Upper Left

Labels: Adlai Stevenson, Foreign Policy

Richard Holbrooke, US envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan...

"It is absolutely clear that Iran plays an important role in Afghanistan. They have a legitimate role to play in this region, as do all of Afghanistan's neighbors."

Wow.

Labels: Afghanistan, Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, Iran, Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, US Envoy

We, the United States of America, your top quality supplier of ideals of democracy, would like to apologize for our 2001-2008 interruption in service. The technical fault that led to this eight-year service outage has been located, and the software responsible was replaced November 4, 2008.

Early tests of the newly installed program indicate that we are now operating correctly, and we expect it to be fully functional on January 20, 2009. We apologize for any inconvenience caused by the outage. We look forward to resuming full service and hope to improve service in years to come. We thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,

The United States of America

A hearty Heh™ to Mr. Natural.

Labels: America, Democracy, Foreign Policy, Humor

GetAfghanistanRight.com

Labels: Afghanistan, Foreign Policy, Get Afghanistan Right, Obama Administration

McCain misstated some facts in foreign-policy debate
…does "Senator Foreign Policy Expert" simply not know what he's talking about, or is "Senator Straight Talk" just a liar?

Labels: Debates, Foreign Policy, John McCain, Lies

Like any good thrill ride, part of the fun is that it's downright scary. An annotated overview of some early AP reporting...

In other words, no…

McCain has defended her qualifications, citing her command of the Alaska National Guard and Alaska's proximity to Russia. Asked whether those were sufficient credentials, Palin said: "It is about reform of government and it's about putting government back on the side of the people, and that has much to do with foreign policy and national security issues."

Or they may not...

She also said she had never met a head of state and added: "If you go back in history and if you ask that question of many vice presidents, they may have the same answer that I just gave you."

Indisputably…

"There have been mistakes made."

Clarity. Sort of...

Asked to clarify that she'd support going to war over Georgia, she said: "Perhaps so."

Eyes wired open…

…you have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission, the mission that we're on, reform of this country and victory in the war, you can't blink. So I didn't blink then even when asked to run as his running mate."

As you can see, the requisite scariness is in abundant supply.

Labels: Foreign Policy, National Security, Sarah Palin, War

Steve Benen chronicles "...McCain’s obvious incoherence on his signature issue."

* McCain continues to believe Czechoslovakia is still a country.
* McCain has been confused about the difference between Sudan and Somalia.
* McCain has been confused about whether he wants more U.S. troops in Afghanistan, more NATO troops in Afghanistan, or both.
* McCain has been confused about how many U.S. troops are in Iraq.
* McCain has been confused about whether the U.S. can maintain a long-term presence in Iraq.
* McCain has been confused about the source of violence in Iraq.
* McCain has been confused about Iran’s relationship with al Qaeda.
* McCain has been confused about the difference between Sunni and Shi’ia.
* McCain has been confused about Gen. Petraeus’ responsibilities in Iraq.
* McCain has been confused about what transpired during the Maliki government’s recent offensive in Basra.
* McCain has been confused about Gen. Petraeus’ ability to travel around Baghdad “in a non-armed Humvee.”
* McCain has been so confused about Iraq, in November 2006, he couldn’t even do a live interview about the war without reading prepared notes on national television.
* McCain has been confused about his vote on the Kyl-Lieberman amendment on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.

Links and more at The Carpetbagger Report.

Labels: Confusion, Foreign Policy, John McCain

Obama visits war zone, seeking facts from military

You want facts, talk to the grunts.

Labels: Afghanistan, Armed Forces, Barack Obama, Foreign Policy, Iraq

The Preznit abroad...

“Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along."

Really? Some people believe this? He must have had someone in mind, because the Preznit wouldn't just make this stuff up, right? But who?

Maybe the people who suggest this...

“Some people suggest if the United States would just break ties with Israel, all our problems in the Middle East would go away."

Some people suggest this? OK, some people would no doubt like to see the US break off with Israel, but those are about the most marginalized people in the American body politic, and I'm not sure that even they would accept that "all our problems in the Middle East would go away" as a result. At least I've never heard anyone, anywhere, make such a suggestion, and I get most of my news from the intertubes where you might expect to find that kind of stuff. Still, it's hard to imagine that the putative leader of the free world would just make something like that up without an example in mind, so who?

Naturally, the White House communications staff doesn't want to leave any misperceptions about the target of the remarks, the particular examples Bush had in mind. Press Secretary Dana Perino, asked whether it might be Obama...

PERINO: It is not. And I would think that all of you who cover these issues and have for a long time have known that there are many who have suggested these types of negotiations with people that President Bush thinks we should not talk to.

Well, that clears it right up. Who is "some"? "Some" is "many."

Now if we could just figure out which ones.

Labels: Barack Obama, Dana Perino, Diplomacy, Foreign Policy, George W. Bush, Lies

…for bloggity goodness. That's Alternate Brain today. This time Gordon snags a quotable QOTD from the LA Times' J. Peter Scobe…

McCain may know what he believes about the world, but the world bears little resemblance to his beliefs.

Ouch.

Labels: Foreign Policy, John McCain

Joe Sudbay…

It's "Al Gore created the Internet" all over again.

Except, of course, she's doing it to herself this time.

Labels: Al Gore, Experience, Foreign Policy, Hillary Clinton

Dear world...

Unlike most of you, we haven't made any progress for sixty years.

Labels: Bush, Death Penalty, Foreign Policy, Guantanamo

…already against the next war.

"Enough is enough. At long last, the spin and the saber-rattling must stop. We must once and for all reject the failed, bellicose, neoconservative foreign policy of the Bush Administration, and get back to the foreign policy I have proposed based on diplomacy, reengagement, and restoring the moral authority of America."

Yep.

Labels: Bush, Foreign Policy, Iran, John Edwards