November 16, 2007 - 6:12pm
Torricelli on the presidential debate
By Robert Torricelli
Tags: Barack ObamaTop Story: Opinion
A single question in the Las Vegas Democratic Presidential Debate exhibited everything that you need to know about the contemporary American media. Wolf Blitzer, CNN moderator, asked each candidate to choose a priority between human rights and national security.
Blitzer didn't want to be troubled by analysis. He wanted an answer as simple as the thought process that developed the question. It must be nice to live in a world without nuance. There must comfort in choosing policy without the burden of history or experience.
Barack Obama responded with the only answer that was fully appropriate. It's a false choice. National security and respecting human rights are not conflicting objectives.
It doesn't take a deep understanding of American foreign policy to know that he's right. Batista, Noriega, Samosa, Marcos, and The Shah are all products of this same alleged contradiction. American administrations befriended authoritarian regimes because they had value in opposing common enemies.
Dictators eventually fall under the weight of their accumulated abuses and those who supported them are held accountable. The world knows that we support freedom for ourselves but when we ally ourselves with despots and dictators we signal that other peoples liberties are less valuable.
The United States has paid a terrible price for building a foreign policy on personal relationships with leaders instead of respect for institutions and the aspirations of peoples. It's a good short term plan is you don't need a long term policy. The interests of the United States are perpetual.
Presidential debates should inspire and inform. Reporters without historic reference only contribute to the dumbing down of the national debate.
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There's a byline here
You really don't have to put your name in the headline. The byline is enough to tell us who wrote the article.
I clearly clicked this by accident who would care what Torricell
got to say...
Good Debate
The debate last night was one of the better ones thus far in the election season, though Dodd, Kucinich and Biden didn't get nearly enough time for responses as the top three candidates. Dodd was particularly impressive in his responses and was clear on his stances on illegal immigrants getting licenses and other matters. My candidate, Edwards, was his usual thoughtful, forceful self; if anyone has been using these debates to gauge whom to support for the Democratic nomination, then I would say that Edwards and Biden have put in the strongest performances thus far and have argued forcefully for their respective candidacies. Kucinich is beginning to trouble me, though I agree with almost all his stances, since he is personally attacking fellow Democrats rather than persuading voters on why they should support him.
The issue that Torricelli brings up is an example of how the right manipulates the media to repeat their talking points; here, the differentiation is between two spheres: civil rights or human rights (the bedrock of our country and its founding documents) and protection of the nation. Whether it is waterboarding or any other violation of human rights, the supporters of such extreme methods seem to want us to think that it is either a) a form of torture or b) a major city gets blown up; of course, we know that information gained by such extreme methods is frequently wrong, that is, bad intelligence, and such methods lower us to standards ill-fitting of our country's strong foundation of human rights.
Cambridge
Hey Torch, Cambridge called.
Don't you want voters to be
Don't you want voters to be dumb so they can't understand all of the illegal things you did while in office? You are the most corrupt Senator in NJ since Abscam, if people were smart they wouldn't keep supporting your party because your behavior was unacceptable.
"I'm not going to tell you this to insult you, but in the end, the McGreeveys, the Corzines, they're all going to be with me...not that they like me, but because they have no choice."
- The Democrats' Puppet Master
Torch
Makes a good argument here, despite his past behavior.
Hillary and the democratic dwarfs.
Hillary Clinton is getting a free ride in these debates because her opponents lack the political skills, ability and courage to hold her accountable to her flip-flopping rhetoric, shaky political resume and inability to inspire anyone beyond her liberal base.
John Edwards is the ultimate empty suit running a rerun of the 2000 populist message of Al "Bore."
Joe Biden likes to lecture the crowd with his "I told you so's and how long he's done nothing in the senate. He's auditioning for Secretary of Defense or State...
Chis Dodd is likeable enough, but has nothing to say. A classic liberal who now wants to increase government spending on public education as if we don't throw enough money down that money pit with no results!
Dennis Kucinich is either insane or willing to say anything to appease the hard left. When you admit to seeing flying saucers, when does someone drop a net on this kook and get him off the stage?
It's embarassing.
Richardson has an impressive resume (cabinet member, governor of a red state, Hispanic, bilingual, congressman), but he too wants to raid the treasury with new spending programs we can't afford. Another guy who is afraid of Hillary seeking the VP slot?
Edwards and Obama are both underwhelming and disappointing. Neither inspires nor persuades. When is someone going to stare Clinton in the face and say, "being first lady isn't qualification to be commander-in-chief!"
Who needs a millionaire trial lawyer telling me the plight of the poor? And just what does Obama stand for? Can this guy bring any clarity to his answers? He wiggles on driver's licences for illegals. He waffles on his stand on Iraq. He's almost as bad as Hillary.
The one thing he has going for him is that people are just tired of the bitch. There tired of her, her husband and this notion that the country has become a monarchy for the Clinton's and the Bushes.
Where have all our leaders gone?
Does this country actually possess political leadership?