Redstate

By Erick Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Obamafiles — Comments (11) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

And it is not just Hillary Clinton questioning Barack Obama's judgment and experience. We have this whole host of Democrats who were and probably still are concerned:

Sen. Biden: ABC's George Stephanopoulos: "You were asked is he ready. You said 'I think he can be ready, but right now I don't believe he is. The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training.'" Sen. Biden: "I think that I stand by the statement." (ABC's "This Week," 8/19/07)
 
Sen. Biden: "Having talking points on foreign policy doesn't get you there." ("Biden Lashes Out At Obama," ABC News' "Political Radar" Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 8/2/07) 

Sen. Dodd: "Over the past several days. ... Senator Obama's assertions about foreign and military affairs have been, frankly, confusing and confused. He has made threats he should not make and made unwise categorical statements about military options." (Anne E. Kornblut, "Obama Again Stirs Up Rivals With Statement On Use Of Nukes," The Washington Post's "The Trail" Blog, blog.washingtonpost.com, 8/2/07)

Read on . . .
 

Sen. Clinton: "In this election we need a nominee who can pass the commander-in-chief test. Someone ready on day one to defend our country and keep our families safe. And we need a president who passes that test, because the first and most solemn duty of the president of the United States is on protect and defend our nation. And when there is a crisis and when the phone rings whether it's 3:00 p.m. or 3:00 a.m. In the White House, there is no time for speeches and on the job training. Senator McCain will bring a time of experience to the campaign. I will bring a lifetime of experience and Senator Obama will bring a speech he gave in 2002. I think that is a significant difference. I think that since we now know Senator Mc Cain will be the nominee for the party, national security will be front and center in this election. We all know that. And I think it's imperative that each of us be able to demonstrate we can cross the commander in chief threshold. And I believe that I have done that. Certainly Senator McCain has done that. And you will have to ask Senator Obama with respect to his candidacy." (CNN's "Newsroom," 3/8/08)

Sen. Biden: "My colleagues voted against the funding to make a political point ... There's no political point worth my son's life. There's no political point worth anyone's life." (Abby Simons, "Biden Blasts Rivals For Votes Against Iraq Money," The Des Moines Register, 8/15/07)

Sen. Biden: "It's a well-intended notion he has, but it's a very naive way of thinking how you're going to conduct foreign policy. ... [T]he way to deal with it is not to announce it, but to do it. The last thing you want to do is telegraph to the folks in Pakistan that we are about to violate - quote - 'their sovereignty.'" ("Biden Lashes Out At Obama," ABC News' "Political Radar" Blog, blogs.abcnews.com, 8/2/07)

Sen. Dodd: "If you're making a mistake today, you ought to stand up and say so. It was a mistake in my view to suggest somehow that going in unilaterally here, into Pakistan, was somehow in our interest. That, I think, is dangerous. And I don't retreat from that at all." (Sen. Chris Dodd, MSNBC AFL-CIO Presidential Candidates Forum, Chicago, IL, 8/7/07)

Former Gov. Tom Vilsack: "I must say that after reading and reviewing Senator Obama's comments, I have found them to be condescending and disappointing and they reflect in my view a very flawed reading and understanding of people who live in small towns in Pennsylvania and across the United States. Folks who work everyday, play by the rules, and want to do right by their families and their communities. I found his remarks undercutting his message of hope. ... I think the most glaring misreading and misunderstanding of people in small towns were Senator Obama's comments about God and guns. He suggests that in some way the faith of those who live in small towns is superficial. It's used as a crutch in a time of need. That's not what I know." (Hillary Clinton For President, "Gov. Tom Vilsack, PA Mayors Respond To Senator Obama's Recent Characterizations Of Pennsylvanians," Press Release, 4/12/08)

Former Sen. John Edwards: "I mean, the members of the Congressional Black Caucus who are sitting in front of me right now know they have to go to the floor of the House every day and vote on hard issues, and they have to vote up or down or not show up to vote -- one of those three choices. What I didn't hear was an explanation for why over 100 times you voted 'present' instead of yes or no when you had a choice to vote up or down." Sen. Obama: "I'll be happy to answer -- because in Illinois, in Illinois oftentimes you vote 'present' in order -- in order to indicate that you had problems with a bill that otherwise you might be willing to vote for, and oftentimes you'd have a strategy that would help move the thing forward. Keep in mind, John, I voted for 4,00 0 bills, and if you want to know whether or not I worked on tough stuff, I passed the first..." Sen. Edwards: "No, I don't question whether you worked on..." Sen. Obama: "No, no, no, hold on a second..." Sen. Edwards: "I don't question whether you worked on tough stuff. This, the question is..." Sen. Obama: "No, no, but you..." Sen. Edwards: "Why would you over a hundred times vote 'present.'" Sen. Obama: "John..." Sen. Edwards: "I mean, every one of us, every one - you've criticized Hillary, you've criticized me for our votes. We've cast hundreds and hundreds of votes. What you're criticizing her for, by the way, you've done to us, which is you pick this vote and that vote out of the hundreds that we have - (applause) - and all I'm saying is, what's fair is fair. You have every right to defend any vote, you do, and I respect your right to do that on any - on any substantive issue. It does not make sense to me and what if I had just not shown up..." Sen. Obama: "John, John.. ." Sen. Edwards: "Wait, wait, wait, let me finish." Sen. Obama: "Now, hold on a second." Sen. Edwards: "What if I had just not shown up to vote on things that really matter to this country? It would have been safe for me politically. It would have been the careful and cautious thing to do. But I have a responsibility to take a position even when it has political consequences." (Former Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Barack Obama, CNN Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Myrtle Beach, SC, 1/21/08)

Sen. Clinton: "I do not want to fix the problems of Social Security on the backs of middle-class families and seniors. If you lift the cap completely, that is a $1 trillion tax increase. I don't think we need to do that." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, CNN Democratic Presidential Debate, Las Vegas, NV, 11/15/07)

Sen. Clinton: "I'm certainly against one of Senator Obama's ideas, which is to lift the cap on the payroll tax, because that would impose additional taxes on people who are, you know, educators here in the Philadelphia area or in the suburbs, police officers, firefighters and the like." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, ABC Democrat Presidential Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 4/16/08)

Sen. Clinton: "Sen. Obama's plan does not and cannot cover all Americans. He's called his plan universal, then he called it virtually universal, but it is not either. And when it comes to truth in labeling, it simply flunks the test." (Sen. Hillary Clinton, Remarks On Health Care, Des Moines, IA, 11/28/07)