I know Joe and Ana are very excited about Barack Obama’s speech today, in which, among other things, he called for eliminating nuclear weapons in the world. And I agree that Senator Obama deserves credit for embracing a national security initiative that is both bold and sensible at the same time, not to mention bi-partisan. But it is also fair to point out — as the Edwards campaign is eagerly doing — that the former senator from North Carolina endorsed the Shultz/Kissinger/Perry/Nunn no-nuke proposal long before his erstwhile colleague* the current senator from Illinois. Back on May 23 of this year, Edwards gave a speech at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York, after which an audience member referred to the Shultz/Kissinger/Perry/Nunn proposal and asked what Edwards would do about nukes as president. To which Edwards replied:
Well, let me say first, I think I would want to associate myself with the concepts that are conveyed by Kissinger, Sam Nunn and others in the op-ed piece. I thought it was very thoughtful. And I think essentially what they said if I remember — I don’t remember the precise language — was that we should aspire to a nuclear-free world. I agree with that. Now, there are a lot of steps that have to go between here and there. Some of them are pretty obvious, which is America should not be building new nuclear weapons. And then I think America should be doing things like leading an international effort to close the holes in the NPT. There are clearly serious flaws in the NPT. And I think America, leading an international effort to reduce the supplies nuclear weapons that exist in the United States and in other parts of the world, makes all the sense in the world — all aimed at the general goal that’s described in that piece that you just spoke about.
And, just last month, in a foreign policy speech delivered at Pace University, Edwards said, “There is no more urgent task than preventing terrorists from acquiring a nuclear weapon or another weapon of mass destruction. And we will all be better off when the world is free of nuclear weapons.” And he went on to call for the creation of a “Global Nuclear Compact” aimed at strengthening the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Now, Edwards has not highlighted his support for eliminating nukes in the same way Obama has today. But Edwards was there first, which counts for something. And which means his campaign is entitled to issue this statement from spokeswoman Colleen Murray:
If you need any more proof that John Edwards is shaping the race for the Democratic nomination, you don’t need to look any further than Senator Obama, who has followed Edwards’ lead on heath care, poverty, and today, eliminating nuclear weapons. Next thing you know, he’ll be rooting for the Tar Heels.
So there.
*NOTE: hat tip to Bob L. for catching my error in stating that Obama and Edwards were “erstwhile” colleagues. Bob is not correct when he says that “Edwards was out of the Senate long before Obama arrived”; in fact, Edwards’ final day in the Senate — January 3, 2005 — was also Obama’s first. But it’s true they were never Senate colleagues. Thanks.