Obama Declines To Defend U.S. Bombing Of Hiroshima, Nagasaki

NewsBusters ^ | Mark Finkelstein

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Defending the decision of the United States to drop nuclear weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during WWII is not a comfortable thing to do when you're in Japan. But if you're President of the United States, you must do it. Diplomatically, yes. With sympathy for the civilian victims, yes. But you must do it.

But when it came time today for Barack Obama to do so, he failed in that fundamental duty. The very first reporter [from Fuji TV] called on at the joint press conference with PBO and Japanese PM Hatayama in Tokyo today put the question to Pres. Obama in blunt and explicit terms:

JAPANESE REPORTER: What is your understanding of the historical meaning of the A-bombing in Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Do you think it was the right decision?

Obama took a deep breath, paused . . . and punted . . .

[Eric in the Ozarks]

There had been a rumor circulating that Barry would apologize for Hiro and Naga and describe the bombing as a “war crime.” I have absolutely no doubt this speech was under consideration at the WH.

[reagan_fanatic]

With every word that comes forth from this mealy little turd’s mouth, I miss great Presidents like Ronald Reagan that much more.

Hopefully, in 2012, we’ll have a President that actually loves his country and appreciates the pain and sacrifice that generations before him had to endure.

[kabar]

War crime? What then? Will we try Harry Truman in absentia? I can see Obama apologizing [he has already done as much when he said that the US was the only country ever to use nuclear weapons], but I seriously doubt that even the Messiah would ever call the bombings a war crime. Politically, he would be slitting his own throat.

[massgopguy]

The Greatest Generation has no historical meaning to him. History began with his election. Just ask him.

[Bahbah]

My family would probably not exist if Harry had not dropped the bombs.

That is true for a large number of families, both American and Japanese.

[kromike]

C'mon Freepers, lighten up. As drones, we're supposed to be proud to be so hip to elect some inexperienced but oh-so-super-suave black dude as President.

/s

[Arrowhead1952]

Hussein's 2009 world wide apology tour continues.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

It would endear him to his political base.

[TBP]

More evidence that Barack Obama hates America.

[Gritty]

It's a good thing the reporter didn't ask him a question on the historical meaning of 9/11...

That would have been really embarassing!

[metesky]

"The Allied aim was to break Japanese resistance before an invasion became unavoidable. On 1 August 820 B29s unloaded 6,600 tons of explosive on five towns in North Kyushu. Five days later America's one, untested uranium bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan's eighth largest city, headquarters of the 2nd General Army and an important embarkation port. Some 720,000 leaflets warning that the city would be 'obliterated' had been dropped two days before. No notice was taken, partly because it was rumoured Truman's mother had once lived nearby, and it was thought that the city, being pretty, would be used by the Americans as an occupation centre..."

"Publicly, the Japanese government reaction was to send a protest to the world through the Swiss embassy. Having ignored international law for twenty years they now denounced 'the disregard of international law by the American government, particularly the brutality of the new land-mine used against Hiroshima.' Privately they summoned Nishina, head of their atomic programme, to Tokyo to demand whether the Hiroshima bomb was a genuine nuclear weapon and, if so, whether he could duplicate it within six months. This does not suggest that a single atomic weapon would have been decisive."

British Historian Paul Johnson - Modern Times - pg 425/426

[anglian]

Obama’s audio book for Dreams from my Father http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI77cU3jsFs In the book, Obama gives details of the speech that we all saw on TV and know as the “G Damn America” speech. At 8min 42sec into the video, Obama reading “Wright spoke of Sharpsville and Hiroshima, the callousness of policy makers in the White House and the State House…” Obama is reading these words… then they go to the clip of Wright just before he gets ready to say “G Damn America” and he mentions Sharpsville and Hiroshima. Obama was there.

[TADSLOS]

He had an easy out. It was the whales and dolphins fault.

[Centurion2000]

My father and father-in-law were both in the Pacific in 1945.

My family would probably not exist if Harry had not dropped the bombs.

My grandfather was based on the Aleutians and would have definitely been part of it as well ... so my father, me, brothers, my son and niece would be gone as well.

[kabar]

His political base cannot reelect him by themselves. The big story in NJ and VA was that the independents went overwhelming for the GOP unlike the 2008 election.

[andy58-in-nh]

I suppose we ought to be relieved that he did not pause to blame the US for Pearl Harbor. In these dark days, it seems you must take comfort wherever you can.

[Peter Horry]

“My father and father-in-law were both in the Pacific in 1945.”

I had an uncle that was on the USS Mansfield DD-728 and was in the Japanese harbor when they (Japan) surrendered.

The yahoos that bemoan dropping the bombs never talk about numbers and deal only in emotion.

Here are some numbers.

Germany
Population: 69,623,000
Military deaths: 5,533,000
Civilian deaths: 840,000 to 2,800,000

Japan
Population: 71,380,000
Military deaths: 2,120,000
Civilian deaths: 580,000 2,700,000

United States
Military deaths: 416,800

I believe any objective analysis would have to conclude that military deaths, as well as both civilian and military deaths for Japan, would have been much higher if an invasion had been necessary.

As for the group that says Japan was on the verge of surrendering without an invasion, I say (in the words of Sherman Potter)... Horse Hockey.

[chimera]

And don't forget Russian dead during the war. Close to 24 million total, of which 12-14 million were civilian. Those kinds of fatalities boggle the mind. Any way you look at it, the Russkies took the major hit.

[al_c]

Oh my gosh ... that was one of the worst political dodges in the history of the world. A non-answer. Then a classic redirect to Korea.

This man is pathetic.

[Night Hides Not]

My family would probably not exist if Harry had not dropped the bombs.

My dad was training for the invasion of Japan. I'm thankful that the bombs were dropped.

There was a teachable moment here, and the "brilliant" constitutional law professor gagged on it. It's sheer intellectual dishonesty to focus on Hiroshima and Nagasaki without examining Japan's conduct from 12/7/1941 on.

The Bataan Death March, the Rape of Nanking, Manila...one can go on and on.