Criticizing the Past: Policy Adviser Speaks Out

By Broadside Staff Writer David Pierce

Sen. Barack Obama’s, D-Il, senior foreign policy adviser Susan Rice visited George Mason University’s Prince William Campus in Manassas.

Rice, joined by retired Navy Rear Admiral Jamie Barnett, spoke to a group of 30 people about her candidate’s foreign policy views on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Rice, a former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs during President Clinton’s second term and a foreign policy expert, said that Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has cheer-led every President George W. Bush foreign policy decision, while Obama disagreed with them. Rice also spoke about national and domestic policies under Bush.

“Obama understands that we’ve basically driven our national bus into a ditch,” Rice said, adding “McCain (was sitting) next to the driver of the bus, cheering along as we went into the ditch.”

Redeploying our combat forces from Iraq to Afghanistan was the first thing Rice believes Obama should do if elected. She said the redeployment would encourage Iraqi leaders to stabilize their country. Rice claimed that Bush’s, as well as McCain’s, solution would be to instead remain in Iraq indefinitely.

“We’ve been in Iraq longer than World War II already,” said Rice. She explained that Obama prefers a timetable for withdrawal, which would allow our combat brigades to be out of Iraq in 16 months. Gainesville resident Sandra Pollock, a McCain supporter, was concerned about the William Ayers scandal. When asked about Obama’s legitimacy for leading our efforts on the War on Terror in relation to being linked to radical William Ayers, Rice disputed the claims.

“[The allegations are] a very dangerous, dishonorable and dishonest attack from the McCain campaign,” said Rice. She explained that Ayers was involved in domestic terrorist acts while Obama was eight- years-old, and that they served 30 years later on two nonprofit boards in Chicago that were funded and supported by prominent Republican Walter Annenberg.

Rice said that securing loose nuclear materials was an important issue for Obama. She believed that there are unsecured nuclear facilities in 40 countries around the world that terrorists could get nuclear materials from and harm Americans.

“Obama (will) lock down this loose nuclear material, and he will get it done within the first four years of his administration,” Rice said, adding that this was part of Obama’s nuclear nonproliferation agenda.

Prioritizing U.S. efforts to broker a lasting peace between Israel and Palestine was also important to Rice. She said that Bush waited seven years to pay attention to the situation.

“If you wait until the last minute when you are a lame duck [president], you are harming all of us,” said Rice.
Rice discussed her views on energy security and climate change. She believed the country’s dependence on fossil fuel has weakened our national security, made our economy dependent on resources that are not sufficiently produced at home and is destroying the planet.

“This has got to fundamentally change,” said Rice. Pollock believed both candidates’ energy policies were similar.

“I haven’t seen anything different in either candidate’s plans,” said Pollock. Rice disagreed with Pollock and noted the difference in the candidates’ energy plans. She said Obama’s energy plan allows $150 billion to be invested for green economy, while McCain did not have a comparable commitment. Rice commended McCain for being, in her opinion, one of the only Republicans who acknowledged that climate change is man-made, but she believes his plan was far less ambitious than Obama’s.

Barnett, a 32-year Navy veteran and former Deputy Commander of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, outlined why he believed Obama, who has no military experience, would be the right choice for president. When asked about Obama’s lack of experience, Barnett explained that in the past it was easy to assume anybody with military experience could lead the nation, but that has changed now.

“Bush had military experience, and it has led us to failed policy and to mistakes,” said Barnett. Additionally, he believed that McCain, with military experience, would provide a presidency much like Bush’s due to their agreement on many issues.

“As a military person, given the choice between military experience and good judgment, I’ll take good judgment every time,” said Barnett.

Barnett also supports Obama because of his temperament.

“Obama has the temperament to be commander in chief [and can] make decisions about when we go to war and how to deal with other nations,” said Barnett. He said that McCain still had what he believed to be the same erratic judgment he had after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, citing McCain’s views on attacking Syria, Iran and Iraq. Pollock disagreed with Barnett.

“I wouldn’t trust Obama to make any decisions where our nation’s security is at stake because he just talks about ending the Iraq War to get votes,” said Pollock.

Obama’s judgment on issues affecting the Middle East was the most important factor for Barnett’s support. He said Obama took a stance against the Iraq War after Sept. 11 when it was unpopular, while he believed McCain was one of the biggest supporters of the war. Vernesse Roberts, a Manassas resident and Obama supporter, believed McCain and Bush’s judgments were dangerous.

“I really believe Bush and McCain hate us,” said Roberts.