AMMAN, Jordan, July 22, 2008
Obama Vows To Push For Middle East Peace
Ill. Senator Says U.S. Must Recognize Israel's Security Concerns And Palestinian Hardships
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Play CBS Video Video The World Is Watching Obama World interest in the election campaign has reached an all time high. And as Katie Couric reports, Barack Obama's foreign tour gives him a chance to share his vision with a global audience.
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Video Obama's Tour Of The Mideast Barack Obama hopes to convince voters back home that he's comfortable on the world stage. Katie Couric reports on Obama's journey so far and the often precarious world of foreign policy.
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., gives a statement after he arrived at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. Obama spoke of a "historic and special relationship between the United States and Israel, one that cannot be broken" and one that he hoped to strengthen as president. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, accompanied by Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., speaks during a news conference at the citadel in Amman, Jordan, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Barack Obama said "my goal is to have US troops no longer engaged in combat operations in Iraq." (CBS)
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In this photo released by the Governorate of the Anbar Province, U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, 2nd left, talks with the governor of Iraq's Anbar province, Maamoun Sami Rashid al-Alwani, right, in Ramadi, 70 miles west of Baghdad, Iraq, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. (AP)
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., center, hugs his foreign policy advisor Scott Gration as he arrives at Marka Airport in Amman, Jordan, Tuesday, July 22, 2008. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
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Photo Essay Obama in the Mideast Democratic presidential hopeful holds talks in Iraq, Afghanistan
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Interactive Iraq: 5 Years At War Five years after the U.S.-led invasion, the war wears on.
In a news conference here before departing for Israel, he said any U.S. involvement in peace talks must recognize not only Israel's security concerns but also the economic hardships facing Palestinians.
He said he would continue to regard Israel as a valued ally. "That policy is not going to change," he said.
"What I think can change is the ability of the United States government and a United States president to be actively engaged with the peace process and to be concerned and recognize the legitimate difficulties that the Palestinian people are experiencing right now."
Arriving in Jerusalem later Tuesday, Obama said he hoped his administration would strengthen the historic special relationship between the United States and Israel and, citing a Palestinian attack in downtown Jerusalem earlier in the day, pledged "to work diligently, urgently and in a unified way to defeat terrorism."
Obama, in the midst of a weeklong high visibility foreign trek, also acknowledged the long history of Middle East tensions that would confront him if he were to become president.
"It's unrealistic to expect that a U.S. president alone can suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace in this region," he said.
Obama was in Afghanistan and Iraq before arriving in Jordan on Tuesday for talks with King Abdullah II. He planned to leave for Israel later in the day. He then is scheduled to travel to Europe.
In exclusive and separate interviews, "CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric spoke with Obama and presumptive Republican nominee John McCain about the troop surge in Iraq.
Jordan's king told Obama that an evenhanded U.S. policy would bolster America's credibility in the Middle East and that achieving Palestinian statehood is essential for ending the Arab-Israeli conflict, according to a royal palace statement summarizing Abdullah's remarks during a closed-door meeting with the Illinois senator Tuesday at Abdullah's private Amman residence.
Obama condemned an attack in Jerusalem on Tuesday, where a Palestinian man rammed a construction vehicle into cars and a bus near the downtown hotel where Obama was scheduled to stay later in the day. An Israeli civilian shot and killed the driver. Several people were injured in the attack, which resembled a deadly vehicle assault that took place in the city earlier this month.
"Today's bulldozer attack is a reminder of what Israelis have courageously lived with on a daily basis for far too long," Obama said.
Campaign aides said Obama intends to visit a southern Israeli town that is a frequent target of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
The stop in Sderot is part of a crowded day of events on Wednesday in which the Illinois senator has also arranged to meet with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on the West Bank and with Israeli leaders.
Susan Rice, a foreign policy adviser, said Obama wanted to go to Sderot because it is a "place in which Israel's security is every day at risk and threatened. And Sen. Obama will have the opportunity to see that first hand and get a very personal feel for the everyday" difficulties. His schedule indicates he intends to spend slightly more than an hour there.
Obama's trip to Iraq and Afghanistan was an official congressional trip, paid for with federal funds. The balance of his travels are financed by his presidential campaign.
The Illinois Democrat is working to shore up support among U.S. Jewish voters, many of whom supported Hillary Rodham Clinton in the battle for the party's presidential nomination, and some of whom have questioned his commitment to Israel.
Obama's schedule for Wednesday also includes a visit to Yad Vashem, the Israeli memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Aides said a stop at the Western Wall, one of the holiest places in Judaism, was also a possibility.
In addition to Abbas, Obama's meeting list for the day includes Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and members of his Cabinet as well as Benjamin Netanyahu, head of the opposition Likud party and a former prime minister.
In his news conference, Obama alluded to the internal domestic problems facing Olmert, who is facing allegations of corruption, and the political schism among Palestinians.
"One of the difficulties that we have right now is that in order to make those compromises you have to have strong support from your people, and the Israeli government right now is unsettled," he said. "You know, the Palestinians are divided between Fatah and Hamas."
He compared the existing circumstances with those that permitted Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin to sign a peace treaty in 1979.
"Those leaders were in a much stronger position to initiate that kind of peace," Obama said.
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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- i think this trip is going to do more harm than good for obama.he is startng to talk out both sides of his face.he could of just coasted and been put on the pedestal that the media and his sheep seem to have him on.if you listen to his sheep he has allready solved the whole worlds problem''s.i can''t wait for this election to be over allready what a big circus it is.all we have to vote for is two CLOWNS...........................
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- trishab4
I guess he will get around to making peace right after he parts the red sea again. - Reply to this comment
- rowdy
I never heard of anhoest politician so nothing surprises me in our govt. - Reply to this comment
- Such is the arrogance we have all grown so tired of hearing from every left wing pinko Democrat in the past 40 years. Jimah Carter, and Bill Clinton claimed they were the great peace negotiators. Now here comes Sen. NObama claiming to be the next big deal.
I prefer G.W. Bush''s approach to middle east peace.
Kill the all and let God sort it out. - Reply to this comment
- Obama is the teacher saying to the world all my students did not fly into the World Trade Center, and the Pentagon! This is Obama''''s plan, legacy, and shows his charisma as well. First, all he is is a black teacher at law school. That''''s what he is using. Traditionally, when I think of a black professor, I think of someone who knows the laws dealing with "minorities" over everything else. I mean that''''s what they are best at, what they like dealing with, and what is expected of them by their students. So, here comes along Obama with that label. Minorities such as radical extreme Islamist groups can use this fatherly protection against the United States to come in and learn how to fly planes for example. Obama is keeping his fingers crossed when he talks to the heads of countries such as Palestine, Iraq, and Jordan. It might work in the short term for the terrorists. Maybe they want to see what they can get. Thus, unintentionally or intentionally Obama is telling countries such as these that maybe he wants to send American troops to Afghanistan to kill them like over 10,000 Russians were killed there. That''''s Barack Obama''''s plan, legacy, and secret. That''''s why I''''m begging you to vote for John McCain. John has the experience to get things done. God Bless Senator John McCain, our troops, and the USA
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- The ONLY way we will win, change, or succeeed at anything in the USA is to vote for the more qualified candidate- MCCAIN. Even 4 out of 10 Democrats agree. I am just so tired about hearing how likeable Obama is. Likeability is not experiance. An overseas visit is not experiance. Lack of real experiance is: DANGEROUS!
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- Posted by trishab4 at 08:19 PM : Jul 22, 2008
You for got about turning water into wine and walking on water
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Posted by earth56 at 06:16 AM : Jul 23, 2008
-earth56, oh that is for your fairytale gobbling little mind... Oh I almost forgot; your belief goes back to before Jeasus! But you''re still looking for miracles to take place huh! - Reply to this comment
- McVet
I do agree with you about bush, at least trying him would be a good start.
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Posted by patriot12436 at 09:30 PM : Jul 22, 2008
The thing about trying Bush and all the tripping out about war crimes and the b****ching and moaning!!!
WHERE IS THE PROOF! WHO''''S GOT IT! WHY DIDN''''T THE DEMOCRATS JERK HIM OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE TWO YEARS AGO! COULD IT POSSIBLY BE A BUNCH OF PROPAGANDA BULL SPIT BY THESE CROOKED BASTWARDS???
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Posted by RowdyWicca at 06:35 AM : Jul 23, 2008
-RowdyWicca, this is not a very democratic speech! So don''t pretend to be an unconditional Democrat honey!
Oh uh the proofs will come for sure, and that little school ill-liar will rot in jail, like many others of his executive administration, before he gets hung by the Judicial system! - Reply to this comment
- McVet
I do agree with you about bush, at least trying him would be a good start.
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Posted by patriot12436 at 09:30 PM : Jul 22, 2008
The thing about trying Bush and all the tripping out about war crimes and the b****ching and moaning!!!
WHERE IS THE PROOF! WHO''S GOT IT! WHY DIDN''T THE DEMOCRATS JERK HIM OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE TWO YEARS AGO! COULD IT POSSIBLY BE A BUNCH OF PROPAGANDA BULL SPIT BY THESE CROOKED BASTWARDS??? - Reply to this comment
- Obama has already screwed himself by lying to AIPAC and telling them Jerusalem would be theirs and then turning around and appeasing his Islamofast buddies by telling them it would have to be included in negotiations.
If you think people are not smart enough to see his stupidity and lies, again, go buy some beachfront property in Arizona! - Reply to this comment
- Posted by the74blaster at 07:30 PM : Jul 22, 2008
And I want to warn you...the American majority of democrats did not vote for the Islamofast hugging bastward and the republicans haven''t even had a chance to vote against him yet.
Enjoy this dream you''re living in...
Obama bringing about change when his ACTIONS have been completely the opposite of his words is the most hilarious concept I''ve ever heard! And if you think he is going to tax the hand that feeds his campaign funds...somebody will sell you beachefront property in Arizona! - Reply to this comment
- The fighting has been going on in the Middle East ever since Abraham had two wives. From the one line, he begat the twelve tribes of Israel, and from the other one he begat the Arabs. There has been hatred and jealousy ever since. However, it will be really nice to see Obama stop all that haggling.
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- Talk about gaffes. Ignorant, ignoring the truth, scheming and lying = sitting in a church for decades listening to violent hateful spew and then trying to tell the American public that he never heard anything of the kind. I did love how after Obama threw the good Rev. under the bus, Wright returned the favor.
Also checking to see if I''ve been thrown off yet due to my offensive assessments. - Reply to this comment
- McVet
I do agree with you about bush, at least trying him would be a good start. - Reply to this comment
- david1737
Rowdy is right. If he lies about things that are not important ,what else does he lie about ? - Reply to this comment
- "It''s unrealistic to expect that a U.S. president alone can suddenly snap his fingers and bring about peace in this region," he said.
-Don''t be surprised Barack if that had to happen. The whole world is expecting you to come in and bring peace! Many feel like that, Barack. - Reply to this comment
- Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, you mean like ignoring reality and re-writing history?
Posted by RowdyWicca,
Roudy,
Do you care to tell me how many times during Bushs terms where McCain stood up and did not support his efforts as president?
This election is about canning an incompetent party with an out of date trickle down economic policy. If you are happy with gas in excess of $ 4.00/gallon, with the new round of layoffs and a double digit inflation rate at grocery store, vote for McSame.
If not then you vote for Obama. The BS stories I have read about Obama being a Muslim or his former pastors political position is a bunch of horse dung.
The only reason its news is because the rich conservative smear machine is hard at work desparately trying to bury the truth. The truth is the GOP does not deserve another 4 years in the Whitehouse based on their performance of the last 7 years.
I mean a doubling of the national debt is totally inexcusable considering they had a 234 billion surplus going in.
I know it really upsets you to see the leaders of the free world flocking to Obama and to see the press running after him, while ignoring McCain.
However,I just want to warn you to prepare for the Obama landslide. - Reply to this comment
- Posted by causeway_v at 06:26 PM : Jul 22, 2008
Ohhhhhhhhhhh, you mean like when Obama thought his uncle helped liberate Austwitcz and the Selma march got him born? And like when Obama conjured up all this legislation when he never got passed?
No I was wide awake and witnessed it all!
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Posted by RowdyWicca at 06:55 PM : Jul 22, 2008
And you mean like Obama thought his father was goat herder, when he was a high up official in the government? And like he was a poor boy and his mother had live on food stamps while he was living with his rich grandparents and going to an elite school?
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, you mean like ignoring reality and re-writing history? - Reply to this comment
- what you mean apart from the:
- fact that there is no country called Czechoslovakia (still wondering who wiped that country out BTW)
- fact that Iraq does not share a border with Pakistan
- fact that there were no WMD in Iraq in March 2003
- fact that the Steel Curtain defensive line was not around in the 1960s when he supposedly reeled off their names to his Vietnamese "captors"
Have you been doing a "rip van winkle" - is that how you missed all those fcats that McCain ignored ???
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Posted by causeway_v at 06:26 PM : Jul 22, 2008
Ohhhhhhhhhhh, you mean like when Obama thought his uncle helped liberate Austwitcz and the Selma march got him born? And like when Obama conjured up all this legislation when he never got passed?
No I was wide awake and witnessed it all! - Reply to this comment
