vronnie
06-05-2008, 09:02 AM
already made history
Editorial
June 5, 2008
Page 2 of 2 | Single Page View
None of those reminders were to be heard yesterday, when Senator Clinton congratulated Senator Obama on his campaign without announcing her withdrawal from the nomination contest. Instead, she spoke about the 18 million Americans who had voted for her in the 57 Democratic Party primaries and caucuses held during the past five months. Senator Clinton, who believes she won the popular vote in that process even though Senator Obama won the delegate count, demanded that those 18 million voters "be respected"; she did not specify how, but her refusal to withdraw from a nomination battle she has lost suggests she was floating a bid to become Senator Obama's running mate.
It may be doubted whether that would be a welcome prospect for Senator Obama, given the way in which Senator Clinton conducted her campaign. He needs to appeal to the core Democratic voters among whom she has polled strongly, but there are other possible vice-presidential candidates who also have that support base: Senator John Edwards, for example, who was earlier a contender himself and has now endorsed Senator Obama.
Who should run on the ticket is a matter for Senator Obama and his campaign advisers. For the wider world, including Australia, what is of paramount interest is how the presidential campaign that has now begun will shape future US global policy.
The choice that American voters will be offered in November could not be starker. Senator McCain has tried to differentiate himself from the Bush Administration, but he stands for the continuation of at least some of the policies that have made the Administration deeply unpopular in the US and abroad. Most importantly, he supports an indefinite military presence in Iraq, and has sought to portray Senator Obama as weak for supporting withdrawal. In making that case, he has also sought to contrast his experience in national security policy with Senator Obama's inexperience.
In that, Senator McCain echoed a line frequently used by the Clinton camp during the nomination battle. What that view missed, of course, is that Senator Obama's status as an outsider has been the source of his electoral appeal among those who traditionally are least likely to vote: blacks and youth. He has called for a new, more inclusive kind of politics; it remains to be seen whether he can make it a reality, but if he becomes the next president, it must be hoped that he will stand for new, multilateral global politics,
Editorial
June 5, 2008
Page 2 of 2 | Single Page View
None of those reminders were to be heard yesterday, when Senator Clinton congratulated Senator Obama on his campaign without announcing her withdrawal from the nomination contest. Instead, she spoke about the 18 million Americans who had voted for her in the 57 Democratic Party primaries and caucuses held during the past five months. Senator Clinton, who believes she won the popular vote in that process even though Senator Obama won the delegate count, demanded that those 18 million voters "be respected"; she did not specify how, but her refusal to withdraw from a nomination battle she has lost suggests she was floating a bid to become Senator Obama's running mate.
It may be doubted whether that would be a welcome prospect for Senator Obama, given the way in which Senator Clinton conducted her campaign. He needs to appeal to the core Democratic voters among whom she has polled strongly, but there are other possible vice-presidential candidates who also have that support base: Senator John Edwards, for example, who was earlier a contender himself and has now endorsed Senator Obama.
Who should run on the ticket is a matter for Senator Obama and his campaign advisers. For the wider world, including Australia, what is of paramount interest is how the presidential campaign that has now begun will shape future US global policy.
The choice that American voters will be offered in November could not be starker. Senator McCain has tried to differentiate himself from the Bush Administration, but he stands for the continuation of at least some of the policies that have made the Administration deeply unpopular in the US and abroad. Most importantly, he supports an indefinite military presence in Iraq, and has sought to portray Senator Obama as weak for supporting withdrawal. In making that case, he has also sought to contrast his experience in national security policy with Senator Obama's inexperience.
In that, Senator McCain echoed a line frequently used by the Clinton camp during the nomination battle. What that view missed, of course, is that Senator Obama's status as an outsider has been the source of his electoral appeal among those who traditionally are least likely to vote: blacks and youth. He has called for a new, more inclusive kind of politics; it remains to be seen whether he can make it a reality, but if he becomes the next president, it must be hoped that he will stand for new, multilateral global politics,