"Obama-ism" in foreign policy?

Today's Washington Post has a fascinating article that attempts to define Obama's distinct campaign approach after securing the primary.

William A. Galston, one of Bill Clinton's White House domestic policy advisers, offers the following three characteristics as key elements of an emerging "Obama-ism":

First is an "all of us together" approach that rejects "diversionary interests and short-term gains." Second is an effort to bring people together across partisan lines. Third is his effort to broaden participation in politics and his use of modern technology to do so. This appears to be a marriage of Obama's roots in community organizing and his willingness to tap the power of technology to open the processes of government to more than the traditional cadre of experts.

"What Obama is talking about is a bottom-up view of how the world works," said Andrei Cherny, editor of the journal Democracy. "When he talks about American politics and how to reform it, how America can reach out to people around the world, he is not talking in the same way Democrats talked about it 30 years ago from the top down."

"His tone is very much post-partisan and post-ideological," said one Clinton White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer a frank assessment of Obama's candidacy. "The challenge will be coming up with the ideas to go with it. If you drop the same agenda into the same Washington petri dish, you'll get the same results."

On its face, domestic "Obama-ism" is a tremendous complement to a traditional multilateral approach to foreign policy. After eight years of American leadership deaf to the concerns of our allies and opponents in the international system, a little "Obama-ism" will go a long way towards restoring American prestige and leadership in global affairs.