"There is NO MISTAKE...I'm CLUELESS!"
Posted on 08/05/2007 10:11:56 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
ELKO, Nev. - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Sunday stood by foreign policy comments that sparked an anti-U.S. protest in Pakistan and attacks from his opponents, telling an audience in rural Nevada, "There was no mistake there."
"I made a simple proposition that I'd like anybody here to challenge me on," Obama said of his Wednesday speech in which he said that he would use military force in Pakistan, a U.S. ally, if necessary to root out terrorists.
Obama also sought to clarify his assertion, prompted by a reporter's question, that nuclear weapons would be "off the table" in such an attack. His top rival, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, pounced on the comment, saying leaders should not discuss hypotheticals involving nuclear weapons.
Obama portrayed the question and Clinton's critique as absurd.
"Everybody knows that you'd use conventional weapons in those circumstances," he said. "Every military expert knows that you'd never use nuclear weapons in that situation."
The comments followed a week in which the freshman senator from Illinois attempted to present a distinct foreign policy vision, and found himself piled on by both Democrats and Republicans.
Obama told the group Sunday that he was surprised by the strong reaction.
"If we had actionable intelligence in terms of taking (terrorists) out and we couldn't get the government of Pakistan to act, we should act. That doesn't seem to me to be a controversial statement," he said.
The government of Pakistan last week branded Obama's comment "irresponsible" and protesters in Islamabad burned an American flag.
But the senator's remarks were applauded by many in the crowd of nearly 900 people at the town hall-style forum, part of the Obama campaign's "listening tour" of rural America.
The senator was the second Democratic presidential candidate in the field to campaign in this mining enclave 230 miles west of Salt Lake City. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson campaigned here last month.
The solidly Republican region, where only about a quarter of voters are Democrats, has enjoyed unprecedented attention from Democratic presidential candidates thanks to Nevada's early caucus.
The crowd gave Obama a warm, but not gushing welcome. Many in the audience said they were undecided, and still testing the waters. Several identified themselves as Republicans.
The senator made an effort to appeal to Elko's independent voters. He touted his support of civil liberties and declared that he did not believe the federal government should "dictate" a mining policy that would hamstring the industry, which employs many in the region.
But Obama did not take a position on a proposal backed by environmentalists to overhaul hard-rock mining laws. He said he believed the 135-year-old law that governs mining on public lands needs revising, but suggested a proposed 8 percent royalty to pay for cleaning up abandoned mines would hurt the industry.
"I haven't signed up for that," he said, adding that he was in "the learning phase" on mining issues.
Before arriving in the mining town Sunday, Obama stopped in the affluent ski resort town of Park City, Utah, for a $500-per-person fundraiser .
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Associated Press writer Brock Vergakis in Park City contributed to this report.
Barry, you’re an idiot. But don’t let that stop you!
Kiss our enemies’s Clymers and attack our friends. Obama’s starting to make Jimmy Carter look like a comparative foreign policy whiz.
But let’s hope he still gets lots of $$ from the dopes who would otherwise be giving it to HR(C)H...
Does this mean that Obama is now one of the “chickenhawks?”
He's right, and this is a view posted many times by me and other FReepers. Pakistan is an ally of convenience only, they are a muslim country with millions of citizens who want me, my family and everyone else in the U.S. converted or dead. Our President said we would hunt down the terrorists no matter where they are, I guess he meant only if it didn't hurt the feelings of one of our "allies". That Bin Laden has been able to find sanctuary in Pakistan all these years after 911 is a disgrace
I am no supporter of Obama, but we look hypocritical and petty when we attack someone for saying something, whether they are right or wrong, only because they are a liberal democrat.
Ok, let me see if I understand this.
Mr. B Hussein Obama is willing to invade a “sovereign nation” after I have been hearing the left yammer on endlessly about how we should never do such a thing.
He is would not ask for permission from the UN, although the left claims we need permission.
The war in Iraq is supposedly illegal according to the talking points of the left. How would this invasion be legal according to the moonbats?
Pakistan has nukes and 6 times the population of Iraq, 3 times the population of Iran, and this dork says he is willing to invade the country?
I thought Iraq was supposed to be too much for us to handle.
Even if we somehow managed to avoid a full scale war with Pakistan, I think it is a fine example of extreme arrogance and stupidity to assume we would still have permission to fly over Pakistan in order to get into Afghanistan.
After years of the left carping about how our actions are responsible for creating animosity and terrorists, Obama creates sufficient animosity running his mouth to cause protests in a nation that is at present acting as our ally in Afghanistan.
Carter had a hand in turning Iran into an Islamist nation, Obama might do the same to Pakistan, given the chance.
The idiot may be even worse than Carter.
On CSPAN today, he also made noise about addressing poverty in these 3rd world countries(Translation:foreign aid that will no doubt wind up in the wrong hands.)
He thought FISA was too intrusive and dangerous to our civil liberties(Let’s not hamper communication for the extremists!)
Could he be an Al-Quaeda mole? If they vote for him we’re sunk!
Gives new meaning to the word "clueless"...
As far as Obama’s concerned, I smell hubris...
What a WARMONGER!
What a great idea!
Please, please!!!
The best thing the Dems could ever do for our side would be to nominate that dufus brain, BaraCACA Hussein Osama Obama.
"There is NO MISTAKE...I'm CLUELESS!"
"The price is wrong, bi_@tch!"
Abra cadabra is a truly stupid man. He is the second best the rat has. Enough said?
This Chitown muzzie is dumber that a box of rocks!
LLS
Beyond the immediate emotional appeal of pursuing the Taliban into Pakistan is the problem with undermining Pervez Musharrif. If he goes, who do you think will take over? Or have you and Sen. Obama thought ahead that far?
No, you have it backwards ... the ‘rat PARTY thinks he’s second best ... and since that’s about 40% of this country, that’s really scary.
[”I made a simple proposition that I’d like anybody here to challenge me on,”]
OK “Ears”, you’ve been challenged now what are you going to do to get rid of the image that you are an absolute idiot?
Amen.
Obama is a tool alright but Bush’s record in letting an Al Qaeda haven develop in the territory of a so called ally is not that great either. If we are attacked again and the trail leads back to Waziristan, Obama’s comments won’t look so stupid.
If we don’t pursue the Al Qaeda in Pakistan and keep our thumbs up our tailpipes while they plot another attack, we might get hit again. Have you thought about that?
Whether Obama says it or Osama does, we ought to hit our enemy wherever they exist.
I don’t think the UK or Spain has been doing enough to capture terrorists in their countries. Why don’t we invade them too?
The n00b should get off the stage.
This is a summary of ALL leftist "foreign policy".
The whole DemocRat agenda can be summarized as follows:
Domestic Policy: Socialism
Foreign Policy: Appeasement
The State Department seems to like it that way too.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Nothing emotional about it. Our CIC said we are in a "war" against Al Quida and that we would hunt them down and destroy them wherever they are. Well, they are in Pakistan. Either we really are at war and we attack them where they are, or we are only involved in some sort of limited, containment action. The lack of clarity about which one it is is precisely why support in the U.S. is so low. Americans will support a necessary war, they do not want to be involved in a limited war of attrition with ROE's determined by what is PC.
Did you hear Tancredo?
to paraphrase, (laughing) if the state department opposes it, I KNOW it’s a good idea.
I didn’t hear the statement, but I accept its truth. Good for him!
OK, now I remember the whole context.
Tancredo said we should nuke Mecca and Medina if there is another terrorist attack.
The State Dept (filled with lifelong “wanna make a difference” libs) called his statements “reprehensible”.
Tancredo said that if they’re against it, it must be a good idea.
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