Obama, Clinton, (and Samantha Power)
Personally, I have not a moment's doubt about Barack Obama being ready "from Day One" to be President of the United States. I have spoken with numerous people who know him and his work far better than I do, and who have held lengthy discussions with him about national-security affairs, whose word regarding his readiness I trust. One of them is that canny and well-tested "Realist" and situational hawk Zbig Brzezinski.
What Obama brings to the role of "Commander-in Chief" that is distinctive is his readiness-- eagerness, even-- to completely re-frame the crucial challenge of our time, which is:
- "How should we seek to redefine and clarify the relationship between the US citizenry and the other 95% of the world's people?"
(I certainly hope he doesn't shift his stance on these issues now.)
Hillary Clinton, by contrast, has recently entered in a big way into the distinctly Bushist business of fear-mongering, much-spreading, and tinpot bellicosity.
Honestly, I don't believe any Democratic candidate can out-McCain McCain on that basis. The only way to win-- and the only way to set our country on the right track-- is to change the terms of our national conversation about security affairs, completely.
If I have full confidence in Obama as Commander-in-Chief, I should add that right now I have a little less confidence in the idea that his key foreign-policy advisor Sam Power is "ready" for any high-level job involving the conduct of diplomacy. In an "unguarded moment" in a press interview in the UK yesterday-- where she has gone to promote her new book-- Power described Hillary Clinton as "a monster." She also told the interviewer, Gerri Peev of The Scotsman, that, ""We f***** up in Ohio..."
Neither of those locutions is the language a diplomat of any rank would use. Power-- herself a former hard-hitting journalist-- is quite evidently "a breath of fresh air" in the usually very stuffy world of international diplomacy. She is also extremely smart. But not quite smart enough to have avoided that language in a press interview.
Of the two statement she made to Peev, the only one she took back was the one about Clinton being a monster. In a statement released by Obama's campaign she said: These comments do not reflect my feelings about Sen. Clinton, whose leadership and public service I have long admired.” She also said she "regretted" that remark. (Perhaps she should also have expressed regret over the language used in the other remark, too.)
I really do like and admire Sam Power. She has come under fire recently for some criticisms she voiced back in 2002 about the atrocities the IOF committed during its seizing of Jenin camp. I am strongly inclined to defend her. But if she really aspires to operate at the highest levels of US diplomacy-- as I assume she well might, in an Obama presidency-- then she needs to think a little more carefully before she speaks, and to use her undoubted skills in conceptualizing and wordsmithing to make sure she expresses herself in more temperate tones.
Power has since resigned from the campaign.
Hillary Clinton, by contrast, has recently entered in a big way into the distinctly Bushist business
Whoever in this race they all entered in such level with the “Bush style Business”, it’s not because Bush right or wrong, but this is the way of campaign in US.
After two term in WH, US and Americans all have set to self scared inside with believes they have the duty as to lead and change the world to the way they like "Bush Style".
There is no wrong in that if done peacefully or by spreading the idea in different ways rather than wars and bulling but unfortunately that "Bush Style" looks have deep set in US mindset.
I've been told by sources I trust (and who are in a position to know) that there are a lot of people who worked in the Clinton White House who would agree with Samantha Power. They're not working for Obama but they're voting for him
If everyone who thinks that Hillaary is a "monster" had to resign, we would have 150,000,000 new unemployed instead of "just" 63,000. Since when does such a stupid , but harmless, comment require resignation?
"she needs to think a little more carefully before she speaks"
Yup. She needs to understand that not even the mildest criticism of Zion is tolerated by anybody within ten miles of any Presidential candidate, 'left wing' or not.
Murphy, Samantha Power did not resign because of any "criticism of Zion." In fact she remained on the campaign even after some people very strongly attacked her for prior comments concerning Israel.
She resigned because she made an intemperate remark about the rival candidate. Obama has gone to pains to take the high road in this campaign, and Power's comment was considered inconsistent with that approach. Personally, I think it's a bit of an overreaction, but I do like how Obama has kept his cool throughout the campaign, and understand why he doesn't want anyone who might detract from that.