I always knew the 2008 presidential race would be about foreign policy and the U.S. role in the world, but I never expected the issue to crystallize so soon.
In the CNN/You Tube debate, a questioner asked the candidates, if they were elected would they meet with rogue state leaders like Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez. (See the question here. Scroll to #17.)
Senator Barack Obama said he would and added, "The notion that somehow not talking to countries is punishment to them -- which has been the guiding diplomatic principle of this administration -- is ridiculous."
Senator Hillary Clinton said she would not promise to meet directly with those rogue leaders, but would have dialogue with those countries at other levels which may or may not lead to head-of-state level meetings. She said we cannot have our president meet with these people "...until we know better what the way forward would be. I don't want to be used for propaganda purposes."
I think Obama's response spoke to peoples' heart... he clearly articulated how his presidency would be different from the Bush Administration. And Clinton's response spoke to the brain... diplomacy is hard work and requires deliberate, well thought out steps toward progress.
My gut tells me that in this election, voters will first want to hear how far and in what ways a candidate is different from George W. Bush. And then hear the logistical details later. If this is true, this particular dispute worked out in Obama's favor. But I could be wrong.
Here is what some other sources had to say on the flap:
- In the Washington Post, E.J. Dionne wrote, "Clinton started a battle about experience and Obama turned it into a debate about change."
- Also in the Washington Post, Charles Krauthammer instead saw how, "...the grizzled veteran showed up the clueless rookie."
- In The Nation magazine's blog, John Nichols made a different point about Clinton's statement saying, "...it is particularly galling that Clinton -- in her rush to trash Obama -- is contradicting her own declaration in an April debate that, 'I think it is a terrible mistake for our president to say he will not talk with bad people.'"
- About Guide to Liberal Politics Deborah White called Clinton's remarks a strategic political error. "Not only was Clinton's hawkish, harsh response on U.S. foreign policy a political gaffe, it was woefully out-of-step with the American public's strong desire to break from the arrogant ethnocentrism of Bush-Cheney foreign policy."
- Speaking on behalf of the Clinton campaign, former Iowa Govenor Tom Vilsack said he hopes Senator Obama, "...would cease and desist from criticizing and distorting the record and the comments of Senator Clinton because she has been quite clear throughout all of her appearances in Iowa and throughout the country that there needs to be a significant change..."