Dear Fellow Americans,
Tonight's debate is on foreign policy and I am reminded of what Gandhi said once -- "I do not want my house to be walled in on all sides, and my windows to be closed. Instead, I want the cultures of all lands to be blown about my house as freely as possible. But I refuse to be blown off my feet by any."
While my administration will engage with all other Governments -- friends and foes, I refuse to let Israel or China dictate our policies. This is an important distinction between me and my opponent, who seems to pander to friends and doesn't believe in diplomacy or tact while dealing with adversaries.
Look at my administration's record on foreign policy -- we have ended two wars, we have terminated the top Al-Queda leadership, we have seen a surge of democracy in the Middle-East, we have strengthened NATO, we have prevented a war between Israel and Iran, saw Burma begin the process of reform in a non-violent way, and long time dictators in Cuba, North-Korea, and Libya are gone.
We are safer today than four years ago, and we have begun the process of restoring American prestige and credibility outside our borders.
I want to say this to the American people -- during our last debate, my opponent pitched some ideas -- like empowering small businesses to grow -- that my administration will gladly embrace and implement. Because I believe that great ideas come from not just who will vote for me, but also from who will challenge me. I have been, and if re-elected, will continue to be the President of all Americans, not just the 47% who pay the federal income taxes, but all Americans. In fact in the next term, I propose to broaden the tax base, by making even poor people pay a small tax (the Supreme Court called it the Tax of not having health insurance) -- so that they will have a say in the our Federal Government -- something my opponents seem to deny them, labeling them as dependents and victims.
This election is much more than economic recovery. Our healthcare, our retirement, the way we deal with the other nations, and our very future is at stake. Our economy by the way, has shown improvement due to my policies. The unemployment has fallen, stock market is up, and most importantly we have in place, a safety mechanism so our system won't collapse like it did. I am very proud of this preventive measure.
I believe that our foreign policy decisions of the future will be shaped more by our debt situation, than by our military strength. So it is extremely important to pay off our debt -- through my balanced approach of revenue growth, reduced Government expenditure, and economic growth, than to simply invest in more weaponry. Instead, I believe we need to invest in research and education.
This is another stark distinction we face this election.
Vikas Kamat