Barack runs amok on foreign policy

We’ve got good news and bad news on the Barack Obama foreign policy vision front. Senator Obama revealed both in a speech on terrorism at the Woodrow Wilson Center last Wednesday.

The good news is Sen. Obama apparently believes the threats posed by global terrorism are real, even as he blasts President Bush’s efforts to counter them.?? ‘Just because the president misrepresents our enemies does not mean that we don’t have them,’ he stated.??He then declared to ‘wage the war that has to be won.’

The bad news is Sen. Obama’s vision on how to wage that war is full of flaws.??The first inkling of his flawed thinking came during the July 24 CNN-You Tube debate/farce, when he said he would be willing to visit, unconditionally, with the world’s worst dictators.?? That silly statement drew a sharp rejoinder from his chief rival, Senator Hillary Clinton, who called his views ‘na??ve and irresponsible.’ ‘?

I rarely agree with Sen. Clinton on any issue, foreign or domestic, but this time she was right on target.??She spoke with the voice of reason, born of experience, that personal presidential diplomacy without some preconditions can be a recipe for disaster. ‘?

Sen. Obama dropped his second foreign policy bombshell in his Wilson Center speech, which sounded more like John F. Kennedy and George W. Bush than Woodrow Wilson.??The tone of his ‘do it all’ speech was eerily reminiscent of JFK’s ringing inaugural rhetoric, ‘We shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe’??That rhetoric, translated into foreign policy, gave us the Bay of Pigs and the Vietnam War.

Ironically, after criticizing Hillary Clinton for being ‘Bush Lite’ on foreign policy issues, Obama came on like ‘Bush Heavy.’ For example, he boldly asserted he will ‘not hesitate to use force, unilaterally if necessary, to protect the American people or our vital interests whenever we are attacked or imminently threatened.’

Barack really ran amok when he vowed ‘if we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets [in Pakistan] and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.’ ??

This bellicose statement could further destabilize an already shaky ally in Pakistan.?? How is that in our national interest’ Logically or illogically extended, President ‘Barack run amok’ might even attack Iran or Syria unilaterally, if he deems it in our national interest.??

The problem with Obama’s tough talk on terrorism is it bears absolutely no resemblance to his actual track record in the Senate.??He has been a vocal critic of the Iraq War, saying it’s the ‘wrong battlefield,’ even though al-Qaida’s second-in-command leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri calls Iraq ‘the place of greatest struggle’ against the United States.

The larger problem for Barack Obama’s presidential ambitions is he has gone from being a fresh face and charismatic candidate to an empty suit ‘ at least on foreign policy issues.??His arrogance and inexperience combine to make him a poor choice for president or vice president anytime soon. ??

Thomas B. Vaughn is an instructor at Motlow College and co-host of the radio show ‘Viewpoints,’ on WCPI 91.3 FM.