Friday, May 20, 2016

ELIOT COHEN'S COLUMN AGAINST TRUMP FROM THE NY TIMES.

++Cohen is a neocon and has supported various Republican candidates for years. He served as counselor to the State Department from 2007 to 2009.

++For a short clip of why Donald Trump is not qualified to be President,you should watch Hillary Clinton yesterday on CNN.

++But this from Mr. Cohen: "He rejects what he terms "ideology" in foreign policy including longstanding Americanb commitments to democratically elected governments and civil liberties. He admires Mr. Putin, thinks free trade is a synonym for bad deals, and scoffs at a unique American role as guarantor of world order."

++"Republican foreign policy veterans like me who have vehemently opposed a Trump candidacy have done so on multiple grounds, beginning with his disdain for the norms of the constitution. But we also believe that Trumpism in foreign policy is dangerous because of its belligerent nationalism , self-absorption, disdain for allies and comfort with authoritarian leaders of the day." 

++"Mr. Trump's temperament, his proclivity for insult and deceit and his advocacy of unpredictability would make him a presidential disaster --especially in conduct of foreign policy ,where clarity and consistency matter."

++"….his proposals to discard both law and basic decency through the extensive use of torture and by barring Muslims from traveling to the United States are preposterous:in practice ,they would be catastrophic."

++Now Cohen argues that both Obama and Trump threaten the bipartisan consensus on foreign policy that has been operative since 1950. He grudgingly supports Hillary but claims the left-wing of the Democratic Party also poses a threat. So he's looking for a third candidate. 

++So Cohen wants to restore a neoconservative foreign policy but his criticisms of Trump are worth repeating.

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