Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Obama: Sadr, Sunnis Responsible for Surge Success

Democrat presidential hopeful Barack Obama continued Tuesday to downplay the results of the so-called troop surge in Iraq, telling CBS News that while he credits the surge with helping to reduce violence in Iraq it “doesn’t meet our long-term strategic goal.”

Obama said the surge is just one of several factors that has helped reduce violence.

“There is no doubt that the extraordinary work of our U.S. forces has contributed to a lessening of the violence, just as making sure that the Sadr militia stood down or the fact that the Sunni tribes decided to flip and work with us instead of with Al Qaeda,” he said.

Transcript: read it.

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Monday, July 21, 2008

Obama Visits Iraq Now that Surge has Worked

Democrat presidential candidate Barack Obama's visit to Iraq follows in the safety and security brought about by the apparent success of the U.S. military 'Surge' that he and his political party tried prevent in a war he has always opposed.

However the truth is obvious, by making Iraq policy before his first visit to talk with military commanders in Iraq, Obama simply proves he is not skilled enough nor strong enough of a leader to prevent himself from being manipulated by special interests.

Can we really trust (or afford) a leader who will make policy before weighing reality?

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Sunday, July 20, 2008

Press Says Maliki Supports Obama; Maliki Says 'Not So Fast'

It's a testament to how far in the tank the press are for Obama when the media quotes Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki as saying that he backed a proposal by presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq within 16 months.

However, CNN is reporting a spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks "were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately."
[Iraqi] government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the possibility of troop withdrawal was based on the continuance of security improvements, echoing statements that the White House made Friday after a meeting between al-Maliki and U.S. President Bush.
In a statement issued Friday after a conversation between Bush and al-Maliki by closed-circuit television, the White House said that conditions in Iraq would dictate the pace of the negotiations and not "an arbitrary date for withdrawal."

Ah yes, once again it is Bush's fault ... just like all-time low approval numbers for congress.

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