From one of the latter questions during the debate,
Brokaw: How can we apply pressure to Russia for humanitarian issues in an effective manner without starting another Cold War?
asked of John McCain first, Barack Obama had this to say (slight snark from Brokow included)
Brokaw: Sen. Obama? We’re winding down, so if we can keep track of the time
Obama: And you knew that if the Russians themselves were trying to obtain some of these territories or push back against Georgia, that that was not a stable situation. So part of the job of the next commander-in-chief, in keeping all of you safe, is making sure that we can see some of the 21st Century challenges and anticipate them before they happen.
We haven’t been doing enough of that. We tend to be reactive. That’s what we’ve been doing over the last eight years and that has actually made us more safe. That’s part of what happened in Afghanistan, where we rushed into Iraq and Sen. McCain and President Bush suggested that it wasn’t that important to catch bin Laden right now and that we could muddle through, and that has cost us dearly.
That’s good to know that, eh? Barack forgets his Democratic defeatocratic talking points for a moment, and tells the truth.
I have included the preceeding paragraph for context and to show what a buffoon Obama is on national security. He thinks we need to anticipate challenges before they happen, and do something about them. Um, isn’t that what we did in Iraq?
PS: A few DUmmies were unhappy that Brokaw attempted to make Obama stick with the rules that Barry and McCain agreed upon.
Teach said: He thinks we need to anticipate challenges before they happen, and do something about them. Um, isn’t that what we did in Iraq?
No. We misread the situation and made things worse. Obama was right to oppose going into Iraq in the first place and he’s the only candidate that did.
Teach said: Barack forgets his Democratic defeatocratic talking points for a moment, and tells the truth.
It’s an honest slip of the tongue easily understood in the context of the rest of his answer. Both candidates have made them and will likely make more.
By the way, in your quote you conveniently left out an important sentence…
http://www.barackobama.com/2008/04/21/statement_of_senator_obama_on.php
And we might “misread” the situation by anticipating the issue in other cases, too, Silke. It wasn’t like the majority of world leaders, intelligence agencies, Iraq inspectors, and those in the US Congress though Saddam had weapons programs or anything, not to mention the mass killing of the Iraqi people.
We misread the intentions of the Japanese prior to WWII. Chamberlain sure misread the intentions of Hitler. The UN misread the intentions of China till the Christmas Day they started fighting on North Korea’s side.
And, yes, I know it is a slip of his talking points.
By the way, perhaps you should read this, regarding your cute excerpt: http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ODY0NTBlNDliMjFmMjhjMjQwYzBhYzhkMWYxZDk4MGU=
Teach said: And we might “misread†the situation by anticipating the issue in other cases, too, Silke.
True but your point that Iraq was an example of “anticipating challenges before they happen†was a bad one. The fact that Obama opposed going into Iraq in the first place, however, is a good example of anticipating problems before they materialize.
And, yes, I know it is a slip of his talking points.
So does this mean John McCain thinks the American people are prisoners?
“Across this country, this is the agenda I have set before my fellow prisoners and the same standards of clarity and candor must now be applied to my opponent.” – John McCain
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7AET4i6L74
Come on, Teach. These kinds of criticisms are just silly. With both candidates speaking to crowds several times a day they are going to occasionally get a word wrong. I don’t hold that against either of them.