Reported on Yahoo News. By Adam Graham-Silverman, CQ Staff Wed Oct 15, 1:37 PM ET
The ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee parted ways with his party's presidential nominee Wednesday by endorsing Democrat Barack Obama's approach to diplomacy.
In a lengthy speech at the National Defense University, Indiana Sen. Richard G. Lugar weighed the benefits of talking to foreign leaders, including U.S. enemies, against other actions, such as military force. The issue marks one of the sharpest divides between Obama and John McCain, who has called the Democratic nominee naive for suggesting that he would sit down with leaders such as Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Lugar, however, praised Obama, noting that isolation often does not resolve contentious issues.
"He correctly cautions against the implication that hostile nations must be dealt with almost exclusively through isolation or military force," Lugar said in a prepared remarks released before his speech. "In some cases, refusing to talk can even be dangerous."
Lugar, however, said McCain is right to warn that "there are times when diplomatic approaches to rogue regimes have little efficacy." But he cited North Korea, which was just removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror, as a diplomatic success story and urged more contact with Syria and Iran.
This is not the first time Lugar and Obama have seen eye-to-eye on foreign policy issues. Lugar noted back in July that he was "pleased" to have worked with Obama on nuclear proliferation issues after an Obama ad ran mentioning Lugar by name.
Lugar also used his speech to underscore his concern that U.S. foreign policy has become too reactive.
"If most U.S. foreign policy attention is devoted to crises fomented by hostile regimes, we are ceding the initiative to our enemies and reducing our capacity to lead the world in ways that are more likely to affect our future," Lugar said.
Senator John McCain is surely delighted to have Senators Obama and Clinton, among others, chide him over his reply when Dave Tiffany asked him how long the U.S. military may continue its occupation of Iraq: “…maybe 100 years.” I’m guessing, of course, because McCain hasn’t talked with me directly; I find no reason to take much of what’s said in most campaigns literally in any case. The majority of those re-elected to the U.S. House and Senate clearly find it conducive their retention of their position(s) to typically limit their candor, relying instead on stock phrases and talking points. They use any expedients deemed necessary to get over the obstacles to reelection, which becomes in point of fact the goal of many who attain an elected office without term limits, while limiting that which an opponent might use to truncate their tenure. Yes, I can understand why John McCain’s smiling more lately.
McCain, in fact, can comfortably ride his presumed affinity for the military as General Petraeus testifies before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee today. The General’s visit will inevitably feature posturing from each Senator. Who can forget, for instance, that Senator Clinton used her time in September of 2007 to imply Petraeus might have misspoken in preparing his reports by asserting it took a, “willing suspension of disbelief,” to accept them? One can hardly expect her to pass up this opportunity to showcase her putative skill as a potential Commander-In-Chief, which needs shoring up in the wake of her deprecation of the judgment of the officers charged with her safety during the trip to Tuzla, Bosnia by repeatedly alluding to non-existent sniper fire when describing her arrival.
Veterans of the Washington political scene are not so different from the rest of us: they prefer working with people they already know, enjoying competency within a system they’ve mastered. It’s fascinating to contrast the manifestations of campaign strategies playing out during the current presidential contest. Three Senators, who might otherwise be expected to avoid jeopardizing their power, are jostling in a contest that only one can win. Obama has built a movement of unexpected dimensions – and while he works hard on the campaign trail he has clearly cast this as an opportunity for voters to express their will. He candidly states his positions, and more so than any politician since the late Senator Paul Wellstone adopted a, “what you see is what you’ll get,” approach, right down to shedding the help of PAC money for this campaign. He’s reshaping the nature of politics and campaigns. Clinton has relied on more traditional, old-school political strategies – she’s got savvy help, wealthy connections, and a tough-minded willingness to do whatever’s expedient in pursuit of her ambition, the very epitome of an eristic politico. If her rival was traditional she might even lead in the polls.
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-IN, commends Sen. Barack Obama in this column by Brian Howey, publisher of The Howey Political Report, the weekly briefing on Indiana politics:
Lugar's 'recruitment' and education of Sen. Obama
Some snippets from the column:
Shortly after Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in an Illinois landslide in November 2004, he picked up a ringing phone and heard the voice of Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Dick Lugar."I called him," Lugar said Tuesday. "I always intend to recruit the strongest candidates to the Foreign Relations Committee on both sides. He said he was interested, but he wasn't sure he could get a seat." When Sen. Jon Corzine left the Senate for the New Jersey governorship, there were 10 Republicans and 8 Democrats. Sen. Obama got the 8th Democratic position and the opportunity to study under the Republican Lugar, one of the truly legendary Congressional figures on the world scene."I was impressed by his diligence and the quality of his questions," Lugar said of the freshman Democrat. He posses a "broad scope."
Shortly after Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in an Illinois landslide in November 2004, he picked up a ringing phone and heard the voice of Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Dick Lugar."I called him," Lugar said Tuesday. "I always intend to recruit the strongest candidates to the Foreign Relations Committee on both sides. He said he was interested, but he wasn't sure he could get a seat."
When Sen. Jon Corzine left the Senate for the New Jersey governorship, there were 10 Republicans and 8 Democrats. Sen. Obama got the 8th Democratic position and the opportunity to study under the Republican Lugar, one of the truly legendary Congressional figures on the world scene."I was impressed by his diligence and the quality of his questions," Lugar said of the freshman Democrat. He posses a "broad scope."
"This [Lugar and Obama's trip to Russia in 2005 to survey weapons of mass destruction] was the forerunner to the Lugar-Obama Act that dealt with weapons of all sorts," Lugar said. "It passed on the final day of the 109th Congress. It's listed by Barack as one of his substantive accomplishments." Has Sen. Obama quizzed Lugar on his own presidential campaign waged in 1995-96? "No, he hasn't," Lugar said. "We haven't sat down."Lugar, however, appears to have made an impact on Sen. Obama. In his presidential announcement speech in Springfield last weekend, Obama made reference to only two political figures: Lincoln and Lugar.
When you look at Obama, do you see a future president?"In fairness to Barack, who are the alternatives?" Lugar asked. "Among Democrats, he's a very competitive person. I think he has the potential to be a good president."Lugar continued: "The first question asked by skeptics is whether he has enough experience. Six years in the Illinois legislature and now three in Congress. Does that prepare someone? Probably not, but the same question could be raised about any of the 20 people running. Look at President Bush, who had six years as an executive as governor of Texas. He hardly had any foreign policy experience, which has become the defining part of his presidency. For better or worse, he was clearly limited."
