Thursday, October 19, 2006

Duckworth and Roskam: It’s the Chinese card, stupid.

Tammy Duckworth: I think what we need to do is work with our allies [on North Korea], something we have not done when we practiced cowboy diplomacy in the last several years, invading Iraq …[we need to] look to the Chinese and to the U.N.
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Tammy Duckworth: We should make it clear that we will not accept further nuclear tests and that we should look at cutting off aid, even further, and working with China to use their influence.
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Ed. Note: Cutting off aid? U. S. aid to North Korea? I don’t think there is much of that left to cut. Wasn’t that the Clinton approach? Carrots and dancing with Madelyn Albright for North Korea? [See here and here]. Did Duckworth mean working with China to get it to cut off aid to North Korea? That might be good, but she didn’t say that in the first part of the above statement. Moreover, does Duckworth think the U. S. is not already trying to get China to “use its influence.”
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Sen. Peter Roskam: First of all, [let’s] look back at really the failures of the Clinton Administration. It was the Clinton Administration who said that we can continue chatting with these folks [the North Koreans] and hope to drive something…We need to continue to drive the Chinese into this conversation…It is the Chinese that are ultimately the financial patrons of North Korea and it is China that frankly has more to lose than we do…so I think the six party talks is ultimately the way to go and we have a great deal of influence over the Chinese that we need to assert.
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Ed. Note: I think the U. S. is asserting pretty hard on China. Roskam thinks we can do more? What, exactly? I am sure President Bush would appreciate the advice and support.
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Excerpt of 6th CD candidates Tammy Duckworth [D-Hoffman Estates] and Sen. Peter Roskam [R-Wheaton] debating the issues this morning on Chicago Public Radio, 91.5 FM Radio, WBEZ, on Steve Edwards’ always excellent program, Eight Forty-Eight. Go here to listen to the entire 27 minute Duckworth-Roskam segment, but without the press conferences that followed.
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So, Tammy and Peter seem to agree, essentially, on North Korea: It’s the Chinese card, stupid, that has to be played. Except, I think the Bush Administration knows that's the card it has to play. The questions for it are: How does it get China to do more than China is currently doing to restrain North Korea in the development of its nuclear program? Or, are the “agreed to sanctions,” enough? Now, those might be good questions for Roskam and Duckworth at the next debate. WTTW?

The WBEZ 6th CD Candidate debate this morning focused on Iraq, North Korea and immigration, and to a lesser extent: Taxes, abortion, guns, stem cell research and promoting a more civil tone in Congress.

About 80% of the 6th CD is in Eastern DuPage County and about 20% is in Northwest Suburban Cook County. The seat is an open seat, with Republican Cong. Henry Hyde [Addison] stepping down after holding that seat for 32 years. Prior to Cong. Hyde's re-election for the last time, he was a guest on Public Affairs:
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Jeff Berkowitz: So, do we need more troops there [in Iraq]? Would more troops, at least at this point, help provide more security- more security for the upcoming elections in Iraq, do you think we need more troops?

Cong. Henry Hyde: I am inclined to think so.

Berkowitz: And, has the International Relations committee looked at that issue?
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From a "Public Affairs," show recorded on September 19, 2004, [See here].
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
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