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Waiting for Barack
The United States restricted military ties with Indonesia until 2005, in part, because of alleged Indonesian human rights violations in East Timor. The military leaders of that action have all gotten off. Just a week ago your supreme court overturned the sentence of Eurico Guterres, a notorious militia leader.
The important thing was we did this on our own terms. Judgment was not going to be sent to Geneva or the Hague … We had this Commission on Truth and Friendship we established between East Timor and Indonesia, which just released its findings. This was the way we wanted to resolve the issue. This was sufficient. Of course, it was not sufficient for the NGOs in Washington and Geneva.
What is the biggest challenge to America's image abroad?
Ultimately, it's domestic performance. If there is a fairer America, as symbolized by this hope given by Obama, it will do a lot of good. If you treat your own citizens, especially your minorities, much better it will create a much more important message than anything the secretary of state or the president of the United States talks about. I gave up on diplomacy when I was ambassador in Britain. The real diplomacy was being done by bankers and traders. The embassy was just a post office.
Barack Obama has a real fan base in some middle-class Indonesian households. What do you think would change from having that experience in the White House?
As I read from his books, I would hope that would create a sense of mission. That things can be improved. I would hope he would create the terms and conditions of a more perfect union … The United States has replaced Great Britain as the power where the sun never sets. Now the sun never sets on the back of the American GI. They are everywhere across the world. You have a $550 billion defense budget, which is equal to our GDP. My yearly defense budget is your defense budget maybe for one day and a half.
So you want to be friends with America, then?
I would like to engage Indonesians, particularly poor Muslims, that under Obama, America will be a much better force for good for the world. That its size, reach, economic and political influence can provide hope … If he wins, it would create an optimism among Indonesians, particularly minorities, that perhaps in the next 10 to 15 years there can be a non-Javanese president in Indonesia. It's doable.
© 2008
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Member Comments
Posted By: Jrmapu @ 04/28/2008 2:27:46 AM
Comment: Silent Majority - Are you happy now that you got everything off your chest? Now its my turn. Only difference I will state the facts according to the rules, the DNC, and Howard Dean.
The rules state that the superdelegates DO NOT HAVE TO stay with their initial endorsement. They can change their minds AND they can vote for a candidate they feel IS MORE ELECTABLE. The number of delegates make no difference if the race is challenged as close as this one has been. If Obama won this outright, we would be discussing republican vs democrat, not democrat vs democrat. Hillary is not dillusional or trashy at all. ALL of you Obama supporters who kept on cramming him down our throats without any knowledge of REAL politics. POLITICS is what it is. NO one can or will change those rules. Remember rules are made to be challenged at any one time. Also can and has been broken. It happens in sport games. Elections are no different. Young people should know that because it happens on the playgrounds. I recall all of you supporters calling us idiots, we don't know what we are talking about, we're old, we're this we're that. WE may be old HOWEVER, we do know politics and anyone who has the audacity to believe in HOPE and CHANGE is dillusional. The electorates will be the ones to choose the president not the POPULAR vote.
Bottomline, Hillary is playing by the rules set forth by the Democratic National Committee. At this point the way they are deciding the votes is a wash. Doesn't solve anything. The only thing this process will prove is that Florida and Michigan mean nothing. They will remember that in November and we all know the White House WILL go through both FLORIDA and MICHIGAN. Thank-you and have a nice evening.
Posted By: Silent Majority @ 04/26/2008 11:31:32 AM
Comment: Hillary Clinton is a piece of trash. Is she even aware that we are on the verge of WWIII? I guess stuff like that doesn't mean anything to her pompuss, prissy, lilly, spoiled self. This race is supposed to be about who can bring peace to the world, not destroy it in vain attempts at power. She is an idiot. Did she even go to college? I'm wondering whose penis she sucked to get to where she is, oh Bill's. If she had any intelligence she would know that it's Obama who is winning North Carolina, Indiana, Oregon and some other states. Hillary has no chance of winning more delegates. She also has no chance of making peace in the Middle East, not that a spoiled rich person like herself would care. Hillary only cares about HER, how much money SHE will have and how she looks to the people around HER! I can't believe she would even take the time to put out this garbage about Obama's preacher who does have a legitimate beef with America and it's KNOWN HISTORY OF RACISM AGAINST BLACKS, MEXICANS, HISPANICS, ASIAN'S, INDIANS, GAYS, ECT!. Is a black or mixed President that much of a problem to you people. I guess whoever Obama says, "what's up" to on the street he's also going to be responsible for what they say. You know what people like you Hillary supporters make me sick because the truth is that Barack IS A DECENT, HONORABLE and HONEST candidate and that just burns you up all inside becasue of the things you did to get to where you are. Let me tell you this, Obama might not rush into confrontations and that is because he is preparing his mind to make peace in the world and not go to war with it. Don't you even know that there are enemies of this country who secretly have suitcase nukes now. It's people like Hillary Clinton who will take us into nuclear destruction with that "obliterate" Iran thing because she obviously has no foresight, knowledge of intelligence or common sense and she still thinks politics is supposed to be about destroying the other candidate IN THE PRIMARIES! Or is it that Hillary is such a stupid rich snob and can't take it that she will have no connections to the Presidency once this is over. Hillary, you are a piece of trash that should not even have any more say in the media and the people are getting fed up. Don't think for a minute that the silent majority in this country will not eventually speak up about Hillary's not so secret tactics. We are watching, waiting and learning exactly who it is that is the real enemy of the people and she will know it but by then it will be too late because people like Hillary Clinton will finally be classified for what they really are and that's slime! Now you Hillary supporters go somewhere and think hard on that one and leave Barack alone because Karma is a B!T@CH and so is Hillary!
Posted By: Silent Majority @ 04/26/2008 11:31:23 AM
Comment: Hillary Clinton is a piece of trash. Is she even aware that we are on the verge of WWIII? I guess stuff like that doesn't mean anything to her pompuss, prissy, lilly, spoiled self. This race is supposed to be about who can bring peace to the world, not destroy it in vain attempts at power. She is an idiot. Did she even go to college? I'm wondering whose penis she sucked to get to where she is, oh Bill's. If she had any intelligence she would know that it's Obama who is winning North Carolina, Indiana, Oregon and some other states. Hillary has no chance of winning more delegates. She also has no chance of making peace in the Middle East, not that a spoiled rich person like herself would care. Hillary only cares about HER, how much money SHE will have and how she looks to the people around HER! I can't believe she would even take the time to put out this garbage about Obama's preacher who does have a legitimate beef with America and it's KNOWN HISTORY OF RACISM AGAINST BLACKS, MEXICANS, HISPANICS, ASIAN'S, INDIANS, GAYS, ECT!. Is a black or mixed President that much of a problem to you people. I guess whoever Obama says, "what's up" to on the street he's also going to be responsible for what they say. You know what people like you Hillary supporters make me sick because the truth is that Barack IS A DECENT, HONORABLE and HONEST candidate and that just burns you up all inside becasue of the things you did to get to where you are. Let me tell you this, Obama might not rush into confrontations and that is because he is preparing his mind to make peace in the world and not go to war with it. Don't you even know that there are enemies of this country who secretly have suitcase nukes now. It's people like Hillary Clinton who will take us into nuclear destruction with that "obliterate" Iran thing because she obviously has no foresight, knowledge of intelligence or common sense and she still thinks politics is supposed to be about destroying the other candidate IN THE PRIMARIES! Or is it that Hillary is such a stupid rich snob and can't take it that she will have no connections to the Presidency once this is over. Hillary, you are a piece of trash that should not even have any more say in the media and the people are getting fed up. Don't think for a minute that the silent majority in this country will not eventually speak up about Hillary's not so secret tactics. We are watching, waiting and learning exactly who it is that is the real enemy of the people and she will know it but by then it will be too late because people like Hillary Clinton will finally be classified for what they really are and that's slime! Now you Hillary supporters go somewhere and think hard on that one and leave Barack alone because Karma is a B!T@CH and so is Hillary!