Obama says his plan gaining ground
In his first press conference about his tour of Afghanistan and Iraq, Barack Obama declared today that there is growing support for his plan -- to redeploy US troops from Iraq and ramp up forces in Afghanistan.
Repeating that Afghanistan and the border region with Pakistan represents the "central front in the war on terrorism," he said the United States cannot wait to send more forces there. "The situation in Afghanistan is urgent and perilous," he said, with the historic Citadel overlooking Amman, Jordan as his backdrop.
Both he and Republican rival John McCain are calling for sending thousands more US troops to fight the rebuilding Taliban and remnants of al Qaeda. Afghan President Hamid Karzai also told Obama that more security forces are needed.
In Iraq, Obama said, there is a reduction in violence. But a responsible withdrawal would encourage the Iraqi government to take on more responsibility and reach out to other factions. Iraqi government officials said they supported a withdrawal timetable that is generally in line with Obama's.
"There is security progress. Now we need a political solution," said Obama, flanked by Senators Chuck Hagel, a Nebraska Republican, and Jack Reed, a Democrat from Rhode Island.
Obama acknowledged that General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, does not want a timetable for withdrawal so he can preserve flexibility. But the Illinois senator said while he would listen to the counsel of military commanders, as president his responsibilities would be much broader.
UPDATE: Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman, said in a statement, "By continuing his opposition to the surge strategy long after it has proven successful and by admitting that his plan for withdrawal places him at odds with General David Patraeus, Barack Obama has made clear that his goal remains unconditional withdrawal rather than securing the victory our troops have earned and the surge has made possible."
McCain, on the other hand, said that he would not pull out US troops until conditions on the ground allow and that the surge he championed and Obama opposed should be replicated in Afghanistan.
Obama is scheduled to have dinner later today with Jordanian King Abdullah II, then has a full itinerary of meetings and visits Wednesday in Israel and the West Bank.
Obama condemned an attack near the Jerusalem hotel where he is scheduled to stay. Israeli authorities have blamed terrorists, and Obama says it is the kind of assault that Israelis have bravely endured for decades.
Wednesday, he intends to visit a southern Israeli town that is a frequent target of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza, campaign aides told reporters.
Obama is showing his lack of leadership in ignoring the top military advisers on military matters. He will be a disaster as president.
Earth to John McSame... It's NOT a SURGE, it's an ESCALATION! Surges recede. We're still 30K over the pre-escalation troop counts.
And will you still be using the same lies about the escalation "working" in October, when Talibani's Mugabe-esque attempt at a power grab fails with the fall elections and Al Sad'r is more powerful than ever. That's when we're going to see total civil war break out, and I'm sure you'll just come up with another pack of lies, recognizing that the American people have a collective memory of five minutes.
Why haven't you realized that you're just repeating Tricky Dick's "peace with honor" mistake? Oh, I see... Because ostriches like you that stick their head in the sand to ignore history are forever condemned to repeat it.
Why does Barack want to send more troops to Afghanistan when he can't even
credit them with success in Iraq? According to him, the increase of troops in Iraq made made no difference and that the Iraqis fixed their own problem. If that's the case, why doesn't he just wait for the Afghans to fix their own problem?
The man is a walking contradiction.
Obama has a plan? Does he know what a plan is? A plan has a timeline with specific tasks and the resources to be deployed for those tasks. You have a plan only after your proposal has been approved. When you have a plan, you are ready to execute. Can he draw a plan without the help of the military? This is the first time he talked with General Patraeus, for crying out loud. Obama has a suggestion, perhaps a proposal, but definitely not a plan.
In this trip to Iraq, Obama has shown a lack of respect for the expertise of the people who work under the Presidency. A dangerous trait for a neophyte.
As more and more people pointed out, Obama is a self-aggrandizing person. Unfortunately, his achievements do not measure up to his aspirations, and he is trying to delude us into thinking that he is what he aspired to be. I'd like to hear what psycho-analysts have to say about Obama's personality.
This election is not "American Idol". This is a most serious, pivitol decision. Our choices are simple; lower taxes and keeping our precious country safe and strong. It will be wonderful to someday be able to vote into office a black, brown or yellow man/woman into the White House but Obama is no where near the quality of man we require for president of our nation. Hold off ,let this one pass, wait till the "right man" stands tall for America. Then vote for him! Strength will not come from a mouth piece, puppet-man. Obama's strings are tightly held by someone. He is far too dangerous. This reminds me of Hitler and how he took over, the eyes of the people where blinded to the real man and his motives. They thought they were doing the right thing, following this new unknown. Then when it was too late. AMERICA... DEMAND THAT HE PARTICIPATE IN DEBATES WITH McCAIN...THIS IS THE ONLY WAY WE WILL SEE IF HE CAN STAND ON HIS OWN FEET. We deserve no less from our leader for the next four years. Oh, and to Michele Obama...we know Jackie Kennedy and you are by far no Jackie Kennedy!
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