Posted on Friday, May 30th, 2008 by campaign2008
The Washington Post looks at the renewed focus on Iraq in the presidential campaign.
A new poll from Pew shows voters split between Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) in terms of who they believe will do a better job handling the war. The survey shows 46 percent believe McCain would make “wise decisions” on the issue while 43 percent favor Obama.
Energy: Efforts to expand the use of clean coal, which all three presidential candidates say they support, are lagging largely due to high costs, the New York Times reports.
Posted in Energy Policy, General Election, Iraq, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Thursday, May 29th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) again addressed his views on diplomacy on Wednesday. The New York Times reported Obama stressed “the difference between avoiding preconditions for talks with nations like Iran and Syria, and granting them automatic discussions at the presidential level.” Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Obama also said it would be “premature” to reopen the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) said Wednesday he continues to support building a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. But, he said, the United States should reprocess spent fuel and create an international repository (AP).
Democratic candidates have been focusing on the Native American vote in recent days, Politico reports. In a press release on Wednesday, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) called for better recognition of Native American veterans.
Posted in Energy Policy, General Election, Iran, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 by campaign2008
“Even as we campaign for the presidency, we will use our standing as Senators to press for the steps needed to ensure that the United States honors, in practice and in deed, its commitment to the cause of peace and protection of Darfur’s innocent citizenry. We will continue to keep a close watch on events in Sudan and speak out for its marginalized peoples. It would be a huge mistake for the Khartoum regime to think that it will benefit by running out the clock on the Bush Administration.”
–A statement from Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) released Wednesday on the website of the Save Darfur Coalition, an advocacy organization “demanding an end to the genocide” in Darfur.
Posted in Africa, General Election, Quote of the Day | 0 Comments »
Posted on Wednesday, May 28th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) delivered a speech that called for a binding accord with Russia on nuclear disarmament. He also said he would reconsider his past opposition to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).
The campaign of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) released a statement emphasizing what it says is his leadership on nuclear nonproliferation issues.
Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), in her response to the McCain speech, said in a statement she would implement a policy of “vigorous diplomacy with Iran to stop its nuclear program.” She also said she would support the ratification of the CTBT, and negotiate “deep and verifiable reductions in nuclear weapons” with Russia.
All three presidential candidates will issue a joint statement on the crisis in Darfur on Wednesday. “Today, we wish to make clear to the Sudanese government that on this moral issue of tremendous importance, there is no divide between us,” the statement will say. The statement does not call for any specific legislative action, according to the New York Times.
Posted in Africa, General Election, Morning Update, Russia | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 by campaign2008
“I will seek to reduce the size of our nuclear arsenal to the lowest number possible
consistent with our security requirements and global commitments. Today we deploy thousands of nuclear warheads. It is my hope to move as rapidly as possible to a significantly smaller force.”
–Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), in a speech Tuesday at the University of Denver on nuclear security.
Posted in General Election, Military, Quote of the Day | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, May 27th, 2008 by campaign2008
In a column published Monday, former Cuban President Fidel Castro criticized Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) May 23 speech in which he called for “justice for Cuba’s political prisoners, the rights of free speech, a free press and freedom of assembly” and “elections that are free and fair.” Obama said he would maintain the U.S. embargo on Cuba but open up contacts in other areas.
Speaking at a Cuban community center in Puerto Rico on Sunday, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) said she would “redouble our efforts to support civil society” in Cuba if elected.
The Libertarian Party nominated former Republican representative Bob Barr (AP) to be its presidential candidate on Sunday. Barr has spoken against possible war with Iran, and has been an adamant critic of the National Security Agency’s domestic eavesdropping efforts.
Posted in Cuba, General Election, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Friday, May 23rd, 2008 by campaign2008
“There are no better ambassadors for freedom than Cuban Americans. That’s why I w
ill immediately allow unlimited family travel and remittances to the island. It’s time to let Cuban Americans see their mothers and fathers, their sisters and brothers. It’s time to let Cuban American money make their families less dependent upon the Castro regime.”
–Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), in a speech Friday before the Cuban American National Foundation.
Posted in Cuba, General Election, Quote of the Day | 0 Comments »
Posted on Friday, May 23rd, 2008 by campaign2008
In a town hall meeting in Boca Raton, Florida, on Thursday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) said he would not negotiate with Hamas or Hezbollah unless they “renounce terror, recognize Israel’s right to exist, and abide by past agreements.”
Both Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) returned to Washington, D.C., on Thursday to vote in favor of a war-funding bill (WashPost) that expands education benefits for veterans. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) did not attend the vote, and opposes the bill because, he says, it could reduce military retention rates. The bill passed.
Clinton on Thursday voted to override President Bush’s veto of the Farm Bill. Obama did not vote. McCain was not present (Reuters) for the vote, but has expressed support for Bush’s veto.
Posted in General Election, Military, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Thursday, May 22nd, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) continued to debate the issue of negotiation with U.S. adversaries (AP) on Wednesday.
U.S policy toward Cuba has also reemerged as a prominent campaign issue this week, the Washington Post reports.
Deutsche Welle’s “Across the Pond” blog looks at campaign donations from companies outside the United States.
An op-ed in Today’s Zaman considers the implications of an Obama administration for Turkey.
Posted in Cuba, General Election, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Wednesday, May 21st, 2008 by campaign2008
In a lecture Wednesday at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Joshua Muravchik, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, said democracy promotion must continue to play a major role in U.S. foreign policy for the next presidential administration. CFR.org contributing editor Joanna Klonsky filed this report on the lecture:
- Muravchik said that the United States has “implanted democracy by military force successfully in a number of countries,” naming Austria, Germany, and Japan as three examples from the post-World War II period.
- Initially a supporter of the invasion of Iraq, Muravchik said he now has “grave doubts that it was a wise idea.” He said he does not think the “method that got us to where we are in Iraq is the method that will be or should be repeated anywhere else,” but said President Bush’s “rhetoric about the need for democracy in the Middle East” has stirred unprecedented interest in democracy in the region.
- Muravchik said the United States should “find peaceful ways” to help pro-democracy forces in the Middle East to fight for their rights. He also said covert action by U.S. intelligence services has historically helped support emerging democracies abroad, and cited U.S. support for Italy’s Christian Democratic Party after World War II as an example.
- Muravchik also stressed the importance of international broadcasting and the works of media outlets like Radio Free Europe and Voice of America, as well as cultural exchange programs, which he credited with helping to turn El Salvador into a democracy.
- Muravchik argued that domestically, U.S. democracy has not been “appreciably degraded or lessened” as a result of the war in Iraq, although he acknowledged that there have been some infringements on civil liberties. He attributed those infringements to the “very problematic” nature of the “terrorist enemy” facing the United States.
Read about the candidates’ stances on democracy promotion in the Arab world in this CFR.org Issue Tracker.
Posted in Iraq | 1 Comment »
