The Student News Site of University of California - San Diego

The UCSD Guardian




The Student News Site of University of California - San Diego

The UCSD Guardian

The Student News Site of University of California - San Diego

The UCSD Guardian




    Columnist Misunderstands Obama’s Political Positions

    Dear Editor,

    I recently finished reading the article, “Hey Obama, Let’s
    Hear More Prose, Less Poetry!” by Jake Blanc. After having done so, I feel
    compelled to respond as there are many errors in regards to Blanc’s
    interpretation of Sen. Barack Obama’s position.

    First, Blanc criticized Obama’s position on the War on
    Terror as being “more aggressive than that of President Bush.” Specifically, he
    cited the senator’s position of deploying 65,000 Army troops and 25,000
    Marines. He also cited the senator’s position on attacking Iran
    and Pakistan,
    writing, “How is threatening Iran
    and Pakistan
    with nuclear carnage a change from the past eight years of Bush’s foreign
    policy?"

    All of these points are a clear misreading of the senator’s
    position. Obama has called for enlarging the size of the military by 65,000
    Army troops and 25,000 Marines, not for their deployment. This enlargement is
    critical for a military which, many analysts have said, has been stretched too
    thin by both the War on Terror and the Iraq War. Also, the senator has not
    called for directly attacking Pakistan,
    but rather al-Qaida operatives who are believed to be operating within the
    borders of Pakistan
    only if the Pakistani government continues to refuse to be more aggressive
    against these terrorist cells. The senator has also said that he would attack Iran
    only if diplomacy fails to deter the country from pursuing a nuclear weapons
    program. And when have any Democratic candidates, let alone Obama, called for a
    nuclear strike against Iran
    and Pakistan,
    as Blanc insinuates in his article?

    Also, Blanc’s criticism of Obama’s campaign phrase “Yes We
    Can!” is simply unfounded. Just because it is an English translation of a
    popular Latino-American group’s does not mean it is plagiarized.

    Finally, his criticism of the senator’s letter to the
    Palestinian ambassador is not a callous disregard for the plight of the
    Palestinians, but rather a call to the Palestinians to turn away from terrorist
    tactics in order to achieve political ends. As long as Palestinian terrorists
    continue to use extremist tactics, Israel
    will always respond with excessive force to ensure its survival. And as long as
    Israel remains
    the one true democratic government in the Middle East,
    the United States
    must support the Israeli people’s desire to live free of the fear of terrorism.

    Please, before writing an article that criticizes a public
    official’s positions, be sure to get all of your facts straight and to consider
    what other things he or she might actually be saying.

    — Christopher Moffatt

    junior, Revelle College

    Donate to The UCSD Guardian
    $200
    $500
    Contributed
    Our Goal

    Your donation will support the student journalists at University of California, San Diego. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment, keep printing our papers, and cover our annual website hosting costs.

    More to Discover
    Donate to The UCSD Guardian
    $200
    $500
    Contributed
    Our Goal