Obama- visiting Iraq "Not Relevant"
Find a Conversation
| Thu, 05-29-2008 - 2:08pm |
Oh...and it's from the AP ;)
Obama considers Iraq visit amid GOP criticism
1 hour, 6 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama — increasingly under fire from John McCain as he appears poised to win the Democratic nomination — said he is considering a trip to Iraq but dismissed as a "political stunt" an invitation by the Republican candidate to make the visit together.
McCain and Obama have increasingly targeted each other as a November general election showdown between the two men seems inevitable. The discussion about Iraq, largely sidelined during the primary battle, is likely to factor prominently in the general election and Obama has rallied to counter McCain's criticism that he lacks foreign policy experience.
The Democrat, vying to become the U.S.'s first black president, told The New York Times that the possible trip would be to talk to the U.S. troops and commanders and not to "try to score political points or perform."
McCain, a decorated Navy pilot and former Vietnam prisoner of war, has built much of his candidacy on his foreign policy and national security experience. While he supports continued U.S. military involvement in Iraq, Obama has called for a quick withdrawal of the troops.
In a campaign appearance in Nevada, a western U.S. state where both candidates have recently sought to shore up support ahead of the November race, McCain said Obama was "driven to his position by ideology and not by the facts on the ground"
McCain, who has been to Iraq eight times, said the first-term Democrat senator "does not have the knowledge or the experience to make the judgments. Presidents have to listen and learn. Presidents have to make judgments no matter how popular or unpopular they may be."
The Republican Party joined the fray Wednesday by launching an online clock to count the days since Obama last visited the war zone. By their count, it has been 871 days.
Obama, who spoke to reporters on his airplane Wednesday night as he flew home to Chicago, said it's "not relevant" that he has not been to Iraq since 2006 and that McCain was using the argument as a diversion.
Obama made his only trip to Iraq in January 2006 as part of a congressional delegation.
McCain, who was on a fundraising trip with events in Los Angeles and Reno, Nevada, seemed offended that Obama characterized the invitation for a joint trip as a political stunt, saying it showed Obama's "lack of appreciation of the importance of this issue."
(Rest of article at:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080529/ap_on_el_pr/campaign_rdp)





Pages
"We are all just guessing or giving or opinion,we have no idea what is really on in these candidates minds. "
Well, since I'm not a mind reader ACTIONS will have to speak louder than words, and since my opinion = my vote, you are right.
And no, this has nothing to do with me liking or not liking Obama. Frankly, for a long time I liked him more than Clinton. It's just that now that I am learning more about his ACTIONS and not just his pretty words, I'm realizing who he really is.
I don't care if he goes with McCain so much, and that's not even what this article is about! I just care that he GOES!
What if he's there for purely political reasons and could care less about the troops? What if he is using Iraq to garner votes?
I was going to stay out of the rest of this conversation, but these comments drew me back. Do you seriously think that McCain doesn't care about the troops??
The big deal is that he HAS experienced war. That he DOES know FIRST hand what's going on. It also, absolutely, lends credence and credibility to his opinions and thoughts (IMO)
Do you seriously think that McCain doesn't care about the troops??
I have my doubts! He has plans to "stay in Iraq till 2013 and then they can be reunited with their families". I would like to hear about getting more people into the service to go along with his plan to stay there.I'd like to see some long term mental health plan for troops once they return from the "war".
Pages