I still have no idea why Barack Obama is in the mix to lead this country. I suppose the shallow depth of my understanding comes in large part from my complete disinterest in a person who strikes me as a mouthpiece puppet for Democratic money interests. Still, since the inexperienced junior Senator from Illinois has been selected to convey the thinking of a large faction of a national party, it is worth looking at the words the candidate commits to record.
In the most recent issue of Foreign Affairs Senator Obama writes at length about the relationship of the United States and the rest of the world. What comes through the usual denial about the role Iraq plays in our defense against Islamic Jihadists, is the belief that American power is “in terminal decline”.
Common Security for our Common Humanity: This century's threats are at least as dangerous as and in some ways more complex than those we have confronted in the past. They come from weapons that can kill on a mass scale and from global terrorists who respond to alienation or perceived injustice with murderous nihilism. They come from rogue states allied to terrorists and from rising powers that could challenge both America and the international foundation of liberal democracy. They come from weak states that cannot control their territory or provide for their people. And they come from a warming planet that will spur new diseases, spawn more devastating natural disasters, and catalyze deadly conflicts.
You read that correctly, the source of suicidal mass murder is “alienation or perceived injustice”. The date of our military defeat in Iraq is penciled in for March 31, 2008 -- at which point more time and resources will be freed up for trying to control the weather. Oh yeah, “we should not hesitate to talk directly to Iran” to show “what could be gained from fundamental change: economic engagement, security assurances, and diplomatic relations.” Presidential aspirant Obama seems to believe the problem is that the United States is too harsh and demanding with the Mullahs.
