Why Can't Obama And His Campaign Face The Facts On Iraq?
WASHINGTON, May 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released today
by the Republican National Committee:
(LOGO: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/RNCLOGO )
MYTH: This Morning, Obama Campaign Spokesman David Axelrod Claimed That Obama
Never Disputed That The Surge Would Make A Difference In Iraq:
Axelrod: "[Obama] never disputed the fact that if you throw a surge of
American soldiers in an area, that you can make a difference..." (MSNBC's
"Morning Joe," 5/30/08)
FACT: When The Surge Was Announced In January 2007, Obama Said That It Would
Not Work And Would Actually Increase Sectarian Violence:
Obama Said "I Don't Think The President's Strategy Is Going To Work." Obama:
"But right now what we have is, I think by all accounts, a disaster unfolding
in Iraq. We all have a responsibility, Democrats and Republicans, Congress and
the White House, to make sure that we can come up with the best strategy. I
don't think the president's strategy is going to work. We went through two
weeks of hearings on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; experts from
across the spectrum -- military and civilian, conservative and liberal --
expressed great skepticism about it." (MSNBC's "Reaction To The State Of The
Union Address," 1/23/07)
Obama Said The Surge Would Actually Worsen Sectarian Violence In Iraq. Obama:
"I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve
the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do the reverse."
(MSNBC's "Response To The President's Speech On Iraq," 1/10/07)
MYTH: Obama Said He Would Provide Funding For The Troops In Iraq:
"'I Think That Nobody Wants To Play Chicken With Our Troops On The Ground,'
Said Obama." (Mike Glover, "Obama Says Congress Will Fund Iraq War After
Expected Bush Veto," The Associated Press, 4/1/07)
Obama: "[W]hat you don't want to do is to play chicken to -- with the
president, and create a situation in which, potentially, you don't have body
armor; you don't have reinforced Humvees; you don't have night-vision
goggles." (CNN's "The Situation Room," 3/28/07)
In January 2007, Obama Said That Congress Needed To Make Sure That Troops In
Iraq Had "All The Resources Necessary To Come Home Safely And To Execute The
Missions That Have Been Laid Out For Them." Obama: "I know nobody in Congress,
Republican or Democrat, who is going to in any way strand troops who are
presently in Iraq. We've got to make sure that they have all the resources
necessary to come home safely and to execute the missions that have been laid
out for them." (MSNBC's "Reaction To The President's Speech On Iraq," 1/10/07)
FACT: Obama Pandered To MoveOn.Org By Voting Against Critical Funding For The
Troops In Iraq And Afghanistan:
Obama Voted Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For The Troops
In Iraq And Afghanistan. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D
37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Obama Voted Nay)
MoveOn.Org Threatened Democrats Who Did Not Vote Against The War Funding Bill.
"MoveOn.org, a leading antiwar group, rallied its 3.2 million members in an
e-mail alert...that declared that 'every single Democrat must oppose this
bill.' The group warned that it would consider backing primary challengers to
Democrats who vote yes. Other organizations issued similar angry threats."
(Shailagh Murray, "Antiwar Groups Press Democrats To Vote Against Iraq Bill,"
The Washington Post, 5/24/07)
MYTH: Obama Says He Has The Judgment To Handle The Situation In Iraq:
Obama Has Touted His Judgment On Iraq In The Past. Obama: "I don't talk about
my opposition to the war to say 'I told you so.' I wish the war had gone
differently. But the reason I talk about it is because I truly believe that
the judgment, and the conviction, and the accountability that each of us
showed on the most important foreign policy decision of our lives is the best
indicator you have of how each of us will make those decisions going forward.
How we made that decision, and how we talk about it, is critical to
understanding what we would do as President." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks On
Iraq, Des Moines, IA, 10/12/07)
FACT: Obama Has Not Been To Iraq Since 2006:
Obama Was In Iraq For Two Days In 2006. "Obama ... met with U.S. Ambassador
Zalmay Khalilzad and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Saturday [January 6,
2006]. He said before his two-day trip to Iraq that he wanted to ask U.S.
commanders what a realistic time frame was for bringing troops home." (Jason
Straziuso, "Obama Says Minorities Must Be More Involved In Iraq's Government,"
The Associated Press, 1/7/06)
It Has Been 873 Days Since Obama Visited Troops And Commanders In Iraq. (GOP
Website, www.gop.com, Accessed 5/29/08)
MYTH: Obama Said That The President Must Be "Mindful Of The Situation On The
Ground And What The Commanders Say":
In February 2008, Obama Told CBS' Harry Smith That The President Has To Be
"Mindful Of The Situation On The Ground And What The Commanders Say." Smith:
"If you are to be elected president and your commanders on the ground there
and your Secretary of Defense said, 'Hold back; you can't be pulling these
people out; we're going to create a civil war and a bloodbath,' what would you
do?" Obama: "My job as commander in chief is to keep the American people safe.
But I firmly believe that we have to send a signal to the Iraqis that it is
time to withdraw. We will not have a permanent base there. We will not have a
permanent occupation there." Smith: "Even if -" Obama: "Within those
constraints -" Smith: "Even if it meant the beginning of civil war?" Obama:
"No, no, no. Within those constraints, I think there is going to be some
flexibility. And obviously I would consult with commanders. We have to be
mindful of the situation on the ground and what the commanders say." (CBS'
"The Early Show," 2/4/08)
Obama: "I will listen to General Petraeus given the experience that he has
accumulated over the last several years. It would be stupid of me to ignore
what he has to say." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 4/27/08)
FACT: Obama Communications Director Robert Gibbs Admitted That Obama Would
Ignore Commanders And Facts On The Ground During Potential Iraq Trip; Instead
Will Continue With Withdrawal Plans:
Gibbs Said That Obama Was Considering A Trip To Iraq To See How He Could Begin
Removing Troops. MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski: "And, Robert, is your candidate - I
mean, just this whole Iraq thing is now being revitalized a bit because of the
book. But is your candidate going to go to Iraq? Is that in the plans?" Gibbs:
"Well, as he said yesterday Mika, it's under discussion about going overseas
and going to Iraq sometime between now and the campaign. You know, I don't
think we'll be taking that trip with John McCain because as Senator Obama said
yesterday, the work that the men and women in our military are doing over
there is just far too important for them to be props in some sort of political
stunt or photo-op. You know, what they're doing over there is separated from
their families, giving for their country. It's truly, truly amazing, and I
think we would want to go over there and talk to them and see what sort of
difficulties they're facing and see how it is that we can begin to carefully
remove them and carefully bring them back to their families and bring them
back to the United States." (MSNBC's "Morning Joe," 5/29/08)
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