[Eye On The Left]

Obama Pledges Cuts in Missile Defense, Space, and Nuclear Weapons Programs

February 29, 2008 :: News
MissileThreat.com

A video has surfaced of Presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama talking on his plans for strategic issues such as nuclear weapons and missile defense.

The full text from the video, as released, reads as follows:

Thanks so much for the Caucus4Priorities, for the great work you've been doing. As president, I will end misguided defense policies and stand with Caucus4Priorities in fighting special interests in Washington.

First, I'll stop spending $9 billion a month in Iraq. I'm the only major candidate who opposed this war from the beginning. And as president I will end it.[i.e. not win it]

Second, I will cut tens of billions of dollars in wasteful spending.

I will cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.

I will not weaponize space.

I will slow our development of future combat systems.

And I will institute an independent "Defense Priorities Board" to ensure that the Quadrennial Defense Review is not used to justify unnecessary spending.

Third, I will set a goal of a world without nuclear weapons. To seek that goal, I will not develop new nuclear weapons; I will seek a global ban on the production of fissile material; and I will negotiate with Russia to take our ICBMs off hair-trigger alert, and to achieve deep cuts in our nuclear arsenals.

You know where I stand. I've fought for open, ethical and accountable government my entire public life. I don't switch positions or make promises that can't be kept. I don't posture on defense policy and I don't take money from federal lobbyists for powerful defense contractors. As president, my sole priority for defense spending will be protecting the American people. Thanks so much.

Article: Obama Pledges Cuts in Missile Defense, Space, and Nuclear Weapons Programs:
http://missilethreat.com/archives/id.7086/detail.asp

"MissileThreat.com is a project of The Claremont Institute devoted to understanding and promoting the requirements for the strategic defense of the United States."

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Obama Promises to Dismantle Our Armed Forces
by Robert Maginnis
Posted 04/10/2008 ET

(Mr. Maginnis is a retired Army lieutenant colonel, a national security and foreign affairs analyst for radio and television and a senior strategist with the U.S. Army)

YouTube has an undated 52-second clip of Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barrack Obama outlining his plans for America’s national defense. Obama’s presentation demonstrates either total naivete about important national security programs or he is just pandering for votes among the extreme left.
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?print=yes&id=25942

Note: Although I sent Human Events the ORIGINAL youtube video several weeks ago (original: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o84PE871BE ) and asked that they replace the copy they refer to (copy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl32Y7wDVDs ), they still have not yet done so. The original comes directly from the Obama camp itself and so is a lot more credible. In any case, Col Maginnis does an excellent in-depth must read analysis of Obama's proposed defense policies (see: http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?print=yes&id=25942).

[dragnet2]

America must stop ignoring the looming threats to national security

America?

Ya mean the corrupt political whores that are in the pockets of the filthy rich fat cat corporate elite that control the businesses and corporations?

All this while our borders now resemble a Boston Marathon of millions, all so they can get their illegal low wage laborer?

National security? lol...

[Neoliberalnot]

Obama is the biggest looming threat to US national security on the planet.

[org.whodat]

When we are on a fast track of the dollar becoming worthless, what is national security.

When the government refuses to protect the borders, what is national security.

When we buy billions of dollars of fuel at market prices and sell it to Iraq's at 33 cents a gallon, what does that have to do with national Security?

You may be right but I was just wondering???

[dr_who]

Obama has been campaigning aggressively to be the press candidate. The press has been beating their drums against Iraq for years now, and they won't stop until their satisfied that we've lost. What Obama says about foreign policy doesn't have to make the slightest bit of sense if the press thinks he is the peacenik candidate, the socialized medicine standardbearer, a lefty, and he's photogenic. And if the voters aren't curious about events in the middle east and other hellholes until those problems do reach our shores or our nearest neighbors, then they'll buy what Obama is saying. The voters won't care (or possibly know) if he can't even get US geography right, and the press is going to do their best to squelch any criticism of him if he embarassess himself.

Conservatives and/or Republicans, on the other hand, are really scraping the bottom of the barrel if they think they can elect anybody by banging the foreign policy/national security drum. The cold war is over, but we're due for another Carter presidency if Republicans don't have any clear domestic agenda, and they haven't had one for the longest time.

[miele man]

ping