Not really, no. I am no fan of Obama, but it's silly to argue that McCain being a "war hero" some four decades ago somehow makes him an authority on foreign policy. If anything, this just further illustrates the average American's ignorance of what real foreign policy credentials are. I know McCain has a long experience in Congress and that makes him more qualified than others for the job of being president, but that doesn't mean that he's an "expert" on foreign policy matters pertaining to everything. For instance, he may be more knowledgeable about East Asia than, say, the Near East. Or he may not be an 'expert' on terrorism or counterterrorism, etc. Also, you may have an individual who's highly experienced in military affairs as opposed to someone who has academic training in international relations or comparative politics. They're not the same thing. Just thought I would clarify...
I agree with your statement, but don't agree how you apply it to McCain. McCain is indeed an expert on foreign policy.
He may very well be, I am not saying he isn't. The only thing I object to is how some of his supporters make the case for him: "he served in Vietnam and is a war hero, not to mention that he's a tough guy who survived years of torture as a POW...therefore he's qualified," they say. So I am just pointing out that it's a flawed argument in the real world. As for McCain, it doesn't seem like he's very knowledgeable about the Middle East/Islamic world in general, but that obviously doesn't mean that he isn't qualified to 'lead'. It just means that he may have to surround himself with smart, objective people who're area experts. Obviously, many of those people (who're very good, if I might add) are already employed by the federal gov't (e.g. State, Defense, etc)
Serious question: How do you feel a (half) black president would be perceived in the Middle East? I've heard that black US soldiers have been targeted more than others due to their race
I haven't heard much about Blacks being targeted at a higher rate because of their dark skin. I'm guessing anyone in a U.S. military outfit would be fair game to the enemy. As for Obama, I honestly don't think his half-black background would matter much in terms of anything tangible as far as policy change. I think his name probably elicits more reaction than his mixed-race background in the M.E. Overall, what he does will always matter more than who he is. So I really don't think it's much of an issue at all. To be frank, I think Hillary being president would be a tougher pill to swallow for some M.E. leaders, it is no secret that they would rather not have to 'bond' with a female American president, it's somewhat socially awkward for some of them and may not look too good back home (can you imagine President Hillary Clinton padding King Abdullah on his back or walking arm-in-arm?). In that sense, it would probably be easier having Obama in the White House. All that being said, "it's policy, stupid!"
