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| McCain outlines his foreign policy goals in L.A. speech | ||
| 2008-03-27 | ||
In remarks to the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, McCain cautioned that America's power and influence "does not mean we can do whatever we want whenever we want," and said U.S. leaders should not "assume we have all the wisdom and knowledge necessary to succeed." "We need to listen to the views and respect the collective will of our democratic allies," McCain said before an audience of several hundred people in the ballroom of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel. "When we believe international action is necessary, whether military, economic or diplomatic, we will try to persuade our friends that we are right. But we, in return, must be willing to be persuaded by them." Billed as a major foreign policy speech outlining the way forward under a McCain administration, the presumed Republican presidential nominee distanced himself from what some have termed the cowboy diplomacy of the Bush administration while maintaining his strong support for the current course in Iraq. McCain argued that if the United States is to achieve its goals of routing out terrorists and achieving peace in Afghanistan and Iraq, it must lead "by attracting others to our cause" and "defending the rules of international civilized society." With that aim, he repeated his call for closing the detention center at Naval Air Station Guantanamo Bay in Cuba stating that the United States cannot subject suspected terrorists to torture or inhumane treatment, a stance that drew applause from the audience.
McCain cited "rising China" as a central challenge facing the next president and said China should boost its transparency on its military buildup while doing more to help "isolate pariah states" such as Myanmar, Sudan and Zimbabwe. "China and the United States are not destined to be adversaries," McCain said. "We have numerous overlapping interests and I hope to see our relationship evolve in a manner that benefits both countries." But he said until China moves toward political liberalization, "our relationship will be based on periodically shared interests rather than the bedrock of shared values." He saved his harshest rhetoric for Iran and Russia. The Arizona senator, who has been critical of the recent election in Russia, insisted again on expelling Russia from the G-8 to make the group once again "a club of leading market democracies." He was also critical of Iran and what he described as the nation's quest for nuclear weapons. A central reason for creating a league of democracies, he said, would be to impose stronger sanctions on Iran -- an area in which he believes the United Nations has not been successful. McCain also emphasized several policies that his campaign plans to roll out in more detail in the months ahead -- from a commitment to eradicating malaria in Africa to creating a cap-and-trade system that would serve as a successor to the environmental pact known as the Kyoto Protocol. | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #14 "the admin wants to close gitmo too" -and they're just as wrong. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2008-03-27 21:08 |
| #13 Which has a better track record of producing enduring peace, "leagues" of nations or the US Army? |
| Posted by: Sloting Poodle2700 2008-03-27 18:13 |
| #12 John McKerry Had he given this speech during the early primaries he would have been toast. On everything (GW Hoax, fence, amnesty, tax policy) except the war the man is an idiot. Different stripe from Bush, but same skunk. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-03-27 16:22 |
| #11 the admin wants to close gitmo too |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-03-27 13:58 |
| #10 Verlaine made some great comments about torture wrt Geneva and combatants not in uniform yesterday in another thread, I'd advise everyone here to read. Mccain is right about iraq & way wrong on gitmo. The rest of his mantra sounds like tired posturing. The rules of "international civilized society?" - sounds like some dumb shit john kerry would say. Our country is due for a revolution, none of the 3 prospective candidates is near worthy of the office. Clinton and Obama are jokes. Mccain comes closest but that is just by substitution because the other two are so pathetic, heck, maybe we are getting the leaders we deserve. The founding Fathers are rolling in their graves. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2008-03-27 13:21 |
| #9 "The League of Democracies should be a caucus within the UN. A group that comes together, decides a policy, and pushes for it and notices very carefully every country that goes against it." See Daniel Patrick Moynihan in 1974. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-03-27 12:31 |
| #8 I guess Gaza's out of the question, so move it to Somalia or Sudan, rj. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-03-27 12:26 |
| #7 The League of Democracies should be a caucus within the UN. A group that comes together, decides a policy, and pushes for it and notices very carefully every country that goes against it. Reclaim the UN, give it a chance before thrashing it altogether. Push for the UN to get out of the US. Push for a Security Council seat for the Japanese and Indians and a drastic increase in their dues. Push to move the building to another country, possibly Europe, possibly Japan. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-03-27 12:11 |
| #6 Liberalhawk says 'then theres no hope for mankind.' Holy shit, what are you thinking. You want hope for mankind ? There can only be real hope if and when the media tells the whole truth about every event. No distortions, no omissions, no political slants, just full faced facts for all to see and read. Human beings are fully capable of reasoning a peaceful resolution to any and all conflicts. It's the greed of leaders supported by media distortions and in some cases religious distortions. THE MEDIA, liberalhawk that's the hope for mankind. And it has failed. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2008-03-27 11:53 |
| #5 This just proves what I've been saying about Elmer Fudd. He's a liberal, period. He has no plans to build a border fence. He will close Gitmo, even though water boarding is no more harmful than baptism. He will sign Kyoto and hold his breath to reduce carbon emissions. He will pimp for the UN. He will move his mouth as his handlers in the Council on Foreign Relations direct him. He IS a puppet. Ridiculous as it is, we are better off with Obama. Then, we will be kicking the enemy party around for 4 years instead of our own party. And, Obama will never get anything done. Elmer Fudd, on the other hand can do great damage. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2008-03-27 11:42 |
| #4 then theres no hope for mankind. The US alone isnt big enough or rich enough to bear the burden unaided. I, however, see other democracies as doing yeomans work even now - I just dont have unrealistic expectations of what they will do. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-03-27 11:12 |
| #3 The barbarians can stiffen their will and if they can't neither will any amount of talk from us. Leave them behind. They are the intermediate past as the muzzies are ancient history. The time for both has past. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-03-27 10:50 |
| #2 if we not torturing anyone, than we have nothing to lose by reaffirming that, and plenty to gain. The UN still has purposes, on many technical matters. The UNSC can occasionally be useful, and the UNGA at least serves as a meeting place for diplomats. A league of democracies however would begin to lessen the political role of the UN, and would be a good alternative and balancer. His comments on Iraq, Iran, China, and Russia are right on. And yes, there is a civilized world, even if its been to lacking in will. McCain proposes to stiffen that will - you cant stiffen the Euros will against the barbarians if you wont talk to them cause you dont like their domestic policies. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2008-03-27 10:46 |
| #1 I don't have much hope for this guy. I like the league of democracies idea only if the flip side is discarding the UN entirely. On the otherhand, Bush the 1st set a very dangerous precedent groveling at the UN for Gulf War 1, I don't understand why politicians of all stripes continue think the US requires any sort of international concensus to conduct foreign policy. I love this one to: "defending the rules of international civilized society." As if there is such a thing. How far we have fallen. I'd like to dig Barry Goldwater up and reanimate him. |
| Posted by: JerseyMike 2008-03-27 08:44 |