Posted on 02/11/2007 8:04:47 PM PST by naturalman1975
US presidential candidate Barack Obama has told Prime Minister John Howard to put up or shut up. Mr Obama, speaking at a packed press conference in Iowa today, said if MrHoward was concerned about the situation in Iraq he should send 20,000 Australian troops to the strife-torn nation.
The Illinois senator added that if Mr Howard did not send the troops, then the prime minister's attack on the Democrat presidential hopeful's Iraq policy was "empty rhetoric''.
"I would also note that we have close to 140,000 troops on the ground now and my understanding is that Mr Howard has deployed 1400,''Mr Obama, who next year could become the first African American to be elected US president, said.
"So, if he's ginned up to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest he calls up another 20,000 Australians and sends them up to Iraq.
"Otherwise, it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric.''
Mr Howard sparked the war of words yesterday when he took the extraordinary step of declaring that he hoped Mr Obama did not become president of the US, and that his election would be disastrous for the war on terrorism.
Mr Howard said Mr Obama's plan to pull America's combat brigades out of Iraq by March 31, 2008, was a strategy that would "destabilise and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and a victory for the terrorists''.
"If I were running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory, not only for Obama but also for the Democrats,'' Mr Howard said.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.com.au ...
I would note that Australia has troops in both East Timor and the Solomon Islands, as part of this War on Terror, and the United States, despite being much larger than us does not.
If Senator Obama expects us to put troops in Iraq because of some statistical reason, I suggest the US needs to send a few troops there.
Of course, such a decision would be strategically pointless, and militarily stupid, because war is not a numbers game. It's nowhere near as simple as how many troops you have on the ground - it's what is needed and what they are doing.
Strategically, it makes sense for Australia to carry the lions share of responsibility in our own backyard (and I would be remiss if I failed to mention that the US has been quick to assist us logistically in both those operations when there has been something they could usefully do), and so we have taken on the heavy lifting there. But that limits the troops we have available for other theatres in this Global War on Terror.
The big question I have - and the reason why the idea of President Barak Obama is a big concern for Australia, moreso than a President Hilary Clinton would be, is whose side would Obama be on in the event of a conflict between Australia and Indonesia?
What worries me is a repeat of the Falklands situation, writ large - when the United States is forced to choose between two nations it wants to be friendly with.
To the credit of the US, back then they chose to go with the UK over Argentina when it came down to brass tacks, but back then Ronald Reagan was in the White House. You don't get that many Ronald Reagans.
I am so damn jealous of Australia. You have such a freaking excellent leader.
OMG that too funny ROFL
Dear Lord, I hope not.
War, peace, security - the lives of our families - are not "put up or shut up" games to be played by childish politicians. Obama has disqualified himself from any pretense of being a responsible leader on foreign policy. He could have responded to the policy point in a number of effective ways. Instead, he and the democrats responded like a bunch of school yard thugs.
Well worth checking out.
America has friends Mr. Obama. Presidents and presidential candidates come and go.
I'm jealous of Canada too with Harper.
The US Senator,currently 88th in seniority in the Senate, has a long way to go before the wetness behind his ears dries up. A few days in the Outback might help towards that end.
I'm sure Mr. Howard is quaking in his boots after being read the riot act by this wimp of a Lincoln wannabee. ;-)
Thank you for your service in the battle for the preservation of Western Civilization.
Obama can get a dog up 'imself!
How ugly of Borat Dumbamba to throw around references to 20,000 troops and "put up or shut up" as a childish taunt. Is he off his rocker?
Yeah I wish PM Howard invitated Osmara Barek come to outbreak never hear from AGAIN I mean Barek ROFL
It like real life Croc dundee GOOD Day mate
Osama/Obama is essentially proposing that Australian troops replace American ones. Some leadership, you toad.
Agreed.
Just goes to show that Obama isn't fit to be a senator let alone president.
Some choice between the Hildabeast and the first Muslim POTUS.
They are both the end of Western civilization and the US.
Osama Obarmarama swaggers into an Aussi bar...downs a middi and leaves the glass upside down on the bar......
It's George Bush's war, foreign leaders are George Bush's friends. What a childish jerk Odumba has turned out to be. The left is an ugly ugly peice of business. Blacks aren't really black if they disagree with the left, and now foreign leaders can expect their nations to be discounted if they dare speak out.
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