I was extremely frustrated by President Bush's comments today at the Knesset, especially in partnership with John McCain's attempts to paint Obama as inexperienced or naive on foreign policy issues.
When Barack Obama says that punishing countries and groups by not talking to them is a stupid foreign policy he is not expressing naive views. In fact, he is backed up by several serious statespeople.
One of the thoughts I had today was that Obama supporters should emphasize that his views are in line with people like Lee Hamilton and James Baker and the rest of the Iraq Study Group. Lee Hamilton's foreign policy experience is far greater than John McCain's. I think he is in a better place to judge Obama's ideas. Here's what he had to say when he endorsed Obama: “I read his national security and foreign policy speeches and he comes across to me as pragmatic, visionary and tough."
The Iraq Study Group had this to say about Iran and Syria:"Given the ability of Iran and Syria to influence events within Iraq and their interest in avoiding chaos in Iraq, the United States should try to engage them constructively."
President Bush has not only failed to do this, he has ignored the need to.
