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Memo to Jim Lehrer: Questions for Obama & McCain from Foreign Policy Experts
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ShareSeptember 22, 2008 9:35 PM
ABC News' Tahman Bradley Reports: In front of millions of U.S. television viewers this Friday, Sens. John McCain R-Ariz., and Barack Obama, D-Ill., will take questions from PBS's Jim Lehrer on foreign policy and national security issues at the first presidential debate. At a Monday Council on Foreign Relations event in Washington, DC, accomplished foreign policy thinkers suggested areas that could be explored in the McCain-Obama debate.
Some of the questions listed below are written exactly as posed by the experts, while others have been modified.
Questions
1. With the United States' power around the world largely built on its economic influence, how does the current U.S. financial market crisis affect U.S. power in the world?
2. With the bailouts of Wall Street giants likely to increase the massive U.S. deficit and foreign entities buying up a large chuck of that debt, what do you see as some of the foreign policy consequences of foreign entities buying U.S. debt?
3. What's the sustainability of foreign entities investing in the U.S. at a time when the U.S. markets seem to be in so much trouble?
4. What does Kim Jong Il's incapacitation mean for the Six-Party Talks in Asia? How would you respond to a crisis scenario in Asia?
5. Where do you place Asia in your overall foreign policy agenda?
6. What work needs to be done to reform NATO to meet the challenges of the 21 century?
7. Do you think that climate change and energy issues should be treated as separate issues? If not, how are they related?
8. If Iran got a nuclear weapon, would you attack?
9. Are we at war beyond Irag and Afghanistan with terrorism or with some subset of terrorism or not?
10. What level of risk are we willing to accept to reduce the scale of the threat from terrorism or some terrorism group to the American homeland?
11. What scale of effort are we willing to undertake in order to reduce the risk to the America homeland from some terrorist group?
12. What are our aims in the two ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and what level of sacrifice are we willing to support in exchange for those aims?
13. Will you push for the international community to more toward a "league of democracies" and away from the United Nations?
Credit the terrific questions to a panel consisting of: Stephen Biddle, Michael J. Gerson, James M. Goldgeier, Michael A. Levi, Sebastian Mallaby and Sheila A. Smith. Two of the panel members -- Sheila Smith and James Goldgeier -- are advisors to Sen. Obama's campaign.
Give these folks a quick Google search if you're not familiar with them.
September 22, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (140)
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We need to give this list to McCain, so he can practice.
ENOUGH OF REPUBLICAN LIES AND HIPOCRECY.
Posted by: Enough | Sep 22, 2008 9:43:21 PM
I'd like to hear the answers from both McCain and Obama to these questions.
Posted by: MIguy | Sep 22, 2008 9:43:33 PM
Jake,
This is cheating.
You can not realease the exam questions before the exam.
You are evening the playing field and helping the weaker candidate.
This is unfair to the American voter.
You must be in the tank for McCain.
Posted by: Steve_NJ | Sep 22, 2008 9:45:30 PM
Wow, too bad nobody bothered to ask any questions to Bush other than how much brush he could clear in a day, we might have discovered we were getting an intellectially lazy person.
Posted by: Truth Matters | Sep 22, 2008 9:50:07 PM
An hour later, Biden finishes his answer to the first question.
Posted by: Kitty | Sep 22, 2008 9:51:15 PM
will McCain have access to a telepromoter and help from mcRove?
Posted by: Maha Nagarajan | Sep 22, 2008 9:56:40 PM
when biden and McPalin debate will McPalin have the questions and answers given a month ahead so that she can take her time like she did for the degree to memorize the answers
Posted by: Maha Nagarajan | Sep 22, 2008 9:58:48 PM
Tonight both campaigns had representatives debated about foreign policy issues in Asia in a debate hosted by Tha National Bureau of Asian Research. Jim Lehrer should take a look at some of the controversial comments made by both campaigns.
www.nbr.org
Posted by: Kate | Sep 22, 2008 10:24:36 PM
when biden and McPalin debate will McPalin have the questions and answers given a month ahead so that she can take her time like she did for the degree to memorize the answers
Posted by: Maha Nagarajan | Sep 22, 2008 9:58:48 PM
======
THE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN REQUESTED THAT SHE NOT BE ASKED ANY QUESTIONS.
I'M NOT KIDDING.
Posted by: GIGI | Sep 22, 2008 10:33:34 PM
This is an excellent post , thanks a lot , I'm grateful to you .
Posted by: العاب شمس الدين | Sep 22, 2008 10:44:54 PM
I have a question: How many states are there?
Posted by: Christie | Sep 22, 2008 11:05:48 PM
Can we ask what person was influential in your life say around the time you were married to your current wife? Can we ask do you know of any terrorists that possibly one may have shared a board with?
Posted by: Christie | Sep 22, 2008 11:09:56 PM
... what about are dependance on Oill and sending the army to protect it? ... what about darfur? ... russia? ... is the army too big? not big enough? ... what happening with left-leaning presidients in So America?
Posted by: Bob Davis | Sep 22, 2008 11:18:57 PM
I would ask-with the trillion dollar bailout and Obama's plans for free college tuition along with socialized heath care and his possibly baby bonds among other growing government projects, how will Obama pay for this along with these other programs?
Posted by: Ron | Sep 22, 2008 11:26:49 PM
My gut tells me our biggest threat to security is here right at home.
Posted by: Thinking | Sep 22, 2008 11:28:42 PM
How many houses do you own?
How many cars do you own?
How many Bush/Rove political strategists own you?
How many oil companies own you?
How many right-wing holy-roller speaking-in-tounge bible-thumping religious lunatics own you?
WHY ARE YOU RUNNING A DISHONEST, DISHONORABLE CAMPAIGN?
WHY ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE PRESS?
WHY IS YOUR VP PICK AFRAID OF THE PRESS?
WHAT ABOUT TROOPERGATE?
WHAT HAPPENED TO "STRAIGHT TALK"?
McCAIN/PALIN:
SAME BUSH, DIFFERENT DAY.
Posted by: Ed from MA | Sep 22, 2008 11:31:54 PM
Can you see Russia from your house?
How about Wall Street?
DIDN'T THINK SO.
McCAIN = LIAR
OBAMA = LEADER
Posted by: Ed from MA | Sep 22, 2008 11:34:05 PM
How many cars do you own? 4.
McCain- He owns one car (a cadillac). The others belong to his wife who races and collects cars.
Posted by: Ron | Sep 22, 2008 11:43:30 PM
THE REPUBLICAN CAMPAIGN REQUESTED THAT SHE NOT BE ASKED ANY QUESTIONS.
I'M NOT KIDDING.
Posted by: GIGI
********************************************* Not requested, demanded.
It is liberal bias and sexist to ask her any questions that she might not know the answer to.
Posted by: Truth Matters | Sep 22, 2008 11:43:39 PM
>>I'M NOT KIDDING.
No, you're just not telling the truth.
Posted by: Ron | Sep 22, 2008 11:45:54 PM
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