McCain Speech
May/28/08 01:38 AM
So I just finished watching John McCain's live speech on foreign policy from the University of Dallas. My general reaction is that it shows that McCain is a much more complicated, mature candidate than most voters and pundits give him credit for. He's more than the stupid, evasive response- "just four more years of failed Bush policy"- that liberals like Howard Dean love to spew after a being challenged by McCain on a particular issue.
In the speech he focused mainly on nuclear proliferation issues. In doing this, he brings up an important political issue that doesn't claim much of the spot light. It also makes him appear as a first-mover on pertinent foreign policy issues, which goes against Obama and the media's portrayal of McCain as a relic and puts the spotlight on Obama's foreign policy inexperience.
Ironically, the speech turned out to be more of an anti-war speech- another move that is sure to complicate the liberal attacks in the general election. He spoke about the grave dangers of nuclear weapons and bluntly stated that as one of the two greatest nuclear powers in the world we have the greatest responsibility to reduce the number of nukes. He issued a strong call for Russia (the other nuclear powerhouse) to join in talks with the United States to reduce the number of nuclear weapons, halt production of most new nuclear weapons, and create a more transparent monitoring and transportation system to ensure the safety of the world.
Specifically, he says that he will halt the production of a new nuclear weapon that is being built here in the US. Apparently this weapon has the ability to blast through 1,000 feet of rock to reach deeply buried caves and fortresses that I assume are used in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. McCain strongly believes that this weapon serves no feasible purpose and will only heighten the arms race. Also, he brought up the fact that nuclear power is indeed good for the earth and should be encouraged both in the US and abroad, as long as it is handled in a safe, non-military way. He mentioned that some sort of world watchdog group should be formed to continually monitor these nuclear activities in countries that agree and are allowed to use such nuclear power to avoid situations like Iran, which was harshly criticized by the UN today for evading UN nuclear inspectors (no surprise there).
Also, given that the speech was held at a liberal college campus, it was only a matter of time before the hippies jumped in to cause some sort of disruption. McCain's speech was halted three separate times while security guards removed these screaming crazies from the premises. He kindly invited them to tomorrow's town-hall styled meeting where he would be more than happy to have a civilized debate with them (which might be impossible, as I doubt these people are very civilized) and reminded the audience how rude such actions are. The second time, he forcefully replied to the protestor that he will never back down in Iraq and that our soldiers will come home with their honor and victory. I'm glad he didn't allow himself to get pushed around by these idiots. I hope someday when they're older (and less interesting in being radical liberal college students) they look back and realize how foolish they make themselves look in such situations. In the mean time though, I'm sure they'll all be high from their experience at the speech (among other things). Man, they sure showed him! There's nothing like yelling and screaming at an American war hero...
In the speech he focused mainly on nuclear proliferation issues. In doing this, he brings up an important political issue that doesn't claim much of the spot light. It also makes him appear as a first-mover on pertinent foreign policy issues, which goes against Obama and the media's portrayal of McCain as a relic and puts the spotlight on Obama's foreign policy inexperience.
Ironically, the speech turned out to be more of an anti-war speech- another move that is sure to complicate the liberal attacks in the general election. He spoke about the grave dangers of nuclear weapons and bluntly stated that as one of the two greatest nuclear powers in the world we have the greatest responsibility to reduce the number of nukes. He issued a strong call for Russia (the other nuclear powerhouse) to join in talks with the United States to reduce the number of nuclear weapons, halt production of most new nuclear weapons, and create a more transparent monitoring and transportation system to ensure the safety of the world.
Specifically, he says that he will halt the production of a new nuclear weapon that is being built here in the US. Apparently this weapon has the ability to blast through 1,000 feet of rock to reach deeply buried caves and fortresses that I assume are used in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan. McCain strongly believes that this weapon serves no feasible purpose and will only heighten the arms race. Also, he brought up the fact that nuclear power is indeed good for the earth and should be encouraged both in the US and abroad, as long as it is handled in a safe, non-military way. He mentioned that some sort of world watchdog group should be formed to continually monitor these nuclear activities in countries that agree and are allowed to use such nuclear power to avoid situations like Iran, which was harshly criticized by the UN today for evading UN nuclear inspectors (no surprise there).
Also, given that the speech was held at a liberal college campus, it was only a matter of time before the hippies jumped in to cause some sort of disruption. McCain's speech was halted three separate times while security guards removed these screaming crazies from the premises. He kindly invited them to tomorrow's town-hall styled meeting where he would be more than happy to have a civilized debate with them (which might be impossible, as I doubt these people are very civilized) and reminded the audience how rude such actions are. The second time, he forcefully replied to the protestor that he will never back down in Iraq and that our soldiers will come home with their honor and victory. I'm glad he didn't allow himself to get pushed around by these idiots. I hope someday when they're older (and less interesting in being radical liberal college students) they look back and realize how foolish they make themselves look in such situations. In the mean time though, I'm sure they'll all be high from their experience at the speech (among other things). Man, they sure showed him! There's nothing like yelling and screaming at an American war hero...
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