from the website of Ask the Candidate Stop the Genocide in Darfur: Barack Obama has been a leading voice urging the Bush Administration to take stronger steps to end the genocide in Sudan. He worked with Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) to pass the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. Obama has traveled to the United Nations to meet with Sudanese officials and visited refugee camps on the Chad-Sudan border to raise international awareness of the ongoing humanitarian disaster there. He also worked with Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) to secure $20 million for the African Union peacekeeping mission. Obama believes the United States needs to lead the world in ending this genocide, including by imposing much tougher sanctions that target Sudan's oil revenue, implementing and helping to enforce a no-fly zone, and engaging in more intense, effective diplomacy to develop a political roadmap to peace. The international community must, over the Sudanese regime?s protests, deploy a large, capable UN-led and UN-funded force with a robust enforcement mandate to stop the killings.
John McCain
Summary of the candidate's response:
McCain talked about how American and peace loving people are tired of saying Never Again. Unfortunately, action is being blocked by China, so we need to sit down with other peace loving countries to end the genocide. Specifically, his answer focused on providing logistical support and funding for the peacekeeping force in Darfur.
The moderator then asked a followup question - "Would a McCain presidency over the last 7 years have done more about Darfur than the Bush presidency has." McCain responded 'yes'. He says that he would have made it a bigger priority for his presidency. He would have shamed China for its failure to help, and he would have made louder appeals to other countries to act.
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