Posted on Thursday, July 31st, 2008 by campaign2008
The Wall Street Journal is hosting an online debate on trade policy between an economic adviser to Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), Daniel Tarullo, and an economic adviser to Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), Phillip Levy. Both have offered differed responses to collapse of the WTO talks in Geneva.In a Washington Post op-ed, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who advises McCain, assesses the changing conditions in Iraq and says a withdrawal from Iraq is not necessary to free forces for Afghanistan.
A new poll (LAT) shows a slim majority of Californians favoring increased drilling off their coast. McCain discussed his energy views with Colorado’s KRDO radio on Tuesday.
Obama praised the reauthorization on Tuesday of the global AIDS bill, which he said represents “a renewed and expanded commitment by the United States” to fight AIDS around the world.
Posted in Afghanistan, Energy Policy, General Election, Iraq, Morning Update, Trade | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 by campaign2008
Reader Bill Donahue writes:
Much has been made about the comments of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki regarding Obama’s 16 month timetable for withdrawal of U.S. Troops. The common spin is that al-Maliki is putting pressure on the Bush administration. It might also be fueled by Iraqi concern about the U.S. election as well as local elections there. The Prime Minister knows that a portion of the United States wants to leave Iraq. If we do so, he is on his own. It could motivate him to ally himself with the powerful al-Sadr militant faction or at least join the chorus of anti-American groups. Also, there are provincial elections forthcoming in Iraq as well. It may be to al-Maliki’s advantage to seem tough and independent in their own election cycle. The militant radical Montique al-Sadr incidentally also is a supporter of Obama’s plans. He wants US troops out so he, an Iran supporter, can take over. So, if he is going to stay in power, al-Maliki, might feel the need to run toward his “right” just as Obama is now running toward his “center.” Also, militant groups will play upon the election to get U.S. troops out. Curiously, streetwise Iraqis are not so sure they want the US out too soon. It would destabilize the country and re-open the sectarian violence. Then what have we accomplished and what do they have but more bloodshed?
Also, by publicly debating the issue of timetables to leave, and emboldening people like Moqtada al-Sadr, we have made the situation on the ground more uncertain. If we cannot be trusted to stay and finish what we start, it is no wonder people in Iraq or the entire region will “run” to their right where al-Sadr and Iran wait in the wings. If we leave and the country disintegrates into civil war again, the lives of hundreds of our troops will have been wasted. Is that the right thing to do for the sake of the troops who have died and those still fighting every day? Will setting artificial timetables destroy the progress made and endanger the sacrifice already made? Whether you agreed with the entry into Iraq or not, having done so we have an obligation to leave without causing more violence. A lot of people on the streets placed their trust in us once we were there. We cannot just create timetables that suit one person’s election campaign ambitions but threaten stability there. I wonder if we have not already done that by driving al-Maliki toward people like al-Sadr? Will setting artificial deadlines give power to the militant groups like al-Sadr? Let’s remember that al-Sadr who has killed American troops and has never been called to justice for it. Senator Obama may have just made al-Sadr’s militant group more powerful. The on again off again relationship of al-Sadr with the Prime Minister’s government will be influenced by the knowledge that the United States is leaving by a date certain. When Senator Obama moves to Afghanistan, the militants there will expect the same withdrawal syndrome in short order. We may not like the war, but we have a moral and pragmatic obligation to finish what we start and finish it well. Our credibility with other nations in the area I think will be damaged by Senator Obama’s plan of unconditional withdrawal. He wants to be tough on Iran and Afghanistan. Who is going to take us seriously when we abandon the people in Iraq that stood with us?
–Bill Donahue
Posted in Afghanistan, General Election, Inbox, Iraq | 0 Comments »
Posted on Friday, July 25th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) meets Friday with the Dalai Lama (Denver Post) in Aspen, Colorado.
AFGHANISTAN: Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) defended Sen. Barack Obama’s plan to redeploy troops to Afghanistan in a USA Today op-ed Thursday.
IRAQ: Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), recently returned from a congressional delegation to the Middle East with Obama, called on both candidates to stop debating the success of the troop surge in Iraq and to “project forward” (AP).
LATINO VOTE: A new Pew poll surveys Hispanic voter attitudes toward the presidential race.
Posted in Afghanistan, General Election, Iraq, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 by Joanna Klonsky
In a major speech Thursday at Berlin’s Victory Column, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) recounted the historic relationship between the United States and Europe and said the “burdens of global citizenship” will continue to bind the two powers together. A “true partnership” between Europe and the United States will require “sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace,” Obama said.
- Obama called on Europe to provide resources to the war in Afghanistan, saying both the United States and Germany have a “stake in seeing that NATO’s first mission beyond Europe’s borders is a success.”
- Obama also said it is time “renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons.” He called for a reduction in nuclear arsenals and said all loose nuclear materials must be secured.
- Obama briefly discussed free trade, saying the United States and Europe should “build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably.”
- Obama called for Europe and the United States to “come together to save this planet” and to reduce carbon emissions.
- He also said Europe and the United States must stand together in “sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions.” He also urged support for Lebanon in its quest for democracy, and for “the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Climate Change, Europe, General Election, Palestinian-Israeli | 0 Comments »
Posted on Monday, July 21st, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), the presumptive Democratic nominee in the U.S. presidential elections, arrived in Baghdad today after meeting with officials in Afghanistan this weekend. The Washington Post says Obama’s trip to Iraq is a “fact-finding mission” to discuss troop levels and grand strategy, and that the candidate will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Gen. David Petraeus. In an interview with Der Spiegel published Saturday, Maliki seemed to express support for Obama’s plan for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq under a sixteen-month timetable. But an Iraqi government spokesman said Der Spiegel had “misunderstood and mistranslated” (ChiTrib) Maliki’s comments.
In Afghanistan, Obama met with President Hamid Karzai and Obama reaffirmed his commitment (IHT) to supporting the Afghan government’s fight against Taliban insurgents. He told a U.S. television program Sunday the situation in Afghanistan is “precarious and urgent” and reiterated his belief that Afghanistan is the central front in the U.S. battle against terrorism. Additionally, he called for the immediate redeployment of some combat troops from Iraq to Afghanistan.
The presumptive Republican nominee for president, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), responded to Obama’s comments by noting a warning by the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff of “dangerous consequences” if a specific timeframe is set for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq.
Despite verbal sparring, some analysts now say McCain’s and Obama’s positions on Iraq and Afghanistan appear to be less divergent (TIME) than they have been previously. The Jerusalem Post, analyzing both candidates’ strategies in Iraq and Afghanistan, says there is a lot more overlap than many people assume.
- This CFR.org Issue Tracker outlines the candidates’ policy statements on the Iraq war.
- Obama and McCain outline their foreign policy goals more broadly in Foreign Affairs essays. Obama’s is here. McCain’s is here.
Posted in Afghanistan, General Election, Iraq, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 by campaign2008
In a major speech on Tuesday, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) detailed his plan to end the war in Iraq and refocus military efforts in Afghanistan.
In an interview with PBS’ Newshour on Tuesday night, Obama said he thinks the government should implement a second round of economic stimulus rebates to help people absorb rising energy costs. Obama also discussed his plan for Afghanistan.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Tuesday laid out a new “comprehensive strategy” for the Afghanistan war, including a doubling in the size of the Afghan military and the addition of three U.S. combat brigades to ongoing military efforts there.
Posted in Afghanistan, Energy Policy, General Election, Iraq, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 by Robert McMahon
As the presidential campaign debate intensified today over U.S. military policy in Iraq and Afghanistan, another discussion took place in Washington about the need for deep-seated, bipartisan reform in the projection of U.S. soft power. The touchstone was a survey of U.S. military officers conducted for the Center for U.S. Global Engagement. A main takeaway from the survey, which can be found here, is the importance a great majority of military officers place on using non-military tools such as diplomacy, food, and support for health, education, and economic development programs. A majority of those surveyed believe the government has not done enough to improve either military or non-military capabilities.
The center followed up with a panel discussion featuring former top national security officials. Panel members saw a need for restructuring the way U.S. military and civilian agencies work together in crisis regions. Nearly all cited the need for reform legislation on a par with the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act, which improved coordination among different branches of the military.
Robert McFarlane, former National Security Advisor in the Reagan Administration, said the U.S. Agency for International Development has “never had the horsepower” to carry through soft power initiatives on its own. He said U.S. nation building “has to be a State-AID-DOD function but integrated in a far better way.”
Adm. Steve Abbot (Ret.), former deputy commander in chief of the U.S. European Command, expressed concern about the ad hoc nature of U.S. post-conflict efforts in some shattered states, saying Washington “cannot have a pick-up game with every crisis.”
Rudy DeLeon, a deputy secretary of defense in the Clinton administration, pointed to plans to have soldiers in the Texas National Guard train go to Afghanistan to help farmers there understand crop alternatives to opium poppies. DeLeon said instead there should be greater efforts to involve the U.S. department of agriculture, and universities with expertise in agriculture.
Posted in Afghanistan, General Election, Military | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, July 15th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) will meet with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank next week, a Palestinian official confirmed Monday (NYT). Obama will also meet with several Israeli leaders during his trip, which will also include visits to European capitals.
Obama will address Iraq policy (Reuters) in a speech Tuesday morning. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will give a major speech on Afghanistan on Thursday.
According to a new poll, voters are evenly divided (WashPost) between the two presidential candidates’ positions on Iraq.
Posted in Afghanistan, General Election, Iraq, Morning Update, Palestinian-Israeli | 0 Comments »
Posted on Monday, July 14th, 2008 by campaign2008
“As president, I would pursue a new strategy, and begin by providing at least two
additional combat brigades to support our effort in Afghanistan. We need more troops, more helicopters, better intelligence-gathering and more nonmilitary assistance to accomplish the mission there. I would not hold our military, our resources and our foreign policy hostage to a misguided desire to maintain permanent bases in Iraq.”
–Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), in an op-ed Monday in the New York Times.
Posted in Afghanistan, General Election, Iraq, Quote of the Day | 0 Comments »
Posted on Monday, July 7th, 2008 by campaign2008
Ahead of an expected vote this week in the Senate on expanding the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) defended his decision to support recent compromise legislation. He wrote in a blog post on his campaign website that the bill “does not resolve all of the concerns that we have about President Bush’s abuse of executive power” but that a new provision in the bill “makes it clear to any president or telecommunications company that no law supersedes the authority of the FISA court.” A Senate vote on the measure is expected this week.
For a complete rundown of the candidates’ stances on domestic intelligence policy, see this CFR.org Issue Tracker.
The Boston Globe compares the candidates’ Afghanistan strategies.
Posted in Afghanistan, General Election, Homeland Security, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
