Posted on 02/09/2007 6:04:38 AM PST by Schnucki
WASHINGTON: Democratic presidential candidate Bill Richardson said Thursday the United States must lead the way on global struggles by reducing its nuclear weapons, closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and dramatically cutting energy use.
In the first foreign policy address of his nascent candidacy, Richardson indicated he would reverse many Bush administration policies if he is elected to the White House in 2008. The New Mexico governor and former diplomat called his proposals "new realism."
"This administration's lack of realism has led us to a dangerous place," Richardson said during a speech to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "So America needs to take a different path — a path based on reality, not unilateralist illusions."
Richardson is an underdog in the Democratic race but is pegging his candidacy largely on his foreign policy credentials. He is a former ambassador to the United Nations, energy secretary and congressman who has extensive experience after years of freelance diplomacy.
Richardson said demonstrating a commitment to multilateral cooperation could start by expanding the U.N. Security Council from its current five permanent members to 10. He said he would grant membership but not veto power to Germany and Japan and representation to Asia, Africa and Latin America, perhaps with countries in those regions rotating the seat.
He also called for the United States to join the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on curbing such emissions "and then go well beyond it."
He said that would mean sacrifice to cut oil imports from 65 percent of fossil fuel use to 10 percent in 15 years. He said it would require a massive public and private investment in renewable technology and a drastic increase in automobile fuel economy standards. "This has to be led by a president," Richardson said.
(Excerpt) Read more at iht.com ...
MEADOW MUFFINS.
I suggest we consider emptying our nuclear arsenal over ... say ... Natanz.
Excellent Idea!
Does he have anything better to replace them with?
By the same logic, the nation should dispense with its armed forces and set a good example. We should never support war. "As global leaders, we will be the first to disband our army"
Who is this lunartic on the fringe?
This is the difference between Rats and Republicans, Reagan actually did cut the number of nuclear weapons, but he did it on the condition that the Russians would reduce theirs.
Democrats believe in unilaterally disarming.
Does Richardson live in a sterile vacuum with no outside contact or is he just plain ignorant?
Actually, no answer required. Pre-911, here we come.
Wow, what a recipie for disaster!
His campaign theme should be "I dream of whirrled peas at any cost".
i agree, we really need to reduce the number of nukes in our arsenal.
what are the coordinates to iran?
He learns a lot on all those junkets to NKorea...
Dump our nukes, use less gas, live in caves. That's the Richardson platform...
More horse hockey from the man who got Lewinsky a position at the UN - which she turned down because of lack of grandeur. If he were a little more important he could be in the National Embarrassment contest with Clinton and Carter, but as it is he is just a total, daily embarrassment to the state of New Mexico. KEEP VOTING DEMOCRAT!!! If I go on with this, I will get banned.
he got her a position at the UN? Under what table? What skill set did whe have then other than a blue dress?
BEST....POST....EVER!
Since when did anyone need any skills to work for the UN? Richardson has no skills and he worked there. I mean - look at them! She would have fit right in, but I believe she was holding out (a first for her, I'm sure) for - get this - an ambassadorship.
Easily done for Bill Richardson. He can just give them to China like all the other national security stuff he already gave them.
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