Posted on 09/04/2008 2:09:09 PM PDT by markedmannerf
The troop surge in Iraq has been more successful than anyone could have imagined, Barack Obama conceded Thursday in his first-ever interview on FOX News’ “The O’Reilly Factor.”
As recently as July, the Democratic presidential candidate declined to rate the surge a success, but said it had helped reduce violence in the country. On Thursday, Obama acknowledged the 2007 increase in U.S. troops has benefited the Iraqi people.
“I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated,” Obama said while refusing to retract his initial opposition to the surge. “I’ve already said it’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”
Watch Barack Obama’s interview with Bill O’Reilly at 8 p.m. ET Thursday on FOX News Channel.
However, he added, the country has not had enough “political reconciliation” and Iraqis still have not taken responsibility for their country.
Speaking on other national security matters, Obama said he would not take military action off the table in dealing with Iran, but diplomacy and sanctions can’t be overlooked.
The Islamic republic is a “major threat” and it would be “unacceptable” for the rogue nation to develop a nuclear weapon, he said.
“It is unacceptable for Iran to possess a nuclear weapon, it would be a game changer,” Obama said. “It’s sufficient to say I would not take military action off the table and that I will never hesitate to use our military force in order to protect the homeland and the United States’ interests.”
But Obama also warned against the current U.S. administration lumping radical Islamic groups together.
“They have fueled a whole host of terrorist organizations,” Obama said of Iran, but “we have to have the ability to distinguish between groups. … They may not all be part and parcel of the same ideology."
(Excerpt) Read more at elections.foxnews.com ...
I am sure for the most part this will be a pretty soft interview.
“I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated.”
Uh, no Obama. Some one did anticipate how the surge would succeed. His name is John McCain.
I think Obama just figuratively shot himself in the head. With this admission, the ONE issue that endeared Bambi with most of his lib buddies is gone, plus, he looks really stupid for having voting against the war in general and not anticipating the stellar quality of our armed forces in particular.
I anticipate his long, slow, twising, decline in the polls with great relish.
God bless you, Sarah Palin, and your wonderful family.
Feel free to delete this thread
Not really, that was the whole point of the surge. Everyone else knew that. The problem is it was simply beyond obama's "comprehension".
“twising” should read “twisting”
“Get it in writing, Joe...”
“I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody Democrat anticipated,” Obama said while refusing to retract his initial opposition to the surge. “I’ve already said it’s succeeded beyond our Democrats' wildest dreams.”
So, McCain was right when he called for the surge and Obama was dead wrong.
How about that!
More successful that anyone could have imagined? Really? Someone must be lacking an imagination.
Tell Joe to get it in writing, indeed.
Mildly off topic, but I just walked by the TV and on FOX Meghan Kelly was making Weasely Clark very uncomfortable. She asked him that since Obama said that running for President for 19 months was Presidential experience, did he think that the act of running for President qualified Obama to be CIC? Clark didn’t like the way the question was framed and tried to talk around it. Meghan gave him a hard time. Anyone else see it?
“I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated,” Obama said while refusing to retract his initial opposition to the surge. “In fact,” Obama added, “questions like these are really above my pay grade.”
What about...
o Saul Alinsky and ACORN
o Frank Marshall Davis
o Khalid al Mansour
o Jeremiah Wright
o The corrupt Chicago Democrats, David Axelrod. and the Daily Machine
o Mazen Asbahi
o David Ayers
What about the Anti-American radicalism that Barack Obama steeped himself and his family in, decade after decade, after decade?
This interview will be pathetic boot-licking and nothing more. Dennis Miller called it.
I think General Petraeus figured it out ahead of time. So did Senator McCain.
Yeah, I Did! I was thinking OMG...this jerk has a deer in the headlights look and was REFUSING to directly answer the question!!!!! This should be a McCain campaign ad.
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