The end of the innocence: Obama isn't as different as he wants you to think.
Correspondence 3: August 10 , 2007
<-- Back to previous correspondence
Senator Obama / Obama for America,
I appreciate the response to my concerns you sent recently, and I would normally simply agree to disagree on this point, but I believe that it is you who are misconstruing and misrepresenting what I was saying. I read the Senator's counterterrorism statement (which you included in your email response) prior to my previous correspondence, as well as a variety of other information from several different sources. In no way did I accuse the Senator of encouraging a ground invasion of Pakistan. Rather, my point was that any use of American force on a Pakistani territory, be it by air, ground, missile strike, or any other form, without the cooperation of Pakistan's recognized government, is tantamount to an invasion of that sovereign country. It would undermine the legitimacy of that government, destroy our relations with that people as an ally, and further tarnish the reputation of the United States as an upholder of international law. One does not have to be a "student of the American military" to know this, just in possession of a moderate amount of common sense.
Further, the insinuation that someone who feels this way must have gotten their information from "sensationalized" media "headlines," is downright insulting to any American who has taken the time to gather enough information to express an informed concern to you. It is time that America's political leaders started giving the American people some credit and stopped blaming the media for every negative public reaction. I was hoping that Senator Obama would not be just another subscriber to this attitude, but perhaps he has already "been in Washington too long" as well.
Despite my disappointment, I am glad that I was able to have this correspondence. It is a testament to our political system that candidates for our nation's highest office are this accessible. Based on its content however, I am not convinced that Senator Obama is ready to be President of the United States.
Thank you again for your time.
Sincerely,
Chris Nelson