrisy so much greater). You could very easily say he has followed a Neocon foreign policy, but of course LBJ and JFK had Neocon foreign policy before the word existed. He has maintained or expanded pretty much all Bush era aspects of the Patriot Act/Surveillance state. Hypocrites all around. I never tire of directing my ire at people who blasted Bush for doing the exact same things (or less) than Obama whilst giving Obama a free pass. The media should largely be ashamed.

Someone traditionally thought of as far left, Dennis Kucinich, and someone traditionally thought of as far right, Ron Paul, are actually pretty close together on a lot of foreign policy or anti terrorism issues. Meanwhile Obama/Bush/Cheney also seem like peas in a pod.

But then if you flip the script and look at other issues, Obama started somewhere between Cheney and Santorum on gay marriage, and is now back on the left on the issue. Economically he is obviously a creature of the left, energy policy puts him squarely on the left.

You'll find most politicians are a mixed bag like that because most politicians are beholden to a variety of special interests that aren't necessarily congruent interests. Rarely do you find a politician that is purely idealistic and who sticks to those ideals.

This is all muddled by the fact that the parties are always changing. Republicans are starting to remember what they used to stand for (freedom, nonintervention, small government, states rights) rather than what they thought they stood for (God, Guns, GI Joe). Democrats as always are open to the highest bidding special interest. Though I do wonder if Obama's foreign policy is changing the Democratic party. Will tolerance of Obama result in acceptance of those types of policies?