Obama: Now Is The Time For Iraq Withdrawal

Tells CBS News U.S. Cannot Wait For Next Administration To Make Afghanistan Central Focus Of War On Terror

(CBS)  Logan: "You do have a situation seven years on into this war where Osama bin Laden and all his lieutenants and all the leaders of the Taliban, they're still there. They're inside Pakistan."

Obama: "It's a huge problem. First of all, if we hadn't taken our eye off the ball, we might've caught them before they got into Pakistan and were able to reconstitute themselves. So we made a strategic error. And it's one that we're going to pay for, and unfortunately the people in Afghanistan have paid for it as well.

"But we now have an opportunity to correct that problem. One of the, if you look at what's happening right now in Iraq, Prime Minister al-Maliki has indicated he wants a timetable full withdraw. That is the view of the vast majority of Iraqis as well. We've seen a quelling of the violence. We haven't seen as much political progress as needs to be made. But we're starting to see some efforts on the part of the various factions to deal with some of the issues that are out there.

Logan: "Token efforts at best."

Obama: "They are token efforts at best. But if we have a timetable and they suddenly see an urgency behind the fact that the American troops are going to be leaving and that they need to get their act together, then this is the perfect moment for us to say, 'We are going to shift our resources. We're going to get a couple of more brigades here into Afghanistan. We're going to be willing to increase our foreign aid to Pakistan.' In exchange, we're going to expect that Pakistan takes much more seriously going after al-Qaeda and Taliban base camps on their side of the borders."

Logan: "What would be a 'mission accomplished' for you in Afghanistan?

Obama: "Well, a 'mission accomplished' would be that we had stabilized Afghanistan, that the Afghan people are experiencing rising standards of living, that we have made sure that we are disabling al-Qaeda and the Taliban so that they can longer attack Afghanistan, they can no longer engage in attacks against targets of Pakistan, and they can't target the United States or its allies."

Logan "Losing is not an option?"

Obama: "Losing is not an option when it comes to al-Qaeda. And it never has been. And that's why the fact that we engaged in a war of choice when were not yet finished with that task was such a mistake."

Logan: "Do you believe the war on terror can't be won if Osama bin Laden is still alive and if he's still out there?"

Obama: "I think there would be enormous symbolic value in us capturing or killing bin Laden, because I think he's still a rallying point for Islamic extremists. But I don't think that by itself is sufficient. I think that we are going to have to be vigilante in dismantling these terrorist networks."

Logan: "Okay, last question: There is a perception that you lack experience in world affairs."

Obama: "Right."

Logan: "Is this trip partly aimed at overcoming that concern, that, you know, there are doubts among some Americans that you could lead the country at war as commander in chief from day one?"

Obama: "You know, the interesting thing is that the people who are very experienced in foreign affairs, I don't think have those thoughts. The troops that I've been meeting with over the last several days, they don't seem to have those doubts. The objective of this trip was to have substantive discussions with people like President Karzai or Prime Minister Maliki or President Sarkozy or others who I expect to be dealing with over the next eight to ten years.

"It's important for me to have a relationship with them early, that I start listening to them now, getting a sense of what their interests and concerns are, because one of the shifts in foreign policy that I want to execute as president is giving the world a clear message that America intends to continue to show leadership, but our style of leadership is going to be less unilateral, that we're going to see our role as building partnerships around the world that are of mutual interest to the parties involved. And I think this gives me a head start in that process."

Logan: "Do you have any doubts?"

Obama: "Never."

[aharris2615]

"Rumors circulating...845 Billion to Africa?"
=====
Have integrity and stop repeating the unsubstantiated rumors from your mothership: the RMS Rove Titanic. Nice try by changing the topic. Everyone knows what we''ve actually purchased with the blood of 4000 soldiers and a trillion tax dollars that our grandchildren''s grandchildren will have to pay for. We purchased the deaths of hundreds of thousands Iraqi civilians. We purchased the death of one secular dictator who was replaced by several radical Islamic warlords friendly to Iran. Eventually we purchased a puppet regime that still struggles to find it''s credibility beyond the safety of Bahgdad when we keep refusing it''s sovereignty with our continued endless occupation. The Nuri Al Maliki government smells an awful lot like the Nguyen Van Thieu South Vietmanese government of the early 1970s. Dubya''s Iraq war smells too much like Vietnam. WMDs = Gulf of Tonkin = fictions created to give the illusion of enemy aggression. In both cases, hundreds of thousands noncombatant civilian casualties occurred even with our advanced technology. In both cases, "spreading freedom" was used to describe the effort to the public when in members of the government were telling big businesses that the locations were strategically beneficial for obtaining access to vital resources.

The mission (enriching the lives of the elite few sitting atop the military industrial complex aka RNC insiders) has been accomplished. It''s time to come home.

[promaclaura]

patriot12436 Wow, you and your family certainly have earned your right''s as American Citizens. I listen to your word''s and understand where you are coming from. This I can respect, opinions based on the actual experience is what we need more of. Thank you for offsetting the individuals that vent their hate and twist things to continue to feel that hate. People who immerse themselves in self-serving anger get no where fast and always make me wonder how they got to that point. I too do not like some of McCains policies, especially concerning our borders. How will we ever be able to concentrate on protecting our borders if we leave them so porous. Many individuals who do not support the war in Iraq also do not support protecting our borders from illegals. I am willing to give up some of my rights if that means our men and women can stay home. Any tools that we can use to find and deter terror cells here is welcome. We live in a different world today and would rather insure our safety here first, so go ahead and listen in on my phone calls and close the borders. If that is what we need to do to keep our kid''s at home instead of Iraq or Iran, so be it.

[patriot12436]

ProMacLaura
Sorry computer stuck. I am planning to move back to Las Vegas. I lived there before and loved it. Mild winters and hot summers but i prefer heat to cold.
My daughter suffered from over injections from shots from schools. I ended up with $450,000 in doctor bills. She finally out grew it and was just returned from Iraq. She is legally blind, possibly from chemical exposure there. They are still trying to diagnois her but she has already been qualified for disability from ssan. She should be discharged this fall. I am glad she is getting out. I am 100% disabled from Vietnam and my oldest son is 100% disabled from army rangers. I think my family has given enough for our country.

[patriot12436]

ProMacLaura
I am in Thailand now but will be returning to live in Las Vegas to live in September and in time for the elections. I love living here in Thailand. I

[patriot12436]

ProMacLaura
I am in Thailand now but will be returning to live in Las Vegas to live in September and in time for the elections. I love living here in Thailand. I

[patriot12436]

ProMacLaura
I am in Thailand now but will be returning to live in Las Vegas to live in September and in time for the elections. I love living here in Thailand. I

[patriot12436]

proMacLaura
I do not hate bush but i do hope he is tried for war crimes and his assets are impounded and returned tothe treasury. I do not trust obama and do not believe he has good intentions for our country. I do not like to continue the war in Iraq so i disagree with McCain , but i respect him for his record. People say he graduted in the lower portion of his class at the academy, so what, someone has to graduate there. I think just to graduate the academy was an honor. I think McCain is as loyal to our contry as i am, although i disagree with some of his plans, like ammenesty for illegals, and continueing the war in Iraq. We should never have invaded Iraq. It was an internal problem the Iraqui people should have dealt with. They have been fighting for hundreds of years and will continue after we leave. I to if have to choose between obama and mccain will vote mccai.

[andylance1]

It looks like Obama is advocating war with Pakistan again: "I will push Pakistan very hard..."

It will be a case of Br''er Obama and the Tar-Baby. If Obama gets belligerent with Pakistan - it will become a problem that gets worse and worse the more he struggles with it. Unlike Iran, these dudes already have nukes.

[promaclaura]

patriot12436-Thank you for your kind words about my son. Pertaining to your fear for our country and civil war (which is not silly) I agree with you. People are out of hand in the finger-pointing and hate spewing. It is accomplishing nothing but two sides that won''t listen to each other. I voted for Ross Perot the 1st time around and still listen to all candidates that come forward. I like the candidates that tell it how it is, even if they will lose potential voters. The candidates that tell everyone what they want to hear, I''m leary of. So, from the choices we have I will vote for McCain, he has made his platform and chose some very unpopular stances not because he''s stupid but because he believes them. I like Barack''s speeches, but he tells different audiences opposite things to insure their vote and I don''t respect that (nor do I respect his personal affiliations). I know that you do not like either and I hope one day 3rd party candidates have stronger opportunities to win, not insure a victory for Dems or Reps.

[promaclaura]

Posted by komoncents at 12:15 AM : Jul 22, 2008
Your''e still not listening, I''m posting my views not based on my support of President Bush, but my own beliefs which were BEFORE GW went into Iraq. I wanted Saddam removed BEFORE, BEFORE, BEFORE. So your logic that I''m blindly following a liar is nil. What''s funny is I came to my opinion about Saddam from the CBS evening news, 60 minutes and the Clinton Administration (these were my news sources)! The constant news about Saddam, similar to news about Iran today, convinced me he and his government were a nasty lot that killed thousands of his own (the Iraq''s believe he killed close to a million). Also, your fact-finding I''m sure is from the internet where many people constrew opinion with fact. Millions killed by US servicemen, please, they are the one''s killing each other. So your high number quotient placed on our servicemen are just plain wrong. We''ve been the police force protecting them from each other and foreign terrorists. The innocent were killed, it''s to bad that their honorable (ya right) men hid amoungst them and made them the targets. I think that you should take a course in Economics, then you would understand the concept of supply and demand for oil (it''s simple really, 3rd world countries are industrialized now and we are competing with them, that''s called demand, the oil emirates are not producing enough that is the supply). YOUR HATRED OF OUR PRESIDENT IS BLINDING YOU

[obama8years]

OBAMA AND WRIGHT BOTH INVOLVED IN PALSTINE SO CALLED PEACE GROUP. THIS MAN WILL BE DANGEROUS AS PRESIDENT.

If Barack Obama didn%u2019t know about Abunimah%u2019s writings (and Abunimah says he did), the same as his claims of being unaware of Reverend Wright%u2019s remarks after 20 years, then Obama is not competent to be our President. Abunimah likes to lie and claim Al Awda has nothing to do with the ISM or Electronic Intifada, though plenty of evidence exists on the website the homepage at www.StoptheISM.com showing the contrary.

But Obama%u2019s association with the ISM through his church and lobbying in Chicago goes even deeper than just his past links to Al Awda and Ali Abunimah. His pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, are both equally involved with the ISM.

[obama8years]

Looks Like the Liberals are at it Again. 845 Billion to Africa. Where are they going to get the money?

If Cary is right, Senator Barack Hussein Obama''s only major legislative accomplishment as a United States Senator -- which according to some conservative leaders is potentially an $845 billion United Nations give away of your hard-earned tax dollars -- could be coming up for a stealth vote any day now!

Is it really possible that our federal legislators are planning to pass Barack Hussein Obama''s Global Poverty Act while they think we aren''t looking?

Here''s what conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly said:

"Rumors have been circulating around Capitol Hill that a few activist groups have renewed their surge and have begun lobbying full force for a bill introduced by presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL). The bill has already passed out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee without any public hearings, and it also passed the House earlier this year. It is important to note that both of these votes were ''voice votes,'' which was a deliberate strategy of the congressional majority so that no record would be kept of those who voted in favor of this problematic bill."

"While Senator Barack Obama struggles to keep the public in the dark about the nature of his pro-U.N. Global Poverty Act, a recent ''Bay Area Interfaith Leaders'' Luncheon'' was held to lobby for Senate passage of the bill, whose cost has been estimated at $845 billion..."

[obama8years]

With Obama as President and Liberal Nut Nancy Polosi as Speaker there is no stopping this duo from changing america into a soviet style democracy, if there is such thing.

[patriot12436]

ukgod
What i the world are you talking about, You seem to be talking against McCain and obama, yet McCain supports bushs policies. Are you talking for Bush ? Your comment is very confusing.

[ukgod1]

the man went over to Iraq and accomplished what maccain and bush opposed for so many years, now there are back pedaling and trying to discredit his efforts and you people still cant see the obvious. unbelievable, if you are still a maccain supporter do yourself a favor and hang yourself

[patriot12436]

komoncents
You soun like science fiction from the comic books of the 1930''s. People laughed when they drew pictures of an airplane. And look where we are today, still making the same mistakes. People will eventually listen to your reasoning, the question is will they listen before it is too late.

[komoncents]

Vote Dem, vote Rep. In the end it won''t matter much, as whomever we elect will be slaves to corporate masters.

WE THE PEOPLE need to outlaw campaign contributions of any kind, with penalties for violation akin to treason, which it truly is. Anything less and we will continue to have a government for sale to the highest bidder.

Witness a war for oil and military industrial profit.

1984 has arrived.

Vote all incumbents out, then hold war crime trials for genocide and crimes against humanity, imprisoning the entire bush administration and their complicit corporate cronies.

[jntlw-2009]

Iraq wants us to leave, 80% or more of Americans want out of the Iraq fiasco soon, so that is a no brainer. McCain and neocons are still in facistland and so they cannot see the handwritng on the wall, but we will get out in 2 years or less from now. Shame on Cheney/Bush for their facist/imperialist and illegal war in Iraq. May they get their just reward or prison sentence for their actions.

[komoncents]

So many people believe you goose-step with GW if you supported the removal of Saddam ... but to run a campaign of hate against our President which indirectly hurts our men and women in war zones bother''s me alot.
Posted by ProMacLaura at 10:36 PM : Jul 21, 2008

You link subjects through subversion and labeling. No real argument, just twisting of known truths.

According to this one-sided thinking, if you''re a "Bush-hater," then you supported Saddam, hurting our troops. If you see the scheme of inflating oil prices by holding a war using "building democracy" as the justification (the first reasoning was wmd''s) then you are not a patriot.
Calling manipulation of pre-war intelligence, proven by the Downing St memo, lies, thus part of a liberal left wing conspiracy.
If you understand that bush spied on americans in clear violation of the law (an impeachable felony offense) then you support the terrorists.

What a twisted self-delusional world you live in.

"Bush haters," as you call them, are actually citizens (real patriots) who''ve checked the facts and understand the criminality you choose to ignore in your hero-worship loyalty obsession.
And what we hate is the bloodstained hands of all Americans courtesy of the exterminating of women and children by the indiscriminate bombing of city blocks. A million people are dead - does that not affect you in the least?

You''re being played the fool by con men similar to carnival shills - step right up suckers.

[patriot12436]

greybeardvet
I am still hoping for door number three.