Obama asks "What are George Bush and John McCain afraid of"? / "Strong" Presidents Aren't Afraid

[Pirate Smile]

to Meet With Enemies

Obama Responds To McCain: "Strong" Presidents Aren't Afraid To Meet With Enemies

By Greg Sargent - May 19, 2008, 1:47PM

Barack Obama, in Montana, responded moments ago to McCain's ridicule of the Illinois Senator for saying that Iran is a minuscule threat compared to the former Soviet Union.

McCain said this revealed Obama's "inexperience and reckless judgment." Here's the key part of Obama's reply...
Meet With Enemies

"Here's the truth: the Soviet Union had thousands of nuclear weapons, and Iran doesn't have a single one. But when the world was on the brink of nuclear holocaust, Kennedy talked to Khrushchev and he got those missiles out of Cuba. Why shouldn't we have the same courage and the confidence to talk to our enemies? That's what strong countries do, that's what strong presidents do, that's what I'll do when I'm president of the United States of America."

Obama also said: "What are George Bush and John McCain afraid of"?

This sort of thing will thrill Democrats who want to see how a Democratic presidential candidate will fare if he adopts something other than the oft-employed "hawkish" rhetoric that's supposedly necessary for Dems to win an argument with Republicans about national security.

Judging by these early skirmishes between McCain and Obama -- who appears to be trying to do nothing less than redefine what it means to be "strong" and "tough" on foreign policy -- we may soon find out.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/05/obama_responds_to_mccain_stron.php#comments

I want to reiterate that last part by Greg Sargent of TPM - Obama is "trying to do nothing less than redefine what it means to be "strong" and "tough" on foreign policy"


:applause:

Also - I initially wanted to put this in GD because it is about Obama v. McCain but when I read the explanation that pops up re whether to use GD or GD: P, it looked like it needed to go in here. I just don't want the people who avoid GD: P like the plague to miss it.

[anonymous171]

1. Republicans are cowards who hide behind soldiers and inside "undisclosed" locations.

[grytpype]

2. Obamba knows exactly how to handle Bush and McCain.

He's going to kill them.

[uponit7771]

3. GOOD!! I pray this morphs into a "reThugs are weak on defense" argument because they are

[anonymous171]

4. I can't wait. After 8 years of being the "sissy" party, we get to call THEM out on cowardice.

[uponit7771]

7. That will be a highlight too, it will get the attention towards Bush fuck ups towards Iraq and 911.

...The argument can be made because of the facts and I'd like to see the Obama fangs bite on to this and NOT let go.

Hit them where they think they are strongest

[indepat]

9. To think a nation with the most lethal arsenal the world has ever known can unleash its might

against a poor small third world country, killing, maiming, mutilating, and destroying with impunity in the process and consider itself to have a strong leader is criminally delusional at best. :D

[Occam Bandage]

5. "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate." - JFK.

[chknltl]

6. Indeed, what exactly are those two afraid of????

My future President asks GREAT questions! :patriot:

[DinahMoeHum]

8. "You don't make peace with friends. You make it with very unsavory enemies"

so said the late Israeli PM Yitzak Rabin.

This is done, if for no other reason than what the fictional Mafia Don Corleone said: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer"

:think:

[americanstranger]

10. No way McCain is going to withstand six months of this.

I'm betting on full-on meltdown, sooner than later.

And McCain keeps walking - no, make that jumping - into Obama's traps, saying silly shit that O can refute without breaking a sweat.

Someone here said it the other day - the Repubs are way out of shape, because they haven't had an opponent like this since Bill Clinton I.

- as

[Terran]

11. Great response, and I'm not at all surprised

Obama personally and his campaign people have shown astonishing dexterity at turning around these attacks from Repubs and making *them* look bad instead. I know he's going to kick ass in this campaign. After all the whining about how "Obama won't be able to handle the Republican attack machine", I think stuff like this puts the lie to that nonsense.

[george_maniakes]

12. Mccain's arguement by necessity plays up irans strength...obamas plays up america's strength...

id rather be declaring how strong america is then declaring how strong iran is if i was an american politician, thats just me.

[gordianot]

13. Bush meets with very few on anything anymore, everyone seems to be his enemy.

When you are a Narcissistic Megalomaniac you have no friends. It is good to know that those with early onset Dementia are able to relate and echo the words of those with Personality Disorders.

[AnarchoFreeThinker]

14. now THAT is some good shit

[Thrill]

15. Wow the days of meely mouthed Democrats are over

[BeyondGeography]

16. Finally

Expose the Republican foreign policy/national security myth for what it is. If it were up to, we'd put photos of Bin Laden up at the convention with "remember him?" captions underneath them.

[americanstranger]

17. "What are George Bush and John McCain afraid of?"

They are afraid of you, Senator Obama.

- as

[SoonerPride]

21. ding din ding. winner over here!

Game.

Set.

Match.

[Cali_Democrat]

18. What a KICK ASS response by Obama!!!!

:applause:

[samsingh]

19. that's another thing i like about Obama - he fights back

with facts and truth.

repugs are allowed to get away with blatant lies. this is destroying democrasy.

[Pirate Smile]

20. kick

[SoonerPride]

22. Everytime I see some pundit talking about the stength of the repuke party is defense I scream

This meme that the repukes are sterong on defense is a fuckign mytht that needs to bee blown off the face of the earth.

They mostly are chickenhawks and those that have served, like McCain, misunderstand the complexity of using all assets at our disposal to affect change.

Obama will win this argument easily.

[eridani]

23. Breaking the REPUKE "fear" frame once again n/t