Agree with you and Mark Kleiman. As we all know, Kevin Drum doth frequently bend too far over backwards.
I don't have respect for Jendayi E. Frazer either. She was a big cheerleader for that unnecessary war against Somalia.
You mean you miss the chance to do one of the silly drinking games? A shot of something good anytime he says 'freedom'?
But I agree with your assessment. It's silly to presume that in the midst of this election campaign public behaviour is to be dismissed. Wasn't there even some issue with a missing handshake between Obama and Clinton?
And no, the surge isn't working. I like your blog entry you provide the link for. But it's not just about numbers, it's also about the fact that the surge just pushes the lid down on a pressure cooker without actually solving the political problems that generate the violence. Andrew Bacevich's article a few days ago in the WashPost begins to address that.
So keep your eyes open. Seeing is believing... or at least understanding
Rodger,
Do you think this means Obama is more hawkish on Iran than Clinton?:
When Bush warned the Iranian government that “America will confront those who threaten our troops, we will stand by our allies, and we will defend our vital interests in the Persian Gulf” Obama jumped up to applaud. Clinton leaned across Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), seated to her left, to look in Obama’s direction before slowly standing.
Or are there two standards?
Eric, this passage came immediately before the one you reference in the President's text:
Our message to the people of Iran is clear: We have no quarrel with you. We respect your traditions and your history. We look forward to the day when you have your freedom. Our message to the leaders of Iran is also clear: Verifiably suspend your nuclear enrichment, so negotiations can begin. And to rejoin the community of nations, come clean about your nuclear intentions and past actions, stop your oppression at home, cease your support for terror abroad.
None of those things are all that controversial. Even those who place faith in deterrence would probably still prefer that Iran suspend enrichment and embrace transparency. The IAEA and UNSC have pushed those goals on a multilateral basis.
Obama has specifically said he'll negotiate without the prerequisite Bush notes.
The passage you quote appeals to self defense, allied relations and vital interests. It may be code for more menacing action, but I'd argue that the relatively bland text is not as egregious as pretending that the surge has been a panacea.
It is also interesting that Clinton seemed to check the room's temperature before standing. One huge fault I had with the Bill Clinton administration was its outsourcing of so many foreign policy decisions to the Pentagon -- opposition to ICC and the landmine ban, for example.
The passage you quote appeals to self defense, allied relations and vital interests. It may be code for more menacing action, but I'd argue that the relatively bland text is not as egregious as pretending that the surge has been a panacea.
Imagine if she had people like you on her side contextualizing for her? I don't necessarily buy your explanation, especially in light of some recent tensions between Obama and AIPAC, and his make nice gestures.
As for her timidity, fair enough, but I will say this:
Obama has voted with her in "timid" fashion on most foreign policy legislation. And he was a no-show on some others, like Kyl/Lieberman.
She is open to criticism, and most of it is fair. It just amazes me the extent to which he has been given a free pass. It's as if nuance and discernment is out the window with Obamania! As if he hasn't basically toted the DLC line when push has met shove on the Senate floor.
That last bit is not a dig at you personally, just a general trend I've been noting much to my frustration.
Oh, and I can't say that he's necessarily picked up the line and "toted" it. Toed it perhaps, but...er, I need an editor.
Oh, I'm quite confident Hillary Clinton has plenty of people contextualizing for her. If she's the nominee, I'm also quite confident I'll use plenty of pixels defending her against unfair attacks down the road.
It's funny that you link Barack Obama to the DLC voting line since I'm on another list that is freaking out because the National Journal just named him the Senator with the most liberal voting record last year.
Over a period of years, he's probably closer to 10th and she's a bit further down the list.
See Steve Benen's take on the National Journal over at Kevin Drum's shop today. Turns out, the NJ has a habit of pushing Dem contenders farther to the left during election years, not to mention a dubious methodology in general.
In other words, does anyone really believe that Obama this year, and Kerry in 2004, were farther to the left than Feingold or Sanders?
Dubious.
Commenting by HaloScan.com
