Posted on 07/29/2007 7:20:55 AM PDT by indcons
Democrat presidential hopeful Barack Obama cast himself as the leader the US needed to stand up to and engage renegade nations such as North Korea.
’We need a president who’ll have the strength and courage to go toe-to-toe with the leaders of rogue nations, because that’s what it takes to protect our security,“ the Illinois senator told Democrats at a rally in Des Moines, Iowa.
“That’s what I’ll do as your next commander in chief.”
Obama and rival Hillary Clinton have had a running argument since clashing in last week’s debate over how far the US should be willing to go in its diplomacy with countries such as Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea.
After a viewer asked the Democratic presidential candidates if they would be willing to meet those nations’ leaders, Obama said it was a disgrace that the US would not hold talks with them.
For role models, he invoked late presidents John F Kennedy and Ronald Reagan for their Cold War diplomacy.
Clinton, who has criticised the Bush administration for not engaging Iran and Syria directly, said she would not meet the leaders of those five nations in the first year of her presidency before knowing what their intentions were. After the debate, Clinton called Obama naïve.
But last night Obama said he would be willing to meet the leaders – without conditions – in the first year of his presidency, contrary to “the chattering class” in the nation’s capital who “want to focus, like they always do, on who’s up and who’s down”.
Obama cited Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural address saying that the nation must never negotiate out of fear, but also never fear to negotiate.
“I was called irresponsible and naïve because I believe that there is nobody we can’t talk to,” said Obama, drawing loud cheers.
“We’ve got nothing to fear as long as we know who we are and what we stand for and our values.”
Obama said his campaign was about “turning the page on a failed foreign policy and having the strength to engage our adversaries and protect American interests around the globe”.
When dealing with renegade nations, Obama said, the Bush administration had mistakenly been led by a “guiding diplomatic principle” that it could punish a nation by refusing to talk.
“I am confident we can go before the world and talk to the worst dictators and tell them we don’t believe in your values, we don’t believe in your human rights violations, we don’t believe in you exporting terrorism, but if you are willing to work with us in a better direction then we’re willing to talk,” Obama said. “We shouldn’t be afraid.”
Hussein is definitely more of a catcher than a pitcher.
“That’s what I’ll do as your next commander in chief.”
I think he’s confused about what “commander in chief” means. It means that you direct the military—not that you engage in “talks.”
So he's going to vote for a Republican president now?
Going toe to toe with anyone means, for a Democrat, talking. That’s all. Diplomacy. No one should mistake any Dems profession of strength as anything else.
He wants to be the Jimmy Carter president.
Before a leader can do that, said leader must be capable of distinguishing a "rouge" state.
Mr. Obama has not demonstrated the depth of understanding to be capable of such a task.
Democrats must learn to aim higher than the feet of their enemies.
“but if you are willing to work with us in a better direction then we’re willing to talk”
Or we’ll send Pelosi to talk.
Isn't that called... “playing footsies”?
“a president who’ll have the strength and courage to go toe-to-toe with the leaders of rogue nations”
And the rose colored glass of the Democrat Majority Press will guarantee only a Democrat can succeed.
Lol. Those rogue nations are so afraid that they’re hoping he wins. lol.
The American people long for the relative security and prosperity that their old hero Jimmy Carter wrought. In this terrible economy, simultaneous 18% inflation and 13% unemployment sounds very attractive. Jimmy Carter pioneered responsible energy policy with an effective ban on oil refinery and nuclear power plant construction, week-long lines to buy $3.40/gallon gasoline, and crude oil trading at $99/barrel. His unsurpassed foreign policy got us the glorious 444-day hostage crisis in Tehran and a boycott of the Moscow Olympics. Jimmy Carter satisfied the yearning desires of the American people for malaise, melancholy, and misery for which they now pine badly. Compare his magnificent record to that of the worst President of the United States, George W. Bush.
END SARCASTIC RANT
The American people aren’t THAT stupid; the mindless numskulls of the press just misunderstand them.
Ratspeak for "playing footsies."
I should have read your response before writing my response #17. GMTA.
Maceman regrets the error.
Obama’s citing John F. Kennedy as a model is a bit scary. I liked JFK overall and believe he was a sincere Cold Warrior, but his rank inexperience led to the Bay of Pigs and then the Cuban Missile crisis. We didn’t exactly “win” this round as Obama seems to think — in the end, we agreed to tolerate a Communist state off our coast.
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