Posted on 05/20/2008 12:59:15 PM PDT by The_Republican
Barack Obama may still be proposing policies that strike conservatives as weak and foolish. But after his aggressive response to President Bush's apparent criticisms of his foreign policies last week, it's clear that he's doing so in a forceful and politically savvy way.
Obama's approach to foreign policy - which emphasizes negotiations more than threats of military action - first emerged as a campaign issue last summer, when Hillary Clinton was looking to show off her expertise and make Obama look like a neophyte.
She tore into him for appearing to rule out a nuclear response against Pakistan, should it be taken over by radical Islamists who also seize control of its nuclear weapons. Obama didn't back down, but the dispute devolved into dueling interpretations of a few ambiguous statements in an Obama interview with the Associated Press.
Perhaps sensing an advantage, Clinton pounced on another of Obama's pronouncements: his promise to talk to the leaders of enemy nations. She called it "naive and irresponsible."
This time, he shot back: "Strong countries and strong presidents meet and talk with our adversaries," Obama said at an Aug. 19 debate. "We shouldn't be afraid to do so. We've tried the other way. It didn't work."
Not only did Obama not flinch, but he turned the dispute into a staple of his stump speech, suggesting that Clinton shared Bush's reluctance to meet with leaders of hostile nations.
So when Bush himself, during a visit to Israel last week, compared the notion of talking to countries that support terrorism to England's failed appeasement of Nazi Germany, Obama wasn't going to give in.
"It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence to launch a false political attack," he said.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
The Dems told us everything was hunky dory in Korea. Voila....They have nukes!!
How many years did Saddam have to negotiate?
Time and again we have seen nations use the negotiation period time to strengthen their might.
This has been tried time and time again to the detriment of peace.
Sure are a lot of people around the MSM trying real hard to convince the people the Obama won this confrontation. They wouldn’t be shouting so loud if it wasn’t hurting him.
Thanks! ;o)
Yeah Saddam sure showed us- as he fell through the gallows.
BO is scared of his own wife, maybe she will go with him and hold his hand when he talks to our enemies or maybe she will do the talking for him. Let’s just hope the talks lead to good things for America. You never know with these two.
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