Obama defends foreign tour
Barack Obama today defended his high-profile foreign excursion, arguing that America's problems can best be solved by working with allies overseas.
Republicans, including presidential rival John McCain, have criticized Obama for spending so much time abroad during the middle of the campaign with so many economic and other problems at home.
Obama, speaking to reporters outside British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's official residence at 10 Downing Street in London, acknowledged that he might drop in the polls somewhat.
But he said, "The reason that I thought this trip was important is that I am convinced that many issues that we face at home are not going to be solved as effectively unless we have strong partners abroad. "And unless we get a handle on Iraq and Afghanistan, not only are we going to be less safe, but it's also going to be a huge drain on resources."
McCain's campaign has accused Obama of taking a "premature victory lap," but Obama noted that McCain had earlier been "telling me I was supposed to take this trip. He suggested it and thought it was a good idea."
"John McCain has visited every one of these countries post-primary that I have," said Obama, referring to McCain's foreign tour in March after he had clinched the Republican nomination. "So it doesn't strike me that we have done anything different than the McCain campaign has done, which is to recognize that part of the job of the next president, commander in chief is to forge effective relationships with our allies."
In an interview today with Fox News Channel, Obama also said that his policies had not changed from the trip. “I think that, as I said before, our broad strategic outlines are right,” he said.
Obama also defended perhaps the only hiccup on the tour, a controversy over a cancelled visit to wounded soldiers in Germany. Obama's office said it nixed the event after consultation with the Pentagon to not bring politics to the hospital , but the Pentagon said he could have visited as a senator, not a candidate.
"It was scheduled, we intended to go and we got wind that there was some concern that this might be perceived as political because we were using campaign resources," Obama said in the interview. "And at that point, the last thing I wanted to do is to in anyway distract the terrific work that’s being done in terms of treating our troops, by getting it fouled up by a bunch of politics....I didn’t want it to be a distraction.”
Excusses, excusses, lies, misquotes, the blame game.....that's Obama. He is too egotistical to ever say he is wrong, he is sorry, like the surge in Iraq. This man is D A N G E R O U S. He ate up the German crowd; I thought for a minute that he was going to salute with 'Heil, Obama' with his raised hand up. The European nations have drastic problems with Islamic radicals who are now citizens of the European countries thanks to these countries opening their arms to the Muslims in the 80s. Now they have terrorist cells everywhere, esp. in London and France. These Muslims are rapidly reproducing Muslim children while the native European is rapidly declining. These second generation Muslim-Europeans have European passports which will allow them to enter the U.S. as most all are not yet on the terrorist lists. Obama is not suited to deal with the defense of our country; he will not even listen to the U.S. generals and Chief of Staff; he thinks he knows more than them know. What a pompous person.
I havent been more happy in 8 years! All Ive heard was macho talk for 8 years that have turned the US plus the rest of the world backwards. Guys should learn from their relationships that "Macho" reverses anything positive. This trip that Obama took just proves that an articulate person really can help make the world a more civilized and better place.
love234america is clearly a white supremacist. The fact that there are "Muslim" immigrants to European countries scares him/her, even though the klansman is confusing "Muslim" (which is a religion, of which Caucasians, Africans, Arabs, and Asians adhere to all around the world) with a skin color. What does he/she propose we do about the fact that "Muslims" are reproducing? The fact that he/she is complaining about a group of people producing children being a threat right out of the Nazi textbooks. Yet, he/she accuses Obama of seeking a "Heil" salute? love234america is proposing that we exterminate children of people of the "Muslim" religion. Name me a U.S. veteran of any war that would say that they fought for that. Crawl back under your bed, love234america, because the Nazis lost the war.
"love234america", you are a racist, narrow-minded and xenophobic dolt.
What inane piece of evidence gives you the audacity to even suggest a connection between the fascism of Adolf Hitler and Barack Obama? Is it the same evidence that you draw on to implicitly suggest that "second generation Muslim-Europeans" should eventually all be put on "terrorist lists"?
... And maybe you shouldn't confuse pomposity with being educated, articulate and worldly.
I have always been an ind, and have voted for the individual always. I feel this country needs but does not have good leaders to choose from. That said I wish to present to you a letter I received from a relative in the midwest today to explain part of why I can't gather any interest in your choice. What this soldier says I see in the body language of Obama when he speaks. Anyway here is a copy of the letter my cousin sent.
Hello everyone, As you know I am not a very political
person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan
for about an hour on his visit to "The War Zone". I wanted to share with you what happened. He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram. As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn't say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with
weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service. So really he was just here to make a showing for the American's back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you. I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States . I just don't understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and- Chief. It
was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.
If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.
In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier
****************************************************
I agree Mr. Obama is unfortunately a dangerous, highly self-centered and opportunistic predator. Of course politicians are egotistical but Sen. Obama is pompous, cocky and arrogant to a degree that is truly pathological. I have been concerned for some time about his narcissist personality defects. Now I am convinced that he is a manipulative, sociopathic megalomaniac just as was Adolph Hitler. The latter used the Berlin Victory Column to signify a grand unification to form one Germania. He used the Victory Column to proclaim "Hail Victory" - in Germen, "Sieg Heil."
It is good that Obama made a foreign tour. It gives us a chance to get another view of his proposed ideas. The world knows we need help, hope and change; they hope Barack offers that as the US presidental candidate.
The desire of all nations and all leaders is to improve the world, but I see no change offered by Barack Obama. Moving troops from Iraq to Afghanistan is not change. Creating more jobs, and projects paid for by taxes we pay is not change. Getting foreign troops to fight wars we started is not change. This is not the unity and international relations nations want.
We need someone who recognizes we are going the wrong way and only a drastic change will solve world problems. We are making life more difficult than it has to be. The goal in life is not employment; that caused our problems. The goal is retirement in a garden paradise that we create here and now. That restores our health, stops pollution, energy-food crisis, global warming, immigration, wars, and social security concerns all at the same time.
If we want this solution and our candidates refuse or ignor our plea and our prayers, God is ready to raise a leader to bring it to pass. In the meantime we can start planting food bearing plants and choosing pets that produce food. These Victory Gardens will indeed give us a victory that will be long lasting and well meaning speeches and desires will not captivate us into our same destructive lifestyle.
Stevie Souza - All this proves is that we have to kowtow to the Europeans to win their "approval and favor". Did you read his speech where he slams the U.S. for making mistakes? Right in front of an audience whose parents, grandparents and great grandparents initiated TWO (2) World Wars and wiped out whole populations - the 2nd one in the name of national socialism (a similar political philosophy espoused by Obama).
All this proves is that Obama has articulate speech writers. Have you ever heard Obama talk off the cuff? He hemms and haawws and can't put three words together that make any sense. I can't believe you have fallen for this fake!! You must be a fellow elitist don't-know-anything-about-the-real-world Ivy Leaguer college student. I hope you get your head out of the Obama Koolaid before the election when it really counts.
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