OPINION & EDITORIAL
Issues, not flag pin define Sen. Obama
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by Guest Columnist
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Last week, an Iowa reporter noticed Sen. Barack Obama was no longer wearing the flag lapel pin politicians commonly wear to express patriotism. Mr. Obama replied that he was not going to wear the pin anymore noting, "Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great. Hopefully, that will be a testimony to my patriotism."
Mr. Obama has expressed his patriotism in many ways since he burst onto the political scene in 2004, but perhaps the best example came Oct. 2, 2002 when he publicly stated his opposition to the looming Iraq war.
"I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences," he said. "I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaida. I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars."
Mr. Obama's early stance on the Iraq war proves he is the best choice to lead the United States toward the change it so desperately needs, not only because he was the only leading candidate to oppose the war from the beginning, but also because it displays Mr. Obama's greatest attribute — judgment.
Last week, on the fifth anniversary of his first Iraq speech, Mr. Obama once again challenged conventional Washington thinking, laying out his plans for ending the war in Iraq and proving why his past choices show he has "the best judgment to make the critical decisions for the future."
"We're not going to be safe in a world of unconventional threats with the same old conventional thinking that got us into Iraq," Mr. Obama said. "We're not going to unify a divided America to confront these threats with the same old conventional politics of just trying to beat the other side."
Mr. Obama recognizes that we must learn our lesson from Iraq and change conventional foreign policy thinking. Invading and occupying other countries is not the answer to the unconventional threats posed by al-Qaida, and only by getting out of Iraq and onto the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan will the war against terrorism ever be won.
Another way to fight terrorism is to prevent the spread of nuclear materials into dangerous hands. By securing all nuclear weapons at vulnerable sites within four years and renewing our commitment to nonproliferation efforts, Mr. Obama's plan looks to cut off efforts by terrorist organizations to acquire these weapons at the source. In addition, by working with Russia and other nuclear powers to reduce nuclear stockpiles and ban intermediate-range missiles, Mr. Obama will ultimately strive for a nuclear-free world.
The most important part of Mr. Obama's foreign policy plan is to challenge the conventional Washington thinking when it comes to diplomacy. "This will require a new era of American diplomacy," Mr. Obama said last week. "To signal the dawn of that era, we need a president who is willing to talk to all nations, friend and foe. I'm not afraid that America will lose a propaganda battle with a petty tyrant. We need to go before the world and win those battles."
Our unwillingness to talk to Iran and Syria has already done us great harm in the fight against terrorism. Iran continues to build its nuclear weapons program and support the terrorists our military fights every day, and Syria continues to meddle in Lebanon and support terrorists there as well. Similarly, our refusal to talk to North Korea has allowed it to produce nuclear material.
Mr. Obama believes we must talk to our adversaries if we ever wish to state our positions directly and with force. History shows us that talking to our enemies works — President John F. Kennedy had a direct line to Nikita Khrushchev, and the Cold War would not have ended if President Ronald Reagan refused to negotiate with Mikhail Gorbachev. Some of the greatest strategic victories in our nation's history have come as a result of diplomacy, and only a comprehensive shift in this strategy will bring a victory in the war against terrorism.
When America elects a Democrat in 2008, the Iraq war will come to an end, but Mr. Obama's plan to shift our approach to foreign policy represents the best way forward in the Middle East. Some say Mr. Obama doesn't have the experience necessary to be president, but experience doesn't matter if you don't have enough judgment to do what's best for America.
This judgment is Mr. Obama's testimony to his patriotism: On the issues that matter most to the American people, Mr. Barack Obama will not need a second chance to get it right.
Bryon Eagon (beagon@wisc.edu) is the fundraising and logistics chair for Students for Obama.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 1:47am):
I think it shows how out of touch he is with the average voters. I'm a Democrat, and frankly, I'm angry that we keep losing. This will not appeal to the millions of American swing voters who can barely read a newspaper. I'm now voting for Hillary.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 2:19am):
I wonder what all the flag pin wearing jerks were thinking when they voted against health insurance for poor children. Probably how manly and patriotic they are.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 3:26am):
Only 2 of the Republican candidates wore flag pins during the debate. How come nobody questioned them, or even noticed. Why do the Democratic rank and file let the media lead them around by the nose with these phony 'scandals'.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 8:03am):
"only by getting out of Iraq and onto the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan will the war against terrorism ever be won."
This statement right here is why I will not be voting for Obama this next year. If Obama picked up a history book, or visited the country, he would learn the US funded the Afghan civil war through Pakistan. The US funded the camps along the Pakistani fronts, and due to our incredibly poor international relationship with India, Pakistan is a focal ally in the region.
Obama has tried to spin this comment to say we are only assisting an ally rid a country of terrorism... the only problem is that the sovereign nation of Pakistan does NOT want us there.
Studying the politics of this region for several years, I would rather vote Republican than vote for a candidate that wants to invade Pakistan.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 8:09am):
He should have said, "you wanna see the flag tattooed on my dong? USA, USA, USA!"
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 8:48am):
It actually wasn't a scandal. His fellow Dem candidates came out saying they didn't care and nobody, except Sean Hannity, really cared.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 9:16am):
I just can't wait to witness these "new politics" Obama has been talking so much about, because up until now he has run a pretty conventional, very vanilla campaign.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 11:00am):
Regarding 2:19, health care for children is presently covered in most states by plans such as Badger Care.
Obama would rather just sit and wait until we get attacked again by terrorists and then try to hug it out with those terrorists over our religious and political differences, which they'd ideally like us to change to their ideology.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 11:00am):
It's a depressing testament to the state of American politics that flag lapel pins are an issue of note, but it's equally disheartening to see a politician who was able to predict that Iraq would be a mess hailed as a paragon of judgment--hell, even Dick Cheney has been recorded (13 years ago) saying that an occupation of Iraq would be a bad idea.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 12:39pm):
11:00 AM, since we're losing our stature as "world super power," I think the terrorists will find bigger fish to fry. Perhaps China or the EU.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 12:51pm):
Obama isn't going to invade Pakistan. He's going to make sure we capture or kill Osama bin Laden, WHO'S IN PAKISTAN!!
Now what's so wrong with that?
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 12:57pm):
how can you be racist if you're voting for obama!!! show your tolerance and vote obama!
you goons are falling for an invention. an unexperienced, overtly religious (separatist black church type).
besides, the guy is an apostate to muslims. his daddy was one, and therefore, so is he in their eyes...and we all know you cannot convert away from islam.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 2:29pm):
the EU, make me laugh, the muslims hate us for our freedom and our religion, those things both the EU and China don't have
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 2:50pm):
Obama bores me.
Anonymous (October 10, 2007 @ 4:19pm):
Obama bores me.
What, does Chris Dodd press your buttons?
Anonymous (October 11, 2007 @ 2:42pm):
To 12:51pm: Osama is in Pakistan like WMDs are in Iraq.
If it was a matter of sending in a small contingency of special force units, it would have been done by now. Frankly, if he is in a fortified stronghold in Pakistan, we are talking about a large scale military force entering an allied nation who doesn't want us there. Osama should be brought to justice, but a) I doubt Obama's foreign intelligence information is any better than Bush's and b) using Hussein's death as an example, Obama's death will not bring peace to the world.
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