Posted on 03/20/2008 10:29:37 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
CHARLESTON, W.Va. - Barack Obama blamed the Iraq war for higher oil prices and skyrocketing debt Thursday as he sought to tie the unpopular war to the slumping economy in working-class West Virginia.
The Democratic hopeful is trying to cut into Hillary Clinton's base in West Virginia. The state's demographics appear to favor Clinton, whose support is strongest among older white voters and blue-collar workers.
"When you're spending over $50 to fill up your car because the price of oil is four times what it was before Iraq, you're paying a price for this war," Obama said. "When Iraq is costing each household about $100 a month, you're paying a price for this war."
By linking the economy to the war, Obama is playing to his perceived strength as someone who spoke out against the war as a state lawmaker in Illinois. He has criticized Clinton for only recently opposing the war and said Thursday that her criticism of Republican John McCain's war policies lacks teeth.
"Her point would have been more compelling had she not joined Senator McCain in making the tragically ill-considered decision to vote for the Iraq war in the first place," Obama said to cheers.
It was the third consecutive day that Obama set aside his usual stump speech and delivered a more focused issue speech. He discussed race relations on Tuesday and the foreign policy consequences of the Iraq war Wednesday.
Obama has won more states than Clinton, leads in the popular vote and holds a nearly insurmountable lead in pledged delegates. But neither candidate can clinch the nomination without help from superdelegates, the party leaders who are not bound by any primary or caucus and are free to vote for whomever they choose. Clinton hopes a strong finish in the remaining primaries will persuade superdelegates to back her in a close race despite the delegate shortfall.
West Virginia holds its primary May 13. The economy is a key issue in West Virginia and Obama aides concede that Clinton is expected to perform well here.
"For what folks in this state have been spending on the Iraq war, we could be giving health care to nearly 450,000 of your neighbors, hiring nearly 30,000 new elementary school teachers, and making college more affordable for over 300,000 students," Obama said.
Obama was introduced at the University of Charleston by West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who played up Obama's blue-collar credentials and his familiarity with his home state's coal industry.
"He's a man who's worked for everything he's achieved. That's something I can't say," Rockefeller joked. He said Obama can see the world "through the eyes of those who are in the trenches everyday struggling to make ends meet and who are fighting to keep their families together."
hmmmm...
I thought China and India using more oil was pushing up prices.
And Iraqi oil interests have been caught funneling money to the insurgents. I wonder if Obama supports the death penalty if those traitors are convicted.
I thought we were spending money "we don't have" on the war. Where would we get the money to fund this new mandate?
The army is there getting paid whether there is war or peace.
When Obama claims that the Iraq war is what’s driven up oil prices, he’s lying and he knows it.
If Barack is elected, we won’t have an Army to pay.
This buttwipe does not have the experience to tell anybody this crap. Somebody needs to school this punk. Barry Obama.....you have a Wright hanging around your neck so I guess you can be excused.
“I thought China and India using more oil was pushing up prices.”
Not true, though often reported.
The price rise is due to an inflating dollar and the new and increased interest in speculation in commodities, incl. oil. Essentially the super rich, hedge funds, etc. are parking their money in commodities.
BTW, Obama will never mention the market traders because the Democratic party is in their pocket.
The price of oil when the Rats were sworn in in Jan of 07 was $50 per barrel.
Pfft~
I thought Iraq was pumping more oil now than ever.
Just like sitting in a pew all those years pretending not to hear what Wright was saying... Typical liberal loon excuse
So now the Subprime Collapse was caused by OIF? Obama has jumped the shark with that one.
The price of oil when the Rats were sworn in in Jan of 07 was $50 per barrel.
— Ouch..
another ‘Inconvenient Truth’. ;-)
I don't think he is lying. I think he just doesn't have any idea what he's talking about. Obama hasn't got the slightest idea about economics, business, or anything else that would be remotely relevant to a discussion of oil prices, or the Iraq war, for that matter.
btw,, saw a ticker item earlier today that Obama said he would consider releasing oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Obama is a jackweed!
“For what folks in this state have been spending on the Iraq war, we could be giving health care to nearly 450,000 of your neighbors, hiring nearly 30,000 new elementary school teachers, and making college more affordable for over 300,000 students,” Obama said.
... In other words, lets spend money on gov’t handout programs instead of self defense. Lets turn the entire population into a bunch of ticks on the government body... Yeah, that’ll be great for America.
Which means Obama is right. The primary factor in the inflating dollar has been the massive cost (direct and indirect) of the war in Iraq.
It's no mere coincidence that the U.S. government stopped reporting one of the key measures of money supply (M3) in early 2006. The dollar has been declining considerably since then.
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