What a few careless words from a not-ready-for-prime-time candidate can do...

[Skip Intro]

Maybe they took him out of context too.




Pakistani protesters burn a U.S. flag to condemn U.S. presidential hopeful Barack Obama's remarks, in Karachi, Pakistan, Friday. Pakistan criticized Obama for saying that, if elected, he might order unilateral military strikes inside this Islamic nation to root out terrorists.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2007-08-03-pakistan-obama_N.htm


This was in response to his answer in a Democratic debate in August. Imagine what he could do with the power of the office of President of the United States.

Might be woth thinking about when considering the experience issue.

[Tarc]

1. Just like Dubya and his "Crusade" comment a few years back

Inopportune blunders can do a world of hurt.

[eallen]

2. I hope our next president pisses off various factions in Pakistan.

No US president should have the goal of making friends of every faction in every part of the world.

:hippie:

[thoughtcrime1984]

3. Or perhaps a careless vote

Kyl-Lieberman. I have no doubt that Hillary would be more hawkish when it comes to the Middle East, as she was for the invasion of Iraq, and now also for the invasion of Iran. The mere mention of the US gets flags burning in the M.E., so that picture doesn't do much for me.

[DURHAM D]

5. Making it up as you go?

In the S.C. debate just a few days ago Obama reiterated his first strike doctrine. This is extremely frightening to me as it is the Bush cowboy world view.

Obama's views on foreign policy should frighten everyone who is actually paying attention.

Again, it begs the question - Is Obama really a Democrat?

[mckeown1128]

26. yeah.. he has those "crazy" ideas like wanting to

bomb Osama if we get the chance. Frightening! Yep his first strike doctrine against Al Queda is scary.

[andyrowe]

4. OMG NO!! Obama is pissing off the terrorists?!

God forbid we anger the people who've done such an excellent job of protecting UBL.

[robbedvoter]

6. Cus the Bush type "diplomacy" works so very well!

[Skip Intro]

16. Oh, the Karachi citizens in the pic are terrorists?

[andyrowe]

17. Forgive me but...

Like Obama if I were president, had actionable intelligence on UBL's location and knew Pakistan wouldn't move on it. I would. Would you?

We know Billary wouldn't.

That's what pissed 'em off.

Ordinarily I'm against Shrub-style warmongering but I'd make an exception to bring closure to the madness we've been living since that sunny Tuesday. Karachi be damned.

[Skip Intro]

18. "Karachi be damned," eh? Let's just kill 'em all? Let God sort 'em out?

Is that what your advocating, in blind defense of anything Obama?

The point here, of course, as another poster has pointed out in Biden's reaction, is that even if you plan to unilaterally strike inside a nation against its wishes, you don't run around telling everyone beforehand.

[andyrowe]

22. I'll repeat it.

Ordinarily I'm against Shrub-style warmongering but I'd make an exception to bring closure to the madness we've been living since that sunny Tuesday. Karachi be damned.

[Skip Intro]

27. To what *sunny Tuesday* do you refer? And you will make an exception for shrub-style warmingering?

Yeah, yeah, no need to repeat it again.

I am sure rudy and mccain and the whole slew of repukes and rw wackos would agree with you on this.

Have a nice stay here...

[andyrowe]

40. That Sunny Tuesday was the 11th of September, 2001.

And actually going after UBL if the country harboring him won't act is the exact opposite of "shrub-style".

[CyberPieHole]

36. "Karachi be damned" (Stay the course)~~~well, it worked for W...

:silly:

[CyberPieHole]

35. "Karachi be damned"...how very "Christian" of you~~~wanting to kill an entire population...

Just so you can have OBL's head on a platter.

And "Billary"? Enjoy your stay on DU and enjoy your lunch...

[riqster]

39. WJC DID have such intel, and DID order such strikes when he was in office. nt

[CyberPieHole]

34. Yeah, EVERYONE who is pissed off at the U.S. is a "TERRORIST"...

And "THEY HATE US FOR OUR FREEDOMS":eyes:

[THUNDER HANDS]

7. terrorist-harborers love Hillary

is that the message we're to infer?

[robbedvoter]

10. Like they loved Kerry - nice GOP talking point there.

[Pathwalker]

8. "Bring 'em on", "Mission Accomplished" "Now where ARE

those weapons of Mass Destruction?" Just thought I'd add a few.

[robbedvoter]

9. Must be Clenis's fault - just has to be! has to! HAS TO!!!!

[redqueen]

11. *sigh*

Are we SURE that's why they were burning it?

I don't trust the media at all...

[Scriptor Ignotus]

12. yes I bet those guys would be much happier with a woman President

seriously, who cares what these nimrods do?



Bhutto on Obama's statements about Pakistan
Well, I wouldn't like the United States to violate Pakistan's sovereignty with unauthorized military operations. But 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://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NmRiNGJjODNmZWZiM2I2NzgwMjE2NGVmOTNlN2YwYjA

[JackORoses]

13. is this all you have left? really?

You do know that Bhutto approved of Obama's statement, don't you?

I think you should change your name to 'Skip WholeThread'

[Skip Intro]

19. The reality is that his careless words sparked riots half a world away - doesn't scream competence.

And thanks for the personal insult, it's been a while since I've experienced that kinda hopeful love from an Obama supporter. Chnage you can believe in, for sure...

:eyes:

[JackORoses]

21. the reality is that Hillary's careless vote sparked a War half a World away

[jillan]

14. That was really something - I remember Biden's reaction.

He was saying there are things you just don't announce to the world.

[Webster Green]

15. I'm pretty sure those folks already hated us..

These are Taliban and Al Quaeda supporters!

Fuck 'em!

[Iceburg]

20. Well -- now they hate the US more and with good reason

Obama made a big mistake with his words and even the staunchest of Republican voters would agree.
Read Pat Buchanan's take:

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/columnists/guests/s_520565.html
Obama's Pakistan pitfall

...Now a threat to intervene in a friendly country against the will of its government is serious business, especially when it is a nation of 170 million Muslims, seething with anti-Americanism, which has atom bombs.

...why would this not leave us in another mess like Iraq, with the U.S. Army bleeding and no way out? Would not Osama bin Laden rejoice in a border crossing by U.S. troops into Pakistan, enraging the Pakistani nationalists as well as the border tribes?

...After half a decade of fighting in the Islamic world, has not the lesson sunk in with the hawks of both parties? U.S. troops in an Arab or Muslim country are more likely to create an insurgency than quell one.

..Yet, what do we hear? On to Tehran. On to Pakistan. Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.

[tkmorris]

24. Ummm, you really don't know who that is in that pic do ya?

I'm fairly certain Bob would have some issues with that statement you just made. Unless perhaps you are being sarcastic?

[CyberPieHole]

37. Yes, he knows who they are. They are "evil doers"...reason enough to hate and kill them.

Anyone in the world who dis~respects the U.S. flag (rightly or wrongly) is an enemy and deserves to die. Didn't you get the memo?:eyes:

[FrenchieCat]

23. Yes....let's just let Bin Laden off the hook.....

just so we can damn Obama! Ha!
-------------------------------------------
Obama said there was "misreporting" of his comments, that "I never called for an invasion of Pakistan or Afghanistan." He said rather than a surge in the number of troops in Iraq, there needs to be a "diplomatic surge" and that U.S. troops should be withdrawn within a year.

Further, the U.S. senator from Illinois said, if there were "actionable intelligence reports" showing al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, the U.S. troops as a last resort should enter and try to capture terrorists. That would happen, he added, only if "the Pakistani government was unable or unwilling" to go after the terrorists.

Obama said bin Laden had a hand in training terrorists who killed more than 3,000 Americans in the 9-11 attacks and that therefore bin Laden should not be allowed to feel complacent and train more terrorists.

"Does that give you what you need?" Obama asked.

The man responded, "Thank you."
http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2007/08/07/news/top/8d9e96c628c098008625732f008341f5.txt

Let's go to the tape...

"I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges," Obama said last Wednesday , "but let me make this clear. 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 Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf will not act, we will."

A lot of the disagreement seems to be about the word "invade," which Obama did not use in his speech. According to dictionary.com, invade could mean:

1. to enter forcefully as an enemy; go into with hostile intent: Germany invaded Poland in 1939.
2. to enter like an enemy: Locusts invaded the fields.
3. to enter as if to take possession: to invade a neighbor's home.
4. to enter and affect injuriously or destructively, as disease: viruses that invade the bloodstream.
5. to intrude upon: to invade the privacy of a family.
6. to encroach or infringe upon: to invade the rights of citizens.
7. to permeate: The smell of baking invades the house.
8. to penetrate; spread into or over: The population boom has caused city dwellers to invade the suburbs.

Certainly what Obama was proposing was not invading as Germany invaded Poland in 1939, since the U.S. presumably would leave as soon as the capture or killing of the al Qaeda operatives was completed, and Pakistan would not be perceived as the enemy.

[MethuenProgressive]

25. I thought he was against attacking other nations?

Is this guy ever really for or against anything? :shrug:

[Skip Intro]

28. He is, on Thursdays. I think the statement on Pakistan was made on a Tuesday.

He stands for saying anything to get elected. I am very happy that the illusion is starting to crack now, for many.

[CyberPieHole]

38. He is "AGAINST" attacking other nations. He just said he's "FOR" attacking other nations...

by mistake.:evilgrin:

[krabigirl]

29. I can't believe some of the responses here...people actually want ANOTHER war?!?!

[CyberPieHole]

33. Doesn't make too much sense, does it? n/t

[zulchzulu]

30. What a careless vote from a presidential candidate war monger can do

[hedgehog]

31. I don't have time to do the research, but wasn't this picture shown to have

nothing to do with Obama's statement back when it first surfaced in August?

[Skip Intro]

32. It is directly from USA Today. I remember similar images on tv following his remarks.

[BarackBucks]

41. Yes, I'm sure they are muchmore comforted by the flip flopper Hillary

[Hippo_Tron]

42. This story is from September of last year, desparate much?

[BarackBucks]

43. Read this and have hope

"Our new choice plainly rejects the old categories and false alternatives they impose," Is what I just said to you liberal or conservative? The truth is, it is both, and it is different. It rejects the Republicans' attacks and the Democrats' previous unwillingness to consider new alternatives."

[lisainmilo]

44. Yeah really sounds like he is bringing people together and ending the war....

[alcibiades_mystery]

45. You're AGAINST unilateral military strikes to eliminate terrorists????

:rofl:

Most hare-brained Hillarities post yet. Congratulations on being a total fucking moron.