Sen. Barack Obama Defends His Foreign Policy Statements

Categorized | North America

Sen. Barack Obama Defends His Foreign Policy Statements

Posted on 17 August 2007

Too many politicians have no sense of shame; they will do or say anything to win votes.

Sen. Barack Obama is a breath of fresh air; he speaks from his heart and as a result sometimes he makes comments that aren’t crystal clear.

Obama has been ruthlessly attacked by Republicans and even by his Democratic presidential rivals for some of his recent foreign policy statements.

“Obama has come under fire from Democratic rivals, including New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Republicans, who accuse him of being naive about foreign policy. They point to recent statements in which Obama has said he would be willing to send U.S. military forces into Pakistan to rout terrorists even without the permission of the Pakistani government and that he was willing to meet with the leaders of rogue nations without preconditions.”

Quote from AP writer Mike Glover

It’s important to keep in mind that almost all of Obama’s critics, including Sen. Hillary Clinton, were on the wrong side of the most important foreign policy issue of this generation. Obama is the only major presidential candidate who was opposed to the Iraq War from the beginning. We need to cut him some slack when he makes a confusing statement.

We need a president who will meet with his adversaries, especially those in his backyard. I’m glad Obama is willing to meet with President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and the leader of Cuba. President Bush’s imperialist and haughty attitude is making enemies of many of our neighbors to our south.

Invading Pakistan in an ill-advised effort to wipe out the Taliban would be a monumental blunder. Invading another Muslim country is the last thing an American president should contemplate.

Obama later clarified his views in reference to Pakistan; explaining that he was simply stating his commitment to ensure that terrorists do not have a safe haven.

Obama may be a little bit naive, but I prefer his naivete to the cynicism of some politicians, like Hillary Clinton, who will say anything to win election.