Friday, February 26, 2016

American Conservative Magazine: Sanders Foreign Policy Best Of All Candidates

by Jack Gerson

An awful lot of Bernie Sanders supporters seem to feel uncomfortable when foreign policy issues come up. Many won't try to defend his positions, but say something about Hillary being worse (no doubt about that) and try to change the subject. And hey, who can blame them? After all, we're just talking about more than 95% of the world's people, as well as the bottom line dominant interest of U.S. imperialism (the heart of what Sanders calls "the billionaire class"). And who could possibly fault the Vermont Senator for failing to call for slashing military spending as the most obvious source of funds for programs like universal single payer health care?

Well, cheer up, Bern-feelers. One knowledgeable and influential group has great admiration for Sanders' attitude to the military and the rest of the world. The American Conservative magazine has issued its foreign policy report card  for the seven remaining Democratic and Republican candidates. And the highest grades go to .. Bernie Sanders. They are impressed by his "realism" and "restraint" while still maintaining U.S. military power. Here's their summary of Sanders approach to war and the military: "Given its staggering human and monetary costs, war should be a last resort. Exhaust all other options first, but keep a robust military at the ready.” That's a pretty good summary: Sanders wants to protect U.S. (imperialist) "interests" around the world -- but in a more "restrained" way. Sound familiar? Think Barack Obama, c. 2008.

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