Senator Barack Obama’s New Strategy for a New World

As Prepared For Delivery
Washington, D.C.
July 15, 2008

Sixty-one years ago, George Marshall announced the plan that would come to bear his name. Much of Europe lay in ruins. The United States faced a powerful and ideological enemy intent on world domination. This menace was magnified by the recently discovered capability to destroy life on an unimaginable scale. The Soviet Union didn't yet have an atomic bomb, but before long it would.

The challenge facing the greatest generation of Americans - the generation that had vanquished fascism on the battlefield - was how to contain this threat while extending freedom's frontiers. Leaders like Truman and Acheson, Kennan and Marshall, knew that there was no single decisive blow that could be struck for freedom. We needed a new overarching strategy to meet the challenges of a new and dangerous world.

Such a strategy would join overwhelming military strength with sound judgment. It would shape events not just through military force, but through the force of our ideas; through economic power, intelligence and diplomacy. It would support strong allies that freely shared our ideals of liberty and democracy; open markets and the rule of law. It would foster new international institutions like the United Nations, NATO, and the World Bank, and focus on every corner of the globe. It was a strategy that saw clearly the world's dangers, while seizing its promise.

As a general, Marshall had spent years helping FDR wage war. But the Marshall Plan - which was just one part of this strategy - helped rebuild not just allies, but also the nation that Marshall had plotted to defeat. In the speech announcing his plan, he concluded not with tough talk or definitive declarations - but rather with questions and a call for perspective. "The whole world of the future," Marshall said, "hangs on a proper judgment." To make that judgment, he asked the American people to examine distant events that directly affected their security and prosperity. He closed by asking: "What is needed? What can best be done? What must be done?"

What is needed? What can best be done? What must be done?

To read more: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/newstrategy

John McCain's Strategy for Victory in Afghanistan

Today, John McCain Outlined A New Comprehensive Strategy For Victory In Afghanistan. The status quo in Afghanistan is unacceptable, and from the moment the next President walks into the Oval Office, he will face critical decisions about Afghanistan.

John McCain Is Calling For A New Strategy In Afghanistan That Applies The Tried And True Principles Of Counter-Insurgency Used In The Iraq Surge. As President, John McCain will turn around the war in Afghanistan with a comprehensive strategy for victory. In Afghanistan, we need an integrated, nationwide civil-military campaign that is focused on providing security for the population.

John McCain's Comprehensive Strategy For Victory In Afghanistan:

John McCain Will Work With Our Allies To Ensure Unity Of Command In Afghanistan. One of the reasons there is no comprehensive campaign plan for Afghanistan is because there is no unity of command. Today, there are no less than three different American military combatant commands operating in Afghanistan, as well as NATO. The top commander in Afghanistan needs to be just that: the supreme commander of all coalition forces operating a successful counter-insurgency strategy that integrates all instructs of our national power.

To read more visit: http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/News/PressReleases/Read.aspx?guid=e92e0317-02b3-4345-82f9-9eac8bb0a50d

"The browning of America" by Carolina Peña

There’s a phrase I heard for the first time this year and it was sure to produce mixed reactions. However you chose to interpret the phrase, whether you see the so called ‘browning of America’ as a positive or negative transformation, it’s an undeniable reality that is not confined to the usual multi-ethnic hubs found in Florida, New York, California, and Texas (although some would argue that Texas was always brown and the border really crossed them!). The fact is that this is happening all over- Atlanta, New Orleans, Reno, Oklahoma City, Boise, and Kansas City, to name a few places.

Yet, as this growth that is evident on the surface, it unfortunately overshadows other areas of growth in our community that are less appealing to the media. I will discuss more of these ahead, but for now I will argue that ‘the browning of America’ is a sweeping statement that assumes a narrow-minded change in demographics.

This change is well beyond color. We are talking about an ethnicity that is among the most diverse in its combination of African, European, Meztizo, Asian, and Native American. It includes first, second and third generation Hispanic Americans of various levels of cultural assimilation, income and education. And they are top priority audiences for politicians and businesses. Ever since the 2000 Census revealed important data on the growth of the Latino population, the attention seems to seldom shift to the depth of this growth.

Now, given that I work for the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and was awarded the 2005 Philadelphia Regional Hispanic Heritage Youth Award in Journalism, I’d like to provide more observations based on my experiences and career focus.


For the past three and a half years I’ve had the amazing opportunity to work with the HHF’s Youth Awards and LOFT (Latinos On Fast Track) while doing side projects in print and broadcast media while completing my degree in Public Communication and Marketing at Montgomery College and now at American University. These experiences have opened a window into the real ‘the browning of America’ that is beyond the ‘colored statistics’.

Through the Youth Awards we see tens of thousands of students from across the country taking the time-consuming effort to apply for scholarships. They represent only a small piece of the pie that includes an increasingly diverse group of students in age and economic status. This will be the fastest growing segment of the population in the next 15 years, where second-generation Latinos will represent 36% of all Hispanics based on me2, the first major Latino youth-only national study. And with our growing buying power and influence, here are a few things to consider in our evolving identity:

Will we identify ourselves as Latino/Hispanic or American?
Will we speak our parent’s language or loose Spanish all-together?
Will our values be driven by our culture or our parent’s culture and religion?
Will we consume English-only or a bilingual mix of media?
How will we find a way to reconnect with our culture?

And a policy question that also came to mind… Will affirmative action have any relevance?
In matters of identity, as the meaning of ‘being Latino’ evolves, perhaps these results from the me2 survey conducted in 2006 will provide some clues:

Being Latino means more than just speaking and looking Spanish; to YLA it means being family oriented (84%), proud (83%), hard working (81%), passionate (80%), tied to tradition (77%), religious (71%), and believing in higher education (60%) and giving back to their community (53%)

World News

Betancourt reunited with family



Ingrid Betancourt has been reunited with her children - a day after being freed from more than six years of captivity in the Colombian jungle.

The French-Colombian politician was among 15 hostages rescued without a shot being fired as their rebel captors were tricked into handing them over.

Her children travelled to Bogota from France for the emotional reunion.

Ms Betancourt said she would now work tirelessly for the freedom of all hostages being held by Farc rebels.

"It is most important that every Colombian feels that we will free them - that our brothers in the jungle will return," she said.

The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which has been waging a war of independence for the past four decades, still holds more than 40 high-profile hostages, among up to 700 other captives.

'Orgy of kisses'

A day after her release, Ms Betancourt raced up the steps of the aircraft to embrace her daughter, Melanie, and her son, Lorenzo Delloye-Betancourt, who had flown in from France.

She told reporters she was "so proud" of her children, who were 16 and 13 when she was seized.

"They fought a battle, they dug deep into their characters, from the depths of their souls and fought a very beautiful battle," she said.

She described the reunion as "an orgy of kisses".

"I don't know what I said to them. I think I cried... I told them that they would have to put up with me because I was going to stick to them like bubblegum and I was going to eat them up with kisses."

Her daughter said the reunion was "the toughest and most beautiful moment that my brother and I have lived through".

To read more go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7487989.stm

Foundation News

Youth Award Recipients Visit White House

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation Staff and Youth Award recipients, from the DC area, will attend the 8^th annual Tee Ball Initiative at the White House on June 30^th. The staff and past recipients will take in the tee ball game on the South Lawn.

Each year little league teams from across the country apply to Little League International to be chosen to play on the South Lawn. President Bush has a long lineage with baseball and is the first Little League Graduate to attain the highest office in the United States. Due to his long commitment and love for baseball The President and First Lady started this Initiative in 2001 to highlight the role that baseball has played in American history and culture. Also The President wants to draw attention and spur interest in America’s national pastime, starting with the youth.

This year the game will have a Hispanic theme and focus on the contributions Latinos have made in the game. The White House during past Tee Ball Initiatives has honored other minorities in baseball such as Jackie Robinson, the first African American player in the Major Leagues. The White House also hosted a Softball Tee Ball game to honor the contributions of women in sports.



Youth Awards Spotlight

National Hispanic Heritage Youth Award winner for Academic Excellence and recent Stanford University graduate has been honored with two of the schools most prestigious recognitions—the J.E. Wallace Sterling Award and the Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award.

The J.E. Wallace Sterling Award recognizes a senior whose undergraduate activities demonstrate the strong potential for continued service to the University and the alumni community. Service might include involvement in athletics, clubs, drama and musical productions, fundraising, journalism, public service, religious organizations, residential education, social and political organizations, student government, or University committees.

The Lloyd W. Dinkelspiel Award recognizes distinctive and exceptional contributions to undergraduate education or the quality of student life at Stanford. The contribution may be made for such activities as curriculum design, program development, advising excellence, residential education, committee leadership, or extracurricular education.

Jonathan was selected for his heartfelt devotion to and deep affection for undergraduate life as a freshman RA and new student orientation coordinator; for an unbridled, motivating energy that sustained his fellow students through the exhaustion of Dance Marathon, Relay for Life and Students for Obama; for the inimitable way he gently walks through life on the Farm, listening intently, intuiting the needs of others and spreading kindness at every turn; for living the creed "I don't have to, I get to" and inspiring others to understand that life is a set of opportunities and gifts, not burdens; and for the contagious nature of his boundless enthusiasm and outlook on life, all informing his uncommon love for this special place between the foothills and the bay where the Stanford spirit was born in him.

“I do not recall a single student in the history of the university that received both these awards,” said Dean of Freshmen, Julie Lythcott-Haims when commenting on Jonathan’s accomplishment.

So what’s next for Jonathan? He is off to Chicago to work in Democratic Presidential hopeful Barack Obama’s campaign headquarters as a member of the Latino media team.

When asked to justify his decision, Jonathan states, “I’ve seen the transformations that he’s already made. He’s inspired our whole nation to participate in government, especially younger voters. Regardless of your ideals, you have to respect that.”

Beyond November, he says he’ll play it by ear, but his long time dream for a law degree and career in civil rights advocacy is still with him. Whatever he does, HHF knows that he will do it well. We are proud of you Jonathan. You inspire us all.

VISIT: www.hispanicheritage.org

A day in the life of a Pulte intern

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation and the Latinos on Fast Track (LOFT) team would like to congratulate Jose Campoy as the winner of "A day in the life of a Pulte intern" video contest. Felicidades!

Alma Magazine Ad - Papel Picado

This is Ariyana, fellow intern of Andrea and Vika at the HHF for the summer. Currently Vika and I have been working on creating ads for the foundation. Vika has been busy finishing her Cine Mexicano poster of Rita Moreno and Anthony Quinn. Meanwhile, I have been preoccupied with creating ads based on the theme of papel picado, which you can see below. Both concepts were very labor intensive to make, from the sketches to the final, especially since in keeping with the theme of the ad I wanted to do the work traditionally, which meant actually cutting my designs from paper. Believe me, after making many mistakes during this project my admiration for the art of papel picado, not only in the result but the process, has definitely grown. I’m really happy with the finals and have just given them to Bill to be formatted and refined for print. Also, I’m going to be REALLY excited to see the ad in Alma!