us presidential race

[matin123]

hello everyone. i hope you're all doing well. i wanted to know if anyone is following the united states presidential race. between john mccain, barack obama, and hillary clinton, who do you think would be better for kurds and the world in general? i would like see what you guys have to say.

[Diri]

I've been following the race closely for months now - but I haven't the last 2 weeks or so...

If I were an American, I'd vote for Barack Obama...

He'll symbolize a change of policies in the US - since his very PERSON is controversial, he'll probably bring out the extremes on both sides of the American political scale...

I can't say with my hand on my heart that I believe he is better for Kurds than the other two, but I do believe the Republicans have a stronger commitment to foreign policies than the Democrats do...

I would not like to see Hilary win, though...

Watch this:

Part one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq8aopATYyw&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1   

Part two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMfUajhL24I&feature=related&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0&hd=1   

That is SHOCKING!

[matin123]

i personally don't like any of them that much, but out of the three, i believe that obama would be the best. i really don't think hillary has much of a chance anyway, so don't worry. it will probably end up being a close race between mccain and obama. and you're right, the republicans usually do have a stronger commitment to foreign policies but i worry mccain would bring about more war. thank god saddam is no longer in power and iraqi kurdistan is free but too many people have died in the process.

the computer i'm using right now is very slow, but i'll be sure to watch the videos next time i get on a faster computer. zor spas

[Diri]

i personally don't like any of them that much, but out of the three, i believe that obama would be the best. i really don't think hillary has much of a chance anyway, so don't worry. it will probably end up being a close race between mccain and obama. and you're right, the republicans usually do have a stronger commitment to foreign policies but i worry mccain would bring about more war. thank god saddam is no longer in power and iraqi kurdistan is free but too many people have died in the process.

the computer i'm using right now is very slow, but i'll be sure to watch the videos next time i get on a faster computer. zor spas

I heard that about Hillary before - that she's somehow not popular enough... And besides - Obama has many more superdelegates...

Yes - I understand your concerns, but I think that another war-mongering President might be just what need to liberate Iranians from the IRI...


Please check out the video I have posted in the "Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Syria" section - it's disturbing, but it's the truth...

[raman82]

[quote][/quote]


Well , I live in america, but Im canadian so it gives me an interesting perspective. All the candidates suck , Hillary whom I do prefer over Obama but not really a fan of both , Obama is intelligent but the black church he goes to ,is anti-jewish and other things . Obama says " I respect my pastor on one hand but if he knew he made such comments (pastor) why was he on his board to begin with . The whole american political system is stupid . Common people(avg american isnt bright) electing people within a party , is absurd , the party should vote within themselves and present a candidate which is presented . This election was exciting at first now its just boring and dragged out and become a high school cat fight between hillary and obama , and they belong to same party. Obama portrays himself as some messiah , because just because he is black , its just building castles in the sky. Leaving Iraq in 2009 , as he says is complete lunacy. Iraq is like a sespool now with , Iranians want to control south with its own cronies , Sunni Al Qaeda in the center and Kurds who are depending on Americans for protection and as a buffer from Turkey or any other enemy.

[matin123]

you have a point. if america pulls out of iraq too soon the whole region will become unstable. and iran and turkey will only make things more difficult.

i don't know if you caught this but the other day when Mccain was in Iraq he said that the Iranians are taking in Al Qaeda to train them, and then send them back into Iraq. I guess he didn't know that Al Qaeda is Sunni and the IRI is Shia. Some guy standing next to him whispered something to him and then Mccain said excuse me not Al Qaeda, but "extremists" ... the next day Obama said we don't want someone that doesn't know the difference between Sunni and Shia to be commander in chief... i thought that was interesting.

and regarding the situation with obama's pastor, i also agree with you . he made a speech about it the other day though and in my opinion he spoke very well and cleared it all up. he also reffered to israel as an ally but i'm not sure if i believed it.

i would of liked al gore to run again for president. huckabee seemed like a good candidate as well. what do you think?

[raman82]

I dont get a good vibe from Obama , im not biased or racist , I grew up in kenya myself but in his "More perfect union" speech , he just talked about the black struggles and a black persepetive , I totally understand that but now lots of blacks in America use this as an excuse for blaming problems on society . Another thing they are plenty of wealthy educated blacks in the US so this whole denial of "pursuit of happiness" is a bit inane. In any case , lets see what happens.

[Parzin]

I told a White American one day that they were not ready for a Black President and she almost choked me for saying something so absurd. In all likelihood, I think that democrats may take the office, simply because of the unpopularity of current war and the republican party.I am afraid of the democrats though. To begin with, both Obama and Clinton have changed their plans and visions of Iraq several times. I am not sure, if either one of them is what Kurds need at the moment. There are a lot of registered Kurdish voters in USA and I hope that they know what these candidates stand for before they vote for them. McCain, while a bit of a mellow guy for a Republican ( he is considered a liberal Republican) may end up being better off for Kurds in the long run than either of the other two. I would love to see a woman, or a black in office, but right now is not the time to be sentimental about sex and color, it is a crucial time and we should vote based on important points to us, not what the candidates will look like in office or ... how it is about time in US history to accept either of these two candidates.

So, while I am the least likely person, who should be saying this, because in the end I am going to vote on the Iraq issue, I hope all Kurds and friends of Kurds...can decipher through the webs of speeches of the democrats head to pole with a clear vision of what these guys are saying....they love spend time on domestic issues.....America is probably going to revive if they take office...but where does that leave the Kurds? to the wolves.

[matin123]

very well said. i believe that democrats are better for americans living in the u.s. but republicans are better for kurds and even persians living in the IRI. the only worry i have about republicans is that their foreign policy might eventually lead to a world war 3 (G*D FORBID). i believe kak sohrab said that a war-mongering president like mccain might just be what is needed to liberate persians from the IRI. kind of the same idea. invading iraq was bad for americans, but good for kurds in south kurdistan (iraqi kurdistan). i would like to see one of the candidates stand up to turkey for violating human rights but i haven't heard anything yet.

[Diri]

very well said. i believe that democrats are better for americans living in the u.s. but republicans are better for kurds and even persians living in the IRI. the only worry i have about republicans is that their foreign policy might eventually lead to a world war 3 (G*D FORBID). i believe kak sohrab said that a war-mongering president like mccain might just be what is needed to liberate persians from the IRI. kind of the same idea. invading iraq was bad for americans, but good for kurds in south kurdistan (iraqi kurdistan). i would like to see one of the candidates stand up to turkey for violating human rights but i haven't heard anything yet.

Yes, kak Metîn... Amîn to that...

IRI has gone too far, and nothing short of an invasion will remove this cancer of a "regime"... All Iranians, Persians, Kurds, Azeri, Baloch etc. suffer under this "islamic" (more like barbaric) regime...

We need a clear cut with all this religious nonesense in politics: secularism is the only way to go!

A coo-coo war-mongerer like McCain may be Iran's ticket out of isolation and poverty...

[Arashi]

IRI has gone too far, and nothing short of an invasion will remove this cancer of a "regime"... All Iranians, Persians, Kurds, Azeri, Baloch etc. suffer under this "islamic" (more like barbaric) regime...

We need a clear cut with all this religious nonesense in politics: secularism is the only way to go!

A coo-coo war-mongerer like McCain may be Iran's ticket out of isolation and poverty...

Although an invasion might be the solution to completely removing the islamic regime, it will most probably have an opposite effect - war, sanctions, and in the case of an attack, an enemy, is exactly what keeps the Mullahs alive. Alot of people in Iran might be positive to a regime-change, but I doubt the choice is difficult when faced with the option of an Iraq-like situation and living under IRI. I wouldn't think there'll be any Iran left for anyone to live in. I believe one IRI official once said "This country had a 30 million population when we came to power, and we will give it back the same way before we leave". I think you underestimate how many people are messed up in the head in Iran. It doesn't take more than a few hundred thousands.

What makes you think an invasion would lead to democracy or freedom? Islamic Laws might be relaxed, but in my opinion, they are the least of Iran's problems. "Barbaric" regimes come in all forms and shapes; Turkey is a secular country, but what would you say about their human rights record?

All the mullahs and ayatollahs are old geezers, the best hope would be to wait a few years for them to finally die, and hopefully the new generation brought up under oppressive Islamic laws will be more open-minded to democratic and liberal reforms. This is exactly the same way the Shah fell - he went too far and alienated his people, which is exactly what IRI is doing.

The best options for the Kurds (if war is what you want) would be to annex Iranian Kurdistan, and leave the rest of the country to their own fate. No need to drag the whole population down with you, is there?

Just my two cents...

[matin123]

The U.S. nor any other country will be able to free Iranians from the IRI. It must come from the people itself. All the U.S. can do is create a situation in which the people of Iran can take over. There have been many protests against the IRI by students for example. How do you think the IRI came into power? Do you think the Sharia wanting Iranians simply removed the Shah by themselves?

[matin123]

it's been a while since my last post on this topic, but i believe it is very important not only for the united states, but for kurds as well. not to mention the rest of the world. with about 1 month until the election, it's down to McCain-Palin and Obama-Biden. Tonight they will have a town hall debate which means that the audience will be regular people and that they will be asking questions about the candidates and their policy. the debate will be taking place in Nashville, Tennessee and it's interesting to note that nashville is home to the largest kurdish community in the U.S. an estimated 7,000 kurds. nashville is sometimes called "little kurdistan". it's obvious that iraq will be talked about but my hope is that there will be kurds in the audience and that they will engage the candidates into conversation about their foreign policy regarding kurds not only in south kurdistan but greater kurdistan as well. for example human rights, independece, etc. INSHALLAH this will happen.

[matin123]

nevermind, the debate left me very dissapointed. they didn't even mention south kurdistan while they were discussing iraq.

[saami]

Personally, I don't know what to think or believe anymore. All I know is that when I go to vote these things are on my mind:

1. I am 24yrs old and I have not seen my mother country for 24yrs nor my family on my dad's side; I was planning to go but my passport is not ready yet. If something happens to them then what?

2. Another invasion on Iran is just a reminder of how Reagan supported Saddam, along with every other Arab state, to invade Iran and kill millions of Iranians, whether they were Kurdish, Persian, Turkish, etc. and then make two swords in Baghdad. Even the Mujahadeen (bastards!) supported Saddam. As a side note, I was born in the US during this war so the thought of having to endure this again is unbearable. Also where was the president when Saddam killed Kurd Iraqis after invading Iran, especially Kermanshah?

3. Then there is the passenger airplane shot down over the Persian Gulf by the United States and Bush senior refused to apologize and I think those same people who shot down the plane got medals for it.

4. Then there is Shah Pahlavi who was put into power as a dictator when in fact it was the United States and Britian who were backing up the coup thus leading to the rise and the fall of the Shah by the CIA. Even Reza Shah was put into power by Britian and was told to resign so his son, Shah Pahlavi, could be the new king.

5. Also Saudia Arabia was so eager to support Saddam but then were so eager to get rid of him, while the US media constructed a nice PR package to show the fall of Saddam. It seems like a part of our whole economy and is fueled by Saudi petro dollars which then goes to fund Al Qaeda. Furthermore, Bush is so eager to be friends with Saudia Arabia; never mind the fact that they too have one of the worst human rights records and want a piece of Iraqi oil along with every other energy company.

6. If McCain is president, the media will setup a nice PR package like they did with Saddam and say look we got Bin Laden. I'm sure the Arab states know where Bin Laden is, however how long must this "war" drag on? After all, Saddam (bastard!) was the true vision of a Sunni leader who hated Persians and Jews and persecuted Arab Shias (Al Sadr's father was killed by Saddam) so when you remove the glue, things fall apart and in this case, a Sunni and Shia war is sparked out of grievances.

7. In someway our foreign policy was involved in the affaris of Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan so now the past affects the present, but I don't see anyone acknowleding past mistakes. How is this different than the colonization by the British in lets say Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India?

But I do know that I want the people of Iran to change things themselves and I support a democractic and unoppressive Iran; the days of this regime must come to an end.