Moving Edwards up to #2. I don't think Obama is ready for prime time...

[IndianaJones]

I really like him. These amateurish mistakes are starting to look like a pattern. VP would be a good place to build experience and hone his skills. I would certainly like to see him on a ticket as a running mate to Clinton or Edwards.

[JANdad]

1. No thanks...

After these comments today...he needs to stick to community organizing...

[IndianaJones]

2. I see it as inexperience on the big stage. 8 years as VP would go a long way. nt.

[bigdarryl]

38. If he can't get the nomination with 58 million dollars he NEVER WILL i don't care if...

he was a Vice President for eight years.

[jsamuel]

3. Obama has lost 7 points since 07/19/07 and Edwards is now within 8 points.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/election_2008__1/daily_presidential_tracking_polling_history

Edwards is staying pretty level.

[harun]

19. All of them are staying pretty level because nobody cares yet

it is too early to read anything in to the numbers.

Come Iowa time I would think Edwards and Obama will be the top two.

[Yukari Yakumo]

23. It's pretty easy to stay level...

...when you're on the bottom. Sorry, but less than 15% is not remotely going to cut it.

[MannyGoldstein]

4. Which Mistakes Would That Be?

I think Obama's running a brilliant campaign - he's hurting Mrs. Clinton so badly on the "irresponsible and naive" gaff that Mr. Clinton is suing for peace. The only thing I'm disappointed in is his health care plan.

[WCGreen]

7. Teh only thing is the health care plan...

That is the most important domestic problem we have in this country...

So he get's us out of Iraq and into Pakistan...

What then...

[MannyGoldstein]

8. Problem Is That The Other Frontrunners' Plans Are, Or Will Be, As Bad

Sadly, nobody except Kucinich wants to do the right thing here.

[sandnsea]

10. Who is leaving Afghanistan???

Which candidate said to pull troops out of Afghanistan and abandon the very real fight against al qaeda and varioius warlords there??

[WCGreen]

18. I said Iraq....

BO has been saying he will get us out of Iraq...

And if what he reportedly said is true, he will attack Pakistan...

[sandnsea]

5. I don't think that was a mistake

He never said anything about going to war with Pakistan, that's a bold faced lie.

[IndianaJones]

6. What is perceived and reported are what matters...

thus my comment on his not being prepared for prime time. This is all my opinion of course, and I do like Obama.

[sandnsea]

9. He controls what is reported???

You cower every time the media distorts something? They do that to everybody. Democrats letting them get away with it is why we lose.

[Sapphire Blue]

11. "The excerpts were provided by the Obama campaign in advance of the speech."

From this article...

Obama might send troops into Pakistan
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday that he would send troops into Pakistan to hunt down terrorists even without local permission if warranted — an attempt to show strength when his chief rival has described his foreign policy skills as naive.

The Illinois senator warned Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf that he must do more to shut down terrorist operations in his country and evict foreign fighters under an Obama presidency, or Pakistan will risk a U.S. troop invasion and losing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. military aid.

"Let me make this clear," Obama said in a speech prepared for delivery at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. "There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al-Qaida leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will."

The excerpts were provided by the Obama campaign in advance of the speech.

(snip)

Obama said that as commander in chief he would remove troops from Iraq and putting them "on the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan." He said he would send at least two more brigades to Afghanistan and increase nonmilitary aid to the country by $1 billion.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070801/ap_on_el_pr/obama_terrorism_11

[sandnsea]

17. That's not "war with Pakistan"

That's the distortion that's being reported and what some very dishonest people are manipulating.

[Sapphire Blue]

21. "... putting them {troops} "on the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan." "

How do you interpret that statement?

[sandnsea]

24. on to the right battlefield -

Yeah, the one in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Are you denying there are al qaeda in Pakistan, that Bin Laden is probably in Pakistan? Does that not mean Pakistan is part of the battlefield?

That does not mean war with Pakistan and the real international danger was with whoever distorted Obama's words to say it did.

More of the gutter politics Americans are absolutely sick of. This is going to backfire too and I hope John Edwards stays far away from it for his own good.

[Sapphire Blue]

26. Perhaps it has already backfired (on Obama); Pakistan has replied...

Pakistan to Obama: Don't use us to score political points; candidates should show responsibility: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3419699

You said: "That does not mean war with Pakistan...". Just what does this mean: "... putting them {troops} "on the right battlefield in Afghanistan and Pakistan." "?

[sandnsea]

27. Distort if you like

Please don't speak to me if you're going to distort. I would hate to have to add you to my growing list of Edwards supporters who are becoming uglier by the day.

[Sapphire Blue]

29. I'm really lost here; you keep accusing me of 'distorting'. How is posting Obama's own words...

... in quotes, no less, 'distorting'?

I'm really sorry if I'm offending you in some way, as that is not my intention; I'm just asking you a question that you're not answering. It does, however, feel as if you're trying to insult me w/your accusations of 'distortion', and reference to "growing list of Edwards supporters who are becoming uglier by the day".

Since this 'conversation' isn't getting us anywhere other than possible hard/hurt feelings, perhaps we'll meet again on another friendler thread? :hi:

[sandnsea]

30. You won't debate al qaeda in Pakistan

Because you know the border region IS a battlefield. You distort instead. It's pathetic.

The one thing I've learned in the last 5 years is that NOBODY has any ethics and will lie about anything if it suits their agenda. Isn't that a charming thing to have been taught by Democratic politics?? You just added to my cynicism of people, thanks so much.

[Sapphire Blue]

31. And you have clarified that you DO mean to be insulting. Quite so. Repeatedly. To a few posters.

Bye; have a good day. :hi:

[sandnsea]

33. Don't insult liars?

Is that your etiquette lesson for the day?

Still won't debate the real facts though, I see.

[draft_mario_cuomo]

25. Exactly. It will be viewed as an act of war in Pakistan

Apparently Obama does not understand this, or is willing to ignore it so he can score some political points by being even more hawkish than Hillary.

[ConservativeDemocrat]

12. Well good.

I knew I was beginning to like him.

Any Democrat who is hated by Naderites, Greens, and/or Socialists is a shoo-in for the Presidency. I was very worried that there wasn't going to be anybody who could take on Hillary for that exalted position, and we Democrats would lose another election.

But now Obama is stating the fact that as President he would, like 95% of America wants, defend America with force if he has to. The outrage of you 5%ers is music to my ears.

- C.D. Proud Member of the Reality Based Community

[info being]

14. You're with the majority...

...which certainly doesn't make your position correct.

- Proud member of the Truth Based Community

[info being]

13. Edwards has become number 1 for me (a Kucinich supporter at heart)

Obama should stay in the Senate.

[Forkboy]

20. I know others who feel the same.

I'm a DK supporter whose torn right now,and I know two others who are as well.

[ulysses]

32. being in GA makes it easy for me.

At least, it does unless we're in play, which I don't expect. If we are going to be in play for the general, I'll probably vote for Edwards.

[Forkboy]

35. I've been seriously leaning to him more and more.

I love DK and I feel disloyal not voting for him because he hasn't done anything to lose my vote.Just the opposite.He's illustrated why I liked him so much in '04.But I think Edwards will be the closest that any of my views get to White House,"purist" that I am. :)

[ulysses]

36. yeah, that's where I am.

I had the same deal in 04 with Dean, although of course he dropped out before we voted and I voted Kooch anyway. :)

[TwilightGardener]

15. Obama didn't make the fatal mistake of saying that the war on terror

is a bumper sticker slogan. He's doing just fine. He'll try for peace when he can, and fight when he must. That's my kind of man.

[ellacott]

16. I can't rule anyone out yet

clinton made strikes on other countries and was beat up in the media and the conservatives were crying "No War for Monica". It turned out that there was actionable intelligence but their timing was off.

When I read what Obama said this was the first thing I thought about.

[Spearman87]

22. An amatuerish mistake would be an off the cuff remark

This was a planned speech, no doubt fully-reviewed, edited and gone over with a fine-toothed comb by his entire team of advisors and strategists. I agree with some points, disagree on others. But why would people consider this a "gaff"? This is Obama starting to flesh out how he'll govern.

Who IS his team anyway? Is he working with known, experienced people with a record of success? This is a hugely risky move to make so relatively early in the campaign.

[Clark2008]

28. He flip flops too much.

[Ethelk2044]

34. Edwards will never move up

[here_is_to_hope]

37. Edwards wont have to move up if

the others are moving down. Kidding...but I must say Obama, with this statement, inched a little lower on my Totem pole.
:rofl: