Herman Cain - Foreign Policy
Race42012 Interview
In February of 2011, Herman Cain was interviewed by Race42012. In that interview, he was asked about American exceptionalism and how that affects foreign policy.
MRN: How does your view of American exceptionalism translate into your vision for US foreign policy, and what concrete steps would you take, as President, to make that vision a reality?
HC: American Exceptionalism has two connotations. The first, and more traditional, is that the U.S. is the greatest nation on Earth because our government and laws are reflective of the understanding that “we the people” have certain God-given rights that can never be taken away.
The second was popularized by President Reagan and that is that America is simply the greatest country on Earth. I recently wrote about this in American Spectator, and the piece will appear in March 2010. I find it very alarming that our current President doesn’t share my (and millions of other Americans’) views on this. In April 2009, the President said, “I believe in American exceptionalism, just as I suspect the Brits believe in British exceptionalism and the Greeks believe in Greek exceptionalism.” In saying this, President Obama chalked up American Exceptionalism to simple nationalism. We know this isn’t the case.
In regards to foreign policy, American Exceptionalism means that we must protect and defend the gift that is America.
AIM Interview
On March 28, 2011 AIM's Benjamin Johnson interviewed Herman Cain with most of the questions consisting of foreign policy questions.
2012 Presidential Campaign Websites
Chapter One: Strengthen Our National Security The primary duty of the President of the United States is to protect our people. In fact, it is the principal duty of a limited federal government. They must ensure that our military and all of our security agencies are strong and capable.
Unfortunately, national security has become far too politicized with our elected officials using the issue as a means to polarize our country as the “war hawks” and the “peace doves.” In response, the safety and morale of our brave men and women in uniform are often at risk for political gain. The judgment of our military experts on the ground is often underutilized in exchange for political purposes. National security isn’t about politics. It’s about defending America.
While diplomacy is a critical tool in solving the complex security issues we face, it must never compromise military might. Because we are such a free and prosperous people, we are the envy of the world. Many regimes seek to destroy us because they are threatened by our ideals, and they resent our prosperity. We must acknowledge the real and present danger that terrorist nations and organizations pose to our country’s future.
Further, we must stand by our friends and we must not be fooled by our enemies. We should never be deceived by terrorists. They only have one objective, namely, to kill all of us. We must always remain vigilant in dealing with adversaries.
We must support our military with the best training, equipment, technology and infrastructure necessary to keep them in a position to win. We must also provide our men and women in uniform, our veterans and their families with the benefits they deserve for their tremendous sacrifice. These heroes have served us. We must never forget to serve them.
References
[1] Website: Race42012 Article: Race42012 Interview with Herman Cain Author: Matthew Newman Accessed on: 05/09/2011