Obama Says Economy, Iraq Are Top Issues

Energy And Health Care Follow Ending The War And Dealing With The Wall St. Meltdown As Key Priorities

(CBS)  Kroft: Iraq. When we talked to you the first time, back in February of 2007, you had proposed, at that time, a piece of legislation that would have had all the troops out in 16 months. Which means they would have been out by today, if it would have been passed. We would have missed the surge. We would have missed the reduction in violence.

Obama: Oh, wait, wait, wait, Steve. I mean, now you're just engaging in a huge hypothetical. We don't know what would have happened if we had initiated the plan that I put forward at the beginning of 2007. And the fact of the matter is that, as successful as our troops have been in lowering the violence in Iraq, and they have performed brilliantly. But the truth of the matter is we still don't have an oil agreement. We still don't have provincial elections. The commanders on the ground themselves acknowledge that the political progress that's needed has not been made. So we all welcome the reduction in violence, but the notion that somehow this was the only way for us to solve the problem, and that the problem has been solved, I completely disagree with.

Kroft: The McCain campaign, the last day or two, has been running nothing but ads talking about you and the surge…that you were opposed to the surge.

Obama: That's all they had to talk about. You notice that, according to the McCain mythology, I guess the Iraq war started with the surge. They seem to forget that there were five years before that where they got everything wrong, where they anticipated that we would be greeted as liberators. Where they said this would be easy. These are John McCain's quotes. That this would all pay for itself. Because the Iraqi oil revenues would more than cover it. The fact of the matter is that John McCain has been consistently wrong on Iraq. And now's the time for us to bring this to a close. Even the Iraqi prime minister and the Iraqi government recognize it's time to have a time frame. The Bush administration has talked about time horizons. And John McCain, moving forward, is the only one who stubbornly clings to reasons to stay in Iraq.

Obama wants to move an additional 7, 000 troops to Afghanistan, where he says the military situation is rapidly deteriorating.

Kroft: You were one of the first people to say that the United States ought to follow the Taliban and al Qaeda back into the tribal territories of Pakistan.

Obama: Here's what I said. We can't tolerate al Qaeda having base camps and safe havens where they are planning attacks against U.S. targets. That's not acceptable. If we have a high value al Qaeda target in our sights, then we need to make sure that if the Pakistanis are unwilling or unable to go after them, that we do. That's common sense. And I think that's appropriate.

Kroft: Is a nuclear-armed Iran a direct threat to the United States?

Obama: Yes. I think that a nuclear armed Iran is not just a threat to us, it's a threat to Israel. And it is a game changer in the region. It's unacceptable. And that's why I've said that I won't take any options off the table, including military, to prevent them from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But I do think that it is important for us to use all the arrows in our quiver. And we have not applied the kind of tough diplomacy over the last eight years that I think could have made a difference.

[wtezra]

I will vote for Obama. I am white, Israeli-American and 61 years old.
He is our best chance for a future.

If America is so dumb and votes for McCain, I will be looking to live elsewhere.

I feel proud and lucky to have a candidate as bright, capable and inspiring as Obama to want this job.

GO BARACK!

[anotherview2-2009]

The "race issue" needs to be looked at from the fact that 90% of the blacks will vote for Obama, not because he is qualified, but because he is "one of us". Clearly Obama would not be where he is if it weren''t for the black racist vote which does not get talked about at all. With Obama getting 40 to 50% of the white vote, I see that has a vote based on ideology and beliefs.

And while this interview was taking place Russia was moving one of its largest warships into the Caribbean, and selling billions of dollars of arms to Chavez.

Not a word from CBS on this.

[nodevils2]

OBAMA IS FOR THE FREE MARKETS OF CAPITALISM, constrained by the conscience of sensible government regulation! Obama understands that the government is just as essential to capitalism as is the consumer; and, he understands the government%u2019s role to enhance and create new industries and markets when the private sector is failing to do so. For example, Obama sees that the markets are not "laissez faire capitalism" when it comes to our energy industries. This is evident by the abnormally high gas prices that are hurting the consumer. He understands far better than Bush/McCain that our way to independence is through alternative energies, such as FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY, BIO-MASS, BIO-DIESEL, WIND, SOLAR, BIO-THERMAL TECHNOLOGIES. Obama knows how to unleash NASA again, unfettered by the sinister repression of free scientific thought, the BUSH/McCain sought to SILENCE and edit the scientists. Obama respects the opinions of ECONOMISTS, unlike Bush/McCain/Palin, who tried to pander with gas holiday gimmicks. OBAMA 08, YES WE CAN!!

[nodevils2]

The most significant change that Obama/Biden will bring to the White House is leadership that actually leads, by changing our government%u2019s strategies and culture so that they have a better fit to the global economy. Obama has an excellent ability to shape a strategic vision of a realistic and attractive future that binds us together as Americans and focuses our energy toward super ordinate goals as a nation. Obama stands alone as the candidate who can frame messages around a grand purpose with emotional appeal that captivates the best in us. Transformational leaders not only talk about a vision; they enact it. They walk the talk by stepping outside the executive suite and doing things that symbolize the vision, the way that Obama performed during the primaries and the way he has run a STELLAR overall campaign. Obama stands alone as the candidate best equipped to demonstrate a Can Do attitude with an image of honesty, trust, and integrity. OBAMA IS THE BEST CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! OBAMA 08; Yes We Can

[nodevils2]

Basically, America has lost its farming base and its manufacturing base. Driving our economic growth for the last eight years has been the FINANCE BUBBLE, credit and mortgages, coupled with exotic derivatives and other risky financial instruments. We need a leader who can inspire America with a vision that results in Americans actually MANUFACTURING something of value for the world other than EXOTIC FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS. OBAMA stands alone as the candidate taking us in that direction.

[nodevils2]

OBAMA IS LEADING! In the polls, in history, in new voter registration, in fundraising, in campaign management, by every metric possible! Conventional wisdom has always said that you can determine how a president will lead by observing how he leads his campaign and the decision he made in picking his vice presidential nominee! Obama/Biden 08, real leadership for a new generation! What a STELLAR campaign being run by an incredible young, American leader! Go OBAMA/BIDEN

[michaelm07]

Obama defending his experience? That probably only took a few seconds considering there is very little and virtually none that qualifies him for the Oval Office.

[credibility2]

Once sources like NBC''s SNL show ruthlessly go after Obama and ridicule him as they''ve done with McCain and Palin, I''ll feel much better. But of course, too many are afraid of taking this turn lest it seem racist. It''s sad that no one can go after Obama, factually and jokingly without being accused of being racist or bigoted. This is what our society has become. Free speech, but only if it doesn''t offend non-whites and bi-racials. Obama is a fraud and corrupt. He was a do-nothing IL senator and is now a do-nothing US senator. If he could, he''d sell all of his supporters a piece of swamp land in FL. If Obama were genuinely ready and sufficiently qualified to be president, he wouldn''t keep tap dancing around the experience questions and issues. And, what does it say about a man who constantly defends himself and compares himself to a woman who isn''t even running for president? It says plenty about his ineptitude and insecurity and fears.

[vanpete]

well. I don''t think it is going to be any better if Democrats take over the white house. They are the majority of the House and Senates in the last 4 years. Why didn''t they veto Bush''s plans and why didn''t they have their own bills that could help. Bush could only veto their bills twice, the third time the bills would automatically go into effect. If they take over the white house too, they will become a sole power. America will be like Putin''s democracy. And economy and national security go together, can''t be seperated. Obama is not the answer to the problem.

[waxhawron-2009]

Tonight I read through both interviews with Senators Obama and McCain. I was very disappointed with two things:
(1) in the tradition of Mike Wallace and Dan Rather (before he lost his perspective) the interviewers let the candidates off the hook too easily when they tried to avoid answering questions or when they were obviously lying.
(2) reading through the comments I was very disappointed how lax the compliance was with the Rules of Engagement.
(3) reading through the comments I was shocked by the lies and venom being spread by supporters of each candidate. This is a very serious election. And if tolerance of others'' opinions cannot be accepted then there is very little hope for the future of our country.

[waxhawron-2009]

Tonight i read through both interviews with Senators Obama and McCain. I was very disappointed with two things:
(1) in the tradition of Mike Wallace and Dan Rather (before he lost his perspective) the interviewers let the candidates off the hook too easily when they tried to avoid answering questions or when they were obviously lying.
(2) reading through the comments I was very disappointed how lax the compliance was with the Rules of Engagement.
(3) reading through the comments I was shocked by the lies and venom being spread by supporters of each candidate. This is a very serious election. And if tolerance of others'' opinions cannot be accepted then there is very little hope for the future of our country.

[waxhawron-2009]

Tonight i read through both interviews with Senators Obama and McCain. I was very disappointed with two things:
(1) in the tradition of Mike Wallace and Dan Rather (before he lost his perspective) the interviewers let the candidates off the hook too easily when they tried to avoid answering questions or when they were obviously lying.
(2) reading through the comments I was very disappointed how lax the compliance was with the Rules of Engagement.
(3) reading through the comments I was shocked by the lies and venom being spread by supporters of each candidate. This is a very serious election. And if tolerance of others'' opinions cannot be accepted then there is very little hope for the future of our country.

[alibuddha]

I felt like he was vying for a spot on the Apprentice. ummm....ummmm....ummmm....doesn''t do so well when he doesn''t have his teleprompter.

[navvet2]

Obama: Hey look, I don''t know. I know nothing about the economy, I know nothing about Iraq and I know nothing about hacked emails. So there, "I know nothing".

[lalabradle]

sexistnbc,

Well I guess those Republicans just love the Mexicans, there were so many of you at the convention. What a joke!!!!!!!!

[specialty8]

Yea McCain is looking for a place to park his thirteen cars. Meanwhile back at the Al Gore mansion he is heating all of his swimming pools and using all of this electricity and telling us grunts to go green to make more for him.

[apostasyusa]

While investors search for a safe place to park their money....

McCain is searching for a safe place to park his thirteen foriegn cars.

[apostasyusa]

sexistnbc is a best friend of Larry Craig.

Frigginn toe tappers...how is it down there between Rush Limpdiks sweaty legs?

Ewewww........

[lalabradle]

sexistnbc

I doubt that Sara Palin could even stand up to Obama. Now if they bring up moose hunting and hockey, maybe. Alaska in no way qualifies her to be VP of America. Alaska is in America, but it''s no America. She doesn''t have a clue what goes on in the real world.

[specialty8]

Maybe so, but I have also seen the samething from the people of Chicago who have said the same about Obama.
I will vote Ron Paul because if anyone thinks McCain or Obama really care they are fooling themselfs.