Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (R) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai walk at the presidential palace in Kabul July 20, 2008. REUTERS/Afghanistan Presidential Palace/Handout
Posted on 07/22/2008 3:02:45 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON — Barack Obama's plan to build up U.S. forces in Afghanistan while keeping perhaps 50,000 troops in Iraq has triggered a deep rift among antiwar activists, a reminder of the difficult tasking facing the presumptive Democratic nominee as he tries to broaden his appeal.
The Illinois senator wrapped up three days of tours and talks in the war-ravaged nations Tuesday, stressing in a news conference that the "situation in Afghanistan is perilous and urgent" and that "we should not wait any longer" to provide additional troops.
In Iraq , Obama won a tacit Iraqi endorsement of a plan to withdraw U.S. combat troops in 2010, but he also said that he backs leaving a residual force in Iraq to help train military personnel, provide security for U.S. interests and thwart terrorist threats. ...
Some hailed Obama's trip as an important breakthrough.
"So far the trip has been out of the park. It's an enormous moment," declared Eli Pariser , executive director of MoveOn.org, which supports Obama. He hedged about Obama's troop commitments, however: He said he wasn't fully aware of Obama's call for a residual force in Iraq and was trying to get a sense from MoveOn members on their views about Afghanistan .
Sister Simone Campbell , executive director of NETWORK, the national Catholic social justice lobbying group, was less enthusiastic.
"It was a significant step forward," she said, "but it was only a step."
Others were simply annoyed.
Barbra Bearden , spokeswoman for Peace Action, called Obama's comments about Afghanistan "a bit disheartening."
Ian Thompson , lead organizer in Los Angeles for Act Now to Stop War & End Racism, an antiwar group, found Obama's Afghanistan position similar to that of President Bush and presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain .
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Obama wants to send more troops.
wow.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama (R) and Afghan President Hamid Karzai walk at the presidential palace in Kabul July 20, 2008. REUTERS/Afghanistan Presidential Palace/Handout
Palestinian artist Walid Ayyub makes the final touches on a portrait for US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama at his shop in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Obama stepped into the maelstrom of the Middle East Tuesday, warning the next US president could not just snap his fingers and make peace, as fresh violence rocked the region. (AFP/Abbas Momani)
The antiwar activists can be forgiven. Their views aren’t that much different than Obama’s are they. He’s also split on what his actual views are concerning his troop plans.
The anti-war left is not having a cow over Obama’s new positions because they don’t believe a word of it....and neither should anyone else.
In reality, Obama's plan is morphing into Bush and McCain's plan...and he is trying desprately to make it that way as seemlessly as possible so he can get out in front of the surge success and claim the ultimate withdrawals as his own.
I believe most Americans will see through this, and also believe we have to help spread the word on this changling marxist.
If the messianc aura attributed to Obama wasn’t apparent before, composing the photograph at this angle proves it now. Just crown him and be done with it.
A couple of lies. He didn't win "endorsement". Further, his plan isn't to take troops out IN 2010, it's to take troops out starting TODAY, which if he started today would end in December of 2009, and would be down below 50,000 long before then.
Except now there's this "residual force", which in fact Iraq isn't so sure about, and frankly I'm not sure what that means to his "measured withdraw".
Each time Obama explains his plan, it changes.
As of today, the Obama platform is:
1) More War
2) High En\ergy Prices and
3) Higher Taxes
How can that win???
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