Obama's PRO-WAR RECORD

[ElsewheresDaughter]

A PRO-WAR RECORD



Then there’s the matter of his actual policy and political record. If Obama is such (as many “progressives” seem to need to believe) an “antiwar” candidate, why has he offered so much substantive policy support to the criminal occupation and the broader imperial “war on terror” of which Bush says O.I.F. is a part? Here are some highlights from a summary of Obama’s U.S. Senate voting record recently sent to me by the Creative Youth News Team (CYNT 2007), a progressive African American advocacy organization:



“1/26/05: Obama voted to confirm Condoleezza Rice for Secretary of State. Rice was largely responsible…for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent victims in unnecessary wars...Roll call 2”



“2/01/05: Obama was part of a unanimous consent agreement not to filibuster the nomination of lawless torturer Alberto Gonzales as chief law enforcement officer of the United States (U.S. Attorney General).”



“2/15/05: Obama voted to confirm Michael Chertoff, a proponent of water-board torture... man behind the round-up of thousands of people of Middle-Eastern descent following 9/11. By Roll call 10.”



“4/21/05: Obama voted to make John ‘Death Squad’ Negroponte the National Intelligence Director. In Central America, John Negroponte was connected to death squads that murdered nuns and children in sizable quantities. He is suspected of instigating death squads while in Iraq, resulting in the current insurgency. Instead of calling for Negroponte's prosecution, Obama rewarded him by making him National Intelligence Director. Roll call 107”



“4/21/05: Obama voted for HR 1268, war appropriations in the amount of approximately $81 billion. Much of this funding went to Blackwater USA and Halliburton and disappeared. Roll call 109 ”



“7/01/05: Obama voted for H.R. 2419, termed ‘The Nuclear Bill’ by environmental and peace groups. It provided billions for nuclear weapons activities, including nuclear bunker buster bombs. It contains full funding for Yucca Mountain, a threat to food and water in California, Nevada, Arizona and states across America. Roll call 172 .”



“9/26/05 & 9/28/05: Obama failed and refused to place a hold on the nomination of John Roberts, a supporter of permanent detention of Americans without trial, and of torture and military tribunals for Guantanamo detainees.”

“10/07/05: Obama voted for HR2863, which appropriated $50 billion in new money for war. Roll call 2 .”



“11/15/05: Obama voted for continued war, again. Roll call 326 was the vote on the Defense Authorization Act (S1042) which kept the war and war profiteering alive, restricted the right of habeas corpus and encouraged terrorism. Pursuant to his pattern, Obama voted for this. .”



“12/21/05: Obama confirmed his support for war by voting for the Conference Report on the Defense Appropriations Act (HR 2863), Roll call 366, which provided more funding to Halliburton and Blackwater. ”



“5/2/06: Obama voted for money for more war by voting for cloture on HR 4939, the emergency funding to Halliburton, Blackwater and other war profiteers. Roll call 103 .”



“5/4/06: Obama, again, voted to adopt HR4939: emergency funding to war profiteers. Roll call 112 .”



“6/13/06: Obama voted to commend the armed services for a bombing that killed innocent people and children and reportedly resulted in the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi… Michael Berg, whose son was reportedly killed by al-Zarqawi, condemned the attack and expressed sorrow over the innocent people and children killed in the bombing that Obama commended. Roll call 168 .”



“6/15/06: Obama voted for the conference report on HR4939, a bill that gave warmongers more money to continue the killing and massacre of innocent people in Iraq and allows profiteers to collect more money for scamming the people of New Orleans. Roll Call 171 .”



“6/15/06: Obama, again, opposed withdrawal of the troops, by voting to table a motion to table a proposed amendment would have required the withdrawal of US. Armed Forces from Iraq and would have urged the convening of an Iraq summit (S Amdt 4269 to S. Amdt 4265 to S2766) Roll Call 174 ”



“6/22/06: Obama voted against withdrawing the troops by opposing the Kerry Amendment (S. Amdt 4442 to S 2766) to the National Defense Authorization Act. The amendment, which was rejected, would have brought our troops home. Roll Call 181 ”



“6/22/06: Obama voted for cloture (the last effective chance to stop) on the National Defense Authorization Act (S 2766), which provided massive amounts of funding to defense contractors to continue the killing in Iraq. Roll Call 183.”



“6/22/06: Obama again voted for continued war by voting to pass the National Defense Authorization Act (S 2766) for continued war funding. Roll Call 186 .



9/7/06: Obama voted to give more money to profiteers for more war (H..R. 5631). Roll Call 239 ”



“9/29/06: Obama voted vote for the conference report on more funding for war, HR 5631. Roll Call 261 .”



“11/16/06: Obama voted for nuclear proliferation in voting to pass HR 5682, a bill to exempt the United States-India Nuclear Proliferation Act from requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. Roll Call 270 .”



“12/06/06: Obama voted to confirm pro-war Robert M. Gates to be Secretary of Defense. Gates is a supporter of Bush's policies of pre-emptive war and conquest of foreign countries. Roll Call 272 ”



“Obama's voting record in 2007 establishes that he continues to be pro-war. On March 28, 2007 and March 29th, 2007, he voted for cloture and passage of a bill designed to give Bush over $120 billion to continue the occupation for years to come (with a suspendable time table) and inclusive of funding that could be used to launch a war with Iran. Roll calls 117 and 126 ...Obama's record shows a minimum of 20 major pro-war votes…”





Wow. I might have worded things a little differently than CYNT at times, but that’s a damning bill of indictment.



Obama’s intra-Democratic political record also defies those who insistent on wrapping him in an antiwar flag. In 2006 Obama lent his celebrity and political finance assistance to neoconservative war Senator Joe Lieberman’s (“D”-Connecticut) struggle against the Democratic antiwar insurgent Ned Lamont. Obama supported other mainstream Democrats fighting genuinely antiwar progressives in primary races, collaborating with Democratic muscle man Rahm Emannuel’s campaign to marginalize “peaceniks” within the party (see Sirota 2006, Silverstein 2006 and Cockburn 2006).



In a November 2005 speech to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), Obama rejected Rep. John Murtha’s (D-Pa.) call for a rapid redeployment and any notion of a timetable for withdrawal. Obama advocated “a pragmatic solution to the real war we’re facing in Iraq” and made repeated references to the need to “defeat” the “insurgency.” This language meant continuation of the war (Ford and Gamble 2005).



Earlier that same year, Obama shamefully distanced himself from his fellow Senator Dick Durbin’s (D-IL) forthright criticism of U.S. torture practices at Guantanamo (Street 2005; Cockburn 2006).





And he still refuses to foreswear the use of first-strike nuclear weapons against Iran (Gerson 2007). As Kucinich pointed out during last night’s debate, this is what Obama’s comment that “all options are on the table” in regard to Iran really boils down to: the potential first black U.S. President is willing to seriously consider the launching of a thermonuclear attack on that country. Debate participant Mike Gravel (a left former U.S. Senator of Alaska)was thinking of that horrific possibility when said the following about the leading Democratic candidates (Obama included of course) last night: “these people scare me.”



http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=1268...

[DURHAM D]

1. Ouch. eom

[MNDemNY]

Ya, but before he was a Senator, he was against it.

I'm sure if he had been a Senator then, he would have went against leadership and voted against the IWR. as his vote record clearly indicates.

[eShirl]

2. stack those up against a list of Hillary's votes on the same thing, and you'd have a good post

[MessiahRp]

Why don't we be fair and put Hillary's votes up on these same bills?

Then it will be clearer in choosing who was wrong more often.

I bet it will be Hillary.

Rp

[shenmue]

3. Thank you. Finally someone talks about *his actual record.*

And how shaky it is!

This man has done little except support a Reagan Democrat type of party line not much distinguishable from many of the young neoconservatives. His entire reputation as a liberal comes from his speech at the last convention. He's a fad, and if he can't take his supporters where he's promised them, he'll wind up as the next Howard Dean. All flash, no substance. And no realism.

He's supported by the kind of people who want a quick and wordy solution to complex issues. They hate to think that the problems in this country may require a lot more depth.

Obama is, plain and simple, not much of a Senator, and he doesn't stack up as a potential president.

[ginnyinWI]

4. IF Obama is so pro-war:

Why then did Dennis Kucinich tell his Iowa supporters to caucus for Obama as a second choice after himself??

[MNDemNY]

7. As an attempt to thwart Edwards.

[Dinger]

10. Obama Wasn't In The U.S. Senate When Hillary Was. So

it's pretty easy for him to say he was anti-war, and would have voted that way, but in the Illinois State Senate, he didn't have a vote at the time.

P.S. By the way, I do believe he is anti-war.

[ginnyinWI]

15. But he was looking at running for the U.S. Senate.

Being anti-war was a risky position to take going into a national race.

[Dinger]

16. "Looking At Running" Isn't Quite The Same as Being A U.S. Senator Though

I am glad Obama is in the Senate. The Senate needs him. Wish he'd finish his first term though.

[ginnyinWI]

17. that's just being picky

The fact remains that it was a politically risky position to take.

[Dinger]

19. Risky For Hillary Maybe, But Not Obama (nt)

[Justice Is Comin]

28. Oh please

his *cough* "opponent" was *cough * Alan Keyes.

David Duke could have beat him. There isn't enough sincerity in Obama to fill a thimble. He's a cross between a snake oil salesman and Mr. McGoo.

[Mags]

30. These Obama people can't handle the truth. You all should

know that by now. They never face it.

[nonconformist]

25. Then why hasn't Kucinich endorsed Obama? nt

[Hobarticus]

27. WOW...good point!

If Kooch ain't endorsing you, kinda hard to paint oneself as "anti-war". Great post!

[NYCGirl]

32. But when Russ Feingold votes for you and Ned Lamont endorses you, it's

pretty obvious who's "anti-war."

[rug]

5. I'll be, he does have a record.

[elixir]

9. And a pretty nasty one, at that.

[rodeodance]

6. BOOKmarked

[MethuenProgressive]

Obama did propose a troop withdrawal bill, which he sent to his own committee and was never voted on...

They call that there a Vanity Bill in the US Senate.
Propose it, have it read out, and then hide it from ever getting voted on.

[rodeodance]

8. its always bothered me how he uses a NON-existant "vote" by him to advance

he so called anti war stance.

[Pawel K]

11. And you point is?

Where does Hillary differ on any of these things? Sure, they are bad. But again, at least he had the foresight to actually be against this war from the start, unlike Hillary.

[rug]

14. He was against something he subsequently supported?

[Pawel K]

18. Could you be anymore dishonest?

No.

He was against going in to Iraq in the first place. Once people like Hillary voted to go in to this mess there wasn't much he could do about that. His votes there after were wrong, but so were hillary's. It still doesn't change the fact that he was originally right and she was originally and afterwards totally wrong.

I mean really, is this your guy's new talking point. That Obama is just as bad as Hillary? I'm sure that will stick, congratulations. I guess if Hillary isn't winning you people are willing to take down the entire party with her by spreading this bullshit. Classy.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

20. when asked in the debates he said he is will to nuke Iran "all options are on the table"......

so yes do, let's be honest!

[Pawel K]

22. What does that have to do with my 1 simple point

which is that Obama was against invading Iraq while Clinton voted for it? Something you failed to mention in your OP. You also failed to mention that Clinton has exactly the same position on all those issues. The 1 key difference is before we went in to this idiotic war, in that case Obama was right she was wrong.

These cheap distractions don't do you any justice. As always we are left with a douche and a turd. I find it funny that Hillary supporters are now running on the concept that Obama is just as bad as her instead of running on something a little more substantial.

[nonconformist]

23. Obama supporters say he's the "anti-war" candidate

And that Hillary is a vicious war monger.

[Pawel K]

29. but why is the OP trying to run on the fact that Obama is just as bad as Clinton?

It's amazing that at this point this is all she has to run on. What a sad party this has become.

[bowens43]

12. Did you fdorget to post Hillary's pro war record?

I bet you did. You hillary people are getting really desperate.

[ElsewheresDaughter]

21. can't you read.?..this thread is about "Obama's pro-war record"

[tabasco]

31. Only Obama bashers welcome.

The smell of rotting desperation and sour grapes is sickening.

[nonconformist]

24. I don't think they "fdorget", but Obama supporters say HE is the "anti-war candidate" nt

[Hobarticus]

26. HRC isn't on an anti-war platform like Obama is, is she?

This is about Obama. And it's completely a legitimate discussion to have. If he's portraying himself as the "anti-war" candidate, then people are being had.

[LSK]

13. I am convinced!!! Russ Feingold for President!!!!