[Dialogue] Obama is all for Thinking things Through

[Adelbert Batica]

Margaret,

Some have accused Obama of being "naive" and "inexperienced" in foreign affairs, especially with respect to his willingness to take a different course on Venezuela and Cuba, for example.  I would still give him a chance, because his "experience" is quite different from those who easily "fit" (ha, ha, ha!) the presidential mold.  For one, he's the only candidate who has experienced real Third World experience, in Indonesia - of all places!  It is the "human factor" in this guy that appeals to me.  Not only is he sensitive, he's also a deep thinker and a very articulate one.

I certainly wouldn't want the U.S. to go to war against Iran, or any country for that matter, but we should also be bold enough to "think through" what Iran is all about.  After all, the current Iranian leadership is hardly like Mossadegh in the 1950's.  For one, Mossadegh was genuinely progressive and secular in his outlook.  It is unfortunate that the US was quick to label him as a "communist" and replace him with the Shah...only to usher in a regime dominated by the mullahs.  

Obama deserves a chance, he's a better risk than the others in the pack.  Having also lived and gone to school in Hawaii, he'd be comfortable being around folks who look and talk like me.

Addi

From: aiseayew at netins.net
To: dialogue at wedgeblade.net
Date: Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:09:29 -0500
Subject: [Dialogue] Obama is all for Thinking things Through












Sorry, Jim, I couldn't diagree with you 
more!!!  I have no idea what would cause someone who has seriously looked 
at Obama to make such an absurd attack (which is how I, 
personally, experienced it).
 
First, if you are going to go after someone, say 
what you are saying.  AIPAC is the American Israel Public Affairs 
Committee.  There are way too many sets of initials out there to ass-u-me 
that everyone knows and loves them all, even on this august list.  Even if 
you look at all the AIPAC information self published on the web I find it 
impossible to discern that they are determined to have a war with Iran.  I 
think they go way to far in the sanctions they declare they desire to try and 
make sure that Iran does not develop full nuclear capability, but that isn't the 
same as finding them warmongers.
 
I frankly have found Obama and his people some of 
the greatest I have encountered since the campaign of Eugene McCarthy in 
1968.  I was out of the country at the time of Carter's run for the 
presidency (and several others) so I can't compare them all.  I am just 
amazed at the forthrightness with which questions are dealt.  It has 
been a long time since someone has said, "I don't know," or even, "I'm sorry, I 
haven't done enough homework on that issue to be able to respond,"  or "I 
understand the issues (surrounding energy independence) and I am listening for 
those with a sufficiently reasoned path through them that we can still be moving 
in the right direction."
 
This last comment was Obama's after he made a 
positive comment about ethanol here in Iowa and was attacked by one of the many 
opposed to further ethanol processing development.  His further comments 
revealed that he really had looked at both sides of several dozen aspects of the 
debate and the considerable consequences of many of them.  Really, the 
amazing thing to me is that even under what I consider ugly attack he comes back 
with the well-reasoned questions of how we can work together?  He seems to 
avoid attacking his opponents, even when people are baiting him.  He also 
seems to want to avoid assumed relationships.  This is the category under 
which I put the removal of the ad on Amazon.  
 
Sorry, but I have relatives here that are so 
opposed to Obama (because he is a Muslim--which he is not) because he has an 
un-American name, because he is black, because he is different than they are, I 
get ridiculous e-mails from them all the time.  I had moved back to Iowa 
before his run for the senate from Illinois, so I only watched that from a 
distance.  I actually met him for the first time in Palestine.
 
If you want to disagree with him, please let us in 
on the dialogue.  If you want to paint him guilty by association of that 
which does not reflect his position, I will reserve the right to object.  I 
am becoming convinced that his sense of HOPE speaks more loudly than many of us 
are willing or ready to hear--having become so jaded by time and disappointing 
experience.  If we buy into that message, the sacrifice required will be at 
least our shoulder against the wheel one more time.
Margaret
 
----- Original Message ----- 

  From: 
  Jim Rippey 
  
  To: 'Colleague Dialogue' 
  Sent: Friday, September 21, 2007 9:30 
  PM
  Subject: [Dialogue] Obama is all for US 
  support of Israeli hardline
  

  
  It appears 
  that Obama is thoroughly under the influence of AIPAC.  Meanwhile, 
  elsewhere, the war with Iran that the Israeli government 
  and AIPAC seem determined to have looks more and more inevitable. 
    - Jim Rippey 


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