Pre-emptive apology…..the following post was done in haste…
Barack Obama will give a speech today that will focus specifically on foreign policy. Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, al-Qaeda….will all be part of that speech. Hopefully the substance of the speech will be covered fairly and accurately by mainstream media….however, I'm not holding my breath. It's tough for media to find the time or space for policy talk. Main media is simply swamped with more serious stuff like New Yorker magazine covers, what Hillary or Bill said yesterday, or deep and thorough discussions about Obama's "inexperience", his being "naive", or his "problem" connecting with white voters, you know, those "regular folks."
In February, 2008 I wrote a post entitled "Obama Already Running Foreign Policy". In it, I explained what Barack Obama had said repeatedly in the primary campaign about what he would do, if president, concerning Afghanistan, Pakistan and the 9-11 enemy, al-Qaeda.
Obama's answer was thrown about as a sign he wasn't ready for prime time. He just didn't know how it all worked out there in the big world….too naive and inexperienced, he was.
Of course Obama was right about doing what needs done against 9-11 criminals. George W. Bush agreed with the president-to-be about Pakistan and he proved it, Junior did EXACTLY what Obama had previously advised. Rightfully so, I might add. What Bush ordered in Pakistan was the strategy I thought we would see after 9-11. We got an occupation in Iraq instead.
Last night, Richard Clarke made an appearance on Keith Olbermann's "Countdown" with guest host Rachel Maddow. Watch Clarke and pay attention at about the 6 minute mark. He says exactly what The Reverend said 5 months ago….
Summarizing. Clarke makes mention of how absolutely dishonest it is of the media to repeatedly state that Obama is "untested" in foreign policy, "inexperienced", "green"…..unlike how the media treats John McCain, who is always characterized as an "expert" in foreign policy, "his strength". Richard Clarke proves this is all dishonest and misleading (just as The Reverend did 5 months ago) considering that Obama's policy about al-Qaeda in Pakistan was, in fact, followed to the letter by George W. Bush.
But "America just doesn't know who Obama is" and McCain is a "tried and true straight talking, foreign policy expert".
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
My apologies but this seems like pre-emptive spin in anticipation of a flip-flop.
I would think any U.S. Senator paying much attention would be aware if the standing policy was to go ahead and hit certain targets across the border if the proper intelligence was received. If he was paying attention, Obama showed more of an ability to leak information to the enemy than to run foreign policy during wartime.
If Obama demonstrates leadership it's aiding the enemy, if he doesn't, he's weak and green.
It matters not to me. Your comment is simply a symptom of the problem.
The problem is that there no longer any consent among Americans over objective reality. Anything can be described as something completely different. Facts and truth, no longer, are considered.
It ain't gonna work out.
So you're saying Bush and the Pentagon followed Obama's lead?
Please list Obama's foreign policy experience for me.
He was against the surge, King. He also embarrassed us in front of the Euros by scheduling a political rally at the Brandenburg Gate. Oh, and he embarassed us in front of the Canadians with his bluster about NAFTA.
Yes….Bush did follow Obama's lead. Now McSame has followed Obama's lead.
Obama's foreign policy experience is witnessed in his correct judgment concerning attacking the sovereign nation of Iraq for NO good reason…..and then occupying their country for 5 years.
"Obama's foreign policy experience is witnessed in his correct judgment concerning attacking the sovereign nation of Iraq"
Sorry, that's not experience, Rev. Obama held an OPINION on Iraq, no more, no less. The same opinion I held before the war, btw. Should I be the president ? I think the actress Susan Sarandon was also against the war. Maybe we should elect her.
Try again. See if you can do better.
Or, you could try honesty, and just admit Obama's got squat.
Too bad when it actually counted he got it all wrong about McCain's genius surge idea.
"McCain's genius surge idea".
Johnny Mac and Joementum Lieberman talked the Codpiece out of accepting and implementing the Baker Hamilton Report recommendations.
I think Mac Johnny believed, Jan. 2007, that Iraq was effed up almost beyond salvation. If escalating the conflict might bring credibility to Mac's presidential aspirations, so be it. After the clusterf*ck had gotten so far out of hand, Mac Johnny figured it couldn't hurt and maybe the political ploy known as the surge would calm things down. Joementum just wanted to kill any anti-Israeli Muslims or Arabs, as he still does today. Decider just wanted the clock to run down. The surge was a way of distracting and stalling…..and it immediately followed the Democratic recapture of Congress.
No policy….only politics.
Now Johnny Macaroni wants us to believe that a diamond can be found in a mountain of turds. Neo-con followers eagerly want to help him dig.
How many bong hits did it take for you to spin that little web of lies about the surge, Rev ? Other than the fact that everything you said was made up and based upon nothing but your own wishful fantasies, you had a very good point.
I'll take the silence as an admission that Obama has ZERO foreign policy experience, unless you'd like to engage in a little creative fiction in that area as well.
The surge worked. Obama was wrong about it. Deal with it, rather than creating ice castles in the air to deny it. Admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery.
Bush should have called his political ploy last January, "The Bullsh*t Binge".
Then neo-con minded Bush supporters of endless war could be saying, at this very moment, that "The Bullsh*t Binge" is working. High minded Knee Padder discussions could now be focused on the "debate" over how the Binge of Bullsh*t over in Iraq favors McCain.
I see where the Sunnis just reconciled with the al-Maliki government in Iraq, so political reconciliation iis taking place in Iraq too, which the lefties said could never happen either. The liberals were pretty much wrong about everything regarding the surge.
No wonder you are reduced to hysterical profanity and name-calling, you poor creature.
Isn't the "surge" just a belated recognition of Shinseki's estimate of needed troop strength?