Foreign Policy

The Senate passed a cloture motion on Christopher Hill's nomination tonight by a vote of 73-17, ending debate and setting up a final vote tomorrow.

The roll call can be found here.

The opposition was led by Sen. Sam Brownback (D-Kan.), who delivered a particularly tough speech against Hill during debate tonight. (We'll post video when available.)

You could have seen this coming. President Obama's interactions with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last weekend at the Summit of Americas have stirred up the right.

The interaction - and Chavez for that matter - has headlined the agenda-setting conservative Drudge Report most of the weekend. Nevada Sen. John Ensign told CNN that Obama's shaking hands and laughing with Chavez was "irresponsible."

"This is a person who is one of the most anti-American leaders in the entire world," Ensign told said on Sunday. "He is a brutal dictator and human rights violations are very, very prevalent in Venezuela. And you have to be careful."

And then there is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's (R-Ga.) blasting Obama Monday morning and saying the handshake will be used for propaganda.

The blogs have been even tougher. Discussing Obama's defense of the meeting, HotAir's Allahpundit writes: "It's not a question of jeopardizing national security, it's a question of conferring legitimacy upon a cretin who, in a just world, would be radioactively illegitimate. If Obama's going to do that, the least he can do is not play dumb about it." Read more...

The United States's trade embargo with Cuba hasn't worked and it has isolated the U.S. from the rest of the world, Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said Wednesday.

Lee's remarks came after she returned from a congressional delegation trip to Cuba with fellow members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The embargo, Lee said on MNSBC Wednesday, has "isolated the United States from the rest of the world."

The delegation met with former Cuban President Fidel Castro, whose health caused him to abdicate the presidency last year. Despite some reports that the leader's health continues to deteriorate, Lee said Castro was "very energetic" and "his mind was very sharp."

"We had a discussion on a variety of issues and he was very clear on the fact...that Cuba is ready to talk to the United States without preconditions." Read more...

President Obama received some very high marks in a new poll as his first trip overseas comes to an end on Tuesday.

Nearly eight in 10 respondents said people in other countries will view the U.S. more positively after Obama's trip, in the CNN/Opinion Research poll released Monday. Less than two in 10 said they will view the country more negatively.

Sixteen percent said Obama accomplished a "great deal" on the trip and 45 percent said he accomplished a "fair amount."

"The American public seems to think that Obama's primary achievement on his trip so far was increasing goodwill rather than winning specific concessions from other countries," Keating Holland, CNN's polling director, said. "Obama seems to have made a good first impression on the world stage, and Americans appear to have noticed." Read more...

In his first visit to a Muslim nation, President Obama called Turkey a "true partner" and said that the U.S. is committed to a long term partnership with the Muslim world.

Obama's remarks came in a wide ranging speech to the Turkish Parliament. Obama touched upon several topics in the address but focused on the United States' relationship with the Muslim world.

"Let me say this as clearly as I can: the United States is not at war with Islam," Obama said, according to prepared remarks. "In fact, our partnership with the Muslim world is critical in rolling back a fringe ideology that people of all faiths reject."

"We seek broad engagement based upon mutual interests and mutual respect," Obama also said. "We will listen carefully, bridge misunderstanding, and seek common ground. We will be respectful, even when we do not agree. And we will convey our deep appreciation for the Islamic faith, which has done so much over so many centuries to shape the world for the better Read more...

Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.) laid out on Sunday what he believes to be the best response to North Korea's missile launch.

Here's Kerry's statement:

Read more...

Alex Conant, the former Republican National Committe communications director and member of President Bush's communications team, raises an interesting point with this tweet:

How can Obama statement on N. Korea missile launch be Interpreted as anything but endorsement of Bush's strategy, including 6-party talks?

Here is Obama's statement. How does his policy different from Bush's? The comments section awaits below....

Crossposted at the TwitterRoom.

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Just a warning: This probably won't be the last post today on North Korea's missile launch.

Here is the joint statement from the United States and the European Council put out Sunday morning:

The launch of a missile by North Korea defies UN Security Council resolutions and harms peace and stability in northeast Asia. We call on North Korea to honor its commitment to abandon all nuclear weapons programs, to abide by recognized norms of international relations, and to work to promote peace and stability in northeast Asia. North Korea Read more...

President Obama issued the following statement early Sunday morning condemning North Korea for launching long-range missile over Japan.

North Korea launched a Taepodong-2 missile late Sunday. Notably, North Korea said that it succeeded in putting a satellite into orbit, one of the mission's top goals. South Korea and the United States, however, said the missile had failed to put a satellite into orbit.

North Korea's development and proliferation of ballistic missile technology pose a threat to the northeast Asian region and to international peace and security. Read more...

Based on the latest Gallup poll, President Obama picked a good time to go overseas for the first time.

The poll, release Wednesday, found that more than six in ten respondents approve of the way Obama is handling of foreign affairs. More, Obama scored best on foreign affairs compared to the economy and the budget deficit.



The poll also found a seven-point increase in how well respondents think Obama is dealing with foreign affairs compared to a survey in early February.
Read more...