In Ohio Debate, Obama Seems To Back Bush Doctrine Of Preemptive War

Posted on February 27, 2008
Filed Under Journalism, commentary |

Barack Obama said something somewhat shocking during last night’s Ohio debate with Hillary Clinton that seemed to go right over the heads of the two moderators and was not apparently taken note of today in media accounts of the debate.

bush-war.jpgBut, Sen. Obama, in answer to a question about Iraq, appeared to endorse the concept of a preemptive attack on another nation, a doctrine used for the first time by President George W. Bush when the U.S. invaded Iraq.

Asked whether he would reserve the right to send U.S. troops back into Iraq should an insurrection or civil war follow a U.S. troop withdrawl (Jesus–like there isn’t an insurrection and civil war going on now in Iraq? ) Obama’s curious answer was:
“As commander in chief, I will always reserve the right to make sure that we are looking out for American interests. And, if al-Qaida is forming a base in Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American homeland and our interests abroad.”

Hold on a minute. What exactly does this mean?

It means that , if elected President, Obama would reserve the right, if need be in his opinion, to invade another country (what applies to Iraq, afterall, would and could apply elsewhere) to protect U.S. interests.

What happened to the long established concept of invading another country only when it is about to attack or has already attacked, instead of invading as a preemptive measurer IN CASE it attacks?????

What happened to it is that George Bush threw it out the window and set the U.S. on the dangerous path we now find ourselves in.

Obama’s answer to the question should have been that if there was evidence of an actual planned attack on U.S. interests–not an imagined one–then the U.S. reserves the right to take defensive action. But, never, offensive action,Senator! That’s what got us into the Iraq mess to begin with.

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McCain Mocks Barack

So long as we are on the topic of Iraq, Republican John McCain took issue with a different part of Obama’s answer to the question we’ve been discussing.

McCain said if you looked at Obama’s remark that he would act “if al-Qaida is forming a base in Iraq,” you would conclude that it is “pretty remarkable.”

“I have some news,” McCain told reporters today, “Al-Qaida is in Iraq. It’s called ‘al-Qaida in Iraq’.”

Good point, John. Of course, what you forgot to say is, al-Qaida in Iraq developed only AFTER the U.S. invaded Iraq!

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