Today I participated in a bloggers’ conference call with Representative Marsha Blackburn and McCain campaign spokesman Michael Goldfarb. The subject of the call was Barack Obama’s foreign policy. Although one may find it a bit awkward that the McCain campaign organized a call about Obama rather than McCain, it has to be said that this turned out to be quite interesting; not only did we talk about Obama, but they contrasted the Senator from Illinois with John McCain.

They started out by pointing the significance of both wars out. Representative Blackburn especially defended the surge, and made the case that the current US policy has to be supported and encouraged. Goldfarb started talking about Obama’s views on Iraq and, basically, argued that Obama has often called for a quick withdrawal but that he seems to have changed his views now, at least somewhat. This while he opposed the surge when it started. According to Goldfarb this shows that Obama’s ‘judgment’ was ‘off,’ and has been ‘off’ foreign policy wise quite often in the past.

Then came the questions:

Jennifer Rubin of Commentary Magazine: she asked about the bodies of the returned Israelis and the release of Palestinian, etc. prisoners who were released by Israel and Obama’s response to both. What did Goldfarb and Blackburn think about his statement (in which he did not mention, Rubin said, the crimes committed against Israel, and these soldiers).

Goldfarb pointed out that most had been said about this already; McCain felt differently, believing it to be important to talk about this. Blackburn added - Rubin also asked about Iraq and Muslim extremists there - that Obama “does not seem to realize” the threat Islamic radicals pose to the West and the region (the Near and Middle East).

Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey asked about Senator Obama’s and Senator McCain’s Obama to Iran; should the US reach out to them diplomatically, close the gap, and hold one-on-one talks or should it continue its current approach? Goldfarb clearly answered that the US and its European allies have been trying to convince Iran to drop its nuclear program for months, years even, and that they are working hard on this multilateral project. But one on one talks; no, multilateral talks are best.

The crew later also talked about Obama’s foreign policy credentials compared to those of McCain. It should be clear that Obama has little to no experience, and that his living in foreign countries as a child does not count as ‘experience’ in this regard.

Another blogger asked Blackburn and Goldfarb about Obama’s upcoming trip to Europe. The Representative said that she, among other things, hopes that the ‘press will report factual and fair’ about it all so that we won’t see reports that are ‘biased.