Morning Update: Foreign Policy and Religion
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) both discussed some of their foreign policy views as they relate to religion Sunday night in separate appearances on CNN’s Compassion Forum. Clinton said U.S. policy toward China has been “incoherent” and reiterated her call to President Bush to boycott the Olympic opening ceremony. She also said as president she would attempt to “rebuild America’s moral authority and demonstrate our commitment to compassionate humanitarianism.”
Obama praised the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as “one of the success stories of this administration.” He also discussed his time growing up in Indonesia, a largely Muslim country. “What it taught me, and what it still teaches me, as I think about foreign policy now, is that Islam can be compatible with the modern world,” Obama said.
Clinton will outline a plan Monday to improve U.S. trade enforcement, particularly with regard to China. “We need solutions to fix our trade laws, build a strong manufacturing base, and stand up to China and say that unsafe toys and unfair currency practices are unacceptable,” Clinton will say in a speech before the Alliance for American Manufacturing in Pittsburgh. Excerpts were provided to Reuters.
