Bernie Sanders' foreign-policy fumbles

[SecularMotion]

A recent NBC News poll found that only 11 percent of Democrats consider terrorism the most important issue in the presidential race, and only 5 percent cite foreign policy overall.

Perhaps that's why Bernie Sanders didn't seem worried about his fumbling foreign-policy performance when he debated Hillary Clinton just days before the New Hampshire primary. After all, his campaign has soared beyond expectations thanks to his railing against rising inequality and Wall Street.

But given Sanders' success and the unpredictable nature of this election year, his grasp of foreign policy - or lack thereof - should be of concern to voters. What little of it emerged Thursday night revealed a candidate who seems removed from the realities of the wider world.

This is not surprising since his career as a Vermont congressman and senator has been heavily focused on domestic issues. NBC's Chuck Todd told him that "nobody knows who your foreign-policy advisers are." Figuring that out has become something of a parlor game in Washington, where several people cited by Sanders aides say they have had no contact with the senator. Sanders offered no clues.

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/trudy_rubin/20160207_Worldview__Bernie_Sanders__foreign-policy_fumbles.html

[Thinkingabout]

1. We live in a global world, not having a foreign policy or inexperience is not

Good for this country.

[orpupilofnature57]

4. Our foreign policy is feeding the MIC , Period.

[tazkcmo]

2. Simple.

He needs to list the countries he wants to bomb. That will show them he's Tough! Foreign Policy Credentials equals Who Would Bernie Bomb? Apparently somebody HAS to be bombed!

[orpupilofnature57]

3. Hillary is usurping the Obama Administration, and Drones, surveillance costing Billions, and still no

Peace, with Hundreds of Thousands of innocent civilians murdered around the world to the Profit of the MIC .What great Foreign policy has Hillary been a part of ? Paying of Pakistan while they hid Bin Laden, sitting in the room is all she's done .

[EdwardBernays]

5. No one

That Sanders said was a foreign policy advisor had had no contact with Sanders.

In other words this is a hit piece and should be treated as simple propaganda.

If you'd like a rebuttal though it's simple: Dick Cheney has much more foreign policy experience than Clinton. Should the Dems nominate him? Kissinger has so much more than Hillary.. Should we nominate him?

Experience doesn't matter at all if you don't have the judgement to act in the best interests of America. Hillary has shown time and time and time and time again that her judgement is severely crap.

On top of that the fact that she's - at best - created the perception that she could be completely compromised and corrupt - people will always second guess her motives, making it impossible for people to support her in good faith.

[mikehiggins]

7. Well, he's doing better than paling around with Kissinger. That's gotta be something.

Now it looks like he was hyperrealistic about N. Korea (was that an H-bomb they want to fit on top of their new ICBM or just a really big A-bomb?).

Do you think the Toad is going to mention that on his show?

[Alfresco]

6. Bernie doesn't need a foreign policy. He will not be the nominee.

[ecstatic]

8. I actually like his non-interventionist approach, but the troubling aspect

is that, due to his lack of knowledge in foreign policy, he would be completely reliant on the advice and judgment of his advisers.

I want a non interventionist president who is armed with facts and the ability to push back and argue a different view. You know... someone like President Obama.

[NurseJackie]

9. Which advisors? :shrug:

From what I've been seeing, it appears that the list of "advisors" provided by his campaign includes people who've never met him (or only casually met him) ... and someone who actually supports Hillary!!

That's weird, isn't it?

Did his campaign make a mistake? Was it a "wish-list" instead of an ACTUAL list?

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Whereas, Hillary's "foreign policy experience" was focused on Iraq, Libya, and Afgnanistan.

And, just look how well that turned out.