Posted on 10/05/2008 9:17:14 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
More than 100 former American ambassadors are endorsing John McCain and Sarah Palin for president and vice president.
To be announced by the McCain campaign later this week, the endorsements counter Barack Obama’s claims that McCain is inflexible when it comes to diplomacy and negotiations with other countries, Newsmax has learned.
Obama has specifically said that in contrast to McCain, he would sit down with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and other world dictators to negotiate, without preconditions.
“Senator Obama does not have sufficient leadership experience, nor has he been tested in difficult times,” said Mark W. Erwin, a Democrat and former Hillary Clinton supporter who is a co-chairman of Former U.S. Ambassadors for McCain/Palin. Erwin was ambassador to the Republic of Mauritius.
Endorsing McCain are Howard Baker, who was ambassador to Japan; former President George H.W. Bush, who was ambassador to the United Nations; Frank C. Carlucci III, who was ambassador to Portugal; and Jim Nicholson, who was ambassador to the Vatican.
Others endorsing McCain are Bruce Gelb, former ambassador to Belgium; Margaret Heckler, who was ambassador to Ireland; John L. Loeb, Denmark; Ed Ney, Canada; and Julia Chang Bloch, Nepal.
Former Ambassador Gilbert A. Robinson spearheaded the formation of the group. Besides Erwin, the other co-chairman is former Ambassador to Sweden Gregory J. Newell. Robinson was special adviser to Secretary of State George Shultz, director of the Office of Public Diplomacy, and deputy director of the U.S. Information Agency under President Reagan. Newell was an assistant to President Ford and assistant secretary of state under Reagan.
Such designations carry ambassadorial rank and require Senate confirmation.
“Nobody could ask for a greater show of confidence,”
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
of course it will get buried.
i try to tell a union democrat friend of mine that she sees
only what the msm want her to see,
but she believes me not.
I’m glad to see just about any endorsement for McCain right now, but the State Department isn’t what I’d call a resounding Conservative endorsement. A lot of the folks who need to be reached, won’t see it that way.
McCain...getting endorsed by State Department Rats and RINOs...what a shock.
So everyone that EVER worked at State or was an ambassador is suspect? How about intelligence? I worked in M.I. for years, am I a RINO or a Rat? Read the list at the link.
Stop crapping on threads.
BTTT
Well Obama has the support of a number of Weather Underground members and CPUSA. But he says it is negative campaigning to point it out.
If he’d denounce their support, then his complaints might hold water.
Freep-mail me to get on or off my pro-life and Catholic List:
Please ping me to note-worthy Pro-Life or Catholic threads, or other threads of interest.
Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment
Obama: “If they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with a baby.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8QcpdUtxNQ
Don’t know if you’ve seen this one yet 2ndDivisionVet, but it’s a potential gamebreaker.
Only when the Bush-McCain wing of the GOP stops crapping on conservatives.
Sarah Palin is a conservative. In perhaps the most important decision McCain could make he chose a vibrant conservative.
A quick check of the list indicates that they are all political appointees, not career State people.
Even so, I meant what I said. You’ll never see the state department or ambassadors recognizing that military action must be taken. I sure don’t remember ever seeing it. That being the case, I don’t have much respect for the lot of them.
Thanks for your response.
100-Plus Former Ambassadors Endorse McCain
Good deal!
Meanwhile, 100-Plus terrorists Endorse Obama.
The Communist Party of the US just endorsed Obama as well.
I would tread very carefully here.
Say that!
The right is going to vote for McCain, so I’m not too concerned there. It’s the left that would be most moved by ambassadors. They love that stuff.
I don’t see much down side really.
I think it’s a relatively good set of endorsements.
I also recognize it for what it is.
The State Department should be scared to death of Obama. I doubt seriously that the diehard career diplomats fear him at all.
That’s the problem as I see it.
BTW: I know where you are coming from urging some caution. I just think this is crafted to please the side that needs the most movement toward the right. Some on the right will see it for what it is, but they will also see McCain as the only way to go too, for the most part.
While it's nice to hear this, I'd kinda rather see the spokesman be someone from some, like, major country. This seems like it could be a posting even I could handle, and I'm not that easy to get along with.
Oh, cabana boy! Another mojito!
Usually, the less impressive countries are given to career foreign service officers, and the places like China, France, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, etc., are reserved for big donors or former politicians.
But, but, ... millions of muslims support Obama.
He wasn’t talking about Sarah Palin.
In fact, I’d be surprised if there was ONE Sarah Palin-type person amongst all those ambassadors.
Mccain has rarely mentioned his foreign policy experience with other contries and leaders of the world. He is very respected by many and most importantly trusted. He has been with Iri and chairman of iri for years! look it up just type in international republican institute
This should immediately be the topic (or one of the topics) of a McCain ad!!!
You couldn't be more wrong. I say that advisedly having served 28 years in the State Department.
I’m sure you good have reason for making the comment you have. I’ll have to admit to not thinking much of the State Department.
I’ve had other former employees with the department make pretty much the same claim you have. I’m sure they had good reasons too.
Do you remember Colin Powell and then Condoleza Rice asking Israel to use restraint when suicide bombers were blowing it’s citizens to bits? Do you remember when our folks took them to task for isolating Arafat? Do you remember when they expressed displeasure with Israel for building the wall? How about when rockets were flying into Israel, and the U.S. expressed concern when Israel made incursions into the West Bank or Gaza?
Perhaps my perceptions are way off base, but I wouldn’t give you two cents for the whole State Department.
I’m not trying to slander you here. For all I know you served the nation well in your position.
Take care.
D1
The State Department implements foreign policy, not formulate it. The buck stops in the WH. All the instances you name represent the Bush foreign policy. The State Department is just one of the foreign affairs agencies. The NSC probably has the most influentional position in terms of the formulation of US foreign policy along with the intelligence community and DOD. The joke in the State Department is that we were just the storefront operation.
Perhaps my perceptions are way off base, but I wouldn’t give you two cents for the whole State Department. I’m not trying to slander you here. For all I know you served the nation well in your position.
The State Department is filled with dedicated, patriotic Americans who risk their lives every day in the service of their country. I served 8 years as a naval officer [including a year in Vietnam and another 8 months off the coast] before entering the Foreign Service. I am proud of my service in the USN and the State Department. I resent ill-informed attitudes like yours, which demean the sacrifice of their fellow Americans. You should visit the State Department sometime and look at the wall that lists those who gave their lives in the service of their country. I knew and served with some of them.
Thank you for your response Kabar. I wouldn’t expect anything different from you. You have worked on station and have for all I know served the nation well.
I still cannot express any other opinion than that the State Department long timers in Washington consider themselves to be the real masters of U.S. Foreign policy, and not the temporary president.
If you wish to refer to that perception as an ill-informed attitude, that’s fine by me.
I will simply say you are wrong.
Thank you Kabar. From your perspective in the field, I am not surprised to hear you say that. If the question is whether I respect folks like you in the field, then yes I do. If the question is whether I respect the long timer wonks in Washington, D.C., then the answer is no, I don’t.
I appreciate your comments.
I asked a former ambassador who is not on the list and he said he plans on voting for the Palin/McCain ticket.
Perhaps, perhaps not. She certainly appears the part, though.
In perhaps the most important decision McCain could make he chose a vibrant conservative.
His actions after Palin was put up as the GOP VP candidate suggest otherwise, unless of course, Palin's candidacy is just a bone for conservatives, thrown in an attempt to appease them.
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