Carly Fiorina, who is in a tough Republican primary race for the U.S. Senate in California, has raised a key foreign-policy issue. In a released statement, she notes:
President Ahmadinejad’s order yesterday to begin enriching uranium far past levels needed to power nuclear plants reveals the regime’s true intentions for its nuclear technology. Today’s news only further confirms that Iran is not serious about complying with the international nuclear nonproliferation treaty to which they are a party.
It is abundantly clear: engagement with Iran has failed. Negotiations have shown no progress. We cannot afford to talk any longer. We must act now to implement tough, crippling sanctions to persuade the Iranian regime to suspend its nuclear program and engage in serious negotiations.
Both the Senate and the House have passed strong versions of the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act. I urge our leaders in Congress to reconcile quickly their differences and present a bill to the President for his immediate signature and immediate implementation.
It will be interesting to see how significant an issue this becomes in the primary race. Her two opponents have yet to weigh in on this issue, but foreign policy — specifically, their stance toward Israel and the existential threat to the Jewish state’s existence posed by a nuclear-armed Iran — may well play a role in the race. One of her opponents, Chuck Devore, has in the past voiced strong support for Israel’s right of self-defense.
Tom Campbell, who has zipped into the lead in early polls, is quite another story. During his time in the House, Campbell was one of the few Republicans with a consistent anti-Israel voting record. In 1999, he introduced an amendment to cut foreign aid to Israel. This amendment, titled the Campbell Amendment, was defeated overwhelmingly on the House floor by a vote of 13-414. In 1999, Campbell was one of just 24 House members to vote against a resolution expressing congressional opposition to the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. In 1997, Rep. Tom Campbell authored an amendment (also titled the Campbell Amendment) to cut foreign aid to Israel. The resolution failed 9-32 in committee. In 1990, Campbell was one of just 34 House members to vote against a resolution expressing support for Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The resolution passed the House 378-34. But Campbell has taken positions on more than just aid that have raised concerns about his views on Israel. As the Los Angeles Times reported in 2000, Campbell, in his losing race against Dianne Feinstein, “told numerous crowds–including Jewish groups–that he believes Palestinians are entitled to a homeland and that Jerusalem can be the capital of more than one nation.”
By making Iran and foreign policy a focus of her campaign, Fiorina is most likely inviting comparisons with her opponents. We’ll see how California Republicans size up the candidates and whether their stance Iran and Israel become a major source of contention.
I once ate at Taco Bell for 30 straight days. Maybe I can be the ambsassador to Mexico.
“It is simply impossible to know what Obama means by this”
Well, what else is new? Barack “Barry” Obama is an intellectual lightweight. Many people are too impressed with his Harvard Law credentials. They have no idea about Harvard’s grade inflation crisis and affirmative action grading. Do yourself a favor. Try this experiment: imagine that Obama graduated from the imaginary school, “North Dakota State College.” If you take my advice, I suspect you will soon concede that he is a poorly read mediocrity whose only real talent is glibness.
Obama runs the risk of being overshadowed by his running mate if he is joined on the ticket by someone who stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.
How many years did John McCain live overseas?
You know, including the 5 1/2 years getting to know the hospitality of North Vietnamese communists?
I wonder what *THAT* experience does for one’s “foreign policy outlook.”
“I wonder what *THAT* experience does for one’s “foreign policy outlook.”
“That experience” helped John McCain to better understand ideological thugs. Needless to add, this is very helpful when he becomes our commander-in-chief and is obligated to protect America from its enemies. Alas, somehow I don’t think that’s what you are implying. Correct me if I’m barking up the wrong tree—but are you not hinting that McCain’s torturous experience in the Hanoi Hilton has perhaps turned him into a war mongering crazy person? The dude is supposedly too emotionally and psychologically unbalanced to be our national Leader.
The unbearable lightness of being Barack Obama.
Sign me up for a camp where Dennis Ross is a counselor. All I ever did in camp was get merit badges and learn to completely detest sleeping bags.
The formative years of his existence were spent right there in creepy “Reverend” Wright’s pews, a hooping and a hollering right along with the rest of the crazies.
And that is, sad to say, the objective and measured assessment of the man.
So, Barack, exactly how do “these folks think”? I trust you can answer in words that won’t offend, trivialize, or stereotype them.
i went camping with the boy scouts my scout leader was a green baret and we did our camping at FORT BENNING, GA. I also lived in germany when my father was stationed there. Which doesn’t make me german either.
earlier in his service to America he was at Pearl Harbor on that dec 7th. doe all his mean i can become POTUS as i have lived over seas as much as B. (REDATED) O. ?
Which is it Obama a few weeks ago Iran was on no importance and nothing to be feared or As you said at the AIPAC that Iran is the comming WORLD WAR? WHICH IS IT?
I lived in Asia for 5 years as an adult. Would that qualify me as foreign policy expert also? This guy has no shame embellishing his imaginary expertise.
Pooping in his diapers as a baby gave Obama special foreign policy insights. He’s full of $hit.
I watched Johnny Qwest as a kid, ———— wasn’t that set in the exotic locales, ———- so that must make me a foreign policy expert too.
“A cynic knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing.” (Oscar Wide)
Seems like all you garden-variety cynics are having conniption fits about Obama and it’s only November. I’ll bet he learned more from that counselor than most of you learned from sitting on the knee of Norman Podhoretz for the last 40 years.
Got you all beat. I not only had a Quebecois French teacher in junior high (that dates me, I know), but had Russian emigre AND American Cherokee ballet teachers, A Filipina Sunday school teacher, a Kenyan Bible study leader, a Mexican-born sixth grade teacher, a Jewish seventh-grade history teacher (in a Catholic school, no less), a Jewish piano teacher, an Indonesian-Chinese best friend (once Muslim, now Christian), a Lebanese high school math teacher, and a Thai college professor of math and statistics, whom no one could understand when he lectured. AND I lived overseas for seven years while in the Navy.
I believe this qualifies as a “global policy bona fides grand slam.” Move over, Mr. Ban. Deserving UN Secretary-General, coming through.
And my teachers were just a bunch of pasty Americans. I suppose that only qualifies me to be president.
Kit–I think you meant to say, “It’s only June.” I realize you Obamaniacs are on a different page, but try to stay on the same calendar, mkay.