Saturday, May 24, 2008

Yea, but would he talk with Lukashenko?

Just read an article from the Wall Street Journal which deals with Barak Obama's statement that he would meet with leaders of Rogue states:

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden took to the airwaves this week to "help" the rookie Barack Obama out of a foreign-policy jam. Oh sure, admitted Mr. Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee had given the "wrong" answer when he said he'd meet unconditionally with leaders of rogue states. But on the upside, the guy "has learned a hell of a lot."

Somewhere Mr. Obama was muttering an expletive. But give Mr. Biden marks for honesty. As Mr. Obama finishes a week of brutal questioning over his foreign-policy judgments, it's become clear he has learned a lot – and is learning still.

Right now, for instance, he's learning how tough it can be to pivot to a general-election stance on the crucial issue of foreign policy. He's also learning Democrats won't be able to sail through a national-security debate by simply painting John McCain as the second coming of George Bush.

Remember how Mr. Obama got here. In a July debate, the Illinois senator was asked if he'd meet, "without preconditions," the "leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba and North Korea." It was an unexpected question, and Mr. Obama rolled with his gut: "I would," he said, riffing that the Bush administration's policy of not negotiating with terror-sponsoring states was "ridiculous."
It is hard to say whether the article is pointing out a flaw in Barak's character, but I for one would be wildly thrilled at such a possibility. A genuine dialogue and reasonable relations between countries and individuals is at the epicenter of living in a reasonable world. As a current resident of the Republic of Belarus and, at least as of the moment, a citizen of the United States, I would wholeheartedly back any president who would agree to help establish better and more open relations between the two countries.

Belarus has enough problems feeding itself without the extra added weight of political manipulations and I absolutely agree with the Belarusian president's view that normal relations are what is needed from both sides. I liked Bill Clinton a lot and have long considered myself closer to the Democrats and from the beginning, had been of the mind that I wouldn't mind a Hillary White House. But now I am seriously starting to rethink my voting stance and not only due to her lack of popular support (or her Husband's open distaste for Lukashenko). If Obama would seriously state during a time of scrutiny and tension that he was interested in communication over economic fascism as a means to solve problems, he would have indeed, as the article stated, learned a lot and earned my write in vote while he was at it.

I want peace and mutually beneficial options for all of humanity and not just for the privileged few who can afford it. Monitoring the real possibility of nuclear terrorism can just as easily be accomplished during peaceful relations as they can in times of antagonism. Yea, I know there would be a lot of people who would be horrified of the thought of an American president shaking the hand of the President of Belarus, or with Hugo Chavez' or even Ahmadinejad's, a guy I personally would have a really hard time with. But I say we need to be looking at potential leaders with open and (for a change) functioning minds if there even is to be a future for humanity.

I say we have had enough of the axiom that war begets peace or that force begets agreement. We need to start solving the real problems of our world. I think we should get back to thinking about ecology, food and housing. I think we need to address the issue of reasonable population control and allowing for global opportunities. I for one would rather not look ahead to the lives of our children and think that they should never know a day of peace because our legacy was that we destroyed any possibility of its existence.

If Mr. Barak Obama would be willing to unlock The US side of the double door, I would say we would be looking at a much brighter possible future.