Hey Bill, You Want Obama's Foreign Policy? Here's Your (Obama's) Foreign Policy, Right Here!

• Share
• Print View
• Comments

Ever since Barack Obama appeared to be a real presidential possibility, the far right conservative talk show hosts, along with far-right independent, Bill O'Reilly, have said that Obama is about platitudes with no real policy.

I realize that the crack research teams on these shows may have not yet figured out the secret code for finding Barack Obama's website, but after months of trying out endless combinations of letters, numbers and symbols, or what we in the decoding biz call "sipherin'," I discovered that if you key in the letters, "B-a-r-a-c-k-O-b-a-m-a" (all in that order) followed by a "." and the designation, "com", you'll be transferred to a website which purports to hold the key to understanding Obama's policies, all of which are portrayed as words within structured sentences.

While I wasn't able to consume the entire concept of "reading" all of it, since Mr. O'Reilly again wrote in his column today

"...we simply don't know what the Senator's overall world view is. His rhetoric on Iraq and other trouble spots remains rooted in the past, and he has not yet clearly defined his future strategy."

Fortunately, I was able to copy and paste what the site calls "Barack Obama's Plan"...whatever that means, for Bill.

It's listed below and since I'm sure O'Reilly and the other Lords of Loud are far to busy to go all through the work of finding this or that site or, for that matter, this column, would you all mind forwarding it to [e-mail]. Thanks. I'm sure Bill, crack journalist that he is, will be forever indebted.

Barack Obama's Plan

Ending the War in Iraq

In 2005, he called for a phased withdrawal of our troops;
In 2006, he called for a timetable to remove our troops, a political solution within Iraq, and aggressive diplomacy with all of Iraq's neighbors;
In January 2007, he introduced legislation in the Senate to remove all of our combat troops from Iraq by March 2008.
In September 2007, he laid out a detailed plan for how he will end the war as president.

Bring Our Troops Home: Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda.

Press Iraq's leaders to reconcile: The best way to press Iraq's leaders to take responsibility for their future is to make it clear that we are leaving. As we remove our troops, Obama will engage representatives from all levels of Iraqi society - in and out of government - to seek a new accord on Iraq's Constitution and governance. The United Nations will play a central role in this convention, which should not adjourn until a new national accord is reached addressing tough questions like federalism and oil revenue-sharing.

Regional Diplomacy: Obama will launch the most aggressive diplomatic effort in recent American history to reach a new compact on the stability of Iraq and the Middle East. This effort will include all of Iraq's neighbors - including Iran and Syria. This compact will aim to secure Iraq's borders; keep neighboring countries from meddling inside Iraq; isolate al Qaeda; support reconciliation among Iraq's sectarian groups; and provide financial support for Iraq's reconstruction.

Humanitarian Initiative: Obama believes that America has a moral and security responsibility to confront Iraq's humanitarian crisis - two million Iraqis are refugees; two million more are displaced inside their own country. Obama will form an international working group to address this crisis. He will provide at least $2 billion to expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries, and ensure that Iraqis inside their own country can find a safe-haven.
Iran

The Problem: Iran has sought nuclear weapons, supports militias inside Iraq and terror across the region, and its leaders threaten Israel and deny the Holocaust. But Obama believes that we have not exhausted our non-military options in confronting this threat; in many ways, we have yet to try them. That's why Obama stood up to the Bush administration's warnings of war, just like he stood up to the war in Iraq.

Opposed Bush-Cheney Saber Rattling: Obama opposed the Kyl-Lieberman amendment, which says we should use our military presence in Iraq to counter the threat from Iran. Obama believes that it was reckless for Congress to give George Bush any justification to extend the Iraq War or to attack Iran. Obama also introduced a resolution in the Senate declaring that no act of Congress - including Kyl-Lieberman - gives the Bush administration authorization to attack Iran.

Diplomacy: Obama is the only major candidate who supports tough, direct presidential diplomacy with Iran without preconditions. Now is the time to pressure Iran directly to change their troubling behavior. Obama would offer the Iranian regime a choice. If Iran abandons its nuclear program and support for terrorism, we will offer incentives like membership in the World Trade Organization, economic investments, and a move toward normal diplomatic relations. If Iran continues its troubling behavior, we will step up our economic pressure and political isolation. Seeking this kind of comprehensive settlement with Iran is our best way to make progress.

Renewing American Diplomacy

The Problem: The United States is trapped by the Bush-Cheney approach to diplomacy that refuses to talk to leaders we don't like. Not talking doesn't make us look tough - it makes us look arrogant, it denies us opportunities to make progress, and it makes it harder for America to rally international support for our leadership. On challenges ranging from terrorism to disease, nuclear weapons to climate change, we cannot make progress unless we can draw on strong international support.

Talk to our Foes and Friends: Obama is willing to meet with the leaders of all nations, friend and foe. He will do the careful preparation necessary, but will signal that America is ready to come to the table, and that he is willing to lead. And if America is willing to come to the table, the world will be more willing to rally behind American leadership to deal with challenges like terrorism, and Iran and North Korea's nuclear programs.

Expand our Diplomatic Presence: To make diplomacy a priority, Obama will stop shuttering consulates and start opening them in the tough and hopeless corners of the world - particularly in Africa. He will expand our foreign service, and develop the capacity of our civilian aid workers to work alongside the military.

Strengthen NATO: Obama will rally NATO members to contribute troops to collective security operations, urging them to invest more in reconstruction and stabilization operations, streamlining the decision-making processes, and giving NATO commanders in the field more flexibility.

Seek New Partnerships in Asia: Obama will forge a more effective framework in Asia that goes beyond bilateral agreements, occasional summits, and ad hoc arrangements, such as the six-party talks on North Korea. He will maintain strong ties with allies like Japan, South Korea and Australia; work to build an infrastructure with countries in East Asia that can promote stability and prosperity; and work to ensure that China plays by international rules.

Building a 21st Century Military

The Problem: The excellence of our military is unmatched. But as a result of a misguided war in Iraq, our forces are under pressure as never before. Obama will make the investments we need so that the finest military in the world is best-prepared to meet 21st-century threats.

Rebuild Trust: Obama will rebuild trust with those who serve by ensuring that soldiers and Marines have sufficient training time before they are sent into battle.

Expand the Military: We have learned from Iraq that our military needs more men and women in uniform to reduce the strain on our active force. Obama will increase the size of ground forces, adding 65,000 soldiers to the Army and 27,000 Marines.

New Capabilities: Obama will give our troops new equipment, armor, training, and skills like language training. He will also strengthen our civilian capacity, so that our civilian agencies have the critical skills and equipment they need to integrate their efforts with our military.

Strengthen Guard and Reserve: Obama will restore the readiness of the National Guard and Reserves. He will permit them adequate time to train and rest between deployments, and provide the National Guard with the equipment they need for foreign and domestic emergencies. He will also give the Guard a seat at the table by making the Chief of the National Guard a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Bipartisanship and Openness

The Problem: Under the Bush administration, foreign policy has been used as a political wedge issue to divide us - not as a cause to bring America together. And it is no coincidence that one of the most secretive administrations in history has pursued policies that have been disastrous for the American people. Obama strongly believes that our foreign policy is stronger when Americans are united, and the government is open and candid with the American people.
A Record of Bringing People Together: In the Senate, Obama has worked with Republicans and Democrats to advance important policy initiatives on securing weapons of mass destruction and conventional weapons, increasing funding for nonproliferation, and countering instability in Congo.

Consultative Group: Obama will convene a bipartisan Consultative Group of leading members of Congress to foster better executive-legislative relations and bipartisan unity on foreign policy. This group will be comprised of the congressional leadership of both political parties, and the chair and ranking members of the Armed Services, Foreign Relations, Intelligence, and Appropriations Committees. This group will meet with the president once a month to review foreign policy priorities, and will be consulted in advance of military action.

Getting Politics out of Intelligence: Obama would insulate the Director of National Intelligence from political pressure by giving the DNI a fixed term, like the Chairman of the Federal Reserve. Obama will seek consistency and integrity at the top of our intelligence community - not just a political ally.
Change the Culture of Secrecy: Obama will reverse President Bush's policy of secrecy. He will institute a National Declassification Center to make declassification secure but routine, efficient, and cost-effective.

Engaging the American People on Foreign Policy: Obama will bring foreign policy decisions directly to the people by requiring his national security officials to have periodic national broadband town hall meetings to discuss foreign policy. He will personally deliver occasional fireside chats via webcast.

There was more, but let's not go crazy.

Award-winning television writer and author of "Great Failures of the Extremely Successful," Steve Young' s "All The News That's Fit To Spoof" appears in L.A. Daily News opeds every Sunday on the same page with Bill O'Reilly's...really.

Comments

[jrockbg]

So after reading the above...to what end are all these efforts being made? What does he hope to yield out of all that diplomacy? Hope. Hope for what? Diplomacy. To what end? Fair questions. For Democrats its enough to have goals like getting troops out of Iraq and make sweeping statements like "restore our reputation in the world." But there are many independents and conservatives who will give Obama a chance if they understand his goals for this nation a bit better.

[ldvisavis]

You seem to be pointing to a nightmarish world in which there is an endless cycle of negotiation between countries. Where's the outmanneuvering, the vanquishing, the defeating, the winning? Not to mention the killing, the dying, the maiming, the wasting of resources, and the wasting of human potential?

Diplomacy--a world of mundain, non-explosive, non-lethal, relentless diplomacy may be the most perfect end we can hope to see. Here's to that end!

[candlegravity]

...agreed. Now the real problem. The large majority of those conservatives and independents refuse to spend any quality time reading candidates white papers. That's the real sad truth. Americans don't read anymore. So much information is available on all the candidates if one's willing to do a little reading. But these days everyone prefers the 'beer-in-one-hand, remote-in-the-other' type of research which litters their minds of sound bites and media fodder that leads them no closer to a full understanding. I love this country, but our biggest problem, and I'm totally convinced, our biggest problem is the large majority of our population is just plain out lazy, and ill-informed. Hence we are in an illegal war that has taken so many lives in the name of nothing. ...well, maybe money.

[treadway123]

This is the best article I read in a decade! I like what he has to say! I like the direction he wants to go in! The minister of Iraq says US Military can start their with draw! NATO does need to do more, and be more involved! I always thought so, too! So, if he can draw countries together and make them one voice---------------the one loud spoken voice and force will mean we won't have to stand alone any more! We do know have a colitition of Allies, but every sense bush went to war with Iraq. a lot of them stop supporting us! I'm so excited about this new direction! Now I get the "Yes, we can". Before it was just words, with no meaning backing it at all! Obama, will need all 8 years afforded him of cours and we willl have to be patient! It was good to see Polosi stand up the other day against the trade agreement with collumbia untill safty factors, and program changed to benifit the US, and help us! That's refreshing and a start anyhow!

[Thorn]

That headline fix must have made you die inside a little. It didn't help.

[December7]

Divisive politics of fear and ignorance? Not now, not this time. Change is coming from the bottom up.

[MarineBugler]

Bravo !!!

Only if American's would actually READ, then WE would NOT be in the mess we are in now.

WAKE UP AMERICA! ... RIF ... (READING IS FUNDAMENTAL)

[DemandTruth]

Silly rabbit. Don't you know that if Bill O'Falafeloofah doesn't get his information in a pre-packaged 30 second Administration released talking-point soundbyte, he can't digest it? And don't blame his crack staff. They're too busy dodging loofas and they still think it's spelled b-a-r-a-c-k-o-S-a-m-a.

[MPeter]

Thanks Steve. Thank you for doing your part. Obama cannot save America on his own. he cannot wrest itfrom lobbyists and insiders like the Clintons. he needs each and everyone of us, using our limited dollars, our voices, registering voters, and insisting on open and accoutable government. Obama is us, because he speaks of WE--US. Only we can change America. The coalition of blacks, whites, yellow, native americans, hispanics, young and old, poor and rich, men and women, can change this country. Thanks steve.