John Edwards: Update on the Dartmouth Speech

Originally posted on 2/1/07; an update follows the main text.

If nothing else, John Edwards has been busy. Here's a story from James Pindell of The Boston Globe:

Former Senator John Edwards said that if he was elected president he would spend the first 100 days visiting foreign countries in an attempt to improve the way those countries feel about the United States.

Speaking to 500 people at Dartmouth College, Edwards said the nation's image has been hurt during George W. Bush’s presidency.

“I don’t mean to do this just so we can feel good,” said Edwards. “We need to do this because the fact is that when America doesn’t lead, there is no leader in the world. No one else can do it.”

I like that last paragraph because Edwards makes a point too easily forgotten by people like Bush (then again, maybe Bush thinks he's leading). The reality is that the United States has responsibilities as the most powerful country in the world; the way to exercise those responsibilities is rarely, reluctantly, with little or no military intervention when possible and only when there is true multilateral support for doing something that is in our national interest. I don't honestly know how practical it is to visit countries for a 100 days but if Edwards visits countries for only his first 30 days, he'll be doing more than Bush.

Here's more on the speech from Grace Wyler of The Dartmouth:

Standing in the center of an overflowing Alumni Hall Wednesday, 2008 presidential candidate John Edwards implored the Dartmouth community to take action against global poverty, climate change and other issues plaguing a world that has become "an extraordinarily dangerous and chaotic place."

In a town-hall style speech, the former senator from North Carolina stressed the need for the American people to reemerge as leaders in the global community by becoming the forerunners in the battles against global warming, disease and genocide.

"It is now clear to me that baby steps, incremental change is not enough," Edwards said. "We need serious transformational change on so many fronts. The character of America needs to be seen and heard. As the preeminent power of the planet we have an enormous responsibility to humanity. America must be a force for good on earth, and that means that we have to do more than talk."

What Edwards is saying is important but it's a tough sell for the American people and I would want to know more about what Edwards has in mind and what kind of foreign policy experts he's been consulting. But it's important for Americans to realize that our foreign policy is adrift and there is a dangerous vacuum of leadership in the world at the moment when it comes to negotiating important international agreements. Many issues simply are not being addressed as if many nations are waiting to see if there will be a change in America's direction within a couple of years (though a number of nations are already beginning to form new alliances that do not necessarily include the United States as a primary player). Issues like global warming (or climate change as many are now calling it), energy, disease and a host of other issues demand global leadership and it's not there these days. No matter who is elected in 2008, the next president must bring an end to unilateralism and start addressing a number of these issues.

UPDATE: I just saw John Edwards' speech at Dartmouth on C-Span. It was a much better, much more thoughtful speech than was reported in the press. He spoke without text or notes and zeroed in on a number of important issues. The point about visiting other countries in the first 100 days was reported in a way that wasn't entirely accurate (and is probably a function of reporters looking for a quotable line rather than taking the trouble to paraphrase accurately what Edwards was saying); in context, Edwards was simply saying that restoring American leadership in the world is vital and, if elected, he will be taking time in his first 100 days to visit other countries to do that; but he was explaining how on several issues that have lapsed under Bush, the United States needs to lead because there is no leadership that steps forward when the United States does not lead.

I've noticed elsewhere that some of the quotes taken from what Edwards says make him sound a little superficial but when you go back and read the full text of what he's saying (or listen to a video), the speech he gave was better than what was reported. The Dartmouth speech was a bit different; it was very thoughtful, even shrewdly observant at times, and he's clearly done his homework and he was very carefully trying to get the students to think about a number of issues. This is leadership.

I hope the Edwards campaign make a tape of the Dartmouth speech available to young people around the nation. We're in a critical era and no one is going to be more affected by decisions in the next five to ten years than those who are young. Whether Edwards wins the presidency or not, he's doing something important: he's telling people what they need to hear.