Is Edwards A True Progressive?

This is excerpts of an article by Zunes.

On one hand, he's the first serious candidate in the past two decades to seriously dispute the neo-liberal orthodoxy on international trade. He has challenged the hawkish front-runner Hillary Clinton on a number of issues and has called for the withdrawal of the vast majority of American forces from Iraq. He has questioned calls by President George W. Bush and some of his Democratic rivals to expand the armed services by nearly 100,000 troops. He has disagreed with the Bush administration's framing of the struggle against Islamist extremists as a "war on terror" as well as its overemphasis on military means, instead arguing for "a comprehensive strategy to respond to terrorism and prevent it form taking root in the first place."

Edwards has called for a dramatic increase in spending for development programs aimed at the world's poor, particularly in health care and education, as well as an expansion of support for microcredit programs. He has proposed dramatic reform and better accounting of the military budget. And, he has recognized that climate change is a major threat to national security that needs to be addressed seriously.

As a senator, Edwards distinguished himself as one of the more conservative Democrats through supporting such controversial measures as providing unconditional military aid to the repressive government of Colombia and voting for funding the dangerous and expensive Trident D-5 submarine nuclear missile program. He also voted in favor of an amendment that prohibits the United States from cooperating in any way with the International Criminal Court in its prosecution of individuals responsible for serious crimes against humanity. This vindictive law also restricts U.S. foreign aid to countries that support the ICC and authorizes the president of the United States to use military force to free individuals from the United States or allied countries detained by the ICC.

I am not convinced that Edwards is the Progressive that we on the Left are looking for to lead this country in a new direction. If you are thinking of voting for a Progressive cndidate, then may I suggest that you do more research into the candidates and not rely on the rhetoric to make your decision for you.