Obama On Iraq, Economy, Clinton

Harry Smith Talks With The Presidential Hopeful About Some Of The Campaign's Biggest Issues

(CBS)  Harry Smith spoke to Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama about two of the biggest issues of the campaign and when it may be time for Hillary Clinton to call it quits.

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Harry Smith: Can we get out of Iraq as destabilized a situation that still seems to exist?

Sen. Barack Obama: When the violence was high, John McCain and George Bush said, "We can't leave because the violence is high." When we reduced the violence, they said, "We can't leave because we've made progress." This is part of the problem, that we have a lot of tactics that have been effective by Gen. Petraeus, but no overarching strategy. There's no clear definition of success.

Smith: Let's talk about money. Bear Sterns has been helped out a lot by the Federal Reserve. Should the federal government be in the business of bailing out companies that were involved in the subprime mess?

Obama: Well, I, this was, I think, slightly different than a bailout. We had a situation here where a run on one of the investment banks in Wall Street could have created a domino effect that could have plunged this economy into an even more severe crisis than it's already in. So, I wasn't privy to Bear Sterns balance sheets. But I think the idea that the Federal Reserve has to step in in emergency situations-is something I wouldn't challenge.

Smith: Was the federal government too late on this?

Obama: You know, this is something that a lot of observers recognized. That this economy was overleveraged, that there were no serious guidelines governing these mortgage-backed securities. That mortgage brokers were initiating the kinds of loans that people would never have a chance to pay back, but everybody was lookin' the other way 'cause everybody was makin' money.

Smith: Several people have written that even in the best-case scenario, Hillary Clinton's chances of getting the nomination for the Democratic Party are about 5 percent. When is it time for her to leave?

Obama: Oh, I think that is something that she's gotta make a decision about. And, you know, I have always said that I'm prepared to, you know go and and contest every single state-

Smith: If you are the presumptive candidate here, isn't it time that you say with some severity that we can't go on like this?

Obama: Well, no.

Smith: at the cost of losing the general election?

Obama: I don't think so. I think that what's gonna happen is that as soon as the nominee is determined, whether that is two weeks from now or in early June, that there'll be some bruised feelings. People are going to have to patch things together. And we Democrats have to get our act together and win this election.

[hillary4us]

MOVIESTAR1......DID SOMEONE LET YOU OUT OF THE CRACK HOUSE??? YOU ARE AN IDIOT. CRAWL BACK IN YOUR HOLE YOU MORON.

[hillary4us]

OBAMA IS A LIAR! HE KNEW ALL ALONG THAT WRIGHT WAS A RACIST AND ANTI=AMERICAN. NOW HE SAYS HE WOULD HAVE LEFT THE CHURCH HAD HE KNOWN. B.S.!!! THE NEW PASTOR PREACHS THE SAME RACIST, HATE-FILLED TRIPE THAT WRIGHT DID. HOW LONG WILL OBAMA STAY?? NO OBAMA! WE DO NOT NEED OBAMA IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

[darnedsocks]

Does Barack understand the issues here? If th U.S. stays in Iraq, obviously, it will continue to cost Americans billions of dollars they are not interested in spending there. However, if the U.S. leaves, then IRAN will invade.

[blondie4359]

Islam

If you think Islam is a peaceful religion you are either a fool, idiot or uninformed. The link below is current as of 9:40 pm 03282008. This is the fastest disappearing link I have ever run across. The original from the Netherlands is 17 minutes long. It aint pretty, watch it anyway.
Fitna The movie

http://www.knzr.com/Article.asp?id=636112&spid=17153

Why are we still entertaining the notion that WMDs existed in Iraq when Bush II invaded? If no other evidence were needed of their non-existence, just the fact that in all this time, 5 full years, not ONE weapon of mass destruction has been retrieved from Iraq. We found Saddam in his hidey hole but not ONE weapon of mass destruction. Not ONE. Not PART of one. Not a TRACE of one. Not a contaminated truck, jeep or soldier or piece of equipment alleged to be a part of the great WMD effort of Iraq affirmed by Colin Powell before the United Nations tribunal. Not in 5 years. Even Bush II could have stumbled over one if it had existed. Saddam, brought to his knees,manacled and deposed, admitted that, after Desert Storm, it became a ruse to keep his enemies at bay and America bought into it, hook, line and sinker. All the worse for him as it turned out. Reading historical rewrites is getting a bit tedious. Besides the real issue now is, as Obama says, "no overarching strategy. There''s no clear definition of success." And I want to hear what his clear definition of success is and what his overarching strategy contains. More than that, I want to hear, side by side, all the candidates'' strategies and clear definitions of success. Will someone please get those while you are poring through the sandboxes of Iraq in search of weapons of mass destruction that do not belong to the United States?

[astounded1]

hungry1968:

"So then why didn''t Clinton invade Iraq?
Because he didn''''t have proof of WMD''''s!!! He didn''''t have proof, so he didn''''t invade!!!
Bush didn''''t have proof, and he did invade!!!
Who made the foreign policy disaster?"

I suggest if you search the internet, you will find numerous statements by Bill Clinton, even in 2003 and 2004, and virtually every democrat politician who could get next to a microphone, that he is sure Iraq had WMDs and would "mark my words" use them against the USA. Clinton didn''t go into Iraq, despite signing the Iraq Liberation Act in 1998, because he was too afraid of domestic politics. Look what he did in Somalia in 1993 - turned tail after Task Force Ranger was bloodied on October 3-4 fighting, guess what, Osama bin Laden''s al Qaeda gunmen in the Bakara Market deep inside Mog. But, you''ll say, al Qaeda and bin Laden are only in Afghanistan. Wrong, they were in Iraq after we overthrew the Taliban in late 2001. Look up Ansar al Islam, read some books, talk to some US Army Special Forces who destroyed their base in northeastern Iraq in April 2003.

There is no doubt al Qaeda was in Iraq before we went in, and bin Laden put all his chips in this battle. A jihadi is a jihadi, regardless of the genus, they are still the same species, and seek our capitulation to islam or our demise. They are global. Take a look at a map of the ME and SWA and you will understand why we are in Iraq - it''s the Belly of the Beast.

Duh!

[jimmb4]

I do not believe the people who claim to be Clinton supporters are using Wright in an attempt to slander Obama. No Clinton supporter would stoop this low. These are really McCain people trying to create dissent in the Democratic party. No real Democrat would act this way. I will not take the bait. I believe that Clinton has fought a good fight and we will welcome her support in the general election.
Obama ''08 and ''12

[jimmb4]

Maybe it can only be surmised by you. But I am sure that you did not listen to the entire sermons and do not really know what Obama stands for. You make decisions based on small pieces of information and then condemn people associated with them. You do not respect freedom of religion and you trivialize the election of our president during a time of war and economic crisis. You are unpatriotic and unAmerican and are are disgrace to our country.

[peegee57]

It cannot be argued that the "Reverend" Wright is racist and anti-American.

Why would Obama attend the church of someone spewing such views for over 20 years? It can only be surmised that Obama shares the views of his mentor and his pastor. That is scary.

[jimmb4]

It is fairly amusing that the only campaign that the right wing can muster is the anit-Wright campaign. They have nothing to say about their failed war and their failed economy. You expect people to live on the streets with no job and no house and have eternal war so their sons and daughters can continue to be killed in a war that no end in sight just because the other guy had a pastor who said some things that you don''t like even though they were all taken out of context. You expect people to throw away their lives and country on just because you hate this guy''s ex-pastor. You have the nerve to suggest that someone else in not patriotic. Well it is you who are unpatriotic. How dare you have the nerve to act as if you are the Americans and the rest of us who actually want to end this war and bring our sons and daughters home are unpatriotic. How dare you say that you are the patriots when you are willing to abandon the economy because some one had a pastor you do not like. You do not respect freedom of religion, you do not respect our troops and you have no love for your country. You are traitors and do not deserve to call your selves American. Americans love their country and you do not love your country.

[mudrose-2009]

If Obama could not reflect change at rev. wrights church for 20 years, how is he going to reflect change in 4 years.

Posted by Hillarygrl34

He''s not looking for change the way we perceive it. He''s right on board with Wright''s liberation theology - government takeover of free markets, education and healthcare.

Like I keep saying poverty and victimization platforms are very lucrative business. Obama has a million dollar home and the Wright guy just bought himself a $1.6 million home in a gated "gay" community. Very lucrative business pushing poverty and victimization.

[mudrose-2009]

Can liberals please educate us on the "legitimate" impulses behind Rev. Wright''''s Jew-baiting?
Posted by Infidel_Us

I hope this was rhetorical? They really couldn''t answer if they tried. Not capable of rational thinking. Hahaha.

[infidel_us]

What, pray tell, is the legitimate source of Wright''s anti-Semitism? I believe Brother Obama passed over that issue entirely in his "conversation," even as he made the obligatory bow to Israel''s status as one of our "stalwart allies." Why does crazy "uncle" Wright dislike Jews?

Will liberals contend that these remarks were "taken out of context"? Maybe Wright''s church was trying to say that Farrakhan isn''t great when it said he "epitomized greatness." Who knows? We weren''t there.

Can liberals please educate us on the "legitimate" impulses behind Rev. Wright''s Jew-baiting?

[mudrose-2009]

It doesn''''t matter actually, they are the dueling socialists. I don''''t see any difference other than the distinctions that make of themselves. She''''s a racist according to him and he''''s teflon.

[sgtrds]

McCain is this election''s Bob Dole. He''s a GOP throw away candidate because the republican leadership realizes that they don''t stand a chance in November, so they''re letting an old party stalwart have his name on the ticket just once. It''s sort of their equivalent of a gold watch or a promotion to Rear Admiral upon retirement. This time next year he''ll be on TV pitching Viagra or Depends, if his obvious senility hasn''t worsened that is.

[mudrose-2009]

Watching project Implode Democrats is beyond anything I could have imagined...by the time it''''s over, McCain won''''t have to do a thing to get elected...!
Posted by badaxmofo

And I know he''s not taking anything for granted but working arduously behind the scenes to shore up the base.

[mudrose-2009]

Plagiarizes just about everything...!
Posted by badaxmofo

It doesn''t matter actually, they are the dueling socialists. I don''t see any difference other than the distinctions that make of themselves. She''s a racist according to him and he''s teflon.

[mudrose-2009]

mudrose

LOL! You''''re far far far too easy.
Posted by SgtRDS

And your are far far too gone!

[sgtrds]

mudrose

LOL! You''re far far far too easy.

[mudrose-2009]

Hmmm.......I should have added "Sort of like mudrose is" to the original posting.
Posted by SgtRDS

Yeah, I guess surrender and retreat gives you quite the high now doesn''t it. Update your passport and get yourself along with your drugged up buddy to a nice socialist/marxist/communists country. Hey, even France would be great for the likes of you two. Enjoy you stay.