Zakaria/Stewart '08

Do the recent debates and political climate make you feel like you're taking craaazy pills? Well, they're making me feel that way. There are a million different things to get frustrated about and argue over, but one clear voice with an objective and rational view on issues is Fareed Zakaria. I came across his cover article in Newsweek today, "How to Restore America's Place in the World". It is a must read for those frustrated on how the candidates are discussing foreign policy. Here are some excerpts...

"In a global survey released last week, most countries polled believed that China would act more responsibly in the world than the United States."

"In 2005 Romney said, "How about people who are in settings—mosques, for instance—that may be teaching doctrines of hate and terror? Are we monitoring that? Are we wiretapping?" This proposal is mild compared with what Rep. Tom Tancredo suggested the same year. When asked about a possible nuclear strike by Islamic radicals on the United States, he suggested that the U.S. military threaten to "take out" Mecca."

"The crucial advantage that the United States has in this regard is that we do not have a radicalized domestic population. American Muslims are generally middle class, moderate and well assimilated. They believe in America and the American Dream."

"At the end of the day, openness is America's greatest strength.... But America has succeeded not because of the ingenuity of its government programs. It has thrived because it has kept itself open to the world—to goods and services, ideas and inventions, people and cultures."

If only Zakaria and/or Jon Stewart would run for office....