Iraq an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the U.S.?

[bigtree]

. . . a U.S. 'national emergency' regarding Iraq?


Notice of Continuation of 'national emergency' regarding Iraq


THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary
---------------------------------------------
For Immediate Release May 20, 2009

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

Section 202(d) of the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1622(d)) provides for the automatic termination of a national emergency unless, prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the President publishes in the Federal Register and transmits to the Congress a notice stating that the emergency is to continue in effect beyond the anniversary date. In accordance with this provision, I have sent the enclosed notice to the Federal Register for publication. This notice states that the national emergency with respect to the stabilization of Iraq declared in Executive Order 13303 of May 22, 2003, as modified in scope and relied upon for additional steps taken in Executive Order 13315 of August 28, 2003, Executive Order 13350 of July 29, 2004, Executive Order 13364 of November 29, 2004, and Executive Order 13438 of July 17, 2007, is to continue in effect beyond May 22, 2009.

Obstacles to the orderly reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States. Accordingly, I have determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency with respect to this threat and maintain in force the measures taken to deal with that national emergency.

BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE,
May 19, 2009.


excerpt from DUer Time for Change's journal article today, 'Social Dominators, RW Authoritarians, and the 5 Pillars of the Right Wing Movement in the U.S.' : http://journals.democraticunderground.com/Time%20for%20change/468

"The leaders have several levers they can use to convince their followers, not only to passively accept war, but to actually fight in its cause. One lever they use is fear, creating enemies where none exist, or making our enemies out to be a lot more dangerous than they really are. The Bush administration’s painting of Iraq as an actual threat to the United States was a masterstroke of successful propaganda that, hard as it is to believe, actually fooled a large number of Americans – predominantly authoritarian followers.

When the Iraq threat to our country was exposed as being a gigantic fraud, in order to keep the war going they made it out to be a great moral cause . . .

[Time for change]

1. Interesting quote

;)

I'm flattered that you used my quote in your post.

I really do wish I knew what our President is thinking when he says things like this.

[bigtree]

2. this is likely

. . . an institutional requirement to keep elements of the Iraq mission in place. It does reflect his own stated views, though, on what he sees as the necessity of continuing the military operation. What's remarkable is the continuing justification that Iraq poses such a 'threat' to us.

Dan Froomkin wrote about that continuing appeal to fear today on his blog: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/discussion/2009/05/19/DI2009051901707.html

"You know, I haven't really written about this as much as I should have, but I think Obama made a pretty big mistake in not more assertively rejecting fear earlier in his presidency. Fear is the ultimate Bush legacy. It's a hugely effective political weapon. But it tends to lead to really lousy decisions. We need to reject fear as a country . . . "

[bigtree]

3. .

[ConcernedCanuk]

4. Iraq WASN'T a threat before the USA illegally invaded, occupied and slaughtered it's citizens

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something to ponder . .

[bigtree]

6. It still isn't

. . . unless you believe some 'al-Qaeda' groupie there is going to land on our shores with a strap-on bomb.

[ConcernedCanuk]

8. I think they are already here - PNAC's gangs have just given them extra motivation

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.
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USA will never be invaded by a massive military

It will implode from all the enemies it has created within its own borders.

That's my Canuk opinion/observation . . .

[Vidar]

5. "The national security and foreign policy of the U.S" is a major threat to the world.

[Echo In Light]

7. National $ecurity $tate

[Mari333]

9. yeah , it becomes a threat after we pre emptively attack it for no reason

and then continues to be a threat if we dont stay there and secure the OIL companies contracts and leave a puppet govt in place . who do they think they are kidding.