Posted on Friday, October 17th, 2008 by campaign2008
Deutsche Welle’s Across the Pond blog compiles reactions in the foreign press to Wednesday night’s presidential debate.
LATINO VOTE: The Los Angeles Times looks at the Protestant Latino vote. The candidates’ positions on immigration policy will play a central role in deciding the vote of more than 80 percent of that constituent group, a new poll shows.
CLIMATE CHANGE: The Washington Post’s Marcela Sanchez writes that the next administration should attempt to forge a “green agreement for the Americas.”
Posted in Climate Change, General Election, Immigration, Latin America, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Thursday, October 16th, 2008 by campaign2008
U.S. presidential candidates Sens. Barack Obama (D-IL) and John McCain (R-AZ) held their final pre-election debate last night. The debate was dominated by the economy and domestic issues with the candidates again highlighting differences on trade and energy policy (WashPost).
Here is a recap of what was said on issues relating to foreign policy:
ENERGY: McCain said he thinks the United States can, “for all intents and purposes, eliminate our dependence on Middle Eastern oil and Venezuelan oil,” but said Canadian oil imports are “fine.” He said he expects to be able to eliminate imports of oil from “places in the world that harm our national security” within seven to ten years. He also said nuclear energy is safe, adding, “we’ve sailed Navy ships around the world for 60 years with nuclear power plants on them. We can store and reprocess spent nuclear fuel.”
Obama said he thinks the United States will be able to end its dependence on oil from the Middle East and Venezuela within ten years. He said the United States needs to expand domestic oil production. He also said it is “absolutely critical that we develop a high fuel efficient car that’s built not in Japan and not in South Korea, but built here in the United States of America.”
TRADE: McCain warned that a unilateral renegotiation of NAFTA would give Canada an opportunity to begin selling oil to China. Obama said NAFTA needs to include enforceable labor and environmental protections. He also criticized the U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement, saying it unfairly favors South Korean auto exports.
COLOMBIA: McCain said the pending free trade agreement with Colombia would create jobs in the United States and called the deal “a no-brainer.” Obama criticized the agreement, saying labor leaders in Colombia are consistently targeted for assassination. “[W]e have to stand for human rights and we have to make sure that violence isn’t being perpetrated against workers who are just trying to organize for their rights,” he said.
Posted in Energy Policy, General Election, Latin America, Morning Update, Trade | 0 Comments »
Posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 by campaign2008
USA Today reports on differences between Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) over tax policy for oil companies. Obama would create a windfall profits tax on the companies, while McCain would implement a cut in the corporate income tax rate that could save oil companies billions of dollars each year.
ICC : The Associated Press looks at the candidates’ positions on the International Criminal Court and concludes U.S. policy toward the court–it only backs the court in narrow circumstances–is unlikely to change under the next administration.
Posted in Energy Policy, General Election, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) released new details of his economic agenda on Monday. Obama’s plans include a ninety-day moratorium on home foreclosures and additional funding in government loan guarantees for automakers. Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) also addressed economic policy in a speech on Monday. He promised to “open new markets to goods made in America and make sure our trade is free and fair.”
NORTH KOREA: In a statement on Saturday, Obama said President Bush’s decision to remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism was “an appropriate response, as long as there is a clear understanding that if North Korea fails to follow through there will be immediate consequences.”
DRAFT: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette looks at the candidates’ differing views on the military draft. Obama believes women should have to register for the Selective Service while McCain does not.
Posted in Economy, General Election, Military, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Friday, October 10th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) urged the Treasury Department on Thursday to “move as quickly possible” to implement the economic rescue package “so that we can ease this credit crisis that’s preventing businesses and consumers from getting loans and causing dangerous instability in our market.”
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), promoting his new mortgage refinancing plan, said it is important for Americans to get into “manageable mortgages” to ease the foreclosure crisis and stabilize housing values in the country.
Posted in Economy, General Election, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Thursday, October 9th, 2008 by campaign2008
Obama praised the Bush administration’s decision to sell $6 billion in military equipment to Taiwan. A statement from Obama’s national security spokesman said Obama views the package as an “important response to Taiwan’s defense needs.” On Tuesday, McCain criticized the deal for not including submarines or new F-16 aircraft.
MORTGAGE PLAN: Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) discussed his “Homeownership Resurgence Plan” in a speech in Pennsylvania on Wednesday.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) opposes such a homeowner rescue program. His economic adviser said the plan would benefit poorly run financial institutions at the heart of the current crisis and added: “any rescue plan must protect taxpayers and ensure that they share in any profit once the economy recovers.”
Posted in Economy, General Election, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 by campaign2008
In their second debate, U.S. presidential candidates Sens. John McCain (R-AZ) and Barack Obama (D-IL) sparred over the limping U.S. economy and energy policy; both tied the country’s recovery to the latter. Obama faulted McCain for a record of deregulation that he said has contributed to the current crisis; McCain, for his part, presented a new economic proposal under which the U.S. Treasury would buy up problem mortgages, in effect refinancing them (NYT) at prices homeowners can afford. The Wall Street Journal cites McCain’s campaign as saying the plan would cost roughly $300 billion. Opinion surveys have shown respondents more confident in Obama’s ability to handle an economic crisis.
Here are some foreign policy highlights from the debate:
ENERGY: Both candidates stressed the need for energy independence, with Obama citing it as a national security concern (WashPost). Obama also said developing new sources of energy would serve as a major boost for the U.S. economy, creating jobs the way the technology boom did in the 1990s. McCain said he would increase use of nuclear power, which he said is a clean and safe source of energy. “I know that we can reprocess the spent nuclear fuel,” McCain said. “The Japanese, the British, the French do it.” Obama said he also favors nuclear power “as one component of our overall energy mix.”
DEFENSE: McCain touted his opposition to invading Lebanon and his support for U.S. military efforts in Kosovo and Bosnia as evidence that he has strong judgment in deciding when the United States should get involved militarily in a crisis. “[T]he challenge is to know when the United States of American can beneficially effect the outcome of a crisis, when to go in and when not, when American military power is worth the expenditure of our most precious treasure,” he said.
Obama noted Iraq’s “enormous strain” on the U.S. budget. “We’re spending $10 billion a month in Iraq at a time when the Iraqis have a $79 billion surplus,” he said. “[W]e need that $10 billion a month here in the United States.”
IRAN: Both candidates again said they would not allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. “If Iran acquires nuclear weapons, all the other countries [in the Middle East] will acquire them, too,” McCain warned.
Obama said he would “never take military options off the table” with regard to Iran and said it is “important that we don’t provide veto power to the United Nations or anyone else in acting in our interests.”
Posted in Economy, Energy Policy, General Election, Iran, Iraq, Military, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 by campaign2008
Seeking to clarify a comment in the vice presidential debate, the McCain campaign has confirmed it opposes providing Iran access to nuclear energy (WashPost). “There is no circumstance under which the international community could be confident that uranium enrichment or plutonium production activities undertaken by the current government of Iran are purely for peaceful purposes,” McCain campaign foreign policy director Randy Scheunemann said. Current Bush administration policy is that Iran has a right to nuclear energy but not control over the process of producing fuel, because it could be diverted for nuclear weapons material.
IRAQ: In separate interviews with the New York Times published Monday, McCain and Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) discuss their plans for U.S. involvement in Iraq. Obama’s interview is here, McCain’s is here.
ENVIRONMENT: Popular Mechanics looks at the candidates’ positions on the Law of the Sea treaty and other issues influencing the environment.
Posted in General Election, Iran, Iraq, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 by Robert McMahon
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) repeated his pledge to impose a one-year federal spending freeze “on every agency of the federal government, excepting only national defense, the care of our veterans, and a few critical priorities.” He spoke in a radio address on Saturday.
ENERGY: Newsday looks at the potential impact of the financial crisis on the presidential candidates’ alternative energy plans.
ISRAEL: The Obama campaign on Sunday told an Israeli media outlet that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) would not cut U.S. military aid (Globes) to Israel if elected.
Posted in Economy, Energy Policy, Military, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
Posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 by campaign2008
U.S. Vice Presidential candidates Sen. Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) sparred on U.S. military deployments in Iraq and several other foreign policy issues in their only television debate before November’s election. On the financial crisis, Biden reaffirmed statements from Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) that any federal government package created to deal with the turmoil should be focused on the middle class (FT). Palin attacked “predatory” lending practices on Wall Street and said Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) past positions cast him as an economic reformer.
On Iraq, Palin criticized setting a timetable for a major troop drawdown, which is favored by Obama and Biden, saying “it would be a travesty if we were to quit now in Iraq.” Biden reaffirmed Obama’s plan to shift troops from Iraq to Afghanistan and said the United States is wasting money in Iraq that could be spent more effectively fighting extremism in Afghanistan.
Here is a run-down of some of the candidates’ statements on other foreign policy issues:
Climate change: Neither candidate disputed climate change is occurring. Palin indicated it was caused both by human activity and by “cyclical temperature changes on our planet.” Biden asserted that climate change is manmade.
Darfur: Both candidates expressed support for a no-fly zone over Darfur. Biden said the United States should provide helicopters to get 21,000 African Union forces into Darfur. Palin cited her support for pending legislation that would divest the Alaska Permanent Fund from Darfur.
Iran: Palin said the U.S. president should not meet without preconditions with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Biden stressed the importance of going “the extra mile on diplomacy” with Iran to resolve the crisis over its nuclear program.
This candidate bio outlines Biden’s statements on foreign policy topics. This one profiles Palin’s.
Posted in Afghanistan, Africa, General Election, Iran, Iraq, Morning Update | 0 Comments »
