HispanicVista Columnists

Hamas Hezbollah and Obama
By Raoul Lowery Contreras

"Who do you want to steal your money, me who you know from my many years of service to you, or this complete youthful stranger with his fancy law degree who is so wet behind the ears he can’t find this town without a map and a guide?"

I so wrote in my Bluebook in that "Mexican Government and Politics" seminar at San Diego State that the professor found so compelling he gave me a big fat A, 100 out of 100 possible points in this end of semester final examination essay.

The question: In fewer than 500 words, describe the essence of Mexican politics.

Today’s question: In fewer than 500 words comment on President Bush’s view that "talking" with some people in this era of terrorism is "delusional."

Barack Obama clearly stated that as President he would sit down and talk to anyone "without preconditions." He said it in debate with Hillary Clinton. She stomped all over him for that statement. She should have.

How do you talk to people like this -- Hussein Massawi, the former leader of Hezbollah, an officially branded terrorist organization that has killed Americans in Lebanon and is funded by Iran says this about Americans: "We are not fighting so that you will offer us something. We are fighting to eliminate you."

To properly understand the context of the argument, "Hamas has expressed "hope" Sen. Barack Obama will win the presidential elections and "change" America's foreign policy. "We like Mr. Obama, and we hope that he will win the election." Hamas is also branded officially by the U.S. Government as a terrorist organization responsible for killing hundreds of Israelis and some Americans. Name any legitimate international journal and this statement appeared in it.

On Bush’s comment, "Ahmed Yousuf, Hamas' top political adviser in the Gaza Strip said, "I understand American politics and this is the season for elections and everybody tries to sound like he's a friend of the Israelis." Same sources.

Then there are contacts between an Obama foreign policy advisor and Hamas that were ignored by the American mainstream press but revealed, or better yet, exposed by the Times of London. It first reported Friday the Obama campaign was severing ties with foreign policy adviser, Robert Malley for meeting with Hamas reps.

This follows two other advisors dumped by Obama because they either secretly met with Canadians to assure them he really didn’t want to change the NAFTA agreement or the other for calling Hillary Clinton a "monster."

Back to Obama who can’t dump himself: The New York Post: editorializes –"Ah, but Obama has said he would treat unconditionally with Ahmadinejad. While far short of appeasement, that's a problem. And so he emphatically replies that certainly he'll be tough on those Holocaust-denying, death-to-Israel-hoping, nuke-seeking Iranians, isolating them until they give up their doomsday desires."

The Post: "What is the man talking about? Until the Iranians relent on their crazed aspirations, Tehran poses an existential threat to the Jewish state. Obama pledges he'll always be with Israel. But it's not Israel that's causing him so much trouble. It's his own insufficiently formulated thinking." Thinking Jews, like the New York Post, see through Obama and refuse to endorse him for President.

Obama rose to the bait and blasted the President and Republican Presidential candidate John McCain for hanging on to a "discredited foreign policy of not talking with our enemies" and how he will change that to make us "safer."

He talks about Obama Bin Laden issuing videotapes with "impunity" forgetting to mention that Bin Laden can’t even leave his cave somewhere in Pakistan. I wouldn’t call that "impunity." In his vacuous foreign policy mindset, hiding in a cave, means "impunity."

He’s wrong on talks with Iran. We have been talking to Iran; they just broke off ongoing talks with us. We have brought in European countries to handle the Iranian nuclear problem for naught despite thousands of man-hours spent by diplomats at the table. Critics assail Bush for not seeking international cooperation but when he does he is criticized for not dealing directly with a terrorist government.

Ditto, North Korea, Libya, Russia, even, Cuba using European diplomatic surrogates.

So, Obama is wrong about us not talking with terrorist nations. His ill-informed and shallow position that Bush has failed for lack of talks is wrong. He is further wrong when he states that he will sit down and talk to these terrorists "without preconditions."

Obama’s foreign policy position is "delusional" and is based on intellectual and factual quicksand. With it, he has forfeited any claim to have thinking people vote for him.
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Contreras anchors and produces a daily newscast, "News and Views 61" on San Diego’s TV Channel 61 and his books are available at amazon.com