shows us what Edwards will face if he ever becomes the frontrunner.
Sen. John Edwards, who has made international trade a key part of his campaign, stumbled Monday when asked about looming European trade sanctions, spotlighting doubts about his familiarity with foreign policy.
Edwards, a first-term senator from North Carolina, has come under increased scrutiny since his emergence as the sole major rival to the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. John F. Kerry of Massachusetts.
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On Monday, Edwards was apparently caught off guard by a question regarding a contentious dispute between the United States and the European Union.
The EU, an economic and political association of 15 countries, has threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods next month if Congress does not repeal a corporate tax credit that the World Trade Organization has decreed is an illegal subsidy to businesses.
"I'm not sure I even know what you're talking about," Edwards said when asked if he supports the corporate tax credits. "If I understand what you're asking, and I'm not sure I do ... I'm opposed to us using our tax system to give tax breaks to American companies who are shipping jobs overseas."
But the issue does not involve outsourcing jobs -- it revolves around the federal tax code that gives credits to corporations that export goods overseas.
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In recent days, Edwards has been pressed by reporters for his views on foreign policy matters. He generally has responded without much specificity.
On Monday, he was asked about the uprising in Haiti and a U.S.-brokered proposal to end the strife. The plan, which so far has not been accepted by President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, would allow the beleaguered leader to finish his term in 2006 if he accepts the appointment of a new prime minister approved by rebels and allows parliamentary elections that should have occurred last year.
"I think for the time being, that's the correct approach," Edwards said. "I think we just have to continue to evaluate it."
Last week, Edwards offered vague answers in discussing U.S. policy toward Asia, and North and South Korea.
Edwards said his approach would be "something different than what the administration has, which is almost a nonexistent policy." He also said Bush has "alienated a lot of the South Korean leadership."
When asked a general question about U.S. relations with Germany -- one of the European nations that has opposed U.S. policy in Iraq -- Edwards said he thought "our transantlantic relationships are very important, including our relationship with Germany."
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Northwestern University's Page suggested the world has changed considerably since 2000, when foreign policy was largely a side issue in the presidential race. This year, a presidential candidate "has to make people feel safe and trust that, as president, he'd know how the world works."
Ouch. The article does have a point though I think. Up to this point Edwards has gotten essentially a free pass but the folks at the LAT (which in my opinion is the nation's second best paper as a whole) must have realized this and decided to take a closer look.