Gordon Fischer put up this post at Iowa True Blue, titled “Ten Reasons to Support Barack Obama on Thursday, January 3”:
http://www.iowatrueblue.com/Bl…
10. Barack Obama opposed the Iraq War from the start.
9. He opposed the Iraq War in 2002.
8. He opposed the Iraq War in 2003.
7. He opposed the Iraq War in 2004.
6. He opposed the Iraq War in 2005.
5. He opposed the Iraq War in 2006.
4. He opposed the Iraq War in 2007.
3. The Iraq War may well be the biggest foreign policy fiasco in our nation’s history.
2. Barack Obama had the right judgment from the start, all the way until now — the Iraq War was a tremendous mistake.
1. The Iraq War has cost us several thousand American lives, many more wonded, and literally billions of dollars. And, ultimately, it has made our great country less safe.
Since Gordon does not post comments on his blog, I am asking my question here.
In what way was Barack Obama opposing the Iraq War in 2005 and 2006, when, as a senator, he voted for Iraq War supplemental funding bills?
As a candidate for Senate in the spring of 2004, he said it was time for Democrats to stop getting “steamrolled” by Bush on war funding. That was around the time that John Kerry and John Edwards voted against the $87 billion supplemental funding bill (the vote was 88-12–that was way before the majority of Americans turned against the war).
Then Obama got elected and voted several times to keep funding the war.
This spring, Chris Dodd led the opposition to the latest supplemental funding bill within the Senate, but Obama sat on the sidelines. Edwards urged Congress to reject any more war funding with no timeline for withdrawing troops. (“No timeline, no funding. No excuses.”)
But Obama didn’t even announce how he would vote, let alone lead the charge to attach a timeline for drawing down troops. He and Hillary sat there until almost everyone else had voted, then finally cast their “no” votes.
Tell me again, what has Obama done to oppose the Iraq War in 2005, 2006 and 2007? Other than continually give speeches reminding people that he called it a “dumb war”?
Obama has failed to lead on defunding the war, despite suggesting before he was elected that he would take a firm line on war funding.
It’s been obvious for a long time that Bush will never draw down troops unless Congress forces his hand by using the power of the purse.
P.S. in response to this post:
http://www.iowatrueblue.com/Bl…
John Edwards has never taken money from federal PACs or federal lobbyists. And it’s a bit rich for an Obama supporter to complain about people backing other candidates trying to “buy” the Iowa caucuses, when Obama has spent more than $8 million on tv ads alone in Iowa. Who knows how many millions he will have spent on his campaign here when it’s all over?
Continue Reading...