Tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee - There is little dividing the two US candidates

[WhiskeyGirl]

Tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee
There is little dividing the two US presidential candidates on the Middle East, notes Anayat Durrani

In an effort to sharpen his foreign policy credentials, United States Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will travel this summer to the Middle East and Europe. Republican presidential candidate John McCain, who travelled to Europe and the Middle East earlier this year, recently made stops in Colombia and Mexico. The candidates' international travels highlight the role issues of foreign policy have played in this presidential election, with foreign policy in the Middle East taking a more prominent role than in past elections.

McCain, a 71-year-old Vietnam War veteran and congressman for 26 years, has often criticised the 46-year-old Illinois Senator Obama as inexperienced in foreign policy matters. In his presidential quest, Obama will be travelling to Germany, Britain and France, as well as making his first visit to Israel and Jordan. Obama will also travel to Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a congressional delegation that would include other senators, funded by taxpayer dollars.

In a statement Obama said the trip would serve as "an important opportunity for me to assess the situation in countries that are critical to American national security, and to consult with some of our closest friends and allies about the common challenges we face."

He called the trip an opportunity to foster an "exchange of views with leaders in these countries about these and other issues that are critical to American national security and global security in the 21st century." Obama plans to discuss issues such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation, climate change, Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.

"Israel is a strong and close friend of the United States, and is confronting grave threats from Gaza to Tehran," Obama said in his statement. "Jordan has been a close partner in the peace process and a host of other issues of common concern. France, Germany and the United Kingdom are key anchors of the trans-Atlantic alliance and have contributed to the mission in Afghanistan, and I look forward to discussing how we can strengthen our partnership in the years to come."

Obama visited Iraq more than two years ago. McCain has since been challenging Obama to go back and witness the surge in action. McCain made eight Iraq visits since the 2003 invasion. He was in Europe and the Middle East earlier in the year and travelled to Colombia and Mexico 1-3 July to discuss trade, security and energy issues.

The US energy crisis has taken the most prominent role in the presidential campaign as Americans struggle to pay for nearly $5-a- gallon gasoline and the rising price of goods and services. Both candidates have linked the issue to the Middle East and have advocated cutting America's dependency on foreign oil, saying the situation threatens national security, economically and politically. Obama said, "oil money pays for bombs going off from Baghdad to Beirut," while McCain described Middle East oil suppliers as "some of the most stagnant and oppressive societies on Earth". However, both candidates failed to mention that Canada and Mexico make up two of the top three sources of imported oil for the United States.

read more here -

http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2008/905/in3.htm

[WhiskeyGirl]

Obama: Oil price is among most dangerous weapons 

By Klaus Marre 
Posted: 07/11/08 12:15 PM [ET] 

Calling the price of oil one of the world’s most “dangerous weapons,” Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) on Friday painted a doomsday picture of $12-a-gallon gas to highlight the importance of ridding the U.S. of its addiction to foreign oil.

“The price of a barrel of oil is now one of the most dangerous weapons in the world,” Obama said in remarks prepared for a speech in Ohio. “Tyrants from Caracas to Tehran use it to prop up their regimes, intimidate the international community and hold us hostage to a market that is subject to their whims.”

“Achieving energy independence is one of the greatest challenges we’ve ever faced, and it will be the great project of our generation,” he stated.

“The challenge we face from our energy dependence is great. Meeting it will take time, and it will not be easy,” Obama concluded. “But if we’re willing to work at it, and invest in it, and sacrifice for it; if we’re willing to summon the same spirit of optimism and possibility that has defined this country’s greatest progress, then I believe that we too will be able to do it if we really try.”

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/obama-says-oil-price-is-among-most-dangerous-weapons-2008-07-11.html

How much time?  Ten years?  If the U.S. had a ten year time table for WWII, my best guess is that the outcome of that conflict might have been very different.  imho

Other countries have already started on the road to energy independence - Israel, Iran, Brazil, to name a few.  IMHO, it starts in our home first.  It's easy to point the finger at others.  What can Obama point to as a positive contribution of his political career?