Obama: U.S. took its 'eye off the ball' on terrorism

[Dems Will Win]

This is exactly what Obama should be doing, explaining that it was the war in Iraq (and by extension Edwards', Biden's, Dodd's and Clinton's vote to trust Cheney) that caused the US to take its eye off the ball in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We never even went after OBL in Pakistan, as Obama says we should do "if Pakistan does not act".

The Washington Insider foreign policy is a disaster. Bush and Cheney should have never been given that authority!

Obama: U.S. took its 'eye off the ball' on terrorism
JASON CLAYWORTH • REGISTER STAFF WRITER • December 28, 2007


Williamsburg, Ia. The war in Iraq has forced the United States to take its eye off the ball in focusing on al-Qaida terrorists in Afghanistan, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said here this morning.

The remarks were made in response to an audience question about Thursdays
assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.


Obama told the crowd the United States must end the war in Iraq. He also called for suspending military aid to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf until he embraces Democratic practices and ensuring Pakistans nuclear weapons are locked down.

Weve got to reverse policies but weve got to see this in a bigger context which is that our invasion of Iraq resulted in us taking our eye off the ball, Obama told a crowd of about 200 people at Mary Welsh Elementary School.

We should have been focused in Afghanistan, finishing off al Qaida. Theyre the
ones that killed 3,000 Americans. We've been so distracted with the war of choice instead the war of necessity that al-Qaida is now stronger than in 2001.

Obama today did not mention his opponents, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton or former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards. Both Edwards and Clinton voted to authorize the war in Iraq. Obama was not in the U.S. Senate at the time that vote was taken but has said he doesn't believe the case was made to go to war.

On Thursday, however, Obama' top adviser linked the vote with the assassination.

"Al-Qaida's resurgent; they're a powerful force now in Pakistan. They may have
been involved" in Bhutto's killing, top Obama adviser David Axelrod said, according to Politico.com. "I think (Obama's) judgment was good. Senator Clinton made a different judgment, so let's have that discussion."

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071228/NEWS/71228024/1035/Opinion

Obama is right to say all of this.

[Nailzberg]

1. The anti-obama's will get here faster than a cruise missile could get to a cave in Pakistan.

:popcorn:

[1corona4u]

2. I believe Obama addressed Pakistan a while back as well....

They love him there!!
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-08-03-pakistan-obama_N.htm

[TwilightGardener]

4. Too bad for you Bhutto agreed with what Obama said. HA!!

[1corona4u]

6. It's not too bad for me...

I could care less what Obama says. Or does. Just thought it was interesting, that he's not even in office, and they are already blasting him over his comments.

[ClarkUSA]

7. Yes, Benazir Bhutto agreed w/Obama's Pakistan policy re: taking action "if Pakistan won't act"

BHUTTO:... the issue that I would like to stress is that Barack Obama also said, if Pakistan won't act. And that's the critical issue, that the government
has to act. And the government has to act to protect Pakistan's own serenity and integrity, its own respect, and to understand that if it creates a vacuum,
then others aren't going to just twiddle their thumbs while militants freely move across the border.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x3898469

[TwilightGardener]

3. Yup.

[killbotfactory]

5. And he said so before we went into Iraq

Lost of people did. Too bad the greedy beltway bumblefucks decided to ignore us, sending us head first into disaster, so the defense and energy industries could make obscene amounts of money.

I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.

I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.

So for those of us who seek a more just and secure world for our children, let us send a clear message to the president today. You want a fight, President Bush? Let’s finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings.

Delivered on 26 October 2002 at an anti-war rally in Chicago by Barack Obama, Illinois Senator.
http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Barack_Obama's_Iraq_Speech

[Dems Will Win]

9. Obama was also talking about cutting off aid to Musharaff WEEKS AGO

[earthlover]

11. Obama should say this again every day next week!

This could be a winning issue for him. Iraq is, and should be, a defining difference between Obama and Hillary. This is his chance to point out how iraq has, as predicted, destabilized the entire Middle East. That we need regional diplomacy, to seek regional answers to problems instead of Bush's way of trying to insert unilateralism that Hillary went along with.

[Yuugal]

8. well done Obama

Saying it, like it is: priceless.

[Adelante]

10. He is absolutely right

I hope he never stops saying it.

[TeamJordan23]

12. Wesley Clark himself ran on this point in 2004. nm