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July 23, 2016

NIAC Action Statement on Tim Kaine Selection as Clinton’s VP

Washington, DC – NIAC Action Executive Director Jamal Abdi issued the following statement:

“As advocates for diplomacy we have high hopes for Hillary Clinton’s decision to pick Tim Kaine as her running mate. 
 
“This is not a pick that will please neocons who hoped to build influence with a Clinton administration to hedge their bets on Trump. Kaine serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was the ranking Democrat on Middle East Subcommittee, and played a leading role in shepherding the Iran deal through Congress. He has publicly articulated his belief that that the U.S. must put diplomacy at the center of U.S. foreign policy in order to ensure the nation is not on permanent war footing. 
 
“Kaine played a leadership role among Democrats on the substance and fraught politics surrounding the Iran deal. He was at the center of blocking the Kirk-Menendez sanctions that would have killed the nuclear talks when they first started. He helped secure Congressional authority to review and vote on the Iran deal, and worked to win that vote when it came. Kaine was one of the first in the Senate to refuse to attend the Benjamin Netanyahu speech organized by House Republicans in a brazen and unprecedented bid to defeat President Obama and block the nuclear deal. 
 
“A Democratic Vice President who has credibility on foreign policy, advocates for diplomacy, and fought for the Iran deal can help ensure that the Obama diplomatic legacy remains a core foundation of the Democratic party. Nominating him could bridge the gap for those in the pro-peace community who have had questions about Clinton’s foreign policy direction.
 
“We hope Kaine builds on his record and works to ensure the United States get off the perpetual war footing places diplomacy at the center of any future Democratic Administration’s foreign policy.”
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