Nuking Obama
There's been a lot of media and blog focus on Barack Obama these last few weeks. Most of it seems intent on portraying him as this naive neophyte with no foreign policy experience. Last week, it was the dustup between him and Hillary over hypothetical meetings with heads of state not friendly to the US. Obama said he would not impose conditions for talks, a stance opposite of the Bush administration's dismal idea of diplomacy. Hillary, being the triangulator that she is, qualified her answer by saying she would ensure the meeting wasn't being used for propaganda purposes. That's sort of a given since anyone who knows anything about foreign affairs will tell you, holding high level negotiations with heads of states involves more than just inviting your counterparts over for tea. Most said Hillary won that round.
This week it continued. After Obama gave a speech on counterterrorism, the media and blogs pounced his comments about Pakistan. Now he is being called out for his stance on the use of nuclear weapons. Anonymous Liberal says this seems to be part of an emerging media narrative whereby every opinion voiced by Obama, even ones widely shared, are presented in a way that depicts him as inexperienced. I'd also have to agree with A.L. that the question about whether any president would use nukes to combat terrorism is a bit nonsensical, though I can understand the need to know a prospective president's stance on such matters.
But if this issue is going to be seriously discussed, I'd like to remind everyone that the man who currently has his finger on the button has said this about Iran:
I don't know about you but I'm far more concerned about his stance than Obama's.
Update: John Dickerson praises Obama for his willingness to address hypotheticals. Steve Soto and BTD disagree.
(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)
This week it continued. After Obama gave a speech on counterterrorism, the media and blogs pounced his comments about Pakistan. Now he is being called out for his stance on the use of nuclear weapons. Anonymous Liberal says this seems to be part of an emerging media narrative whereby every opinion voiced by Obama, even ones widely shared, are presented in a way that depicts him as inexperienced. I'd also have to agree with A.L. that the question about whether any president would use nukes to combat terrorism is a bit nonsensical, though I can understand the need to know a prospective president's stance on such matters.
But if this issue is going to be seriously discussed, I'd like to remind everyone that the man who currently has his finger on the button has said this about Iran:
President Bush: All options are on the table.
I don't know about you but I'm far more concerned about his stance than Obama's.
Update: John Dickerson praises Obama for his willingness to address hypotheticals. Steve Soto and BTD disagree.
(Filed at State of the Day and All Spin Zone)
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