Senators Clinton, Obama and McCain are hard at work emphasizing
the differences between and among themselves.
That, I suppose, is how it should be in a campaign. The focus on
differences makes the "uncommon" (their word)
joint statement
they issued this week on
Sudan
all the more remarkable.
Here's the key paragraph:
... we wish to make clear to the
Sudanese government that on this moral issue of tremendous importance, there is
no divide between us. We stand united and demand that the genocide and violence
in Darfur be brought to an end and that the
CPA [Comprehensive Peace Agreement] be fully implemented. Even as we campaign
for the presidency, we will use our standing as Senators to press for the steps
needed to ensure that the United States
honors, in practice and in deed, its commitment to the cause of peace and
protection of Darfur's innocent citizenry. We
will continue to keep a close watch on events in Sudan and speak out for its
marginalized peoples. It would be a huge mistake for the Khartoum regime to think that it will benefit
by running out the clock on the Bush Administration. If peace and security for
the people of Sudan
are not in place when one of us is inaugurated as President on January 20,
2009, we pledge that the next Administration will pursue these goals with
unstinting resolve.
Our friends at the Save
Darfur Coalition have put together a terrific on-line mechanism
to send a "thank you" note to the three candidates.
