Brzezinski Offers Support to Obama

[illinoisprogressive]

Right on the heels of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s assertion that she could handle the political ramifications of a terrorist attack better than her Democratic rivals, a major foreign policy figure associated with Democrats endorsed her archrival, Senator Barack Obama.

In an interview with Al Hunt that will air on Bloomberg’s “Political Capital” at 11 p.m. tonight, Zbigniew Brzezinski said that Mr. Obama is “clearly more effective and has the upper hand.” The national security adviser under President Jimmy Carter continued, “There is a need for a fundamental rethinking of how we conduct world affairs, and Obama seems to me to have both the guts and the intelligence to address that issue and to change the nature of America’s relationship with the world.'’

He called Mrs. Clinton’s foreign policy “very conventional.”

“I don’t think the country needs to go back to what we had eight years ago,” Mr. Brzezinski said.

Howard Wolfson, the Clinton campaign’s communication director, had no comment.

He also weighed in on the dispute over Mr. Obama’s statement that he would meet unconditionally with Venezuelan, Iranian and Syrian leaders, which Mrs. Clinton called “naïve.”

From Bloomberg’s report:

“What’s the hang-up about negotiating with the Syrians or with the Iranians?'’ Brzezinksi said. “What it in effect means'’ is “that you only talk to people who agree with you.'


http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/24/brzezinski-offers-support-for-obama/

[LSparkle]

1. I've always admired Zbig ...

Compared with the simpleton thinking of our current "leaders," he's a refreshingly intellectual type who wears his smarts on his sleeve.

[illinoisprogressive]

2. Here is a more indepth article from TPM. excellent.

http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/coffeehouse/2007/aug/24/brzezinski_endorses_obama_calls_hillary_clintons_foreign_policy_very_conventional

[Colobo]

3. Obama's picking up some nice momentum since last Sunday!

[NoFederales]

4. Operative word: change, and Obama offers it. nt

NoFederales

[illinoisprogressive]

5. Obama has the best ideas and could put us on the right track. Change!

[patrioticintellect]

6. Brzezinski

His ideas on foreign policy are not ones to endorse if you are for peace. Obama is not one to endorse if you are for peace.

While he correctly asserts in his book The Second Chance, that continuing war in the Middle East would be akin to suicide for America, his use of the word "unconventional" in describing Obama should frighten people who support Obama. Brzezinski is a man who was the Democrats answer to Henry Kissinger. He had a hawkish foreign policy that was said to be based on realism, a realism that was not afraid to embrace war.

Americans should not want somebody who Zbigniew deems to support "unconventional" foreign policy in the White House. I respect Brzezinski's ability to analyze the present and the past. If anyone's read The Grand Chessboard though, we should all be frightened that this man's foreign policy plans for the future may wind up influencing this "viable" presidential candidate who is all too willing to embrace audacity.