Sanders' foreign policy is 'troubling', say experts who back Hillary Clinton

[Eugene]

Please don't shoot the messenger. Clinton's supporters have put it out there.

Source: The Guardian

Sanders' foreign policy is 'troubling', say experts who back Hillary Clinton

Letter signed by 10 former US officials expressed ‘concern’ over Bernie Sanders’
‘out-of-step’ policies on Isis and Iran while supporting Democratic frontrunner

Lauren Gambino
Tuesday 19 January 2016 20.23 GMT

Foreign policy experts backing Hillary Clinton have attacked Vermont senator Bernie Sanders’ foreign policy agenda, calling his strategy to combat Isis and normalize relations with Iran “puzzling” and “troubling”.

The charges were leveled in a letter released on Tuesday and signed by 10 former senior US diplomats and national security officials who are supporting the former secretary of state.

“The stakes are high,” they warn in the letter. “And we are concerned that Senator Sanders has not thought through these crucial national security issues that can have profound consequences for our security.”

The letter pointed to Sanders’ call during Sunday’s Democratic debate to “move aggressively” to normalize relations with Iran following recent developments in the nuclear deal. The letter-writers also criticized an earlier remark by the senator that Iran should forge a military coalition with Saudi Arabia – “two intense adversaries” – and send more troops to Syria.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/19/bernie-sanders-foreign-policy-experts-hillary-clinton

[2pooped2pop]

1. He won't take us into a made up war.

That's number one in foreign policy.

[John Poet]

2. War-mongers are always troubled

by those who want to give peace a chance.

I am troubled by the fact that Clinton could get in the White House,
and would actually be in agreement with the GOP Congress
on the 'necessity' of getting another war started...

[TriplD]

3. Who are these "experts"?

And what were they doing in 2002?

[Punkingal]

4. I wonder that myself....didn't see either the letter or their names in the article.

[Mnpaul]

18. The 10 former senior US diplomats and national security officials

are now defense lobbyists. That is my guess.

[MisterP]

30. the same mouthbreathing "geniuses" who say we gotta beat up a random country

every 5 years so nobody flies planes into us? the ones who said Iraq/Syria/Libya/Afghanistan/Iraq/Iran would be over in 6 months?

[CorporatistNation]

47. Troubling? I Say That HRC's Recommendation For A No Fly Zone Over Syria Is TROUBLING!

When the ONLY fucking planes in the air ... other than ours are the fucking Russians! Recipe for WW III? You Betcha!

These klowns are just some more hacks from The Establishment to try and put fear in our bones to somehow get US to make the "safe" choice at the primary voting booth! I will stick with the SAFE Choice in Sanders!

[jkbRN]

5. People who back Clinton and her FP are all war Hawks

Don't need their support, and I'm sure Bernie doesn't want it.

[Nanjeanne]

6. Just read this on Politico

The experts who signed the letter. Let's see:

Wendy Sherman - appointed as Ambassador by Bill. Advised Hillary in 2008 election. Appointed to Under Secy of State by Hillary.
Rand Beers - appointed by Bill.
Jeremy Bash - longtime advisor to Hillary.
Daniel Benjamin - served in Bill's admin. Appointed to State Dept by Hillary
Nicholas Burns - special assistant to Bill.
Derek Chollet - served in Bill's admin. Was on Hillary's Policy Planning staff.
Kathleen Hicks - served in Bill's admin.
Donald Kerrick - served in Bill's admin.

And so on . . . anyone reading this letter by these experts can draw their own conclusions to any bias.

You can read the letter and see the names: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/bernie-sanders-foreign-policy-217969#ixzz3xjVWlzMT

[pangaia]

7. OOppsie

[Mnpaul]

20. Interesting

Starting from the bottom

Kerrick - Deputy National Security Advisor under Bush now working for AMERICAN SECURITY PROJECT

Hicks - Kathleen Hicks is senior vice president, Henry A. Kissinger Chair, and director of the International Security Program at CSIS.

[MADem]

29. To be fair about the chair, it's named AFTER Kissinger, it doesn't mean you have to be like him.

It's more to do with his history at State and doing National Security work. She started working at DOD --but on a CIVIL SERVICE track, not as a political appointee--in 93, and she bounced between CSIS and DOD a few times.

She worked for Obama from 09 to 13.



http://csis.org/expert/kathleen-h-hicks


She's a wonk. I suspect she's not overtly political--that's usually how people who play that kind of thing survive over the long haul.

[CorporatistNation]

48. Thanks... As I noted Above W/O Even Knowing Their Names etc. A Comprehensive List

of KLOWNS!

[comradebillyboy]

8. What foreign policy?

[demwing]

9. Sanders running against Clinton is troubling, say experts who back Hillary Clinton

or: Sanders' climb in the polls is troubling, say experts who back Hillary Clinton

or: Sanders not being Clinton is troubling, say experts who back Hillary Clinton

[MADem]

10. You know who else had his head up his ass when it came to understanding the Middle East?

George W. Bush. That moron didn't realize that there was more than one flavor of Islam.

He was SHOCKED when he learned that the two "flavors" -- both of whom lived in Iraq, one group with power, the other oppressed for decades--fucking HATED each other.

We're still trying to sweep up that shitstorm.

Sanders doesn't understand that Iran wants to kill everyone in Saudi Arabia and take control of the Holy Places. He thinks they can join hands and fight the 'terrists' together. He probably--like Bush--doesn't realize that this is a "two flavors" problem.

smh.

It's SCARY when someone knows so little. He's a one-note wonder.

[JonLeibowitz]

12. Only one of our democratic candidates joined GWB in his disastrous war. I think you know which

Perhaps Senator Sanders understands the situation a little more than you might think.

[MADem]

36. And who voted to fund that disastrous war, over and over and over and over again?

And concurrent with that, came to a rather chummy accord with the manufacturer of the F-35 and the Predator drone?

There's plenty of MIC enthusiasm to go around.

[JonLeibowitz]

37. lol, keep pushing that "funded our soldiers" meme. Nobody is buying it. n/t

[MADem]

43. I used to work on military budgets. Anyone who isn't 'buying it' doesn't know how that sort of

thing works.

Sanders--and EVERYONE in Congress-- could have safely voted against the continued funding of that war and, guess what? Soldiers still would have been paid, fed, and given bullets. They would have PCS'd at their transfer dates, retired when their time was up, and new accessions would continue to be processed through boot camps.

They simply would have been funded at LAST YEAR's levels--there would be no new adventurism. It's called a Continuing Resolution, and that's the name of that tune. The Massive Honking Fiction that "soldiers won't get paid" is an invention of the Keyboard Commandos and Armchair Generals--don't buy it, because it's nonsense.

The reality is this, though--Sanders could have voted against those bills and they STILL would have passed--EASILY. His vote was not needed, like his IWR vote wasn't needed. He could safely make a "protest" and it would not have mattered.

He didn't vote against FUNDING Porgie's war because he didn't want to appear truculent to his new buddies at Lockheed Martin. That's POLITICS for ya....and Sanders didn't want anything to interfere with putting that flying pig known as the F-35 up in Burlington. With those votes, he was dancing with the MIC crew that was delivering the bacon for him. Make no mistake.

[JonLeibowitz]

45. Thank you for the explanation.

I really don't know what to believe. I need to do more reading, somewhere not sourced from a politician.

I suppose there is the political angle where no politician doesn't want to make the unpopular vote to not fund the troops; I think that's whata lot of people are saying about Sanders. Of course, part of his appeal is that he does make unpopular votes.

Also, I have never seen any proof that he has benefited from the F-35 program. Apart from his state, that is.

[angrychair]

14. Well at least you got one thing right

From you post:
"It's SCARY when someone knows so little."

Just not about who you think...

[MADem]

25. I'm talking about the guy who does not understand how deeply the Saudis and Persians dislike each

other, and who seems to think they'll team up like good buddies to serve as Good Pal Regional Police.

This is similar to the thinking that got us mired in Iraq. It doesn't look prettier because it's coming from someone who says they're on the left.

[awoke_in_2003]

15. Somehow this got alerted on...

it was voted 2 to 7 to leave it. I wanted to add my explanation, but the boss walked in the room. While I disagree with you, and support Bernie, this was a stupid ass alert. Have a good day, MADem.

[MADem]

26. Thank you very much for your fairness. It's appreciated, sincerely.

You have a great day too. Thanks again.

[awoke_in_2003]

27. No problem

You are on my list of favorites

[Hassin Bin Sober]

22. George Bush responds to HRC's vote in favor of the Iraq War Resolution .

https://m.

[MADem]

23. What did he say to those who repeatedly voted to FUND his wars?? nt

[CoffeeCat]

31. These are the talking points from the push poll

I received last night in Iowa.

This is the exact script. Sanders has a singular campaign. No foreign policy experience. And there are government officials who are concerned with his foreign policy knowledge. The exact words the pollster used were "he's in over his head" when it comes to matters of foreign policy.

Obviously that Iowa push poll came from Hillary.

[MADem]

35. I am not a push poller. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he has no FP experience,

and people ARE talking about it.

They've been talking about it for MONTHS now. Don't blame "Hillary" because people have noticed this particular weakness.


What a shock, in an election year, that people would care if someone running for president knew anything about what was going on in the world.

"Exact script?" You're sounding a little overly 'concerned.'

If you want to know what people are saying about Sanders' background on international affairs, a simple google will light up your life. If there's in fact, a "script," everyone has read it....

THREE--count 'em, THREE--months ago, IN OCTOBER, 'concern' was expressed with regard to Sanders' foreign policy chops. Is this your "script?"
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/10/bernie-sanders-democrats-foreign-policy/410917/

What Bernie Sanders Is Missing
The presidential candidate has largely ignored foreign policy, depriving the country of a debate it needs.
Bernie Sanders didn’t prepare much for Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate. And on foreign policy, it showed.

Did this person writing for the Guardian TWO MONTHS AGO write "the script?"

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/17/bernie-sanders-foreign-policy-platform-lacking

Why does Bernie Sanders continue to avoid a foreign policy platform?
Lucia Graves
The senator’s lack of interest in international matters, long apparent, has never been more problematic than in the days following the terror attacks in Paris


How about this POLITICO article, ALSO from TWO MONTHS ago? Is this your 'push poll?'

http://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/bernie-sanders-foreign-policy-paris-215937

Sanders knocked off stride by foreign policy focus
The Vermont senator suddenly finds himself forced to deviate from an economic message he's been honing for decades.
By Gabriel Debenedetti


Here's a Sanders fan on reddit expressing CONCERN--same doggone topic--from a week and a half ago. Is this your scripted push poll, here? https://www.reddit.com/r/SandersForPresident/comments/4039tz/sanders_doesnt_have_foreign_policy/

These (and many other articles as well) did NOT "come from Hillary." They came from people who want to know how a candidate will handle major international issues. I don't have confidence in his ability to handle Putin, China, or the Middle East, and I also don't have confidence in the ability of his rather insular staff to pick good people to help him. He has yet to demonstrate to me that he is any good on the international stage. Like it or not, that does matter to a lot of people.

[snoringvoter]

40. Do you know who else didn't have FP experrience?

President Obama.

*drops mic*

[MADem]

41. Joe Biden did, though. And President Obama was getting good international "schooling"

DURING the campaign. That's why HE was prepared in debate.

"Drops mic" .... I mean, come on, that's just a Nyah-nyah kind of thing to even say....foolishness that lowers the discourse and doesn't reflect the relative preparedness of the candidates you purport to compare at this stage of the process--Obama was WAY more prepared than Sanders appears to be--and Sanders has had more time on the Hill -- a FULL QUARTER CENTURY -- to do his homework.

Sanders is obviously not getting the same amount of education -- and I can't understand why. We've had some international kerfluffles during his time in Congress. You'd think, as a legislator, that he would take the time to do a little home study on these issues, to at least pay attention.

From what he's had to say thus far, in the few times he's been questioned, I get the impression that he has paid LITTLE TO ZERO attention to the international milieu. That is troubling.

I get the impression that Sanders does not like to get overly up in issues that are outside his wheelhouse. I have to say I was a bit alarmed when he proposed the Saudi-Persian alliance and then rambled on about what the Saudis need to do (as though they've done nothing to this point). He's not getting good advice.

It really did demonstrate that he wasn't doing his homework on these issues, and this is something where he'd have to be able to hit the ground running. He doesn't have time to take lessons if the shit hits the fan.

[KingFlorez]

11. It's the lack of knowledge that is the problem

In debates, Sanders doesn't seem that particularly well versed in foreign policy.

[MADem]

24. He was lucky they didn't push hard on international issues--he would have been creamed and his

inexperience highlighted. He's got some MASSIVE gaps in his understanding.

[MADem]

42. Yes! You can get away with that in the House. In the Senate, you are EXPECTED to have some

Foreign Policy chops. They say every Senator looks in the mirror and sees a President looking back at them. You can't really see that reflection if you don't do your World Affairs homework, every single doggone day.

Sanders doesn't seem interested in doing that homework. He likes his veteran's stuff, and his economic issues, but he doesn't get past that.

[DFW]

13. Experts who are neutral and back neither

Those are the ones I want to hear from. Probably none left in the USA, but we're not the only country in the world.

[99Forever]

16. "Warmongers and war profiteers troubled that Sanders won't beat the war drum!"

OH NOEZ! What are we gonna do with all of those bombs reaching their DROP ON BROWN PEOPLE BEFORE _/_ date?

[99th_Monkey]

17. "Troubling" indeed for the MIC, who wants endless ME wars to keep their palms greased

and their bank accounts overflowing with Pentagon contract revenue.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. Oh, NO!! "profound consequences for our security"!!

Is that like the horrible consequence of the threat posed by Grenada? Cuba? Angola? Congo? Vietnam? Lao? and all those other profoundly dangerous bogeymen we had to deal with?

Experts, huh?

[catnhatnh]

21. Ain't no one backing Bernie on foreign policy

that can't leave the country for fear of war crimes trials...

[bigtree]

28. face it

...they endorse Hillary, There isn't anyone they're going to say is more qualified, even though they're full of it.

[onecaliberal]

32. Yes the war mongers back the war monger candidate. No surprise there.

The MIC is going to support the war monger. They need to send their kids to the front line ASAP.

[Ed Suspicious]

33. Warmonger vampires need their blood.

[Renew Deal]

34. There is a part of Sanders foreign policy is troubling

Sanders supports a sectarian war fought by the locals in the Middle East. I think this is a really bad idea.

[JonLeibowitz]

38. I'm not sure there are any good ideas in the Middle East. Perhaps the best one is for us to stay out

[Armstead]

39. Hillary loves her Obama now -- But remember the 3 a.m. phone call?

[MADem]

44. Well, Obama handled that in very short order, didn't he?

Immediately upon assuming the Presidency, he HIRED the woman to be LEAD CHAIR in his cabinet, so that if he got the 3 a.m. phone call, he could turn around at 3:01 a.m. and dial up his SECSTATE and say "Get your ass out of bed; meet me in the Situation Room, we've got 'a thing' to deal with."

Win - win. The same person ends up working on the three a.m. issue.

[moondust]

46. Same guys who wanted a no-fly zone over Syria?

With Russian jets in the air at the invitation of the Syrian government?

Are these "former officials" from the Bush/Cheney fan club or something?