Senator Obama, What Is Your Message To Al Qaeda?

May 26, 2007

First term Senator and presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, came out today defending his voting against the War Funding Bill that passed in the Senate yesterday and was signed by President Bush last evening.

He stated, "The way that we are going to show that we support the troops is by [starting to bring] some of them home. That's our message to George Bush. That's our message to John McCain. That's our message to Mitt Romney. That's our message to the Republicans in Congress.”

Senator, what is your message to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups? Is it one of surrender? That they may have free reign in Iraq and elsewhere because you feel it is too hard to fight them and keep us free?

Is it a message of surrender to our Troops who want to defeat these insurgents?

Is it a message of the sacrifice made by many was in vain, because you desire to be President? Just what are your qualifications to hold the highest office in the land, Senator? I see no record of leadership. I see no record of Military Service.

Senator Obama also said, "And what I know is that what our troops deserve is not just rhetoric. They deserve a new plan."

Tell us, Senator, on just what basis do you “know what our Troops deserve?” What is your “New Plan” besides the tired old Democrat ‘retreat,’ cut and run,’ and ‘redeploy?’

You hale from Chicago, Illinois, Senator. That city has a violent crime rate nearly twice that of other major cities. Many Police Officers have died in the line of duty there, Senator. What do they deserve? What is there ‘new plan?’ Why do you not advocate their removal from high crime areas of that city, Senator? Aren’t their lives equally as precious?

In January 2006, Senator, before you became a candidate for President and in a visit to Iraq, you expressed the thought that once U.S. forces start withdrawing from Iraq, civil war would follow, that insurgent car bombers and suicide attackers were trying to block the road to democracy in Iraq. Speaking with ABC’s Chuck Goudie you said, “… what we can do is give those Iraqis who are interested in setting up a peaceful accommodation that space, that room and that time in order to accomplish that."

On January 26, 2007, you voted for the confirmation of General Petraeus to Command in Iraq. He laid out a “new plan” that you must have approved of, since you voted ‘yea.’

Shortly before casting your vote for General Petraeus and his “new plan,” you announced opposition to the President’s Troop Reinforcement saying, “…rather than increasing troops, the government should be bringing them home in a phased withdrawal.” Then, you cast a ‘yea’ vote for General Petraeus knowing that is what he desires.

In April, when facing President Bush vetoing the funding bill with a withdrawal timeline, you were quoted, "My expectation is that we will continue to try to ratchet up the pressure on the president to change course… [no lawmaker] wants to play chicken with our troops. I don't think that we will see a majority of the Senate vote to cut off funding at this stage."

Yet, just yesterday, you, along with your fellow Democrat presidential hopefuls, Senators Clinton and Dodd, voted NO on a bill to fund the Troops through September, adding that President Bush should not get "a blank check to continue down this same, disastrous path."

Would that be that “same, disastrous path” you voted ‘yea’ on when you approved of the selection of General Petraeus, Senator? Do you consider it presidential to pander to the kook left fringe of your party, the DailyKOS, Moveon.org and George Soros funded arm, Senator? I fail to see a four month funding bill as a “blank check.”

At least one of the Democrat hopefuls sees the responsibility of the Senate. Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, voting ‘yea’ reluctantly, said, "As long as we have troops on the front lines, it is our shared responsibility to give them the equipment and protection they need."

Senator Obama also said, after the ‘NO’ vote, "We must fund our troops. But we owe them something more… " Yes, Senator Obama, we all owe them more. We owe them our respect and admiration and especially our thanks for placing themselves between our enemies and us. We do not owe them what you; Senators Clinton and Dodd gave them yesterday, playing “chicken” with them.

Is it any wonder that John Howard, PM of our ally, Australia, said back in February, "If I were running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and be praying as many times as possible for a victory not only for Obama but also for the Democrats."

You may give all the glib speeches and clichés you wish, Senator, but don’t you feel you should consider just what your message is to Al Qaeda and our Troops as well?

Lew