Best Description Of Republican Candidates I’ve Read This Cycle

Filed in Delaware by on October 21, 2010

And it comes from our very own newspaper, the News Journal. Muqtedar Khan is a UD professor that writes a column about international issues for the NJ. In a recent column he discusses the international policy views of both Glen Urquhart and John Carney. He describes Urquhart this way:

Glen Urquhart, a wealthy businessman with some Washington experience, is primarily a “one of each” candidate. He has one domestic policy issue — the burgeoning national debt — and one international issue — a space-based missile defense shield. He speaks passionately, though not necessarily convincingly, on those issues.

But when one raises other topics, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Middle East, U.S. relations with the Muslim world — key issues which have dominated American foreign relations for a nearly a decade, he appeared to be out of his depth.

He believes peace can be achieved only through strength and because America has become weak, it is vulnerable to “irrational people who do irrational things.” His panacea is investment in a space-based interceptor program. This missile shield, he argues, will not only protect the U.S. but also its allies, making preemptive wars unnecessary. He believes this would also solve the problem of Iran’s nuclear program by ensuring Israeli security.

Urquhart says his leadership style is based on “principle, reflection and is relational,” and backed by his faith in reconciliation and pragmatism. The message he is trying to send is that he is a man of faith and principles, who can relate to people and is willing to learn on the job. He believes he can bring reconciliation between America and the Muslim world. He is proud of his “independent perspective” and that he stood up to his own party.

Is there any better description of the current crop of Republican candidates than this?

Urquhart has done a pretty good job (since April) of keeping his head down and riding on the conservative coattails of Christine O’Donnell – without all the baggage that she has. Dr. Khan perfectly describes how I feel when I see Urquhart – when you’ve seen him one time, you’ve seen him every time. He relentlessly harps on his narrow issues until your ears bleed.

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Comments (10)

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  1. anon says:

    But when one raises other topics, such as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Middle East, U.S. relations with the Muslim world — key issues which have dominated American foreign relations for a nearly a decade, he appeared to be out of his depth.

    Except that he is out of his depth on debt and missile defense too.

  2. Delaware Dem says:

    Since April, all I have wanted to do when I see him is punch in the face for calling me a Nazi. But I will settle for an electoral beatdown that destroys him, his self assurance, and his political world view.

  3. skippertee says:

    Besides calling JERKHART,JERKHART, I also called him a NAZI too. That’s when one of his ardent, YOUNG supporters told me to:”SHUT UP!”
    That when I said:”Come here and MAKE ME SHUT UP, you FUCKING SQUIRT!”
    And THAT’S when the WPD told me:”No profanity.”
    Course, I had to obey, I didn’t want them asking for my I.D.
    The WPD is liable to go all STORM TROOPER on me if they catch me alone in THEIR city.

  4. MJ says:

    Urkel will be at the Wharf Restaurant in Lewes tomorrow afternoon to be on Curly’s show. Anyone want to go?

  5. MJ says:

    Skipper – he was talking about you with Curly on Monday afternoon’s show. Said you were a union thug.

  6. skippertee says:

    Wow, I’m famous. Finally.
    Well, lets see.
    First, I want to thank Jerkhart, whose presence on Market Street Mall made this all possible.
    Oh,I shouldn’t forget the President and Joe.
    It’s true. Your mind does go blank.
    Oh yeah, my dear wife Teri.

  7. Except that he is out of his depth on debt and missile defense too.

    I don’t think Prof. Khan was impressed with Urquhart on those issues, either.

    He speaks passionately, though not necessarily convincingly, on those issues.

  8. skippertee says:

    Skipper – he was talking about you with Curly on Monday afternoon’s show. Said you were a union thug.

    I resent being called a UNION THUG.
    If anything, I am a middle-class, unemployed working person THUG and I clearly identified myself as such to JERKHART.
    By continuing to spread this slander against the hard working men and women in the labor movement, whose sacrifices made possible a strong middle class now targeted for extinction, Jerkhart well earns the sobriquet I bestowed upon him.

  9. BellefonteRoss says:

    “He believes this would also solve the problem of Iran’s nuclear program by ensuring Israeli security.”

    I’d like to see the technology that he’s proposing to use for this. Iran and Israel are awfully close to each other, and our missile interception technology hasn’t exactly had stellar results. If we have something that could shoot down Iranian missiles – from space – before they could hit Israel, I’ll eat my hat.

    (Disclaimer: I don’t own or wear a hat)

  10. Polemical says:

    And does anyone see John Carney as a diplomatic statesman? Khan has been peddling his POV for more than a year or so at the NJ. Because of 9/11 and other Muslim-related issues, the NJ gave him a platform to speak.

    There are numerous, ‘other’ UD professors who could just as easily opine on international affairs, but with a different bias.