Just a month after the 11 September 2001 attacks, then Illinois State Senator Barack Obama -- a political unknown nationally -- spoke to the Chicago Defender newspaper (Chinta Strausberg, "Sen. Obama: Barriers 'sad, symbols of fear," Chicago Defender, 17 October 2001). The article is not archived online, but I came across it on Lexis Nexis while searching for something else.
It's interesting how his words already display the sort of 'all things to all people' ambiguity that is his hallmark -- he supports war, but expresses doubts about its effectiveness. His liberal interventionism is already there - the desire to turn other societies into copies of the United States. Notably, he states that terrorism might be bred because people are "suffering under oppressive and corrupt regimes." This calls for us to "examine the foreign policies of the the U.S. to make sure that we occupy the moral high ground." I wonder if he was referring to the sort of "oppressive and corrupt regimes" the US continues to prop up diplomatically, militarily and financially from the Atlantic coast of Morocco to Israel, and from Egypt to Afghanistan under his presidency? Here are the full quotes taken from the above-cited article:
"I think that is the saddest situation and after effect of the Sept. 11 tragedy other than the obvious loss of lives and families.
"Those barricades [around federal buildings in Chicago] are a symbol of the fear that people are experiencing. I recognize the need for such precautions, but my strong hope is that over time, we're able to diminish the daily threat of violence and return to the sort of openness and freedom that is the hallmark of our society."
Asked what should the U.S. do, Obama said: "We're engaged in a military operation. I don't know how effective that operation is, but it's absolutely vital that we pursue a military response and a criminal investigation to dismantle these organizations of violence that have cropped up.
"We should also examine the foreign policies of the the U.S. to make sure that we occupy the moral high ground in these conflicts. In particularly, we have to examine some of the root causes of this terrorist activity," Obama said, referring to terrorist leader Osama bin Laden and his "sleeper" cells throughout the world.
"For nations like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia, or much of the Middle East, young men have no opportunities. The only education they are receiving is that provided to them by religious schools that may not provide them with a well-rounded view of the world.
"They see poverty all around them and they are angry by that poverty. They may be suffering under oppressive and corrupt regimes and that kind of environment is a breeding ground for fanaticism and hatred," said Obama.
"It's absolutely critical that the U.S. is engaged in policies and strategies that will give those young people and these countries hope and make it in their self-interest to participate and create modern, open societies like we have in the U.S."