Barack Obama's Appalling Position On IRAQ [View All]

[Orwellian_Ghost]

BARACK OBAMA: THE AMERICAN MOMENT

“I believe that the single most important job of any President is to protect the American
people. And I am equally convinced that doing that job effectively in the 21st century will
require a new vision of American leadership and a new conception of our national
security – a vision that draws from the lessons of the past, but is not bound by outdated
thinking. In today’s globalized world, the security of the American people is inextricably
linked to the security of all people.”



1. ENDING THE WAR IN IRAQ

“Thus far, the Iraqi government has made very little progress . . in part because the
president has refused time and again to tell the Iraqi government that we will not be there
forever. The president’s escalation of U.S. forces may bring a temporary reduction in the
violence in Baghdad, at the price of increased U.S. casualties – though the experience so
far is not encouraging. But it cannot change the political dynamic in Iraq. A phased
withdrawal can.”

Barack Obama opposed the war in Iraq before the American invasion, at a time when
most politicians and voters supported it. His courageous stand, detailed in a speech in
Chicago in October 2002, showed vision, foresight, and judgment. Today, Obama, a
member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is one of the leading voices on Iraq
policy. His legislation to bring a responsible end to the war in Iraq, S.433, helped form
the basis of the bill passed by the Senate.

Obama’s plan:

De-escalates the War with Phased Redeployment. Commences a phased redeployment
of U.S. troops from Iraq not later than May 1, 2007, with the goal of removing all combat
brigades by March 31, 2008, a date consistent with the expectation of the Iraq Study
Group. This responsible redeployment will be both substantial and gradual and will be
planned and implemented by military commanders. The plan makes clear that Congress
believes troops should be redeployed to the United States; to Afghanistan; and to other
points in the region. A residual U.S. presence may remain in Iraq for force protection,
training of Iraqi security forces, and counter-terrorism operations.

Enforces Tough Benchmarks for Progress. (Sound Familiar?)

The Obama plan sets 13 benchmarks for
Iraqi security, political accommodation, and economic progress(This is the key and that economic progress must comport with US demands). If these are met,
Congress could pause the phased redeployment for a limited period. Their purpose is to
encourage Iraqis to make the tough political compromises necessary to end the civil war (It's not a Civil War it's an illegal occupation. Sound familiar?)
and avert a worst-case scenario. (Worse than what?)

Emphasizes Regional Diplomacy.

Launches a comprehensive regional and international
diplomatic initiative - that includes key nations in the region - to help achieve a political
settlement among the Iraqi people, end the civil war in Iraq, and prevent a humanitarian
catastrophe (There isn't already a humanitarian catastrophe CAUSED BY US FORCES!?) and regional conflict. Recommends the president appoint a special envoy for
Iraq to carry out this diplomacy within 60 days. Mandates that the president submit a plan
to prevent the war in Iraq from becoming a wider regional conflict.

http://64.233.169.104/search?q=cache:5EM_LtwSTu4J:my.barackobama.com/page/-/pdf/Fact%2BSheet%2BForeign%2BPolicy.pdf+obama+the+american+moment&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=8&gl=us">LINK

Obama sees virtue in a prolonged American military presence:

"I believe that U.S. forces are still a part of the solution in Iraq. The strategic goals should be to allow for a limited drawdown of U.S. troops, coupled with a shift to a more effective counter-insurgency strategy that puts the Iraqi security forces in the lead and intensifies our efforts to train Iraqi forces.

"At the same time, sufficient numbers of U.S. troops should be left in place to prevent Iraq from exploding into civil war, ethnic cleansing, and a haven for terrorism."

If the U.S. troops are to remain in place in order to "prevent" Iraqis, in and out of government, from taking certain actions, then the Americans are meant to be a classic occupying force - the real power in Iraq.

"…we need not a time-table, in the sense of a precise date for U.S. troop pull-outs, but a time-frame for such a phased withdrawal. More specifically, we need to be very clear about key issues, such as bases and the level of troops in Iraq. We need to say that there will be no bases in Iraq a decade from now and the United States armed forces cannot stand-up and support an Iraqi government in perpetuity - pushing the Iraqis to take ownership over the situation and placing pressure on various factions to reach the broad based political settlement that is so essential to defeating the insurgency."

- Barack Obama

Do remember now that Obama has voted all along for continued war funding of this illegal occupation as well as OPPOSED John Murtha's call for US withdrawal from Iraq.

This matters.

(Paranthetical comments mine)