Past U.S. presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson have been described as liberal hawks for their roles in bringing about America's status as the world's premier military power. The Clinton Doctrine can also be considered as consistent with this vision. Today the term is most frequently used to describe liberals and leftists who supported or still support the decision to invade Iraq in 2003, which was authorized by the United States Congress and ordered by president George W. Bush. The war has stirred heated controversy among all political sides of the debate. The American left was divided over the issue of whether going to war in Iraq was the right decision, as some liberals felt that they should support the war, in accordance with their philosophy of liberal internationalism, which had caused them to support military intervention earlier.[1]
In his book The Good Fight, published in 2006, Peter Beinart renounced his prior support for the Iraq War: "I was too quick to give up on containment, too quick to think time was on Saddam's side."
The Sunshine Policy is the dovish foreign policy with North Korea of South Korean liberals, and Donald Trump or Trumpists have also expressed support,[4] but mainstream American liberals, dubbed the 'Washington establishment', de facto oppose the policy and support hawkish foreign policy toward North Korea,[5] creating a conflict with South Korean liberals.[6]
Despite being a liberal, U.S. President Barack Obama opposed the Sunshine Policy and preferred a hawkish foreign policy toward North Korea called "Strategic Patience Policy".[7]
U.S. liberals' hostile diplomatic approach to North Korea has made South Korea liberals prefer Donald Trump diplomatically to South Korean conservatives. In the 2020 United States presidential election, Hong Joon-pyo, a right-wing populist politician known as a "Korean Trumpist",[8] supported Joe Biden.[9] The current president of South Korea Yoon Suk-yeol, dubbed the "K-Trump" in South Korean media, defended Joe Biden's policy toward North Korea, opposing the Sunshine Policy of Donald Trump and South Korean liberals. In contrast, South Korean liberal Moon Chung-in and Kim Ou-joon supported Donald Trump and Trumpists' Sunshine Policy.[6][10]
Joe Lieberman (deceased) – former U.S. Senator from Connecticut, 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee, 2004 Democratic presidential candidate[32][33][34]
^""트럼프, 미국판 '햇볕정책' 보여줘...4차회담은 8~9월"" [Donald Trump supports the American version 'Sunshine policy'. The fourth round of talks will take place in August or September.]. 노컷뉴스. July 1, 2019. Archived from the original on 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
^"South Korean opposition leader: Nukes are the only way to guarantee peace". CNN. October 18, 2017. Retrieved 2023-03-21. Nicknamed "Hong Trump," he has been compared to the US President in the past for his outspoken, sometimes offensive campaigning style. ... Like Trump, Hong attracted criticism during the campaign over his attitudes towards women, after he was quoted as saying washing dishes was women's work. Controversy also erupted over an anecdote in Hong's autobiography in which he described helping a friend drug a girl he was on a date with.
^"홍준표 "위장평화쇼 트럼프 시대 저물어…문재인 정권 심판받을 차례"" [Hong Joon-pyo said, "The era of Trump based on the camouflage peace show is over. Therefore, the Moon Jae-in regime [who was diplomatically friendly to Trump when Trump supported pro-North Korea foreign policy] will be judged".]. 머니투데이. November 6, 2020. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
^"김어준 "바이든 찍으면 미북 정상회담 못 봐" 황당방송" [Kim Ou-joon said, "If [Americans] vote Biden, [Korean] can't see the North Korea–United States summit", it is absurd remark broadcasting.]. 조선일보. August 8, 2020. Retrieved 2023-03-21.