Obama campaign hosts 2-man panel on foreign policy

Despite a 50-minute delay, the Indiana Memorial Union’s Georgian Room saw a full house Thursday for the Obama campaign’s National Security Forum with former General Tony McPeak and Obama Senior Foreign Policy Adviser Denis McDonough.\nThe two men fielded questions from students and Bloomington residents about the strength of the U.S. military, nuclear weapons, Darfur, Latin and South America, food riots, relations with Iran and whether Obama would join the International Criminal Court.\nHaving already visited Martinsville, Shelbyville, Ind., and Franklin, Ind., for “community conversations” that day, Indiana campaign spokeswoman Gannet Tseggai said the delay was due to a power outage in Franklin, Ind., forcing them to move the event in that town.\n“We didn’t want to just cancel,” she said.\nBefore the question-and-answer session, graduate student Chris Soghoian, who said he already voted for Obama in the Virginia primary, said he was excited for the opportunity.\n“I’m actually happy that they’re doing this instead of Obama speaking,” he said. “I think it’s tough to get a straight answer (from politicians) ... their policy-makers are more likely to know the ins and outs and be able to give you a straight answer.”\nWith David Fidler from the School of Law to moderate, the event began with a short speech by McPeak, an Oregon businessman and Vietnam veteran who referred to the candidate’s calm temperament with nicknames such as “No Drama Obama” and “No Shock Barack.” \n“Barack has the opportunity not to be a good commander-in-chief, but a great commander-in-chief,” he said. “He was an early and vocal opponent to the Iraq war ... That was one of our first reasons for getting together.”\nMcDonough then commented that national security “has somehow become the purview of a small group of people who, behind closed doors, make decisions” affecting the entire country, whereas he said Obama wants policies based on common sense and public opinion. \nMcDonough said one major concern in Darfur is mobility.\n“Darfur is a region about the size of Texas; We’re talking about a huge amount of land,” he said, adding that the local government needs to take responsibility. “It’s time to hold the government in Khartoum accountable for what it’s not doing.” \nAs to military strength, McPeak said prioritizing was clearly a problem with President Bush.\n“We have squandered resources on secondary problems,” McPeak said, explaining that Saddam Hussein’s damage was localized and not a global threat.\nMcPeak also referenced Obama’s bestselling books and the fact that he writes many of his own speeches.\n“We have an opportunity to select a president that’s smart,” he said, eliciting laughter from the crowd. \nAs to the use of contract mercenaries used in war zones, McDonough called Obama a leader in the issue, working on legislation to create accountability measures.\n“Contractors will be held accountable under United States law,” McDonough said.\nTseggai said such events are very beneficial to the Obama campaign.\n“We deeply value the opportunity to reach out to people because our campaign is truly built from the bottom up,” she said. “We get the opportunity to hear directly from Indiana voters about the issues they’re concerned about and address them.”