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Analysis: Will Obama's foreign policy success help?
Reuters ^ | October 21, 2011 | Steve Holland

Posted on 10/22/2011 10:24:40 AM PDT by yoe

President Barack Obama delivered on another foreign policy promise on Friday with plans to pull the last U.S. troops from Iraq. But in a re-election campaign all about the weak U.S. economy, he may not get much credit.

Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, radical Islamic cleric Anwar al-Awlaki and Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi -- these are all dead U.S. opponents that Democrat Obama can claim a measure of credit for getting.

Now add to that Obama's announcement on Friday that the eight-year war in Iraq is ending, fulfilling a campaign goal he made in 2008 when he declared the conflict a misguided mistake by his Republican predecessor, George W. Bush.

In any other year, Obama might be able to ride these accomplishments to re-election in November 2012. But with the economy teetering and Americans hungry for jobs, the national security successes may only inoculate him from Republican criticism of his foreign policy.

Democratic strategist Bob Shrum said Obama has shown a decisiveness and coolness of character that will help him in 2012, when Obama is seeking a second term. And he called it proof that Obama was able to do the job that his chief opponent for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton, said he could not with a famous TV ad.

"We now know the answer to the question of whether he's good at answering the phone when it rings at 3 a.m. to tell him there's a crisis," said Shrum, who was 2004 Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry's campaign manager.

(Excerpt) Read more at ca.news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; Politics/Elections; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: foreignpolicy; interventionism; libya; obama; obamaswars; shrub; spikingtheball
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To: Smokin' Joe

Misdirection. Compare Ghaddafi killed by rebels, with China’s military buildup and our cutbacks.


21 posted on 10/22/2011 10:59:10 AM PDT by Williams (Honey Badger Don't Care)
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To: Smokin' Joe

Misdirection. Compare Ghaddafi killed by rebels, with China’s military buildup and our cutbacks.


22 posted on 10/22/2011 10:59:22 AM PDT by Williams (Honey Badger Don't Care)
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To: yoe
President Barack Obama delivered on another foreign policy promise on Friday with plans to pull the last U.S. troops from Iraq. But in a re-election campaign all about the weak U.S. economy, he may not get much credit.

Considering Iraq pretty much demanded we leave and then tossed us out on our butts, nobama deserves NONE of the credit.

23 posted on 10/22/2011 10:59:44 AM PDT by upchuck (Rerun: Think you know hardship? Wait till the dollar is no longer the world's reserve currency.)
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To: yoe; wesagain; DarthVader; boomop1

“President Barack Obama delivered on another foreign policy promise on Friday with plans to pull the last U.S. troops from Iraq.”

He’s not pulling out, we got kicked out by the Iraqis. This is a disaster not a success.

After 10 years, thousands of dead and hundreds of billions of dollars we will have zero presence and influence there. The Iranians and their Iraqi allies will take control of the place within a year. Watch for another civil war and another Saddam running the place.


24 posted on 10/22/2011 11:04:03 AM PDT by aquila48
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To: yoe; wesagain; DarthVader; boomop1; upchuck

Here’s the real story...

http://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Iraq-PM-Immunity-issue-scuttled-US-troop-deal-2231074.php


25 posted on 10/22/2011 11:09:05 AM PDT by aquila48
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To: DarthVader

Didn’t odumbo try and take credit for the surge well after the fact?


26 posted on 10/22/2011 11:10:27 AM PDT by wiggen (The teacher card. When the racism card just won't work.)
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To: yoe

Any idiot can call the troops home. The lack wisdom for that action will become apparent over time. To his credit, the consequences likely won’t occur until after the 2012 election.


27 posted on 10/22/2011 11:11:39 AM PDT by Raycpa
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To: yoe

what foreign policy success


28 posted on 10/22/2011 12:12:32 PM PDT by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: yoe

Let me get this right:

Obama executed the plan which Bush put in place - upon confirmation of Bin Laden’s identity!
Obama executed the plan which Bush put in place - to withdraw all forces from Iraq by the end of 2011 (unless extensions could be worked out). Apparently Obama couldn’t “work out” anything!
Obama is taking credit for the power-change in Libya - before knowing EXACTLY who is coming to power. Just for the record, change is NOT always GOOD!
And just for good measure, Obama killed an American citizen WITHOUT due process, but wants to GIVE due process to non-American, enemy combatants!?!?!

Could someone PLEASE show me the “success” by Obama; I mean OTHER than successfully making America look really fricking STUPID!!!


29 posted on 10/22/2011 1:00:30 PM PDT by ExTxMarine (PRAYER: It's the only HOPE for real CHANGE in America!)
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To: Raycpa
Iraq will not give our U.S. warriors IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION...in other words, Iraqi powers that be can and will accuse our people of atrocities/war crimes regardless of innocence. No IMMUNITY - NO FIGHTING FOR THEIR FREEDOM. Bring our troops and all equipment home....and maybe bomb the air fields as we leave.........
30 posted on 10/22/2011 1:27:08 PM PDT by yoe
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To: tbpiper
Agreed. The Sadr army should be busily blowing up Sunnis in Baghdad by about the time of the 'rat convention, not to mention the shenanigans of the Muslim Brotherhood and Al Qaeda in Egypt, Tripoli, Tunis, maybe Syria...
31 posted on 10/22/2011 5:44:36 PM PDT by hinckley buzzard
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To: All; yoe
"We now know the answer to the question of whether he's good at answering the phone when it rings at 3 a.m. to tell him there's a crisis"

BULL.

The Iraq time table was settled by W before he left office. Iraq rejected keeping the number of troops there Obama wanted beyond that date so Obama had no choice.

Getting Osama bin Laden? NO president would've made a different call. There was no choice.

Libya? He injected us into a civil war, thumbing his nose at the congress and American people. Unable to negotiate his departure, the dictator was ultimately murdered in cold blood by forces Obama recognized in August as the legitimate rulers of Libya. Gaddafi never saw a trial for his crimes. Now the body's on full display in the most barbaric way. Unlike the capture, trial and execution of Saddam, this is a fiasco.

None a single one of these qualifies as a "3 a.m." crisis.

Let's look at how he botched Japan's quake-tsunami-nuclear-power crisis. Japan asked for help and Obama's regime demanded unacceptable preconditions.

Let's look at how he handled Egypt. Or Iran's revolt. Or Palestinian statehood. Or the Euro crisis.

9/11 is a crisis. Missiles in Cuba is a crisis. Iraq invading Kuwait is a crisis. Those presidents stepped up.

Obama acts only to keep his hands clean while claiming maximum credit and deflecting all blame.

32 posted on 10/22/2011 5:46:10 PM PDT by newzjunkey (Republicans will find a way to reelected Obama.)
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To: yoe

Arming Mexican drug gangs is a sure winner.


33 posted on 10/22/2011 5:48:06 PM PDT by jwalsh07 (t)
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To: newzjunkey

I am just curious as to what those “unacceptable preconditions” were....


34 posted on 10/23/2011 2:06:24 PM PDT by yoe
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