The scoop from =
Washington
Obama: Africa = lessons; look=20 ahead. En route back to U.S.
N'DJAMENA, Chad--Sen. Barack Obama departed this capital city Sunday = morning,=20 en route on an Army military aircraft to Frankfort, Germany to catch a=20 commercial flight back to the United States.
He leaves wtih a ``great urgency'' to pressure the U.S. and other = players to=20 force Sudan to accept a United Nations peackeeping force in the Darfur = region.=20 Obama's last stop was at a refugee camp near the Chad-Sudan border where = some=20 15,333 people who fled Janjaweed violence live. Of those he talked to, = they told=20 him almost to a person they want to return-but cannot unless there are = UN troops=20 there to guarantee their safety.
After this major Africa swing--he left Washington on Aug. 18--the = Illinois=20 Democrat revs up a heavy political schedule in advance of the November=20 elections, stumping in Iowa on Sept. 17, a stop in the early = presidential caucus=20 state that fuels speculation about whether the White House is in his = future.
Obama launches his national book tour for his second book Oct. 17 in=20 Chicago.
He reflected on his trip at the back of a plane on Saturday, talking = above=20 the roar of the engines to the three print reporters who have been = covering his=20 trip.
Obama's next big international journey will be in 2007r--he's looking =
at=20
China, India and Indonesia, ``where ironicall I actually have more of a=20
childhood than I do in Kenya.''
Click for excerpts.
OBAMA INTERVIEW EXCERPTS
ON THE SITUATION IN SUDAN
The instability in Sudan is greater than =
I=20
realized. I think that the lack of a clear mandate for the African Union =
is more=20
debilitating than I realized and that effectively they are not able to =
provide=20
any type of security function in these areas.
NEED FOR URGENT ACTION
It appears that there is a possible =
significant=20
offensive by the Sudan forces against rebel forces once the rainy season =
(is)=20
over and that is obviously a concern....My overarching sense is the =
great=20
urgency to get a United Nations protective force on the ground. We can't =
wait.=20
...If we wait much longer, i think it is fair to say the people we = have seen=20 today and the people in Darfur will be in an even worse situation than = they are=20 right now.
U.S. EFFORT IN DARFUR
Better, but better is not good enough. (A=20
protetctive force) is not going to happen without special effort on our=20
part.
HIGHLIGHTS and INSIGHTS FROM AFRICA TRIP
The visit to Kisumu =
(which=20
included a stop at his fathers' homestead) and actually the response =
when we=20
took that AIDS test was fairly remarkable. (Obama and wife Michelle took =
it=20
publically to reduce the stigma of testing)...a small gesture that could =
actually save some lives.
Coming here and seeing how isolated people are and really getting a = sense I=20 think in this region how ungoverned entire segments of the continent = are.
...Trying to figure out how we can create structures that provide = people with=20 basic security, basic protection...a hugh problem and one that we are = going to=20 have to continue to grapple with I think for many years because it has a = direct=20 impact on our own security back home.
ON MEETING WITH TWO NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNERS
The fact that both =
appeared=20
so cheerful, and hopeful indicates there is something about when people =
serve,=20
somehow it enrichs them in all sorts of ways. They just seemed like =
happy,=20
fulfilled people, even though they are not particularly wealthy.
Obama met former Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Kenyan=20 environmentalist Wangari Maathai.
ON YOUR DEVELOPMENT AS A SENATOR
(noted that on last big =
international=20
swing, was under the wing of Sen. Richard Lugar, the chairman of the =
Senate=20
Foreign Relations Committee)
(On the Africa trip, tis time)
I was responsible, I think, for =
carrying=20
the message to the countries we visited. But it was a good growth =
experience for=20
me.
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Lynn Sweet
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Lynn=20
Sweet is a columnist and the Washington Bureau Chief for the ![](3D"http://spe.atdmt.com/images/pixel.gif"){kind=tracking}
i feel that the sun-times has lost all objectivity in thier coverage = of=20 obama's "journey" and is basically campaining for him , as for him = wanting u.n.=20 troops in dafar.are not these the same democrats that constantly = question why we=20 are in iraq. i guess since the residents in africa are black we should = drop=20 everything,and stop thier oppression and genocide. it's not like they = are brown=20 on anything. what a hypocrite!
Sorry folks on BOTH sides, this is where both Clinton and Bush have = flat-out=20 blown it.....We should have gotten involved with stopping Sudan and the = Arab=20 Muslims from its genocide and/or 'chattel slavery of Black Africans. Its = a=20 tragedy and disgusting that neither did more. Bush at least got the = African=20 Union involved somewhat whereas Clinton did absolutely nothing. Neither = did=20 enough, that we know.
Obama is a great visionary leader. Keep it up Obama.we need = personalities of=20 your calibre to free Africa politacally and = economically.
Wasnt Saddam doing the same thing to his people lets finish the job = in Iraq=20 and let France solve this problem. (Or Germany, or Russia ,or China or=20 Spain).