Let’s look at foreign policy. It may not affect you much here in the bubble we know as Fairfield University, but it’s important.
We may take it for granted that we have troops spread all across the globe, fighting and dying to protect your rights to complain about them being there. Let’s face it – America is a strong, dominant country in the world and that won’t change anytime soon.
When we go to the polls on Nov. 4, we will make a big decision on where our country is headed. Just think: You, me and everyone else in this school will be thrown into the real world when this person is President. That is unless you’re on the five or six year track
We have two choices: John McCain or Barack Obama. Unless you libertarians out there vote for Bob Barr (I’m sorry, but he just can’t win). Anyway, we have to look at the matter at hand. Who is the best candidate in terms of foreign policy?
Obama. We all know how great of a speaker he is, but what are his plans for our country? As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Obama has been involved in this topic for the last four years as a senator.
Let’s start with Iran. In June, Obama called for direct talks with Iran about its nuclear program without preconditions. In 2005, the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said that ‘Israel must be wiped off the map.’ When the leader of a nation makes such an absurd statement and sticks to it, how can we possibly reason with this madman?
Since then, Obama bowed to popular pressure and toughened his stance so as to appear favorable to the Israel lobby, which sees a nuclear-armed Iran as a major threat.
Had we left Iraq when Obama proposed, Al Qaeda in Iraq would certainly have destroyed the weak Maliki government, thereby setting up another terrorist sanctuary.
We all remember the ‘rockstar’ tour that Obama took around Europe and the German crowd of 200,000 cheering fans. Sure, he may be charismatic, but what about his policies?
McCain. Sure, he’s old, but does he have the skills we need?
As the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee, McCain has much experience in national security.
In this year alone, McCain traveled to Jordan, Iraq, Israel, the United Kingdom and France for talks with many heads of state and other leaders.
Supporting the surge would surely be a risky chance, but McCain stood by it, understanding that it was the necessary and right thing to do in order to stabilize the country.
On Afghanistan, he has proposed sending more troops as well to bolster the international force there already. From the beginning, McCain has taken a strong tone with Iran and its nuclear program.
In a post-9/11 world, we cannot allow for nuclear proliferation and the chance that a terrorist group could acquire nuclear weapons. The consequences would be unimaginable.
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