Ayaan Hirsi Ali: "Barack Obama And John McCain Are Two Peas In A Pod On Foreign Policy" World Affairs magazine has a symposium issue that highlights foreign citizens' view of the U.S. president election. The Somali-Dutch moderate-conservative feminist and former Dutch parliamentarian gives her take: "Their choice of words and their party affiliations distinguish them, but their foreign policies do not. Obama wants to combat 'global terrorism,' McCain to win 'the war on terror.' This is a matter of style, not content. What orders their priorities is continuity with their predecessors (despite Obama’s insistence that he wants to 'end the mindset that got us into war') and the simple fact of a world where America is the dominant power. This, in turn, means that whoever wins the election will choose from a much narrower range of options than his campaign speeches might suggest. If there is a crisis that directly threatens American interests and this requires military intervention, then either candidate will intervene."
She continues her commentary: "Short of that, Obama wants to boost the defense budget and so does McCain. Both view the war against terror as an urgent priority (although they refer to it by different names). Both see an America in crisis, its economy in peril at home, its global power tested by China and Russia abroad. Both wish to distance themselves from the policies of the Bush administration. Of course, one always inherits the disastrous policies of one’s predecessor."
And more: "The question, then, is how one deals with this. Obama says that he will withdraw from Iraq 'responsibly,' but a responsible withdrawal seems to be McCain’s goal as well. Even their rhetoric tends to be nearly indistinguishable. The candidate who summons America to 'lead the world in battling immediate evils and promoting the ultimate good' and says the U.S. military should 'stay on the offense, from Djibouti to Kandahar' is not John McCain. It is Barack Obama. The candidate who would 'combat HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, fashion better policies to confront environmental crises' — this is McCain."
She continues her commentary: "Short of that, Obama wants to boost the defense budget and so does McCain. Both view the war against terror as an urgent priority (although they refer to it by different names). Both see an America in crisis, its economy in peril at home, its global power tested by China and Russia abroad. Both wish to distance themselves from the policies of the Bush administration. Of course, one always inherits the disastrous policies of one’s predecessor."
And more: "The question, then, is how one deals with this. Obama says that he will withdraw from Iraq 'responsibly,' but a responsible withdrawal seems to be McCain’s goal as well. Even their rhetoric tends to be nearly indistinguishable. The candidate who summons America to 'lead the world in battling immediate evils and promoting the ultimate good' and says the U.S. military should 'stay on the offense, from Djibouti to Kandahar' is not John McCain. It is Barack Obama. The candidate who would 'combat HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa, fashion better policies to confront environmental crises' — this is McCain."
Source:BookerRising
1 comment:
Unfortunately, Ms. Ali is no longer Dutch since her citizenship was revoked because she lied on her application for immigration. Like many desperate people seeking asylum from hostile homelands, Ms. Ali committed fraud on her application.
Unfortunately, her lie was discovered and the Dutch government, as previously explained, deported her.
The irony is that a figure who has gained respect in the West, especially amongst conservatives, is no labeled a criminal and would be subjected to prison possible had she committed similar acts in the United States. Given that Republican conservatives like Michelle Malkin and the white supremacists at VDare.com along with others in the GOP have made it their mission to terrorize those fleeing tyranny and seeking assistance in the U.S. and the West, how many other voices of reason like Ms. Ali's have been silenced?
Ms. Ali, of course, is lucky to have found patrons willing to overlook her felonious behavior because they admire her politics. But would those same people show similar grace to those like Ms. Ali but with more "liberal" feelings?
Seriously, could you believe Michelle Malkin who derides American children as "anchor babies" showing sympathy for her. (Even when the case can arguably be made that Malkin is an anchor baby herself?)
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