Michael O'Hanlon, a Democratic defense and national security adviser at the Brookings Institution, also finds Mr. Obama's approach dangerous and sophomoric. The freshman senator's eagerness for one-on-one talks with tin pot dictators "would cheapen the value of a presidential summits," Mr. O'Hanlon told me.

Drawing advisers from the same administration feeds the impression that both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama will in most cases follow similar policies.

On Iraq, they seem to be joined at the hip on getting out as soon as possible and that bothers Mr. O'Hanlon, a Clinton supporter, who has been a leading Democratic supporter of the military surge there.

"I'm troubled about what they both say about Iraq. He's the one who wants to get out very fast, unconditionally, and to some extent, he has pulled her along," Mr. O'Hanlon said.

This begs the question: How long do you think it will take al Qaeda to re-establish bases throughout the country once we're out?" You get one guess.