As Super Tuesday approaches, Lebanese Americans should think hard about the President that would be best for America and best for Lebanon. My two cents.
I’m a sucker for Barack Obama. I enjoyed watching every speech he made, twice. Yesterday, I started a nasty habit of mass emailing the “Yes We Can” Youtube video to everyone I think might care (my wife is already sick of listening to it). This guy makes me proud to be American. No wait, I’m not an American. In fact I wonder: if I were a Lebanese-American voting tomorrow, would I vote for him?
I started imagining him sitting with Bashar Assad or Walid Mouallem and “listening” to their trademark BS. He would probably be impressed by their “willingness to cooperate”. He might even give them the benefit of the doubt. Alas, like French President Sarkozy and many Europeans before him, it will take him at least a year to fathom the extent of their deception. That’s a learning curve that neither we, nor the U.S. has luxury for. Too bad.
What we need is someone who knows the ways of the Syrian and Iranian regimes. Someone that has been around for a while. That leaves us with Hillary Clinton and John McCain (Romney and Huckabee wont make it to the end, because even if one of them managed to win the Republican primary, he’ll be eaten alive by the Democrats). Hillary has Bill, and Bill knows a lot about the Assads. Unfortunately, the Clintons are too ready to cut deals with the devil if enough trouble was stirred in foreign lands.
What we need is someone a bit more principled. Someone who would look a dictator in the eye and tell him: I ain’t shaking your filthy blood-soaked hands. Someone like John Mccain who’s been around the block for so long he’d be impossible to fool.
If I were an American, I would be voting for John McCain tomorrow and in November.
Do You agree? Disagree? Who would you vote for? Why? Please let me know what you think because I know many Lebanese Americans out there could use a nudge.
Hello, my name is Mustapha and I've been blogging about Lebanese society, business and politics since February 2005.
I agree with your line of thinking.
I’m normally not one to vote republican, but in this case, and looking in the interests of Lebanon, I’d be hard pressed to vote for Hillary or Obama, for the exact reasons you mentioned. They’d be too easily manipulated by the Syrian regime much to our expense. We need someone’s who’s already gone through that learning curve and who won’t be afraid to standup to the bullies of Damascus.
LMAO.
This should be added to the list of “You know you’re Lebanese when:”
You have to figure out which foreign president is most suited for your own country.
And to top it all off there is local presidential vacancy, because none can agree on one single candidate, never mind 3.
There is no way it can get anymore dysfunctional than this.
Scratch that, it can.
Hillary Clinton as she stated she was favoring the creation of a palestinian state and the return to that state the palestinians refugies. Might be the solution for leb.
John McCain is as well one i favor because of his moral positions against the torture.
I prefer Rudy but it is no longer an option.
McCain would be next best candidate for me.
I am a proud Lebanese American and I have almost voted in every primary, general, state and mayoral elections!!! I used to be a Republican (because of their fiscal responsibility vs. the Democrats tax and spend policy!) Although, I don’t vote along party line.
Now, why I will support Hillary in the Primary? Bill Clinton!!! Yes, because of her husband who was one of the few Democrats who was fiscally responsible. Along with his experience on the Middle East issues. My observation is a second term president has been always “trying” to be fair to the Palestinians and to the Arabs. He will pass his experience on Assad the father to her and on how to deal with the Israelis. I am not downplaying Hillary’s experience!!! She has been in politics more than you think. You don’t need to be elected to understand what is going on. Regarding Lebanon, I prefer her over Obama. Lobbyists prefer new faces so they can be influenced and directed by the lobbyists’ experienced staff. But Bill Clinton “been there, done that” including good experience with the lobbyists and also with the interns!!!! Asad and Iran can fool Obama but not the Clintons.
Now, in the general elections, McCain will be the Republican nominee and I will vote for him!!! I like him because he understands that Iran is our real threat and leaving Iraq abruptly will strengthen Iran. From day one, he will tell Syria and Iran that either you will behave or you will face what Libya faced!!! Ghadaffi is allowed to talk as much as he can but the minute that he acts on his talk, he will be history!!! So, he will tell Asad and whoever is in charge in Iran, there will be consequences for your “actions” but it is ok to talk. We will not mind!!! Go McCain Go!!!
I’ve seen Obama in person and heard him speak. He is amazing! Very, very charismatic … but, then again – so is Nasrallah.
I took it a step further and checked out some of Obama’s advisers and I did not like what I found. They are quite “pro-Syria” and buy into the whole fairy tale of “Syria is the heartbeat of the middle east” and that absolutely everything will be just hunky dory is the ME is Syria is “engaged” and then they would separate from Iran and play nicey nice forever. In a recent interview – Obama listed his favorite 2 Republicans and both of them voted against SALSRA and against any sanctions on either Iran or Syria.
The USA does not need another “President in Training” – a President who knows what’s going on and won’t be “fooled” is what is needed. I concur with your choice of John McCain – he is tough, he is experienced, he knows the players but is beholden to none of the them, and he actually has principles – he is one of the few Republicans who has stood against the Cheney bunch over Gitmo, torture and the reckless spending and earmarks in the USA.
We have such “crap” candidates this time, and it’s such an important election
I voted for McCain already in the California primary (absentee ballot) which was a no-brainer since I’m a registered Republican and don’t get to vote for a Democrat in the primary. I might have voted for Giuliani if he hadn’t dropped out. In November I’ll vote for either Obama (if he makes the cut) or McCain. No way in hell I’d vote for Hillary. The Clintons cannot be trusted. I like Obama but he seems a little too eager to be a “different kind of President”. I worry he might do something really off the wall just to show that he is.
Not gonna comment on who I think is better for Lebanon because I’m not Lebanese :O
i was voting for john mccain before I heard your analysis…due to the same exact cost-benefit ideas as you explained. Super Tuesday here we come!
“I ain’t shaking your filthy blood-soaked hands.”
That’s the exact ideology that doesn’t get anyone anywhere. That was G.W. Bush’s line of thought, and you can see the results. In Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Palestine and even Lebanon.
Now, think of it this way. If America carries on with that mentality, then maybe the other side responds similarly, in Lebanon. Imagine one day we get to some kind of compromise and Nasrallah refuses to shake GaeGae’s hand becuse it is ‘filthy’ and ‘blood-soaked’. Then we’re fucked.
M, I am not sure. Just in case it is important for your poll to count Lebanese-only votes, I am not Lebanese.
It’s sad that every single judgement on here has been about which president will be bad for syria – and not which one would be good for lebanon.
Bring on the invasion of syria. Bring it on. And let’s see how prosperous and peaceful lebanon becomes.
Lebanon’s problems will only be solves when all parties start looking inside for solutions, instead of outside. Has it really taken 400 years of conflict in Lebanon to learn that?
McCain is the next president of USA. I do not think mainland USA is ready for a woman or a black/moslem prez…Also, McCain is not seen as a devout Republican, on the contrary he always has been viewed as the maverick. As far ae Lebanon is considered, usually USA policies do not change drastically re: middle east (except the past two years after the Hariri killing)…Pentagon and state are controlled by unelected officials…However, if I were to pick a person on his straight and tough talk…John McCain!!!
John MacCain is the best option for America and for Lebanon. However, I hope he’s not too close to Bush father or James Baker foreign policy doctrine!
When I listen to Obama on ME, I think he’s a child! As for Hillary, her close adviser Richard Holbrooke is in favor of negotiations with Syria and Iran.
Wish that Guliani was still in the race. He would have been the Perfect Mafioso President to Bomb Iran!
“We have such “crap” candidates this time, and it’s such an important election
”
Really? The three main contenders look pretty good, actually, generally speaking. Remember none of them are incumbents. And compare to Bush vs Kerry.
Really? The three main contenders look pretty good, actually, generally speaking.
Well, I decided I wouldn’t ever vote for McCain a long time ago… like, back in the 1990s. And yet, I just did… yesterday. That doesn’t make me happy. I like McCain’s foreign policy – it’s on the domestic side I’ve got issues with him.
Clinton disgusts me so much I won’t even speak of her to describe the reasons why.
Obama seems promising, but having good ideas and a gift for public speaking doesn’t mean he’s going to be a good President. Is he really another JFK? Or another Ronald Reagan (who probably isn’t well thought of on this blog, but he damn sure is well remembered in the US)? Or is he just presenting himself that way? Time will tell, I suppose. We could use a giant in the white house right about now, which John McCain certainly won’t be.
Remember none of them are incumbents. And compare to Bush vs Kerry.
Yeah, but that didn’t seem as bad of an election then as it does now. Bush still had some standing in 2004, else he wouldn’t have won, right? The only election I can look back on that I’d say had a worse field was 1996 (Clinton/Dole).
hey is it true that Michel Aoun is in france and been diagnosed with cancer, anyone reply
The Democrats in general are weak when it comes to confronting international threats. Bill Clinton’s record confronting Islamic fanatics amounted to bombing a pharmaceutical factory in Sudan. Let’s not forget his inhumane record pressuring the UN to enforce the unproductive and unjust economic embargo on the Iraqi people. With Hillary in the White house, Bill will be running the show.
I think McCain is the best candidate for the US and for sustaining a resolute policy against terror sponsoring states such as Iran and Syria. He’s getting my vote.
I think McCain will be good for domestic policy. And probably will be good continuing US policy versus Syria. But he will have the confrontational attitude of Bush and will divide the world into a too simplistic good guys and bad guys. Also he cannot be forgiven for leading the charge into Iraq.
Clinton like her husband will be more than happy to cut deals with Syria if it gives them the grand prize of Palastinian and Isreali peace, they will easily trade out Lebanon.
Obama at first will likely open talks with Syria ala Sarkozi. And will learn the hard way ala Sarkozi. But his talks with Iran will be more successful. Which will be good for Lebanon. He will also start to regain the respect the US lost during the Bush administration and stop using the Military as a solution.. Of the front runners I would choose Obama
I will vote for McCain in the primary and in the general election, for the reasons you stated, and also for other (specifically American) reasons.
It would be bad for the US, as well as Lebanon, if Obama gets suckered by Bashar Assad.
I like Obama a lot as a person, but he comes across as a college student who does not yet know how the world works.
The mere fact that we have to debate such a question shows how bad we are… No American president can be “good” for Lebanon as long as we do not have our act together.
I agree with Jeha.
1-If the Lebs stay stupid nothing will matter.
2-When I vote, I put on my American hat and I don’t think about Lebanon.
3-Not crazy or impressed with any of the candidates.
4-Bill Clinton back in the WH is a very bad idea, years and Clinton-Bush also terrible (regardless of what you think of Hillary)
the only candidate worth casting a vote for is no longer in the race, Dennis Kucinich.
This discussion is sickening and indicative of our ill-thinking that our fate is always in the hands of others.
If the Lebanese were strong and independent, the choice of an American president shouldn’t matter.
Who cares what president is elected. What’s key is that Lebanon forges strong relationships with either one of them.
It’s naive to think that if all Lebanese were truly united under their flag they can somehow avoid the geopolitical fallouts of the region.
No country in the ME, regardless of how united it may seem can’t escape external influences, whether US based or otherwise. That’ the political reality of the region!
RON PAUL Is the best candidate all around. his record speaks for itself. obama, clinton and all the others are bought by the lobbyists. not paul. paul is excellent for america and good for the middle east by the fact that he believes that we should cut off israel of all funding. bring ALL the troops home. abolish the irs. cut spending which will bring the budget back in line. the man is by far the best. the only other person that may have been close second is john edwards, whom is no longer a contender, which i cant understand his message not resonating more than obama or clinton. obama had said that the palestinians were the most oppressed people in the world and he got alot of heat for that, so he has had to readjust his thinking. the person that will win, will be the one that is willing to stay in iraq and perhaps put iran on the list of countries to be hit next.
if obama wins the nomination, unfortunately that will mean mccain will win the pres for sure. can you imagine all the racists coming out to vote for mccain just so a black man is not prez? that is a reality. and many many people dislike hillary. perhaps after today it will be told.
here is a link to a group that has a list of each candidate and their stands on middle east.
http://www.cnionline.org/
peace
Biggest problem Ron Paul has is that he’s a crazy old man. Even my mother thinks so, and she’s his age.
I am not Lebanese, but married to an American born Lebanese. We traveled to Lebanon to visit her family in 2005 and now have a daughter who we are anxious to introduce to the family in Zahle.
Of all the candidates, only McCain (Rudy as well before he dropped out) provides me with the hope that we’ll be able to travel safely to visit our family, and even more important, the our Zahle family will be safe and secure in the future.
I know that few will agree with me, but I do feel that President Bush has made many decisions that, while unpopular now, provide the seeds for a fruitful future if we hold firm and create an environment for those seeds to grow. And I believe McCain would be a good president to help nurture those seeds as well.
McCain is the best candidate for America as well as Lebanon.
Romney?
If you care about the economy and national security, that’s where your vote should go. And it shouldn’t matter that he’s a Maronite, ha ha?
just passing through.
McCain all the way.
Easy choice really.
lol craig….why crazy? not crazy at all. all of his policies make logical sense and could bring america to what the forfathers intended it to be. he goes strictly by the constitution and nothing else (as it should be). he is not bought out by the lobbyists either. perot talked about nafta not being good for america over 20 years ago and the establishment thought he was nuts, and now everything he said back then is happening now. craig, you are entitled to your opinion, but i have to disagree. the good doctor is america’s only hope. the economy sucks. schools are suffering. healthcare is a mess. jobs are leaving in droves. america has very few friends left and my kids are going to inherit these problems unless somebody comes in and fixes it.
peace
Hey Buckeye,
First of all, Ross Peirot is not a good example of somebody everyone thought was a nut, but he wasn’t
all of his policies make logical sense and could bring america to what the forfathers intended it to be.
I don’t agree with you on that, and I’m a Libertarian. Which is what Ron Paul claims to be. I don’t really see it. He’s “Libertarian” in the same way the right wing militias who wanted to secede from the US back in the 1990s are Libertarian. There’s a fine line between a Libertarian and an Anarchist, and they are on the other side of it. In my opinion. No sound of mind Libertarian advocates “passive” isolationism. That doesn’t work. A real Libertarian believes in National Security, and assertive/aggressive foreign policy. It’s the only way that people will leave you alone – you have to make it perfectly clear to them that if they mess with you, they are gonna be REALLY sorry about that.
But that’s not why I think he’s crazy old man. I think he’s a crazy old man because as far as I can tell when I watch him during the debates, that’s what he is.
didnt read all the posts cause i am short on time. my wife and i will vote for McCain. we think he’s got what it takes to deal with both republicans and democrats as well as handle tough situations in the world (iran, al qaeda, etc).
Obama is best for America. He has integrity and is running a clean and honest campaign. He’s on top of all the issues.
Hilary is arrogant and does not inspire confidence. She is a bit like Aoun, she will do anything to be president. She’s been dreaming about it since she was first lady. She fooled New York and became Senator there, just because it is a high profile state that will lead her to the presidency.
McCain spells draft for Iraq. How can he increase the US force there when the voluntary force is short of volunteers? I will not let him take our kids to war, but I agree for Lebanon, he’d be best.
Problem is, America did for me much more than Lebanon ever did. So it wouldn’t be fair to vote just for Lebanon’s sake and ignore what is best for America.
Tough choice, but I have till next November
how many lebanese american voters are there? 19? this is a joke…they will tip the balance for the sake of nobody!! so naive of you. so egocentric. so delusional (of fake grandeur). Americans IMHO should vote Obama as he is the face of a new america and not the old dinosaurs of traditional policies. He would be the president of stem cell R, health care, anti climate change, minorities rights, peace, etc. Who cares about a pissant country like Lebanon that if not attacked by the syrians or israelis will be attacked by its own children anyway? second if a republican comes to power yes he may hassle syria and iran but definitely would cut israel some more slack to go into more wars against lebanon and whatever syria did in the last 50 years cannot be compared to israel’s wars and massacres against Lebanon. so naive of you , so naive..
addendum
there is no such thing as lebanese american, italian american, and sofort. It’s american and american only. people should vote what’s best for america. if american and lebanese interests are contradicting, the obvious choice is american interests.
Right-wing Lebanese nuts coming out for McCain. Funny how they love the most extreme SOB to beat up on their local enemies.
The problem is no Republican can win this time around; Bush’s stupidity, foreign policy catastrophes and the so un-conservative fiscal irresponsibility of running the national debt and bringing on a recession, has sown doubt even into the hearts of the most wild-eyed Republican religious nuts (although it does not seem to deter our own Lebanese wild-eyed nuts). And even in the unlikely possibility that McCain wins, he will be the last person to wage a war. No one knows about the horrors of war than a guy who went through it. If a cracked person like Bush could not pull the trigger, none of the three current contenders will. Giuliani stinking the campaign trail and withdrawing from the race must have put most of you in a deep depression.
You will have to put off your wet dreams about another bloody and devastating ME war for at least another 8 years. That’s way too long to keep waiting on a consensus Lebanese president.
ali,
The problem is no Republican can win this time around;
I would have agreed with you a year ago. But the economy is the biggest issue to American voters now, not Iraq, and Americans just don’t trust democrats to be fiscally responsible.
Also, the democrats haven’t put up very good candidates (neither have Republicans). If Hillary is the Nominee, I think she’ll lose. People really hate her guts. If Obama wins the nomination, he has a good shot at the Presidency.
You will have to put off your wet dreams about another bloody and devastating ME war for at least another 8 years.
Actually we have elections every 4 years. I think our next President (whoever it is) will be a one term President. Unless they can pull a rabbit out of the hat, they are going to spend much of the next 4 years cleaning up messes, and possibly getting involved in new messes (like Iran). That won’t be good for their popularity.
Whoever wins in the end, be it McCain, Obama or Hilary, you guys are DREAMING if you think it would mean ANY difference to the situation in Lebanon.
America’s policy in the middle east is dictated by
1)Oil
2)Protecting Israeli interests
Everything else comes a very very distant third, including Lebanon.
I am a bit concerned about the little experience Obama has in Middle East affairs.
For this reason, I favor Hilary Clinton.
I dislike Republicans (at least at the moment). So I’d rather not see any Republican again, although McCain is a bit on the center side so not too bad.
McCain? What I find funny is your animosity towards Syria, Iran, and Hezballah… so you’ll go to wits end to pledge your support for McCain and claim that he is best for Lebanon? Its said that the Lebanese dont even run Lebanon… they all follow the leader – Jeffrey Feltman.
People call Ron Paul crazy – but thats because they turn a blind eye to the truth. While you sit there and throw your pledge for McCain… gold is over $900… growth money supply is at 15%…the value of the dollar is in the toilet. But apparently people have no problems spending nearly a trillion dollars a year for the Iraq war and billions a year to Israel in military aid.
The arabs in the middle east are as naive as americans – they get played like a fiddle…
You all wanna talk about whats good for this country and whats good for that country, yet you neglect to see the root of the problem. John McCain was one of the original 25 people to sign PNAC – which is not good for any country in the middle east… even for your hatred towards the Hezib, Syria, and Iran. PNAC was originated from the Bush Doctrine designed during the first Gulf War… this has all been planned for a while now… nothing spur of the moment.
And for you americans that want McCain for president… this guy doesnt know the slightest clue of economics. Anytime a economic question is posed to him in the debates, he runs around the question without a clue.
The writing is on the wall – if you dont think printing money at an alarming rate is concerning enough, well… you will in the very near future thanks to our reckless foreign policy.
Mustapha – Here’s my two cents:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/832668.html
Obama making a speech at the AIPAC conference. Surely you know what AIPAC does.
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