Liberal Interventionism Makes A Comeback
Six years ago, Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama walked onstage at Chicago's Richard J. Daley Plaza and launched his national political career. "Although this has been billed as an antiwar rally," the Chicago Democrat said to the assembled, "I stand before you as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances." He reminded the crowd of his grandfather's service in World War II. He admitted that "the world would be better off without" Saddam Hussein. "What I am opposed to," he said, "is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats."
It was pure red meat, and the anti-Bush, anti-neoconservative crowd ate up every scrap. As Obama navigated a wide-open Democratic primary, he repeatedly pointed to this speech as proof of his fidelity on the war. "It was just, well, a well-constructed speech," the candidate later told his biographer David Mendell. "In some ways, it was not a typical anti-war speech."
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My Comment: The Toronto Star examined Sen. Obama's foreign policy views, and was surprised to find that his mentor is a man by the name of Reinhold Niebuhr. Advocating support for "just war", and the need to support people who are being victimized by brutal governments, it is an aggressive approach towards foreign policy. I am surprised that Sen. Obama reads and follows this man's point of view. For more info, Bookyards has more information on Reinhold Niebuhr, including a number of books and links at this location.
Sen. Barack Obama is not the only politician to have followed Niebuhr's philosophy .... former President Jimmy Carter was also a fan.
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