What's he going to do if we get attacked like we did on Sept. 11th?
Posted on 05/16/2008 9:52:25 AM PDT by Reagan Man
WATERTOWN, S.D. (AP) - Barack Obama has called President Bush's comments on appeasement "exactly the kind of appalling attack that's divided our country and alienates us from the rest of the world." Obama criticized Republican rival John McCain and President Bush for "dishonest and divisive" attacks in hinting that the Democratic presidential candidate would appease terrorists.
Obama strongly responded Friday to the comments Bush made in Israel on Thursday and McCain's subsequent words. Obama told a town hall meeting, "That's the kind of hypocrisy that we've been seeing in our foreign policy, the kind of fear-peddling, fear mongering that has prevented us from actually making us safer."
Obama said McCain had a "naive and irresponsible belief that tough talk from Washington will somehow cause Iran to give up it's nuclear program and support for terrorism."
Yesterday, Obama accused President Bush of "a false political attack" after Bush warned in Israel against appeasing terrorists—early salvos in a general election campaign that's already blazing even as the Democratic front-runner tries to sew up his party's nomination.
The White House denied Bush had targeted Obama, who said the Republican commander in chief's intent was obvious.
In short order, the controversy spilled across the presidential campaign.
John McCain, the Republican nominee in waiting, said Obama was showing "naivete and inexperience and lack of judgment" in his willingness to meet with U.S. foes.
Hillary Rodham Clinton then called Bush's original comments "offensive and outrageous, especially in light of his failures in foreign policy."
As the workday began stateside, Bush gave a speech to Israel's Knesset in which he spoke of the president of Iran, who has called for the destruction of the U.S. ally. Then, the president said: "Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along."
"We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is—the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history," Bush added.
With the president abroad and those seeking to succeed him campaigning at home, the transcontinental tiff signaled the early direction of the general election. Bush seemed to assume the traditional lame-duck presidential role in trying to help the Republican nominee-in-waiting, and Obama tried to maneuver for advantage—and to show strength—while on the cusp of clinching the Democratic nomination.
McCain played his political role as well in tandem with Obama, notable for two White House hopefuls who are campaigning for a bipartisan governing approach free of the often divisive discourse in Washington.
By tradition, partisan politics comes to a halt when a U.S. president is on foreign soil, and Bush's remarks led Obama to quickly cry foul. The first-term Illinois senator responded to the comments as if they were criticism of his position that as president he would be willing to personally meet with Iran's leaders and those of other regimes the United States has deemed rogue.
"It is sad that President Bush would use a speech to the Knesset on the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence to launch a false political attack," Obama said in a statement his aides distributed. "George Bush knows that I have never supported engagement with terrorists, and the president's extraordinary politicization of foreign policy and the politics of fear do nothing to secure the American people or our stalwart ally Israel.
In turn, White House press secretary Dana Perino denied that the Knesset remark was aimed at Obama. In fact, the language is fairly typical for Bush speeches, and Gordon Johndroe, a national security spokesman for the president, said Bush was referring to "a wide range of people who have talked to or suggested we talk to Hamas, Hezbollah or their state sponsors" over a long period of time.
One such person most recently was former President Carter, who held talks with Hamas leaders, leading to criticism from Bush officials as well as Obama and McCain.
Even as the White House said Bush meant no dig at the Democrat, Perino couldn't resist the opportunity to get in a small one.
"I understand when you're running for office you sometimes think the world revolves around you. That is not always true. And it is not true in this case," she said.
Meanwhile, in Columbus, Ohio, McCain said he took the White House at its word, but then he weighed into the spat himself, saying: "This does bring up an issue that we will be discussing with the American people, and that is, why does Barack Obama, Senator Obama, want to sit down with a state sponsor of terrorism?"
Asked if Obama was an appeaser, McCain said Obama must explain why he wants to talk with leaders like Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and added that Obama's position was a serious error. "It shows naivete and inexperience and lack of judgment to say that he wants to sit down across the table from an individual who leads a country that says Israel is a stinking corpse, that is dedicated to the extinction of the state of Israel. My question is, what does he want to talk about?"
Clinton, campaigning in South Dakota in advance of a June 3 Democratic primary, said Bush's statement had "no place in any presidential address. ...
"I have differences with Senator Obama on certain foreign policy matters, but I think we are united in our opposition to the Bush policies and to the continuation of those policies by Senator McCain." Clinton has criticized Obama in the past for his pledge to meet with prominent adversaries of the United States without precondition.
Although his political interest is keen, Bush has mostly tried to refrain from injecting himself into the presidential race.
He largely remained silent during the Republican primaries but appeared with McCain at the White House after the Arizona senator clinched the nomination and, since then, has talked up McCain frequently. As for the Democratic race, the president typically avoids naming names, but he has publicly disagreed with the positions of the Democratic front-runners, including Obama's expressed willingness to meet leaders of U.S. adversaries.
The debate over whether a president should directly negotiate with such leaders has been one of the most prominent issue differences in the race for the Democratic nomination. Obama has said he would be willing to meet with heads of state in places like Iran, Cuba and North Korea. Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton has argued that those meetings could be used for propaganda and her first response would be outreach through diplomatic channels.
By criticizing Bush, Obama sent a signal that he's ready to take on the sitting president and the incumbent party—and tried to counter the notion that Clinton would be the stronger Democratic general election candidate. Democrats also are working to link the unpopular Bush to McCain at every turn as the public craves change, and even if it wasn't directed at Obama, Bush's remark gave Democrats an opening to claim more of the same.
"It is time to turn the page on eight years of policies that have strengthened Iran and failed to secure America or our ally Israel," Obama said in his statement. "Instead of tough talk and no action, we need to do what (Presidents) Kennedy, Nixon and Reagan did and use all elements of American power—including tough, principled, and direct diplomacy—to pressure countries like Iran and Syria."
For their part, McCain and Republicans increasingly see Obama as their November rival and have been taking every opportunity to raise questions about his readiness to be a wartime commander in chief. The GOP also hopes to make national security—historically a Republican strength—a focus of the campaign when the political terrain favors Democrats.
Indicating what's to come, McCain said: "Peace through strength is the way we achieve peace in the world. That's the point. I will debate this issue with Senator Obama throughout this campaign."
The President of the KOS kiddies strikes again. The media will certainly agree with these terrible statements suggesting appeasement of dictators and terrorrists as an "appalling attack"
Neville Chamberlain and Madeleine Albright thought so as well.......
Exactly. Obama (and the rest of the Democrats) automatically assumed that President Bush was talking about him. Go figure. There is only one way they could have drawn that conclusion.
btw, this same issue came up two years ago when Donald Rumsfeld used that exact same quote in a speech. Interestingly enough, Democrats automatically assumed Rumsfeld was talking about Harry Reid back then. Oh well.
And THEN Some!!!
What's he going to do if we get attacked like we did on Sept. 11th?
Hilarious to see all these squealing weasels self-labelling as “appeasers”......
We didn’t know President Bush’s remark referred specifically to YOU, Mr. Obambi, until you made it so clear.....
As for all the usual Demagogue b.s. about what is “divisive”..... well the scumbags who have been launching some of the most vicious domestic wartime attacks ever seen on a sitting US President should not be complaining about anyone else as “divisive”
The most shocking thing in that article is that McClame didn’t blast GW and conservatives in defense of BHO...
B. Hussein, please tell the families of the 9-11 victims, 92 WTC attack, embassy attack and the USS Cole that it is nothing but fear mongering.
If B. Hussein somehow gets elected, the only question will be, WHERE the next attack will occur. This Muslim is dangerous.
I nticed that fact,I just hope a lot of his”supporters”did as well!
Obama the great flap queller communicator.
Obama ridiculed McCain's idea of victory in Iraq by calling it a “civil war” (Someone needs to update his list of Democratic Talking points)
Obama also argued we were less safe- Al Qaeda’s leadership has been strengthened; because we focused(’took our eye off the ball” on Iraq. At last count hasn't between 80-90% of Al Qaeda leadership been killed or captured?
_______________________________________________________
The overarching mega lie is the notion that preventing another major attack on US soil for 7 years, was not a significant achievement. How exactly is Obama intending to improve on that record.
The accompanying mega lie is gentler, more humane, more understanding, more popular in Europe policy is going to be more effective in protecting us from additional attacks.
Obama started out as a community organizer in southside Chicago. If you listen to one of his townhall meetings you'll see he's nothing but a liberal social worker at heart. IOW, Obama is an empty suit and totally unqualified to be POTUS. The most liberal nominee of any party in history. He would sell out America and abandon our military as he creates a Euro-style government for the US. With Obama we'd get higher taxes and a bigger bureaucracy.
Barry Hussein has a guilty conscience.
Grow up, Mohammad! Everything isn’t all about you.
The MSM referring to this episode as “Bush’s Nazi attack”, or “Bush Nazi comment provokes outrage” demonstrates just what we face this fall in confronting the entire media as the Orwellian propaganda machine of Obama, like never before.
"...but then I get to define "terrorist" any way I want." Obama is a liar. The entire Democratic party leadership has done nothing but attempt to bypass Bush and conduct its own foreign policy - shall we recall Jimmy Carter sitting down with Hamas, or Nancy Pelosi with a head-scarf schmoozing with Assad? How about a trip to Iraq by Democratic Reps. Jim McDermott of Washington, David Bonior of Michigan and Mike Thompson of California, paid for by Saddam himself?
I have zero respect for Obama's stance on this. It's as phony and two-faced as everything else about his foreign policy, a dense fog of platitudes whose inhabitants squeal like stuck pigs when anything of substance attempts to penetrate it. Bush didn't refer to him directly but he'd have been absolutely correct if he had.
What is extremely revealing about the affair is the intensity and uniformity of the MSM response - outrage, counter-accusation, and a furious insistence on discussing everything but the actual subject matter. Hussein is their candidate and they aren't going to tolerate any challenges. It's going to be like this all the way to November.
Means it was EFFECTIVE!
LOL!
Osama and the panty waists from the left are a bunch of gutless, nutless, losers. This guy wants to be President of the United States?? Grow a pair, Osama.
I heard him myself say in 2007 that he would meet, in the first year of his presidency, with iran, North Korea, Syria, and Venezuela. Three of those are listed as state sponsors of terror. They fund and support Hezbollah, Hamas, and others, and Iran is actively helping kill our own soldiers in Iraq.
So, he is an appeaser. These two photographs make the statement better than any:
Children live in world that revolves around themselves. Everything in the world is about them.
Most people grow out of it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.