State Department warns candidates to consider consequeces of campaign rhetoric

[Douglas Carpenter]

Sloganeering troubles diplomatic pros By MATTHEW LEE, Associated Press Writer

link to full article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070803/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_politics_diplomacy

snip:"Traditionally silent during presidential campaigns filled with divisive foreign policy debates, the department on Friday delivered a rebuke to would-be nominees of both parties whose recent comments have complicated U.S. efforts to overcome deep suspicion about the war on terrorism in the Muslim world."

snip:"First it was Barack Obama's talk of dialogue with dictators and invading Pakistan to kill Islamist militants, then it was Hillary Rodham Clinton refusing to rule out the use of nuclear weapons to that end. Now, the Democratic front-runners have been joined by radical Republican Rep. Tom Tancredo, who threatened to bomb Muslim holy sites to stop terror attacks.

The State Department had hoped to steer clear of controversy, complaints and public protests sparked by Obama and Clinton, but Tancredo's comments bumped up against the limit of diplomatic patience."

snip:"Tancredo's suggestion to bomb Mecca and Medina came as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were on a sensitive mission to the Middle East that included a stop in Saudi Arabia."

snip:"At the State Department, diplomats fear that Tancredo's remarks, coupled with those of Obama and Clinton, will be seen as a broader trend of animosity by U.S. politicians to Muslims, especially in Pakistan, officials said."

link to full article:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070803/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_politics_diplomacy

[Douglas Carpenter]

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