Posted on 09/15/2008 2:58:55 PM PDT by johncocktoasten
FLINT, Mich. – Senator Barack Obama said today he intends to visit Iraq and Afghanistan before the November election.
Mr. Obama, who spoke to the Iraqi foreign minister by telephone this morning, said he was “encouraged” by the reductions in violence in Iraq. But he said the United States still must begin gradually withdrawing troops, at a pace of one to two brigades a month, with a goal of removing most combat troops in 16 months.
“We have no interest in permanent bases in Iraq,” Mr. Obama said. “I gave him an assurance that should we be elected, an Obama administration will make sure that we continue with the progress that’s been made in Iraq – that we won’t act precipitously, but that we will move to end U.S. combat forces in Iraq.”
As Mr. Obama arrived in Michigan for a campaign stop on the economy, he shared details of his morning telephone call with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. On Sunday, Mr. Zebari had a face-to-face meeting with Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee.
Among the issues being discussed with the two presidential candidates is the long-term security accord between Iraq and the United States. While the Bush administration would like to see an agreement reached before the summer’s political conventions, Mr. Obama said today that he opposed such a timetable.
“My concern is that the Bush administration, in a weakened state politically, ends up trying to rush an agreement that in some ways might be binding to the next administration, whether it’s my administration or Senator McCain’s administration,” Mr. Obama said. “The foreign minister agreed that the next administration should not be bound by an agreement that’s currently made.”
Mr. Obama, who has not been to Iraq for more than two years, told the New York Times last month that he intended to visit Iraq. His comments today after talking to Mr. Zebari underscored that desire, saying: “I told him that I look forward to seeing him in Baghdad.”
Late last month, Mr. McCain invited Mr. Obama to embark on a joint trip to Iraq, a gesture that Mr. Obama dismissed as a political stunt. The Republican National Committee started a clock, keeping track of the days it has been since Mr. Obama’s visit in January 2006.
“In the nearly 900 days since Barack Obama visited Iraq, the facts on the ground have changed dramatically – but his ideologically-driven position has not,” said Alex Conant, a Republican spokesman. “When Obama visits Iraq, he’ll see that he was wrong to oppose the surge, wrong to continue to ignore our commanders’ advice and wrong to demand premature withdrawal.”
Today, Mr. Obama did not say specifically when he intended to take his foreign trip.
“You know, we’ll make an announcement about that,” he said. “But as I said, I’m interested in visiting Iraq and Afghanistan before the election.”
(Excerpt) Read more at thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com ...
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Obama caught in another big LIE. Time to toast this muzzie.
Please forward to the applicable media types. This really is an act of sedition and a violation of the Logan Act. The McCain campaign will not pick this up, we must keep it in front of media.
Please forward to the applicable media types. This really is an act of sedition and a violation of the Logan Act. The McCain campaign will not pick this up, we must keep it in front of media.
Now he’s fund raising in Iraq!
Speaking of ears......Am I the only one that thinks Obama's head looks like a Volkswagon with the doors open?
Doesn’t matter, nothing will come of this. Media will gloss over it.
Send this to Rush, Sean and Mark. Why are these guys NOT talking about this today?
But this NYT story give the NYP story the "gravitas" it need. And hopefully--enough legs to defeat any attempts of the Obama campaign to successfully ride herd on this story. It may not throw him out of the running in this race, but it might just throw him enough off stride to keep him from winning it.
“....that the next administration should not be bound by an agreement that’s currently made”
Pretty much like the Constitution I guess, huh Obama?
On the other hand, it would be nice to duck out of the U.N. and convert it to condo’s.
Why is he not being prosecuted?
LOL Dem’s don’t prosecuted one another, they just go after republicans. Why just today Pelosi said she wasn’t going after Rangel . Now what was that about the republican and the culture of corruption .....................
I wonder how long Obama’s list of planned Executive Orders is.
Wikipedia -
"In June 2007, Representative Steve King introduced legislation that would prohibit Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi from drawing on Federal funds to travel to foreign states which the U.S. deems to sponsor terrorism. King claimed that Pelosi's dialogue with the Syrian government violated the Logan Act. [8] The amendment was not adopted."
Iraqi’s are speaking up now, because McCain is leading in the polls. Before they thought 0bama would win.
This was June. The meeting in question took place in July.
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