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19 May 2008 04:58 pm

McCain, Obama, Hope and Fear

John Taylor makes some shrewd points:

In the midst of the Vietnam war, President Nixon came to office realizing that people needed the “lift of a driving dream” of peace rather than a further summons to endless twilight struggles. Obama is shrewd to invoke his and President Reagan’s policies toward the Soviets and Chinese, which were both substantively beneficial to U.S. interests and politically pleasing to voters. Neither President ever minimized the danger of communism. But they understood, each in his own way and era, that we could do business with Moscow and Beijing in ways that would serve our interests while also reducing the threat of war.

I don't believe negotiating with Ahmadinejad is a good idea. But I do think that overcoming fear and invoking constructive diplomacy when needed is a key Obama asset in this campaign. McCain needs to do more than simply echo Bush's dire predictions of doom, pursuit of an endless war, and adamant refusal to talk to enemies. Obama has learned from the campaign against the Clintons that he has less to fear by invoking hope than some believed only a short time ago. McCain needs to add such optimism and realism to his own mix of foreign policy ideas.

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