Obama discusses security

<b>Presidential hopeful warns against fighting ‘the last war’</b>

by Brian Rosenthal

WEST LAFAYETTE — Throughout his bid for the presidency, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama has been accused of being “all talk.” In Indiana on Wednesday, the focus was squarely on policy.

Obama campaigned at Purdue University Wednesday afternoon, discussing America’s security with a panel of seven experts. The group included two men said to be on Obama’s short list for vice president, popular Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and former Georgia Sen. Sam Nunn.

The two-hour summit addressed three “threats of the 21st century” — nuclear, biological and cyber attacks.

“It’s time to look ahead — at the dangers of today and tomorrow rather than those of yesterday,” Obama said in his opening remarks to the invitation-only crowd of 500. “America cannot afford another president who doesn’t understand the threats that confront us now and in the future.”

After his 10-minute opening speech, Obama turned it over to the panel, which included Bayh, Nunn, a former senior CIA officer, a Stanford microbiologist and three former security advisers to President Bill Clinton. While panel members spoke about their expertise, Obama moderated the discussion and inserted his own opinions.

In the first and longest segment of the summit, about nuclear security, Obama pledged to spend $10 billion to secure all vulnerable nuclear weapons in his first term as president and to work toward eliminating all nuclear weapons.

“As long as nuclear weapons exist, we’ll retain a strong deterrent,” he said. “But we need to do more. It’s time to send a clear message to the world: America seeks a world with no nuclear weapons.”

Obama said work to prevent a deadly bioterrorist attack — including one using anthrax or aimed at the country’s food supply — could also improve the nation’s overall public health system and protect against an epidemic. The candidate called pursuing bio defense a “threefer.”

On cyber security, Obama said America is vulnerable to terrorists using the country’s computer networks to deal it a “crippling blow.”

He committed to tightening standards to access government information and appointing an adviser exclusively focused on protecting the country’s information networks.

“For the last eight years, we have been dragging our feet,” Obama said. “As president, I’ll make cyber security the top priority that it should be in the 21st century.”

The presidential hopeful criticized current President George W. Bush for allowing the war in Iraq to distract from other national security threats. He said the billions spent in Iraq could better be used as an “insurance policy” against future threats.

Obama also took care throughout the event to compliment Indiana. He called Purdue “one of the world’s finest universities” and Bayh “one of the finest senators we have.”

The state has not voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since Lyndon B. Johnson won all but six southern states in 1964. Still, Obama thinks he can win the traditional Republican stronghold. He’s been running television advertisements throughout the state and Wednesday’s discussion was his 41st campaign event in Indiana this year.

“Over the last 44 years, the Hoosier state has been ignored,” Bayh said at the summit. “One side has taken us for granted; the other has written us off. But not Barack Obama.”

The latest Indiana public survey, a June 23 SurveyUSA poll, showed Obama with a one percentage point lead over Republican John McCain among about likely Hoosier voters.

The Obama campaign is converting voters all over the state, including in Logansport, said Democratic Deputy Mayor Linda Klinck, who was offered a ticket when Mayor Mike Fincher was unable to accept his invitation.

“People are changing their minds,” said Klinck, who is running for the state senate. “I won’t say they’re completely convinced yet. But I think they’re changing their minds.”

More events like the one on Wednesday will speed along that conversion, said Klinck, who said the discussion showcased Obama’s intelligence but also his willingness to listen.

“I think if anybody were to see the forum today, they would be convinced that Obama can be the president he needs to be,” she said. “He was really down to business.”

Brian Rosenthal can be reached at (574) 732-5148 or via e-mail at brian.rosenthal@pharostribune.com

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