From The Road
April 8, 2008 6:21 PM

Obama Argues for a "Messy, Sloppy Status Quo" in Iraq

By
Maria Gavrilovic
Topics
Barack Obama
(CBS)
From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

WASHINGTON -- While addressing the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this afternoon, Barack Obama argued that the bar for success in Iraq should be lowered and that the "status quo" may have to be an acceptable resolution to the war.

"The problem I have is that if the definition of success is so high, no traces of al Qaeda and no possibility of reconstitution, a highly effective Iraqi government, a democratic multiethnic, multisectarian functioning democracy, no Iranian influence, at least not the kind that we like, then that portends the possibility of us staying for 20 or 30 years," Obama said.

"If, on the other hand, our criteria is a messy, sloppy status quo, but there's not huge outbreaks of violence, there's still corruption but the country is struggling along, but it's not a threat to its neighbors and it's not an al Qaeda base, that seems to me an achievable goal within a measured time frame."

Obama rarely veered off of his campaign trail points, telling Amb. Ryan Crocker and Gen. David Petreaus that a plan for troop withdrawal is essential. Obama also argued for diplomatic talks with Iran, an issue that he has been criticized for by his both of his presidential rivals.

"If Maliki can tolerate it as normal neighbor to neighbor relations with Iran, then we should be talking to them as well," Obama said, "I do not believe that we can be able stabilize the situation without them."

Obama remains in Washington this evening, where he will host two closed fund-raisers. He heads back out on the campaign trail tomorrow in Pennsylvania.

Add a Comment See all 22 Comments
by greenfun April 9, 2008 6:03 PM EDT
From Beyond the Chron:
hmmm
First, he opposed the war in Iraq while in the Illinois state legislature. Once he was running for US Senate though, when public opinion and support for the war was at its highest, he was quoted in the July 27, 2004 Chicago Tribune as saying, "There''s not that much difference between my position and George Bush''s position at this stage.
The difference, in my mind, is who''s in a position to execute." The Tribune went on to say that Obama, "now believes US forces must remain to stabilize the war-ravaged nation - a policy not dissimilar to the current approach of the Bush administration."

Obama''s campaign says he was referring to the ongoing occupation and how best to stabilize the region. But why wouldn''t he have taken the opportunity to urge withdrawal if he truly opposed the war? Was he trying to signal to conservative voters that he would subjugate his anti-war position if elected to the US Senate and perhaps support a lengthy occupation? Well as it turns out, he''s done just that.
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by mattcat25 April 9, 2008 12:54 PM EDT
Whether Hussein the great grandson of Muhammad was the chosen Imam isn%u2019t for the United States to determine. Al Quiada are Sunni the Maliki Government installed by George Bush and Richard Cheney in Iraq are Shiite (along with the ruling class in Iran are Shiite). The hand holding king of Saudi Arabia and all the 911 suicide attackers are Saudis (along with Osama Bin Laden) and they%u2019re Sunni.

The United States finds itself as friends and foe of both sides. The significant difference between Sunnis and Shiites is the belief in the Islamic Religion of the status of Hussein the great grandson of the profit Muhammad.

The US needs to turn the Iraq over to Iraqis (both Sunni and Shiite) and support the new ruling government (because they have oil like Saudi Arabia) and withdrawal the military occupation.

It%u2019s simple cut the funding to the Bush Private Sector Corporate Entitlement Program.
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by kristk68 April 9, 2008 11:19 AM EDT
obama- that is a very a prfound wisdom.
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by goyaboy1 April 9, 2008 6:22 AM EDT
If youre boneheaded like me , you''d vote for me won''t you? I have the best state of the art website all you have to do is click. Who wants to bother with writing a check licking a stamp. who''s got the time for that anymore. When I''m president we''ll do away with all that. There will not even be a a US post Office it''s so old.so old fashion. Internet internet internet.But you can call me Internerd if you prefer.
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by lottobee April 9, 2008 4:22 AM EDT
Obama is playing to his audience, the voters who are supporting his positions and campaign promises. I would not take anything he says seriously because he knows full well that if he becomes president and leaves a messy sloppy status quo in Iraq --- he will have to go back in and clean up the mess when Al Qaeda takes over Iraq --- and they will. There is no quick exit solution. Obama is not the messiah that he professes to be. He''s just an actor strutting and fretting his role upon the stage. And note that Obama is no longer saying that we need to withdraw as carefully as we were careless to get in. He will not be able to keep his campaign promises and he is lying to the voters every day.
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by trishab4 April 9, 2008 3:57 AM EDT
Heaven help us, He''''s starting to talk like Bush.


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Posted by truth-hurts at 06:41 PM : Apr 08, 2008

We know that truth hurts you! Obama is our man and yes he should pull troops out, home! Today. Bush and Co should be impeached and tried for treason (935-lies based war), mismanagement and war crimes (Guantanomo and AbouGhraib). You may collect one of his plaster-casted headbones.
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by vincan-2009 April 9, 2008 3:13 AM EDT
This article should make all the republican readers happy. They are very unhappy over at the ABC site. Obama will be a president who thinks and uses good sense. He will be able to handle all the issues the country faces and will not spend any time on the failed Bush policies the way McCain would.
Reply to this comment
by goyaboy1 April 9, 2008 1:54 AM EDT
A vote for OBAMA is a boneheaded mistake. this noa slip of the tongue, this not a freudian slip, this is not a coinsidence, this is not a bluff, this is not not a black and white negative this is the real picture.
Job: US looking to fill position of President . NO experience NECESSARY Imply within.
Reply to this comment
by kenbomc April 9, 2008 1:40 AM EDT
Posted by RowdyTexan2 at 07:44 PM : Apr 08, 2008;

Nice little poem. What is Hillary planning on doing? Obama is the next president -thank god. He tells you like it is with a vision that is unmatched. The guy has out grown the senate already -that was easily seen today.
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by wanakeeh April 9, 2008 1:34 AM EDT
Obama is saying, we have to get our butts out of this mess. It will be messy, sloppy, and limping along, but it''s not our war, and so long as it is non threatening, we don''t need to entrench there for a century, thank you very much!
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