On the campaign trail, Republican presidential candidate
Herman Cain consistently distills his foreign policy philosophy to "peace
through strength and clarity," a twist on Ronald Reagan's "peace through
strength" mantra. But he raised doubts about his grasp of international
affairs last week when he expanded on that stump speech line off the cuff.
First, in an exchange that went viral online, Cain bungled
his response to a question about President Obama's Libya intervention (Cain called
it a "thoughtful pause"). Then he was
quoted as saying, "I'm not supposed to know anything about foreign policy"
(Cain claimed
he said "everything," not "anything"). And then he suggested
that the Taliban might be part of Libya's new government - an assertion critics
condemned as unfounded (a Cain spokesman pointed
out that one of Libya's new military leaders fought with the Afghan
Taliban).
Now, it seems, the campaign is turning to the more dependable
written word to try and break this sound bite-media tempest-campaign
clarification cycle. In a column
published late yesterday on Cain's site, the candidate summarizes his approach
to foreign policy. "Peace through
strength and clarity means there is no doubt about where we stand, for what we
stand and with whom we stand," he explains. As an example, he cites President Obama's
decision to sign the New START treaty with Russia:
Not only did that treaty commit America to arms reductions
that the Russians would not necessarily have to match, but it permitted them to
maintain a sizable advantage in tactical nuclear weapons, while ignoring
programs and ambitions of other nations like Iran, North Korea, China and
Pakistan. But more to the point, we simply don't need to be signing treaties
like this with unfriendly countries.
Cain suggests that Obama has spurned allies such as Israel and
Great Britain while naively extending an olive branch to American opponents such as Iran and
Venezuela. He compares his foreign policy views to those of Obama's predecessor:
I agree with former President George W. Bush that the United States should
promote free democratic movements throughout the world, and that it is in our
strategic interests to do so. That does not mean we try to "impose democracy at
the barrel of a gun," as some of Bush's rather disingenuous critics claimed he
was doing. It means we support these movements where the opportunity presents
itself (as President Obama should have in Iran and Syria) or when strategic
necessity compels us (as I believe President Bush correctly did in Iraq in
2003). And you don't always have to use force.
Cain also rejects claims that his
stumbles last week render him unfit to be America's commander-in-chief and that he flaunts his lack of foreign policy experience:
I think it's clear by now that I am not going to score the best of all the
candidates on media pop quizzes about the details of current international
events. Some have claimed that I take some sort of perverse satisfaction in not
knowing all these details. That is not true. I want to know as much as I can.
But a leader leads by gathering all the information available in a given
situation, and making the best decision at the time based on that information,
and in accordance with sound principles. As president, I would not be required
to make decisions on the spur of the moment based on a question from a
reporter. I would make them the way I made them as a CEO -- based on careful
consideration of all the facts and the best advice of the best people.
Might there be a "it's 3 am and Herman Cain is still deciding" attack ad in the offing?
If Mr Cain is on the phone at 3 A.M. it should involve nothing more important than a pizza with peperoni and sausage. And in that case I want to know why he hasn't delivered it yet...
actually, at three in the morning that IS fairly important, best to leave it to some pizza delivery expert and skip the middle man...
Mr. cain as president will be a breath of fresh air. The present leaders from the left are proving again and again to be inept. All that much touted experience, expertise and wisdom... and what do We the People get... worst economy since the Great depression and 15+ Trillion in debt. Plus the world seems to be coming down around our ears. Great job...NOT.
A Cain presidency will save this Republic from the fools trying to 'serve' us now. Thank God for that.
well heck, let's order a presidential, that comes with a free basket of crazy appointments, right?
But really, THIS man? this man? to lead the United States of America? this guy?
have whatever political belief or theory you have and hold dear, but really, Herman Cain? really? even if you think President Obama worse than Hitler.
Herman Cain? you can't think of anyone better? I wouldn't let that guy run a chain of discount shoe stores. Umm, actually...
You would vote for the guy who has brazenly shown ignorance of virtually all issues foreign and domestic. A man whose only shtick is a brazen plan to raise the taxes of 85% of Americans and give the ultra rich a 50% tax cut.
"All that much touted experience, expertise and wisdom... and what do"
Touted experience, expertise and wisdom still seems a better choice than self-interested fumbling idiocy.
Seriously Cain? Does Godfather Pizza put something funny in their sauce or something?
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