MyDD :: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan

Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan

by ralphlopez, Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 05:28:26 PM EST

Slicing through the major media's typically vapid analysis of how Pakistan changes the presidential race, Obama alone seems to get what got us here. On the day the Boston Globe's ever-flatulent Peter Canellos wrote that Hillary and Giuliani would be the winners, based on a month-old poll which links them in voters' minds with more "foreign policy experience," Obama aide David Axelrod said voters should draw the conclusion that his candidate is the best choice.

Why would Hillary and Giuliani, the strongest supporters of the war which Michael Scheuer calls "the never-to-be-hoped-for-gift" to bin Laden, the Iraq War, be the best candidates to trust with foreign policy? That's like choosing Barry Bonds to be the commissioner in charge of getting steroids out of professional baseball.

Canellos bloviates:

Voters view the candidates of both parties differently depending on whether the spotlight is on foreign policy or domestic policy. And the beneficiaries of a renewed focus on terrorism are clear, according to polls conducted late last month by the Pew Research Center: Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republicans John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani.

Axelrod said it was the Iraq War which fueled the religious extremism which now threatens to make Pakistan a domino for bin Laden. This is a debate which needs to take place, if we care about our own hides and want to prevent what is truly looking like the End of Time.

Canellos' eight-grade take on the Bhutto assassination is a mirror of American naivety after 9/11. Go out and kick ass, any ass, just keep the "thems" out "there" scared so they don't fuck with us. Never admit you did a damned thing wrong, that's blaming the victims. Don't count civilian casualties. Who cares?

We have exactly ZERO time left to get this, folks. Bin Laden is on a roll. He wants no change in American foreign policy whatsoever. Only for us to keep doing exactly what we have been doing.

YaliesForImpeachment.org

Tags: pakistan, bhutto, peter canellos, obama, axelrod (all tags)

Permalink :: 18 Comments :: Post a Comment

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

Yes, it's only that the Iraq War has been a gift to Osama bin Ladin, but that our focus on Iraq has caused us to take our eyes off the ball of fighting al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan, allowing them to grow stronger there.

by dmc2 on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 05:46:16 PM EST

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

This is the reason why Democrats are called the party of "cut and run". The philosophy of Truman, Kennedy and Roosevelt has been abandoned by Obama and the pacifists.

by American1989 on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 05:49:04 PM EST

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

How does Iraq fit into the policies of Roosevelt, Truman, and Kennedy?

Please explain, because I have never heard of ANY of them supporting pre-emptive unsupported war.

by ArkansasLib on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 06:05:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

replace "unsupported" with "unnecessary".

by ArkansasLib on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 06:06:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (2.00 / 1)

Sadly you are right on several points, especially the urgency to do an abrupt volte face on our eighth-grade sophistication in these matters. The truth is we are going to face more and worse consequences in the near future for our missteps and outright stupidity in the wake of 9/11. Our arrogance and insularity are far greater threats to our nation than al-Qaeda, that's for sure, and it is embarrassingly obvious that our enemies correctly, and hopefully, anticipated our response with that calculation.

Given the opinion polling in the wake of 9/11 it seems disingenuous to attempt to blame all this on the Bush administration, it is a national disgrace and the sooner we accept that and move on the better for all concerned. What Axelrod said was true, the Emperor isn't wearing any clothes. Why we would enthusiastically consider nominating a candidate for the presidency who was an enabler of the war in Iraq defeats me. Does it help absolve the subconscious guilt of those who foolishly believed in and supported that war? In both parties? Is that it? Grow up and move on, we have work to do.

by Shaun Appleby on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 06:38:46 PM EST

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

Why would we consider nominating such a person? Because, just as you say, we're guilty as a nation of making that exact same decision. The decision doesn't go away just because we nominate someone who got it right.

The question before the voters is whether Clinton, Edwards, and the other war supporters have learned their lesson. Similarly, our test as a nation is whether we've learned that same lesson. All we would say by nominating one of them is that being wrong on the war is something that can be redeemed, which I hope it is, because there's no point in going on otherwise.

No one is MORE enthusiastic about nominating someone who got it wrong than someone who got it right, mind you. Well, almost no one.

"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman

by Steve M on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 06:45:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

In order to assess whether someone has learned their lesson, we need to be able to articulate what the lesson is they needed to learn. And we can't do that without getting to the heart of why they decided what to do what they did. Edwards says he was going against his better judgment which does not really explain co-sponsoring the bill. Clinton stated her hesitancy when making the vote but it sounds more like a signing statement designed to nullify her vote later one if she wished. I haven't heard either of them really talk about the political pressures of not wanting to appear weak on defense when both of them had an eye on the Presidency down the line. And until I hear something which explains in full in a way that is completely believable, how can we truly say they've learned their lesson.

by Piuma on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 06:55:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

And with Clark and Wilson as advisors, she voted Yes on Kyl-Lieberman.

by royce on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 08:17:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

I just don't get the utterly meaningless argument. Why take the time to even vote for it.

Dare to be free.

by misscee on Sat Dec 29, 2007 at 04:38:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

This diarist shoots messengers. (2.00 / 1)

Am I alone in detecting a note of panic in this diary by one of Obama's fans. It's bad luck but the events of the last 48 hours have conspired to make Obama look like the novice he really is. The ludicrous claims by Axelrod which he was compelled to defend today simply made him look immature. I caught a couple of clips from the Clinton interview with Blitzer and she looked fantastic. She's going to win IA.

by ottovbvs on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 06:54:54 PM EST

Re: This diarist shoots messengers. (none / 0)

900 people slogging through the snow to cram a high school auditorium on a weekday afternoon to see an immature novice? Right. Clinton looked fantastic, so fantastic she now is refusing to take Questions from the audience in her appearances.

by Piuma on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 06:59:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: This diarist shoots messengers. (none / 0)

oh no, wait, she found out that the LA Times was going to do a story about her not taking questions, so she's taking them again.

That's right folks, she's sticking by her guns as usual.

by Jim Engler on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 07:03:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Obama: "No, I, I, I, I......." (none / 0)

Obama came apart when Wolf Blitzer asked him a simple question about Axelrod.

Wolf Blitzer was standing in for King. At one point in the interview Wolf begins to ask Mr. Obama about Axelrod's panicked statement that had him blaming Clinton for Bhutto's death. Obama knew what was coming and obviously didn't want Blitzer to ask the question; hoping he could deter the news anchor from covering the story that was all the buzz yesterday. As I watched it all unravel, I couldn't help but wonder why Obama didn't just distance himself from Axelrod's indefensible statement, like Clinton continually has been made to do when people around her make mistakes. But instead, Obama walked waste deep into the mess, owning it himself and sticking up for Mr. Axelrod, when a simple apology would have been the smarter and classier thing to do. But no, instead Obama turned obstinate and stubbornly got his back up. It was a huge mistake on a day filled with amateur turns.

Lynn Sweet of the Sun Times nails the quote and the context, but also nails Obama, as he stuttered and stammered, trying to shut Wolf up, though to no avail. It was a campaign classic.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/12/ sweet_obama_says_no_i_i_i_i_i.html

And, there's so much more:

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2007/12/28/ breaking-gen-clark-responds-to-latest-ob ama-attack/

http://www.taylormarsh.com/

"I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it's hell." Harry S Truman

by Tennessean on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 07:13:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Clearly Obama knew what Axelrod (none / 0)

was going to say, agreed and approved the strategy of making this attack. That is why he knew what Axelrod said and defended him.

ABO... Anybody but Obama. I LIKE the democratic party.

by MollieBradford on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 08:28:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Run with that (none / 0)

Shout it from the roof tops.

If you think Pakistan helps Obama I say run with it.

Spend some money on mailer.

by dpANDREWS on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 08:15:27 PM EST

lunacy (none / 0)

Axelrod said it was the Iraq War which fueled the religious extremism which now threatens to make Pakistan a domino for bin Laden. This is a debate which needs to take place, if we care about our own hides and want to prevent what is truly looking like the End of Time.

It is not even close to being true. Pakistan has been a mess for over a decade. It is more likely the treat of democracy on top of a military coup that caused the present problem with terrorism in Pakistan.
In addition we don't know who is really responsible for the assassination. While Obama has been playing sleazy politics, Clinton has called for an independent investigation by the UN.

ABO... Anybody but Obama. I LIKE the democratic party.

by MollieBradford on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 08:23:52 PM EST

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

Do these idiot Obama morons know that it was none other than Benazir Bhutto who funded and directed the ISI to support the Taliban? That it was Bhutto who petitioned President Clinton to recognize the Taliban Government?

That Bhutto was breeding Islamic Extremism inside Pakistan before OBAMA WAS EVEN A FREAKING STATE SENATOR???

Obama is an idiot who doesn't know a god damn thing. His supporters are idiots who don't know a god damn thing. When did the progressive movement become overrun with hormone addled fifth graders?

"What do Barack Obama and David Koresh have in common? Too god damn much."

by ThinkingDem on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 08:39:50 PM EST

Re: Obama Campaign Hits Bullseye on Pakistan (none / 0)

"Pakistan has been a mess for over a decade. It is more likely the threat of democracy on top of a military coup that caused the present problem with terrorism in Pakistan."

That seems to be the spin agreed upon. But this is different. This is an Islamist movement aligned with Al Qaeda. Their strategy is to wait until the country is in chaos then come in as the only incorruptable force which can keep order, exactly as the Taliban did in Afghanistan. Bin Laden provoked Bush into stoking a fire already smoldering, and Bush played right into it.

by ralphlopez on Fri Dec 28, 2007 at 08:55:58 PM EST

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