Save Darfur Coalition (Washington, DC)
Enough Action Fund, the Save Darfur Coalition and the Genocide Intervention Network
30 September 2008
(Page 6 of 6)
We also need to better focus our assistance programs to make the most out of these programs. Today, what we call “foreign aid” is spread across over 20 government agencies, programs and initiatives, and too little of our taxpayers’ resources is getting to the problem, and no single person within our government is responsible for directing and managing what should be one of our most powerful foreign policy tools. I will double U.S. foreign assistance to $50 billion a year by 2012.
To modernize our foreign assistance policies, tools, and operations, I will coordinate and consolidate PEPFAR, Millennium Challenge Corporation, Middle East Partnership Initiativeand many foreign assistance programs currently housed in more than 20 executive agencies into a restructured, empowered and streamlined USAID. I will make sure that this agency has the highest caliber leadership and plays a central role in the formulation and implementation of critical development and related foreign policy strategies.
We cannot expect more of our foreign assistance dollars without also hiring, training, and supporting a substantial new cadre of development experts to lead our efforts. I will invest expand our Development Corps to staff a modern development agency prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. I will ensure that the State Department has the authorities and resources it requires to lead U.S. government efforts to prevent and respond to conflict. I will increase the size of the Foreign Service, fully fund the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization and create a new Office of Conflict Prevention and Resolution with senior
Ambassadors to support high-level negotiations and provide the expertise and capacity to seize opportunities or address crises as they arise. I will also build a ready reserve corps of private civilians that can participate in post-conflict, humanitarian and stabilization efforts around the globe.
Finally, I’ll integrate civilian and military capacities to promote global development and democracy by creating Mobile Development Teams (MDTs) that bring together personnel from the military, the Pentagon, the State Department, and USAID, fully integrating U.S. government efforts in counter-terror, state-building and post-conflict operations.
11. The U.S. and the Government of Sudan have been cooperating on the War on Terror and other intelligence sharing. Would such cooperation affect in any way your stance on preventing genocide and crimes against humanity?
McCain: I have repeatedly emphasized that our greatest strength as a nation is the moral attraction of our ideals. We cannot prevail in the transcendent struggle against radical Islamic extremism by sacrificing our ideals. That’s why I have consistently opposed the inhuman treatment of—much less the use of torture on—terrorist suspects who have been captured and believe that we need to close the detainment facility at Guantanamo.
Whatever limited intelligence sharing or other cooperation we have received from the Sudanese government cannot be allowed to sway the position we must take with respect to that regime’s responsibility for genocide and other crimes against humanity.
Obama: No, it would not. Sudan’s partnership with the CIA may have provided some useful information in the United States’ counter-terrorism’s efforts. However, we cannot subordinate our commitment to the protection of human rights or the promotion of lasting peace in Sudan. My administration will not let intelligence cooperation push the issue of genocide into the background.
The U.S. has not taken adequate measures to confront the genocide in Darfur. Rather than pressure the perpetrators of genocide to stop the killing, for five years we have been negotiating compromise after feckless compromise with the Khartoum regime, while it continues its campaign of atrocities. To date, we have not tried tough sanctions or even sustained diplomacy. We need to work with our allies in the EU, Africa and elsewhere to end the genocide in Darfur and support the full and robust deployment of the UN/AU force, including by providing helicopters and other logistical support. I have also supported efforts to allow people to stop investing in companies that do business with the Khartoum government which is helping fund the genocide in Darfur.
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As an American Christian who has many friends in Kenya, Uganda and many other African nations I have spent many hours researching Barack Obama. Before I became a Christian over 25 years ago I had been a communist. This background has helped with giving me some insights during my research. I have, also, noticed that those African-Americans most involved in truly helping the poor are those that are most opposed to Obama. What I have found from my research is that Obama is nothing close to what people want to believe who he is. Let me give just a few of many many examples: 1. As a State Senator in Illinois, Obama took the side of the teacher's union against the interests of black children in inner city Chicago. 2. He has taken the most pro-abortion positions of any member of the US Senate including support for live birth abortion (i.e. allowing a baby that survies abortion to be left to die.) 3. Throughout his life he has been closely associated with communists and even American terrorits (Bill Ayers among others). Despite continual denials on behalf of the Obama campaign more and more evidence cames out about his shady associations. 4. He has claimed to be a Christian but in his own words one of his books, he answers his daughter when she asked where she goes when she dies by him saying "I don't know". 5. He is a major supporter for homosexual rights.
With the current financial crisis in America, if Obama is elected President and implements just some of his economic and tax policies the American economy could well go into a depression. This would mean much less US aid for Africa.
As I have said for the last ten years when I have taught in Africa is that it is a big mistake to look to America as Africa's salvation. The nation building principles of early America can provide good insights for nation building in Africa. America today has fallen far away from these self-governing principles.
Listen up John A, It's the American people that will put Barack Obama in the White House not your sorry opinion of him. 25 years is not enough time for a commie to change, still sound like one and a true Christian don't cast that kind of judgement. It is the American Christian who believe in Obama's vision and competence as a President, that means mainstream America, big America,little America, midwest America and rural America. You should research Christianity and what it means,happy hunting!
John, let's take the emotion out of it and make it about facts. The current global financial crisis was triggered by that phony make believe "real estate boom" of 2002-2005 in the US real estate market. John McCain was behind the deregulation of the real estate market. Insanity followed and only the wise ones knew what was coming. Hey, Washington take care of their "boys" first. Deregulation made so much dough $$$$$$ for them + their "boys", what do they care? They layman don't understand, who's looking? You can't Tie Barack Obama to scandal of that magnitude, (the one with rich white boys in power looking out for #1 themselves and their extravagant life styles) end of story.
Oilbaron there are no facts in your post whatsoever. The deregulation was done by Democrats....most of this country realizes this now. Key Democrats opposed the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, which would have established a single, independent regulatory body with jurisdiction over Fannie and Freddie – a move that the Government Accountability Office had recommended in a 2004 report.
Top 3 recipients of campaign contributions from Fannie and Freddie: Christopher Dodd (D)- $133,900 John Kerry(D)- $111,000 Barak Obama(D)- $105,849 McCain had regulation bill 3 years ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_FZCaKDn9k You can't question the words right from The chairman if the House Financial Services Committee Barny Frank's mouth.
The total lies like this and selective news reporting by the main stream media are the only reason for Obama's SLIGHT lead over McCain right now.
I'm a Christian and Obama's stand on Abortion anytime anywhere at any age paid by taxpayers and voting to allow children born by botched abortions being left to die is the reason NO ONE with belief in the teachings and salvation of Jesus Christ should have anything to do with Obama whatsoever. Can you tell me anything Obama has done to protect the people of Chicago where he worked? More people die there then in Iraq!
Oh yeah...he had a gazebo built.
Heavens, John, do i have to read through all that right-wing Christian rhetoric complete with all the talk-radio talking points... live-birth abortions, commies and terrorists... in this dialogue? How do these lies further the topic?
Obama is enormously popular in Kenya. Yes, he is half Kenyan (half white, too) and provides a sense of pride for many Kenyans. While in Kenya, I found myself in many political conversations with Kenyans from a variety of places and stations. I found myself apologizing for the actions of President Bush, trying to assure them that not all Americans are in support of his failed Presidency. The people I talked to are quite political savvy, more so that many citizens of my town in the U.S. The know what's happening. They are aware that Republican policies over the last twenty years have not served them well. They have much more confidence in Obama than McCain, a Republican. They see no reason to think McCain's attitude toward East Africa will be any different than that of George Bush.
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