What's your #1 foreign policy issue?

1. 78

   Mighty Momposted 11 years ago

   Romney and Obama will meet in their final debate tonight. The topic: foreign policy.
   That's a pretty broad topic, especially in today's global economy and complex/volatile geo/sociopolitical climate.
   
   What topic is your "must cover" for tonight?
   If you were invited to submit a question, what would it be?
   What is your biggest concern about the US and its interactions with the rest of the world?
   What answer are you hoping your candidate will give to knock this debate out of the park?
   
   Feel free to also lst foreign policy topics you are not as interested in, and why.

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      JaxsonRaineposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Well... I don't think I have a 'top' issue.
      
      Iran - Basically everything middle-east is bad. Instability there causes high gas prices, which causes high cost of everything, and hurts our economy.
      
      OPEC - We need to get them to stop price fixing. Probably won't come up.
      
      China - They need to stop cheating... it's just a fact that they are.

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   2. 60

      tammybarnetteposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Middle East, Isreal....better explanation of Lybia. I would like to ask about China and what their respective ideologies would suggest, how would they differ...Will Obama impose tarrifs...how will Romney handle his currency manipulation idea? Straight forward answers would be welcomed

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   3. 0

      Justsilvieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      My biggest concern is another war... so my question is
      
      What will you do and how far will you go to keep us from getting into another war?
      
      And for Romney especially.. If you do enter another war, which one of your sons or grandchildren will serve?

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         JayeWisdomposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         I really like your last question. If Queen Elizabeth's grandson Harry can be posted to a hot spot in Afghanistan (and he's third in line to the throne), why should a U.S. president's offspring be exempt?  (I asked that question of George W. Bush, but he never answered me, nor did his daughters serve.)
         
         Somehow, I can't see a Romney volunteering for military service on the front lines. Maybe your question should also include "where" and "how?"

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            JaxsonRaineposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            Does Obama's offspring have to serve too?

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               Justsilvieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               Sure, If he starts another war I would ask him the same thing...

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               livewithrichardposted 11 years agoin reply to this

               No they won't considering the oldest daughter Malia is only 14.

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                  JaxsonRaineposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                  They will get older.

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                     Justsilvieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     Not if we keep making war, one of these days they just might wind up on our part of the planet.

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                  2. 79

                     Uninvited Writerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                     It all depends on whether or not there is a draft and a war doesn't it? I have nothing against people not signing up voluntarily for the military but when you leave the country or go to school to avoid a draft and are in favour of the war then I have a problem with that.

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                     1. 61

                        KFlippinposted 11 years agoin reply to this

                        Best I can tell, only rich liberal sons could manage that, conseratives are mostly poor dumbasses' spread across the majority of the USA working their butts off . . . right??

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            Justsilvieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            In one of his speeches he brought up his 5 sons served as missionaries and came back men... I am not sure how trying to convert people to Mormonism compares to dodging bullets in Iraq or Afghanistan or in his case spending time in France instead of Vietnam makes one a man.

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      2. 59

         Repairguy47posted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Did obama serve? I know the answer no reason to answer. Just wondering why the burden is on Romney and not POtuS?

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            Justsilvieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

            I believe the President was to young for Vietman and to old for the current wars.
            
            Also Romney seems to want a war, Obama wants to end them...

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   4. 53

      Shinkickerposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Continued USA support for the Israeli government despite the latter breaching the Geneva Convention, UN Resolutions and ignoring world opinion in its illegal and brutal military occupation of the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
      
      Romney would just say something ignorant and stupid though. Obama would have a smarter answer and totally avoid the issues.

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2. 67

   innersmiffposted 11 years ago

   The 'must cover' topic has to be Iran, and in a real sense - what exactly is their beef with Iran since they have no nuclear weapons, are not building nuclear weapons, and have displayed no aggression towards us? Of course, they won't mention that.
   
   My question would be to both of them: how do you reconcile your support for the deaths of thousands of innocent people with your foreign policy?
   
   My biggest concern about the US and its interactions with the rest of the world is its rampant militarism. Of course, they both support that, if in mildly different degrees.
   
   I think if Romney were to challenge Obama on his illegal invasion of Libya, and then pledge not to commit military to anything without congressional approval, then he may get some brownie points, but he won't.
   
   If Johnson or Paul were in there, I think it'd be quite embarrassing for both Obama and Romney. Even raging liberal Roger Ebert pointed out that Ron Paul "actually says things" as opposed to blurting out inane phrases that the audience might find inspiring. Imagine getting them to agree with each other on foreign policy - that would be quite a sight I reckon.

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3. 93

   e-fiveposted 11 years ago

   Ending the war in Afganistan.  We've been there for 11 years, and we've done all that any well-meaning nation would have had the responsibility to do.  They're overdue to take control of their own security, and the US being there any longer will have no additional positive effect.  Actually, I think it would the withdrawl from Afganistan would be a good time to scale down a lot of our other overseas military personnel in Germany, Japan, South Korea, etc.

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4. 61

   movingoutposted 11 years ago

   @justsilvie, I agree a 100%! Romney doesn't have a clue when it comes to the consequences of war!

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5. 81

   mperrottetposted 11 years ago

   I have a son who just retired as a colonel after having served 24 years, and a grandson who is in ROTC in college on a marine scholarship, and will be commissioned in the spring.  Another of my grandsons just joined the Navy.  My concern is how involved we will become in the mess that is the middle east, particularly Iran, and making sure that we get out of Afghanistan.  I worry about what my grandsons in the military will face in the coming years.

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      Justsilvieposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I worry with you. My grandson is also considering the Military and after 3 generations of career military in my family, enough already. Unless we go back to my dad's view of his job and that was the purpose of the miltary in a post war world was to keep the peace and protect our own borders.

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6. 48

   Doodleheadposted 11 years ago

   All of them.  The Constitution says the US is to stay out of entangling alliances.   I want us to follow the Constitution.

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      susansiskposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      I think the #1 foreign policy issue is walking the line between diplomacy and confrontation.  Most of us want a world of peace for our children and grandchildren.  We have to be able to show our strength with words rather than guns. We have to work toward countries taking responsibility for their own protection, as we are now in Afghanistan.

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      1. 78

         Mighty Momposted 11 years agoin reply to this

         Yes!

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