Obama is not sure what he believes on Iran
By Erick Posted in 2008 | AIPAC | Barack Obama | Iran | Obamafiles — Comments (18) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
My preacher from back home in Louisiana once wrote a book entitled Be Sure What You Believe. Many people believe many things, but there is really only one truth.
In the case of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, there is only one truth. The organization is a terrorist organization. Objectively, they are a terrorist organization. The Revolutionary Guard functions as much to defend Iran through normal military means as it does to surreptitiously terrorize Israel, the United States, and other enemies of the Islamic Republic.
In October 2007, the United States Senate considered the Kyl-Lieberman legislation that would designate the Iranian Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. The senior senator from Illinois, Dick Durbin, saw no way that the law could be used as "a pretense to launch an invasion of Iran." The junior senator, Barack Obama, thought otherwise, saying "[The] Bush administration could use the language in Lieberman-Kyl to justify an attack on Iran as a part of the ongoing war in Iraq." (H/t to Jim Geraghty)
Senator Joseph Lieberman, to alleviate all the concerns about a pretense for attack, removed language some senators objected to.
The legislation passed with 76 of 100 Senators supporting it. Barack Obama voted against it.
Yesterday, Barack Obama told AIPAC that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard should be a designated terrorist organization. This comes on the heels of polls showing Obama has a problem with Jewish voters. And it is no wonder. Less than a month ago, Obama said he did not think Iran was a threat. He only ran in the opposite direction after right-wing bloggers called him out.
And now again, once the McCain camp and righ-wing bloggers dinged Obama for his views on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Obama ran in the opposite direction to ingratiate himself to a group.
To quote Senator Obama himself, "Just words?"
It is apparent Senator Obama is not sure what he believes. If he is willing to cave so fast when the right-wing hits him, how much faster is he going to cave to Iran, China, and our other enemies?
« Dueling June Obama fundraising claims? — Comments (2) | RNC gets a Rezko ad up. — Comments (8) »
Obama is not sure what he believes on Iran 18 Comments (0 topical, 18 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
to the 'American Idol' crowd that makes up way too much of our electorate.
Jindal in 2012!
This country has proven, beyond a reasonable doubt, they're more than willing to roll the dice with a Senator, barely thru "on the job training", inexperienced in international affairs, incredibly reckless with his personal choices of friends, uninformed regarding those in this world intent on bringing harm to this country, and totally devoid of any accomplishments regarding his executive competence. We've allowed ourselves to be informed by headlines, late night talk shows, Oprah, The View, YouTube, and Drudge's headline summary. Wow, so much for the results of our investment in education. To think the best slate of candidates this country could produce for a critical presidential election, are McCain, Clinton, and Obama, is a damning conviction on how little we demand of our leaders. We deserve this.
those who don't deserve it have to live with the consequences as well.
Jindal in 2012!
he just can't say out loud. He knows if he says what he Really thinks about Iraq/Iran...he has no chance of winning. Hence he uses "foggy" to out right lies to tell American voters what they want to hear.
Sadly, McCain is doing the same thing on Immigration, Carbon Tax, Free Speech...
This is what America has been left to chose, a lier or a bigger lier. Some choice we have.
Are you talking about. Pardon my French. FINALLY, we have a presidential candidate who wasn't born with a silver spoon, and who rose from the ranks to educate himself at Harvard, the pinnacle of our American educational system. FINALLY, we have a presidential candidate who is incredibly articulate, charismatic, and can debate intelligently. FINALLY, we have a presidential candidate with his own ideas and vision who can inspire us. And your complaint is that we don't demand enough from our leaders? Almost every other election during my lifetime, I would say the same thing as you. But this appears to be an exceptionally good candidate we've been handed this time.
Think about this: No person is ever qualified for the job of president except perhaps a 2nd term president. There's no such thing as presidential training. It's the only job where they can't ask you how many years of experience you have. It's a job where intrinsic qualities are more important than technical skills. Qualities like: intelligence, judgement, charisma, vision, and inspirational leadership are what makes a great president. Obama has most of these without question. On the remaining ones we'll have to roll the dice, but we'll be rolling the dice no matter who we choose. Nothing is certain, but given what I see there is a strong likelihood that Obama could be a great president. McCain reminds me of Kerry from 2004: they're both reasonable candidates but not great.
I don't understand how even a diehard Republican can overlook all the positive qualities in Obama.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
positivity.....and wow you are so overwhelmed by him why don't you give up all your money and earthly goods and join him!
Freedom of Religion NOT Freedom from Religion
...you've got to remember to get a pair of those Nike "Cortez" shoes.
There are only two things Barack would have to give up to get me to admit that he is a great candidate: Socialism and Surrender. Unfortunately, that wouldn't leave him with much to talk about.
--
"We want great men who, when fortune frowns, will not be discouraged." - Colonel Henry Knox
"Land of the Free and Home of da Whopper" Peter Griffin...Family Guy
conform and celebrate diversity....or else!!!
Positive qualities like that might be nice in a spokeman, but not in a leader.
He lacks the one most important thing to be a President, a Spine. The man is a rat who changes on almost every single issue to please who he is talking to.
Obama says "the should be designated a terrorist force"
Well you had the chance to do it, and like the coward to Kos you are, you voted against it. The man can be pushed around by people have accomplished nothing in life but the abillity to type curses and Pwned, ROFL and Bushitler. What will he do when Soros asks him to try and pass a law declaring Soros is our new El presidente for life.
I'm NOT overlooking Obama's positive qualities.
I concede that Obama is articulate, charismatic, and a terrific orator--just like you said.
But when you claim Obama has his "own ideas and vision who can inspire us," I must part company with you there.
What exactly are Obama's ideas? I've looked on his website under "Issues," and all I see is traditional, old-style, doctrinaire liberal prescriptions that could have easily come from Carter or Mondale. Nothing stood out as a novel departure from liberal Democrat orthodoxy. Certainly not the same way that Reaganomics in 1980 was a novel departure from old-style Rockefeller Republicanism, or Clinton's determination to "end welfare as we know it" was a novel departure from old-style Democratic welfare statism in 1992.
All that's new with Obama is the sloganeering and the soaring rhetoric: "Hope" and "Change" and so on. But for someone of my age, the basic message sounds very very old: Pretend that the last 30 years never happened and try to restart the 1960s.
Perhaps Obama's ideas only seem novel to you, because this is the first time in 22 years that a Democrat candidate for President is daring to advocate doctrinaire ideological liberalism. That doesn't make it new, only recycled from old scrap.
If you really think that Obama's brand of world-weary intellectual liberalism is new, then you don't know who Adlai Stevenson was.
Alternatively, maybe you think that a dove in the White House like Obama can sweet-talk America's enemies to peace. That's hardly a new idea either. It's been tried--and failed--throughout much of American history.
Thank you for the thoughtful reply. Honestly, that's very interesting reading there. On further reflection I agree with your assessment that his ideas only 'seem' original. That would explain why young people in particular are impressed with him. But still there is a quality in his speeches that makes me believe he's a thinker, even if he's just borrowing ideas. I also believe that he's pragmatic. How could he have risen to this position without being very pragmatic. So I suspect, and hope, that in practice, he would moderate any liberal ideas in light of the realities of America. Even if he is secretly a radical closet socialist, he has to be moderate, or he'll find himself a lame duck with Congress, and estranged from the masses. Don't know about you but the last 8 years have been among the most negative and uninspiring presidential terms I've lived through (I'm 40) and I'm just tired of the gloom, and need a revival.
I consider myself to be moderate but I like reading this blog since you get the conservative viewpoint. Unfortunately it's mostly just alot of cheerleading, like most blogs of course. It's amazing how similar politics is to sports. If you are a Giants fan then you hate the Patriots and their coach is a villain no matter what argument anyone makes, and vice versa. I'm not very partisan in football either. I'd rather watch a great team play than cheer for my home team if they stink :)
someone would be getting the flip flop Kerry ads ready to install Obama into them..
first he voted for the Iranian Guard Corps, before he spoke to the Jews and then voted against them...
first he was for gun control, now he is against it..
first he was for late term abortion, now he is against it..
first he was for meeting with no conditions, now there has to be conditions..
Flip Flop Obama on every issue he jumps around on. that could be effective to destroy his messiah halo..
"Small town folks get bitter after which they cling to guns or religion, or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment"- Barack Carter Obama
someone would be getting the flip flop Kerry ads ready to install Obama into them..
first he voted for the Iranian Guard Corps, before he spoke to the Jews and then voted against them...
first he was for gun control, now he is against it..
first he was for late term abortion, now he is against it..
first he was for meeting with no conditions, now there has to be conditions..
Flip Flop Obama on every issue he jumps around on. that could be effective to destroy his messiah halo..
"Small town folks get bitter after which they cling to guns or religion, or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment"- Barack Carter Obama
He certainly doesn't understand the peculiar interlocking directory that operates things their. He wouldn't know wether to visit Tehran or Quds if he wanted to actually have a serious talk with an Iranian official empowered to decide things.
At a rate of 6,000 earmarks per spending bill, Speaker Pelosi is selling America's future to the special intrest groups.