Barack Obama

McCain tells ABC he backs the initiative to end affirmative action programs in Arizona; in the past, he has opposed such initiatives while saying he opposes quotas. This was one of the day's stories in the presidential race, in part because Obama accused McCain of flip-flopping.

The Council on Foreign Relations (07/24) cites Peter Bergen on a possible future defeat of Al Qaeda.
CBS News (07/23) interviews Daniel Levy on Barack Obama's trip to the Middle East.
UN Dispatch (07/23) includes Steve Clemons in a panel discussion on terrorism and the next president.
Kansas City Star (07/20) quotes Peter Bergen on the dangers posed by madrassa education.

PRWeb (07/23) quotes Peter Bergen in a critique of Egypt's government.
National Interest (07/23) features Flynt Leverett discussing the need for engagement with Iran.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (07/22) cites Steve Clemons on growing institutionalization of the ‘08 election.
Washington Post (0720) quotes Flynt Leverett on the Bush Administration's talks with Iran.
Politico (07/18) responds to Steve Clemons' criticisms of Obama's Brussels oversight.
Israel National News (07/16) cites Flynt Leverett on the collapse of the U.S. economy vis-à-vis the Middle East.

Washington Post (07/20) quotes Flynt Leverett on the Bush Administration's softening foreign policy stance.
CNN Morning News (07/19) interviews Peter Bergen from Kabul on progress in Afghanistan.
The Daily Intel (07/18) quotes Steve Clemons on Obama's problematic outlook on Europe.
Spiegel (07/14) cites Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's declining support in the Muslim world.

Sometimes it is good to provoke an unconventional thought. I'm wondering whether Al Gore's energy speech, which Senator Obama has not yet fully embraced, could be picked up by Senator McCain to upset the curious balance between the two candidates and secure the win in November.

Let me start at the beginning. In his path-breaking address yesterday, Al Gore shook loose the bonds of political gravity and finally proposed a key element of any new American grand strategy: 100% carbon-free electricty by 2018.

Saying "100%" about anything in the context of sustainability in America is nearly impossible in Washington, but the former Vice President seems to understand what McCain and Obama have yet to fully grasp: the nation is hungry for a decisive, bold step towards a new economic engine for the United States.

I just reviewed the prepared text of Barack Obama's foreign policy speech today, entitled, "A New Strategy for a New World."

Most of the speech is recycled language. It's arguable if its five points (Iraq, al-Qaeda, Nuclear Proliferation, Energy Security, and Alliances) really add up to a strategy, or just a to-do list. What is new for Obama, however, is the his linkage of our oil dependence to our national strength. I'm not the closest Obama watcher, but it seems to be his strongest articulation to date:

One of the most dangerous weapons in the world today is the price of oil. We ship nearly $700 million a day to unstable or hostile nations for their oil. It pays for terrorist bombs going off from Baghdad to Beirut. It funds petro-diplomacy in Caracas and radical madrasas from Karachi to Khartoum. It takes leverage away from America and shifts it to dictators.

While it's good speech writing, the new rhetoric is not balanced by a corresponding policy change. To do so would entail following up Obama's rhetoric with a decisive committment to get off oil as a transportation fuel. Right now, he's only promising a 35% reduction. In a global oil market with Chinese consumption rising, 35% is just not enough to increase our security.

I'm still looking for what is new and more sophisticated about Barack Obama's New York Times opinion article, My Plan For Iraq. Maybe the answer is that there is little new here, except for the news hook provided by the Maliki government.

Steve Clemons has a good overall assessment of the article at The Washington Note. I'm going to focus on a few items I think are essential that I want Senator Obama to address.

The overall problem I see with this statement of Iraq policy is that it is too focused on the troop issue, not enough on the twisted politics of the Persian Gulf. Clausewitz is still right: war is the extension of politics by other means. In order to really get the troops out of Iraq, the next president will have to fundamentally change the politics of Iraq and of the region. I just do not see Senator Obama really willing to go there, publicly. That is why his plan requires such a potentially large follow-on force.

Gov. Schwarzenegger used an appearance on ABC's "This Week" Sunday morning to hint that he has interest in leaving his current job to serve in Barack Obama's cabinet as some sort of energy-environment czar. The McCain-endorsing governor also talked about an Obama presidency as a fait accompli--he referred to "when," not "if," the Illinois senator is president. I suspect you'll see an effort in the hours and days ahead by the governor and his aides to try to back away from what he told interviewer George Stephanopoulous and talk about his commitment to Californians. They'll note that he called the discussion "hypothetical" and was merely explaining his desire to serve American governments of either party. But I defy anyone to watch the show or read the transcript and tell me with any confidence that this governor intends to serve out the rest of his term, which runs through the end of 2010.

Here's the exchange. Stephanopoulous showed a clip of Obama praising the governor's environmental "leadership."

STEPH: "Newsweek" reported he might want you to be his energy czar. Would you be interested?

SCHWARZ:: I don't think about taking on a national role. There's so many challenges we have in California.

STEPH: If he were president and he called?

Democracy Arsenal (07/08) cites Parag Khanna on the rise of the E.U.
The Las Vegas Sun (07/07) quotes Sherle Scwhenninger on the dire state of the housing market.
New York Times (07/07) features Michael Cohen discussing Obama's stance on patriotism.
Washington Post (07/06) quotes Peter Bergen on Al Qaeda's continuing decline.
Sify (07/02) features Jeffrey Lewis analyzing India's nuclear strategy.

Daily News (07/06) features Michael Cohen discussing Obama's parallels with FDR.
The National (07/05) posts Peter Bergen's analysis of continuing instability in Pakistan.
The Australian (07/05) quotes Flynt Leverett on the United State's loss of influence in the global economy.
The National Interest (07/03) cites Flynt Leverett on the increasing irrelevance of the G8.
Time (07/02) features Peter Bergen debating if Osama Bin Laden still matters in today's political climate.