Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Jan 28 2008

U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama’s foreign policy program has
no item on Azerbaijan and generally Caucasus

[ 28 Jan 2008 16:24 ]

Barack Obama’s field officers in San José have not heard about
so-called Armenian genocide

APA U.S. bureau correspondent’s special report from Barack Obama’s
office in San José

US Democratic Party’s primaries scheduled for February 5 should be
decisive, as they will be held in 20 states simultaneously.
California, which was historically considered the state inclined to
democrats, is the first address attracting attention of presidential
candidates. It has several causes. First of all, California will send
most delegations to the congress of Democratic Party. Secondly, about
600,000 Armenian voters have been registered in this state. There are
not so many Armenians in other states. Taking into account that the
territory of California – the Golden State of the US, is
approximately five times larger than Azerbaijan, we can understand
why 47-year-old Illinois senator Barack Obama opened five offices
here. Two of the offices are located in the south of the state – Los
Angeles and San Diego, the rest three in the north of the state –
Auckland, Sacramento and Palo Alto. Besides, Obama has field offices
in California. APA’s US bureau correspondent prepared a special
report from one of these field offices in the City of San José,
Capital of Silicon Valley.

Barack Obama’s field office in the center of San José, had been the
library of Spanish and local Hindu writers. Obama rented the office a
month ago. As you approach the office you see Obama’s slogan `Changes
start with you’. One can see posters with this slogan in some other
places of the office. The field office is decorated with Obama’s
photos and U.S. flags. Any person entering the field office – can
acquaint himself with the achievements of Barack Obama beginning from
his childhood till the latest results of his election campaign.
Special stand covers the senator’s program on the presidential
elections that will be held in November, 2008. The program is
all-round and makes clear all the issues that interest an ordinary
voter. It covers the issues such as U.S. foreign policy, Iraq war,
policy concerning youth, religion, rights of women and nations of
Spanish origin, and even human and animal cloning.

It is interesting that there is not word neither about Azerbaijan,
nor Caucasus in the program of foreign policy of Obama. But potential
president promises that they will withdraw 2 military brigades from
Iraq every month and return American soldiers to their motherland
till the end of 2008 after he achieves supreme post. The black-skin
candidate noted that raising foreign influence of US as one more
purpose of foreign policy is priority. Taking into account, if Obama
is elected president, 3 months will remain to the completion of 2008
and it will be impossible to remove 120,000-army from Iraq within
this period, it is not difficult to perceive that senator’s statement
will be of populist character. Nobody answered to questions given in
the office regarding it. You can see support letter of Congressman
Zoe Lofgren who was elected to Lower House of the Congress from San
Hose among reports posted in the favor of Obama. Congressmen and
other influential persons’ supporting candidates is one of the
election traditions in US. The main momentum which attracts attention
in the letter of Mr. Lofgren is to strike out his main rival from
Democratic Party Hillary Clinton along with blowing up Obama’s
achievements. Congressman said in his letter that Obama has
functioned in the Congress for a long time and he is 5 years elder
than John Kennedy’s presidential age. (Mr. Kennedy was elected
president when he was 42). These facts reply to statements on Ms.
Clinton’s rival’s being young and inexperienced. The main attention
is paid to negative attitude to Ms. Clinton more than Republican
candidates in Obama’s office. Volunteers in the office sound epithets
`fascist of modern period’, `George Bush’s liberal version’ and `doll
of large corporations’.

As to those who work in the office, all of them are volunteers.
Nobody knows the exact number of the volunteers, they have no exact
program and strategy. The main purpose is to meet a lot of people and
phone them. That is why phone sets in the office always work.
Volunteers phone nearly 100 people every day. They start to work in
the evening, as potential electors are at home that time. Each of the
democrats has phone numbers and addresses of the electors supporting
Party on each state. The important message they give in the meeting
with people is slogan `Barack Obama will not change U.S., he will
give you, especially youth chance to do these changes’.
John Kennedy used this slogan once. Obama tries to compare himself
with John Kennedy.

Teacher Helen Sims, working in the office explained her love for
Obama. She said that he did not receive material endowment form
larger cooperations and understands what Americans want. Asked how he
knows about it Obama said that he gave free legal advices in southern
Chicago where Negroes lived, before entering faculty of law at
Harvard University. Ms. Sims believed that he will bring a new breath
to White House. Therefore she noted that people standing behind
Hillary Clinton are those who took higher posts during Bill Clinton’s
tenure.

`I was bored to see old faces in the policy,’ Ms. Sims stressed.
22-year-old Taylor Wood, studying psychology at San Jose State
University stated that he is a head of community at the university
that supports Obama. He decided to support Obama after reading his
book Courage of our Convictions. Mr. Wood noted that, unlike other
politicians, Obama is very sincere person and never changes his
position. Young student supports Obama’s position on immigration,
Iraq conflict, especially Darfur (Sudan) genocide. But how is his
position to Obama’s last statement on Armenian genocide? Wood stated
that he has never heard about Armenian genocide. Other volunteers
also repeated the same words in the office. Jizel Shmitz, heading
offices noted that he has heard about 1915 events little. He is also
unaware of who fought during these events. They got information from
me about Obama’s last statement on Armenian genocide. Ms. Shmitz
stated that though Armenians live in the northern California, there
is no special interest for them. There is a special interest for
Spanish voters. Therefore, Spanish volunteers work in the offices.
They thought that, 36 %(12.5 million) Spanish voters will change the
situation in Obama’s favor in California.42 % electors of California
will vote for H.Vlinton,28% Barack Obama and 13% for John Edward
according to latest survey./APA/