"That Was Counterterrorism, Senator"

Posted by guest blogger tim aka The Godless Heathen.

Steve Schippert over at Threatswatch takes Obama to task over his ridiculous statements of yesterday (that must be clarified since he makes ridiculous statements just about everyday).

He begins:

Presidential Candidate Obama’s statements in and about Iraq in the past 24 hours have been nothing less than shameless and disgraceful. While we strive to avoid political discussion at ThreatsWatch, criticism of his words transcends rank political partisanship if for no other reason than his claims are simply and flatly untrue, made in a war zone, during a time of war and while running to become the Commander in Chief of US Military Forces. This simply cannot stand unchallenged.

Not only does Senator Obama apparently think the Anbar Awakening and the Shi’a militia stand-downs that have occurred are somehow separate developments from the surge, which is a remarkable feat of logic in and of itself, but he is implying that they are part and parcel indigenous to what his ‘plan’ for ‘political progress’ would have afforded.

In an interview on ABC World News Tonight last night, Senator Obama said that, even knowing what he knows now, he would not support ‘The Surge’ if he had it do do over again. No matter our success, shared among Iraqis and American troops. In order to shore his position, he cheapens the Anbar Salvation Council (as it was known in September 2006, perhaps long before the senator knew who they were) as a mere "political factor".

“I think that, I did not anticipate, and I think that this is a fair characterization, the convergence of not only the surge but the Sunni awakening in which a whole host of Sunni tribal leaders decided that they had had enough with Al Qaeda, in the Shii’a community the militias standing down to some degrees. So what you had is a combination of political factors inside of Iraq that then came right at the same time as terrific work by our troops. Had those political factors not occurred, I think that my assessment would have been correct.”

Of course he didn’t anticipate it. He probably had no idea who they were and is still demonstrating a fundamental misunderstanding of counterinsurgency.

Read the rest, don’t worry it’s short and you may also learn some things about who and how Iraq was turned around. Which means you'll actually know more about it than someone who wants to be the commander in chief.

Comments

[Locutisprime]

Barack Obama's praise this week in the middle east, has been directed primarily at the success of the troops, in a plan that he still opposes and sees similar results arising, had only his plan of no action and diplomatic pressure been applied to the Iraqi government.

Aside from that, he has back pedaled now in two different directions, from two previous positions that he held. First on Jerusalem not being a undivided city. His AIPAC speech of six weeks ago was quite different. He clearly stated to AIPAC then, that he thought it should not be divided. A major boner at the time. But now, he is trying to swoon American Jews into thinking that he is pro Israel, while seemingly not offending too many Muslims.

And on his new position that Iran is a serious threat. A month ago? They were just a "little country."

Katie Couric, really pasted his butt in that interview. And a blind man could see it and hear it.

I believe that next week's polls, will begin to show a quantum shift in public opinion concerning Obama.