Obama's "judgment": run for president instead of hold hearings on NATO and Europe

[jackson_dem]

Once again we see the "present" pattern with St. Obama...This is another thing that will allow the rethugs to pummel him on security along with Obama not showing up to vote for a bill to implement the 9/11 commission recommendations as well as a bill to fund Homeland Security on the same day.

To: Interested Parties
From: The Clinton Campaign
RE: Talk v. Action
Date: February 27, 2007

Barack Obama has presented himself as a unique political figure who says
what he means and does what he says.

Last night, we saw a glimpse of the real Barack Obama - the Barack Obama
who became chair of a national security subcommittee, put it on his
resume, but did not hold a single oversight hearing because he was too
busy running for President; the Barack Obama who spends his time talking
about change you can believe in instead of change you actually can count
on.

Given the opportunity to take the reins of leadership and shape two
critical areas of U.S. foreign policy — Afghanistan and our alliances
in Europe — Senator Obama has done next to nothing.

As chairman of a key Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee, Senator
Obama had an opportunity to assert his leadership and set an agenda for
America to help address the war in Afghanistan and strengthen some of
our most important alliances.

But by his own admission, he was too busy running for President to
conduct a single substantive hearing of the committee he chairs. So he
would rather talk about what he would do rather than do it through the
responsibility he had.

Hillary Clinton doesn’t just WANT the job of President. She wants TO DO
the job or President.

How can we tell what Barack Obama would be like as president if he did
not carry out his responsibility here?

[The Anti-Bush]

1. At this point, I quesiton ANYTHING about Obama that comes from

the Clinton campaign. And if you knew anything about his IL record, or his senate record for that matter, you wouldn't waste our time with this garbage.

[jackson_dem]

2. So you question Obama himself admitting he has been too busy with running for prez to do his job?

Video capturing another Obama flip flop and broken promise: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x98327

[Bluebear]

3. Excellent, set the record straight! How many meetings of this committee has he conducted?

Nip this right in the bud.

[Cheeseburger Walrus]

41. This type of thing is very common...

Unless you want to mandate some form of resign to run policy, duties can, and will to some extent be neglected.

http://rothenbergpoliticalreport.blogspot.com/2007/12/resign-to-run-would-alter-white-house.html

[jgraz]

4. Given Hillary's campaign, this is looking like a prophetic decision

Much like his opposition to the IWR.

Actually, that one was kind of a no-brainer.

[BOSSHOG]

5. "His opposition to the IWR?"

Obamasight is 20/20.

[jgraz]

6. Doesn't matter. The important point is he opposed it when he did

This gives him a crucial advantage over Hillary when taking on McCain.

[jgraz]

7. And what is HillarySight? It took her until last night to denounce (reject) her IWR vote.

[BOSSHOG]

38. That could be one of the reasons

I'm not voting for her. Why do you cultists get your panties in a wad when everyone is not singing the praises of your candidate? Its really quite amusing. Please tell me the origin of the chips on your shoulders.

[jgraz]

39. Note sig line, dumbass

And keep your RW "Cult" talking points out of the discussion.

[BOSSHOG]

47. If you all

would stop acting like a cult I would. I'm just an observer and am amused. I'm not familiar with right wing talking points but I am familiar with those who post for Obama on this sight. Please pitch me another fit. Curse me out, stomp and shout and tell me to stop calling you all a cult. I'm really getting a kick out of this.

[jgraz]

54. Yeah, "all us" Obama supporters are just the same.

:eyes: This isn't even up to your usual silly, broadbrush standards.

[BOSSHOG]

55. There ya go

Showing that old team spirit.

[Alter Ego]

40. "Cultists", eh?

Stay classy, Hillary fans!

[BOSSHOG]

48. Actually

I'm a General Clark fan and intend to write him in when I vote next month. Wow that cultist thing touches a nerve. Must be a degree of truth.

[Usrename]

50. Oh, OK then, you don't belong to a cult....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=4476181

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[BOSSHOG]

52. General Clark

may have a cult but I'm not a member.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

56. Can't have it both ways.

:shrug:

[BOSSHOG]

58. I don't understand

If he has supporters who behave in a cult like fashion I doubt I can change their approach. I am a member of no cult. I find blind loyalty just a tad dangerous.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

59. Blind loyalty is a straw-man.

Political movements rely on large consensus'. Thereby giving the appearance of cultism. By their very nature, successful political movements have the appearance of mass delusion.

Civic duty requires The People to make a judgment call. It is an abstract construct. A plurality will be reached; making the pluralists look like a cult.

Voting for the popular candidate does not make one a cultist. Just as writing-in Clark's name doesn't make one a principled dissenter.

[BOSSHOG]

60. I appreciate

your two cents worth. I'm writing in Clark because I've yet to be inspired to do otherwise. I will however wholeheartedly support and vote for the dem nominee because the republican party will inspire me to do so. I intended to stay out of our primary wars here and did for a short while but I observed some very ugly Obama posts pouncing on anyone who was not in "lockstep" so to speak. Their (some of them) support for their candidate seems in some ways unnatural.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

61. It's 10 people.

Don't let the trees block your view of the forest.

I understand the disassociation from politics. It's more about moving the chains than political purity, though.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

57. copy right that, "HillarySight"

awesome!

[jackson_dem]

8. Obama being president is more important than national security

This is the Obama defense if he makes it to the general? :scared:

[jgraz]

9. A Democrat as president IS national security

Hillary will lose badly to McCain. Obama will win the WH and take a bunch of down-ticket Dems with him.

[jackson_dem]

16. How can you be national security when you lose?

Obama is unlikely to win because of the security issue and his negligence on this and on the 9/11 commission bill as well as the DHS funding bill just makes him weaker.

[TheWraith]

21. You really are willing to say absolutely anything, aren't you?

Whether it's true or not, or makes sense or not, you're willing to just spew whatever poison you can at Obama to exercise the bitterness you feel because your candidate lost.

I pity you.

[jackson_dem]

24. Typical Obamite response

I cited specific facts that make Obama vulnerable on this issue and this is that Obamite response...Obama is going to take the party and country down and give us 4 years of President McCain. All because of his arrogance. He couldn't even show up for the 9/11 bill? :eyes:

[jgraz]

34. I hope you're paying attention to these "Obamite" responses

This time next week, you're going to be one.

[TheWraith]

62. Actually, your post was entirely fact-free.

You made some allusions and accusations, but "facts," no, not so much. And if you think policy-wonking is going to beat Obama, you're sorely mistaken. Clinton has already proven that the "subcommittee" argument doesn't hold water.

[GodlessBiker]

11. Yes, you wish he would not have run at all and instead he should have had hearings. We get it.

[jackson_dem]

20. He could have had both if he weren't negligent

He is more interested in padding his brief resume...He could have resigned the committee chairmanship and given it to someone who does what he is paid almost 200 grand a year for.

[GodlessBiker]

25. Touche.

[KittyWampus]

27. so what pressing matters concerning Europe were ignored this past year?

[karynnj]

44. He held the needed hearings for appointments

On this issue -since January, the entire committee held 2 hearings and the Near East and South Asia committee held one. Should he have initiated a turf war with Kerry and Biden - demanding he chair it because he is the Chair for Europe?

[karynnj]

43. Richard Clarke is supporting and advising Obama - he thinks that Obama "gets it"

Obama also has John Kerry on his side - and many people starting in 2006 now concede that Kerry was right on national security in 2004.

Those two facts make me more impressed by Obama.

[Saturday]

10. He's my Senator and it took him months to ...

answer a comment I sent to him.

[democrattotheend]

19. That's pretty typical of Senate offices

Unfortunately, the mail backlog is pretty bad in a lot of offices. It's not just because he is running for president. Some offices are better than others. When I interned in the House in the summer of 2002, I was logging and responding to mail we had received in March and April.

[Araxen]

12. While this whole campaign has been going on

The Obama-Lugar Bill was signed...what has Hillary done while campaigning? A whole lot of debt being racked up on a poorly ran campaign that's what.

[zulchzulu]

13. Yep. No mention of the Obama-Lugar Amendment from the Hillbots

Hillary was too busy pissing money away on her coronation to see that nobody was sending back RSVPs.

:rofl:

[ProSense]

14. Wow, Hillary is proving she doesn't know which committee has jurisdiction over Afghanistan

Subcommittee on European Affairs
Obama, Barack (IL), Chairman
Dodd, Christopher J. (CT)
Menendez, Robert (NJ)
Cardin, Benjamin L. (MD)
Casey, Robert P. (PA)
Biden, Joseph R. (DE), Ex Officio
DeMint, Jim (SC), Ranking Member
Voinovich, George V. (OH)
Corker, Bob (TN)
Murkowski, Lisa (AK)
Lugar, Richard G. (IN), Ex Officio


Subcommittee on Near East and South and Central Asian Affairs
Kerry, John F. (MA), Chairman
Dodd, Christopher J. (CT)
Feingold, Russell D. (WI)
Boxer, Barbara (CA)
Cardin, Benjamin L. (MD)
Biden, Joseph R. (DE), Ex Officio
Coleman, Norm (MN), Ranking Member
Hagel, Chuck (NE)
Voinovich, George V. (OH)
Lugar, Richard G. (IN), Ex Officio

[jackson_dem]

17. Which committee has jurisdiction over NATO?

[karynnj]

42. The NATO head was at the hearing on January 31 of the full committee

When things are really important they are at hearings that are for the entire committee. He might have been at the Jan 30th oone as well - but it was closed door and there is no information.

Seeing that Kerry has staff expert on Afghanistan and he and Hagel went to Afghanistan - aNo Republican member of the Europe committee went - it might just be a good idea for Kerry to hold the hearing.

[zulchzulu]

22. Afghanistan moved to Europe after all the bombing we did in 2002

It bounced a few thousand miles.

[jackson_dem]

26. Where is NATO?

Hint: the "NA" stands for North Atlantic.

[Bad Thoughts]

15. Sub-committee chair couldn't do anything

I wish Obama had been more active in this role in the last year. However, the argument is absurd. First, he chairs a foreign policy subcommittee. Relations with Europe over war are dealt with by the Armed Services Committee. Second, he could do little to get greater participation of European nations in Afghanistan given their dislike of Bush, Bush's dislike of the Europeans, and European publics desire to limit their involvement in what is becoming and American war. I doubt it would take much to prove that Bush has wasted our opportunities with allies, a point better made in the political arena anyway. Third, the problem of Afghanistan is not lack of participation from Europe (already exceeding what they would allow) but the diversion of US resources from Afghanistan to Iraq--again, an armed services problem.

Finally, Underlying this release is the presumption that the US could get more out of Europe, thus relieving the military and financial burden. It won't happen. France and Britain, the largest military powers, won't cover the US so that we can fight in Iraq.

[stahbrett]

18. Uh, the sub-committee on Europe would not be the one to hold hearings about Afghanistan

Afghanistan is not in Europe. There's another sub-committee to deal with Afghanistan, and Obama is not its chairman.

[jackson_dem]

28. Where is NATO?

[KittyWampus]

29. It's Europe. Again, what pressing matters does Hillary claim went unattended?

[stahbrett]

31. By that logic the mayor of New York should be in charge of the world, since the UN is based in NYC

[karynnj]

45. Don't give Bloomberg any ideas!

[KittyWampus]

23. formal meetings aren't necessary to conduct business. What pressing matters with Europe does Hillary

claim went unaddressed?

[HeraldSquare212]

30. Hasn't McCain only made 56% of votes recently? I don't think the rethugs have an issue to use here.

[GarbagemanLB]

33. Don't bring logic into a Hillbot thread. They just ignore it. Reality is closing in on them, and the

y will lash out at some point.

[jackson_dem]

32. Obama: has time to call Greg Oden but no time to chair hearings on Europe (home of most of NATO)

[cali]

35. lol! lame and lamer

I figured out your problem ages ago. You resent Obama for running and ruining it for JE. I saw that in you when JE was still in the race. You try and tart it up, but that's what it boils down to.

[madrchsod]

36. anyone could have made that up

To: Interested Parties
From: The Clinton Campaign
RE: Talk v. Action
Date: February 27, 2007

try posting links when you accuse a democratic candidate for the presidency of not being responsible

[ellacott]

37. But Hillary doesn't have time to release her tax returns

Because she's too busy campaigning.

[TacticalPeek]

46. No doubt this would make a killer tv ad for McCain and the R's 527s.

MR. RUSSERT: Senator Obama, I want you to respond to not holding oversight for your subcommittee. . .

SEN. OBAMA: Well, first of all, I became chairman of this committee at the beginning of this campaign, at the beginning of 2007. So it is true that we haven't had oversight hearings on Afghanistan.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/26/us/politics/26text-debate.html?pagewanted=all

Not on Afghanistan or on anything.

No, you can't?

K & R

:kick:

[mythyc]

49. before you start griping about Obama 's work in the Senate since the primaries began....

Be Objective: Tell us what Hillary's done in the same stretch.

but we all know both are impossible :eyes:

god this puerile squawking and scapegoating is getting annoying---on both sides.

[Ikonoklast]

51. March 5th. Can't wait.

No more of your nonsense.

[Unsane]

53. Wow, what a dumb memo.