So far, the media profiles of Barack Obama's future national security advisor, James L. Jones, have revealed an intelligent and stoic, John Wayne-looking guy with a talent for navigating complex bureaucracies, but tell us very little about his actual views on major world issues.

So, who is this former Marine general who just snagged the top foreign-policy position in the White House? Jones's reputation as a critic of the Bush administration's foreign policy is based largely on reports he has authored on coalition progress in Afghanistan and the state of the Iraqi armed forces (pdf). While scathing, these reports focused on strategy rather than offering an overall position on the wisdom of the mission.

But the Jones pick has already rubbed some Israeli hardliners the wrong way. Jones has criticized Israeli security policies, and expressed support for a NATO peacekeeping force in the West Bank. The New Republic's Eli Lake sees Jones and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton butting heads over Middle East policy. While there's certainly a difference in tone, I'm not sure there's enough evidence yet to suggest that "Jones-Clinton tensions may reprise the great Powell-Cheney fights of yore."

That seems to be the case with Jones's record in general. Over the last eight years, the general has demonstrated a willingness to express highly critical, sometimes politically incorrect assessments on U.S. policy, but has steered clear of big ideological debates. Jones's thin paper trail may worry partisans, but with Clinton, Joe Biden, Robert Gates, and Susan Rice on his team, Obama probably has enough big egos with well-defined worldviews to advise him on foreign policy. He may be looking for a towering presence who can call BS on wrongheaded recommendations when necessary, a task the 6'4" Jones seems more than qualified to carry out.

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