17. Single
most serious threat to national security of United States?
K. Nuclear proliferation. Secure Russian nuclear stockpiles.
K. Applies to us too. Stop research of nuclear weapons.
B. Weapons of Mass Destruction in the hands of a terrorist organization.
B. International initiatives, Libya, missile defense.
18. Is President Putin justified in his actions to stop terrorism?
B. Need check and balances in democracy. Centralizing power bad idea.
B. Establish personal relations with leaders so you can advise them.
K. Putin has gone too far. We must always stand up for democracy.
Closing statements:
K. US must lead the world, build strong alliances.
B. US must be steadfast, no uncertainty. Stay on offensive vs terrorism.
B. Alliances without limiting US power.
Foreign policy and national security are not big concerns for me.
Obviously, we want good foreign relations and we want to feel safe. But
since both candidates want the same thing and I'm not an expert in
either subject, I didn't feel any strong pull to either candidate.
There were two key things that I am concerned with. The first is
whether or not we should have invaded Iraq. Kerry would not have
because Iraq was not involved in 9-11. In this I remain of the same
opinion as I was after 9-11: invade any and all enemies of the United
States. I don't care whose fault it was, we should go after everyone.
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The second
point is the use of the UN and international cooperation to deal with
Afghanistan, Iraq, North Korea and other states. Kerry is much more for
world concensus. The thing is, I get the feeling that if Kerry does not
get world approval, he'll back down. Bush has already shown that he
won't.
In terms of poise, Bush harped a bit too much on Kerry's "change of
position" regarding Iraq. President Bush also tended to pause too long
and struggle with coming up with the right words and terms. Kerry
seemed more prepared and, although he did also stumble once or twice,
looked more capable of thinking on his feet.
Final score is 2-1 in favor of President Bush. I remember when Bush was
elected four years ago, people were worried about his ability to handle
Foreign Policy. Although he has not done a stellar job as I think Al
Gore would have done, President Bush has shown an ability to remain
steadfast even when it is unpopular. Kerry might say that being certain
while being wrong is bad. But I've always said: make a decision and
stick with it, right or wrong.
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