 Posted: Wed Mar 26, 2008 2:16 am Post subject: Is Obama a peace candidate? |
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| It was so sad to see Danny Glover lending his name to a Nation column calling on all progressives to unite in support of Barack Obama.
I understand the temptation to be "pragmatic" and choose the "lesser evil" of the so-called "viable candidates." I just wish those who do so wouldn't try so hard to rationalize what they are doing by attributing qualities to their candidate he/she does not possess. I won't try to predict what Senator Obama's foreign policy might look like if he becomes president, but he gives us a glimpse of what to expect in a recent interview with Larry King on CNN, in which he praises George H. W. Bush and calls the Gulf War "extremely successful." I don't know about you, but I find this perspective on the Gulf War and the first Bush regime extremely problematic. Here is an excerpt: LARRY KING: A couple of quick things, Senator. Would you, in your administration, make use of Bill Clinton? BARACK OBAMA: Absolutely. I think that, you know, Bill Clinton is a brilliant statesman and politician, and I think that any president would want to use his skills and his relationships around the world. By the way, I would reach out to the first George Bush. You know, one of the things that I think George H.W. Bush doesn't get enough credit for was his foreign policy team and the way that he helped negotiate the end of the Cold War and prosecuted the Gulf War. That cost us 20 billion dollars. That's all it cost. It was extremely successful. I think there were a lot of very wise people. So I want a bipartisan team that can help to provide me good advice and counsel when I'm president of the United States. |
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