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DEMOCRATIC CONGRESSWOMAN TULSI Gabbard, an Iraq war veteran who met dictator Bashar al-Assad in Syria during that country’s devastating civil war, has said she is launching a US presidential bid.
“I have decided to run and will be making a formal announcement within the next week,” Gabbard told CNN.
If elected, the 37-year-old lawmaker would be the youngest president in US history. She is the first Hindu member of Congress and its first Samoan-American.
“There are a lot of reasons for me to make this decision. There are a lot of challenges that are facing the American people that I’m concerned about and that I want to help solve,” she said, citing healthcare access and climate change among them.
Gabbard sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where she is able to influence US foreign policy.
“There is one main issue that is central to the rest, and that is the issue of war and peace,” Gabbard added. “I look forward to being able to get into this and to talk about it in-depth when we make our announcement.”
Gabbard was born in American Samoa and was raised in Hawaii, where she is known to surf.
The previous Democratic president, Barack Obama, was also raised in Hawaii, and is the only president who was born on the island state.
High-profile names
Gabbard’s announcement comes ahead of what is expected to be a wave of high-profile Democratic candidates throwing their hats in the ring.
Senator Elizabeth Warren has formed an exploratory committee for a presidential bid, and last week took a high-profile trip to the early voting state of Iowa.
Former Vice President Joe Biden and progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, whom Gabbard supported over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primaries, are also mulling entering the race.
Julian Castro, a former mayor of San Antonio who served in Obama’s Cabinet as housing secretary, says he will announce his 2020 plans today.
Gabbard drew heavy criticism when she met secretly with Assad in Damascus in 2017 during a fact-finding mission that also took her to the decimated city of Aleppo. She also met with refugees and Syrian opposition leaders.
“Originally, I had no intention of meeting with Assad, but when given the opportunity, I felt it was important to take it,” Gabbard said when her trip became public.
“I think we should be ready to meet with anyone if there’s a chance it can help bring about an end to this war, which is causing the Syrian people so much suffering.”
Gabbard was deployed to Iraq in 2005 and maintains her role as a member of the Hawaii National Guard.
That has to be the longest article I didn’t read.
@Jason Ebbs: exactly what they want. The headline will stick in your mind though.
Seaspiracy on Netflix.
Stunned…..
https://g.co/kgs/Us1NVr
@Mark O’Donohoe: just watched this – no more fish for me!
@Patricia: pretty sad but to be honest if you watch any documentary on industrial farmed produce from any source (meet, poultry, fish) you would be left wondering what you would feel comfortable eating.
@John Egan: vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds and very happy and healthy doing so
@Aedín: im sure it is, would 6 billion people be able to do the same
@Mark O’Donohoe: I haven’t eaten a morsel of meat or fish since I watched that, followed by conspiracy. I’m done.
Can we not have the small Irish boat as a symbol on fish products, like the guaranteed Irish symbol.
Give people the choice to pay a bit more for a more sustainable fishing method.
Ultimately, only a boycott on fish will force the fishing industry and government to implement changes.
@Ian Downes: that’s an ideal solution. Sadly the industry is anything but ideal. Cant see it happening unless the whole industry as it is collapses.
The fishing industry is always left behind. Lost most of the rights coming into Europe because we didn’t know/ want what we had.
Now, an advanced society realise what we let go.
Totally overfishing by everyone. The negotiations come up every December and the only sector that looses out every year are the fish
Great article
I see this rag isn’t happy the EU have started to plunder our waters.
@HonestGrump: The plundering of our waters began a long time ago
Last year decided to go “meet free Mondays” where I’d have veg only… apparently a kilo of meat uses like a thousand litres of water. Then moved to “fish free Fridays” as I knew about over fishing. Will I have a world changing impact? Probably not..but if I can help a lil bit, without drastically changing my life? I’ll give it go!
(This is coming from a prepper btw)
@The Kev in Kevlar: you need to learn how to spell before you can comment. The standard of English and commentators is very poor on this website. Including reporters. Just take moment reread and then publish
@The Kev in Kevlar: as they say.. lots of people doing they’re best imperfectly rather than a few doing things perfectly
@Aedín: **** their best
@Keith Rankin: hahaha you come at me for spelling rather that my point? Eat you troll food and go back under your bridge…try harder next time darling
@Aedín: underrated comment, full credit
Dont eat fish tis full of plastic.
Also, after Fukushima went (literally) nuclear, the sheer amount of chemicals is the Pacific,now leaching into the Atlantic has jumped a lot…
Seaspiracy on Netflix well worth a look. I won’t be eating fish anymore. The impact fishing is having on stocks, other animals and even the climate is substantial. Very long article but very good!
have your say