We Know the World and We Support Obama

Dear Friends and Relations,

A friend and former colleague of mine in the Foreign Service, Kevin McGuire, some time ago drafted a short statement of support for Obama and began to ask retired Foreign Service officers if they would sign it. So far 334 of us have done so, including by my count 66 former American ambassadors.

If you would like to know why we have done so and who we are, you can find our reasons and our signatures at Foreign Policy for Obama.Com: Declaration of Support by Over 280 Former Diplomats. (Ed. note: the number is now over 330.)

You can go to ForeignPolicyforObama.com and click on the link in the left hand column.

I will remind you that the Foreign Service of the United States is our country's career diplomatic and consular service. We staff both the State Department in Washington and our embassies and consulates abroad. Usually two-thirds or more of our ambassadors are Foreign Service officers, although both Democratic and Republican administrations have made a number of ambassadorial appointments for political reasons. Some of these Republican appointees and, by my count, two former career officers, have come out for McCain.

Our Service has sometimes been criticized by Republicans who label us a bunch of liberals. I cannot speak for my former colleagues, but as I said in a recent essay, if we must use labels I want to be considered a liberal conservative. I am a conservative because, among other reasons, I believe in a prudent course for the country, including a conservative fiscal policy and conservation -- two old Republican virtues that present-day Republicans have forgotten.

In the Foreign Service we serve the President and the Constitution faithfully -- I served under seven Presidents, finally as ambassador to Somalia under President Reagan -- and we do our best by our country. We do not speak lightly about national security. Five of my friends and colleagues were killed by terrorists. More American ambassadors have died violent deaths since World War II than our admirals and generals combined. Two other friends and colleagues were kidnapped by terrorists, but survived.

I have backed Obama since I wrote, in early 2007, the review of his second book that I hope you will read at The Cal Review. He is a prudent manager, a professor of constitutional law, and a moral and upright man with sound judgment. I agree with Colin Powell that Obama is fully qualified to be commander in chief. He understands the problems that we face at home and abroad, and he will begin -- though it will take years -- to resolve them. He has a sturdy and experienced running mate, Joe Biden, whom I have admired greatly since I first met him in 1981.

Obama is running against a man whose chief virtue seems to be that he withstood five years of arduous imprisonment and torture and, since he could not equal the Navy record of his father and grandfather, went into politics after he married a rich wife. McCain has changed his positions as the years have progressed, but he has always supported the super-rich through the years as our society has divided.

He is the candidate of a party whose last candidates for President and Vice President were George W. Bush and Richard Cheney -- who inherited a budgetary surplus, sent us to war under false pretenses, and ran the country into the ground. McCain has chosen as his running mate and possible successor a woman who backed hundreds of Federal millions for the "bridge to nowhere" before she opposed it (and then kept the money) -- whom an independent investigator in Alaska finds guilty of ethics laws in the Troopergate scandal--and who knows so little about our Constitution that she says the Vice President is in charge of the Senate. I will leave it to the Republicans to explain the new report that she spent $150,000 of party funds on clothing and cosmetics.

Barack Obama did not approve this message. It's all mine.

Regards to all--
Peter

Comments

[DASChicago]

Ambassador Bridges;

Sir, thank you so much for your commentary. I have learned much more in the last few months than I ever thought I had the capacity-it's now become nurishment. I have compiled three journals of information and have also become a supporter to my son who is majoring in Political Science.
We often participate in healthy debates which is helpful to us both, emotionally and intellectually we mutually challenges each other's hypothesis and predictions.

I will include your supporting work and links. Barack and Joe are our choice of POTUS and VP.
And, thank you and all others contributors for your support to this process, SIR.

Bless you!

[WestCoastBuckeye]

Ambassador, I echo the comments before mine, thanking you for your service, and especially for your insights. Rational, even-handed write-ups like this are refreshing.

[3rdCitizen]

Amb. Bridges, thanks to you & your colleagues. You are all intelligent, competent individuals with significant experience in international relations, foreign policies, & global politics. Unfortunately, that also means you're out of touch elitists whom hard working, salt of the Earth, real Americans must disregard out of hand. As such, the MSM will have to ignore your opinions. I'm sure you understand.

[Infokronea]

Thank you for your service to our country and for an excellent blog. Since 9/11, most Americans understand the need for a strong military. But we also need diplomacy. Now, more than ever. (And, if you're making a list, I'd like to add that we also need accurate intelligence, not this high-priced outsourced swill we've all been force-fed since President Bush and company took office.) Thank you for taking a public stand on this very important issue. America is a great nation. It merits great leadership (not a $150,000 attempt to turn yet another sow's ear into a silk purse!)

[RobinSeattle]

So much for McCain's foreign policy experience. And thanks Ambassador for making the right choice for America. History will applaud you and your colleagues.

The folks in the foreign service put up with a hell of a lot from people who are nowhere near as smart and talented as they are. My hats off to them.

[larry278]

The Ambasador's blog could have hurt BHO earlier in the campaign. But the campaign is ending. The melt-down makes BHO look much better than JSMcC. McCain is burdened by 8 yrs of W & Palin. The acts of W, Paulson & Bernanke are a further burden. Diplomats & their skills will increase in value as the USA begins to recover from the melt-down, W's wars & non-diplomatic unilateral policies, & the rest of W's legacy of mediocrity & usually much worse. The USA is going to be saying I'm sorry as we & the world go through the coming years of recovery & compromise. Skilled diplomats are experts at negotiating & implementing compromise. W didn't have any use for compromise or diplomacy; that is part of our problem & the root of America's failures during W's time in office.

[CubanVoice]

Amb. Vridges,

You have great insight, a unique perspective and I hope many people see this article.

[demtotheend]

powerful support...too bad MSM doesn't have enough non bias to understand the impact of this support. Too bad so many Americans are misinformed re: McCain's foreign policy inexperience. Being a POW does not automatically qualify you to be Commander in Chief.....lets pray that Americans wake up before it is too late for us all

[drsmc41]

We should talk more about this. Great informaton and website! Thank you.

[Grissom1001]

Thank you. I wish you would send this to all the MSM.

[NationalTreasure]

McCain's apporach to foreign policy has been a disaster yet, the main stream media persists in representing McCain as someone who is strong on foreign policy and national security.

McCain claims that no foreign leader would test him because McCain has been tested during the Cuban Missle Crisis. McCain makes it sound as though he was the president or a top naval officer durign this incident.

In 1961 McCain was crashing planes in Corpus Cristi, Texas and also caused an international incident in Spain when he flew a plane through power lines and took out power in an entire region of Spain.

Would America really be served well by McCain and the intellectually uncurious Sarah Palin?

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

[kapo]

The longest lasting super power in Western history was the Byzantine Empire. The learned to use diplomacy to maintain their influence in parallel with or instead of military force. That is why we still use the word Byzantine. What will the word American stand for in 1000 years?

[LRonHubbard]

That is a great and original question (to which I have no answer, of course). What will the word "American" denote in the distant future? Vacuous, jingoistic patriotism or a nation that however briefly tried to rise above itself and speak to the better angels of our nature. I believe we are engaged in that struggle for posterity right now.

[flagavote]

Thanks for all you and your colleagues have done for us. This was a very good article/letter. Remember that we are working to get President Obama elected and work hard to support his dream of contiuning to make this the United States of America not the Divided States of American as he has so gracefully said.