Obama: lives lost in Iraq were "wasted"

ballz2wallz · 02-12-2007, 04:46 PM

YouTube Video

Is his political inexperience beginning to show? I think so.

As Allah said so nicely

Of course he thinks their lives were wasted. Everyone on the anti-war side does; that’s one of the reasons they want to end the war. But they can’t say that because it dishonors the dead so they’re forced into rhetorical pretzels like the one Pelosi tied herself into a few weeks ago with Diane Sawyer. Army Lawyer summed up her position at the time thusly: “They didn’t die for nothing, they died for something stupid.”

DosEquis · 02-12-2007, 04:50 PM

They were wasted along with the 400+ billion dollars.

Scrum · 02-12-2007, 10:05 PM

Why does every thread you make have a link back to hotair?

Galactic Gigolo · 02-12-2007, 11:17 PM

Originally Posted by Scrumtralecent

Why does every thread you make have a link back to hotair?

It's only appropriate.

ballz2wallz · 02-13-2007, 02:26 AM

Originally Posted by Galactic Gigolo

It's only appropriate.

They have good perspective.

Pro Street · 02-13-2007, 12:14 PM

DURHAM, N.H. — Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois said Monday that he had misspoken when he suggested the lives of more than 3,000 American soldiers killed in Iraq had been "wasted."

As he arrived in New Hampshire on the third day of his Democratic presidential campaign, Obama said he would "absolutely apologize" to military families if they were offended by a remark that he made Sunday in Iowa while criticizing the Bush administration's Iraq policy.

"What I would say — and meant to say — is that their service hasn't been honored," Obama said in Nashua, N.H., "because our civilian strategy has not honored their courage and bravery and we have put them in a situation in which it is hard for them to succeed."

As he sought to introduce himself to voters during his first visit here as a presidential candidate, a New Hampshire reporter asked Obama whether he regretted a statement he made during a campaign rally at Iowa State University on Sunday.

In that speech, Obama said: "We ended up launching a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged, and to which we now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted."

"Even as I said it," Obama said Monday, "I realized I had misspoken."

It's like Kerry v2... jump on anything a democrat says and roll with it

ballz2wallz · 02-13-2007, 12:23 PM

Originally Posted by Pro Street

It's like Kerry v2...

Yeah it is...say all the wrong things as a politician trying to get elected into office!

Pro Street · 02-13-2007, 12:45 PM

or taking obvious misquotes and trying to push them knowing what they are

JaJae · 02-13-2007, 01:03 PM

I have no problem with what he said but I do agree, his political inexperience is showing here. I was watching him on I think 20/20 or something the other day and his wife said something about as a black man Obama can get shot at the gas station... I was like ... uggghh she didn't just say that.

ballz2wallz · 02-13-2007, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Pro Street

or taking obvious misquotes and trying to push them knowing what they are

Obvious misquote?

ballz2wallz · 02-13-2007, 01:08 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

I have no problem with what he said but I do agree, his political inexperience is showing here. I was watching him on I think 20/20 or something the other day and his wife said something about as a black man Obama can get shot at the gas station... I was like ... uggghh she didn't just say that.

Yup, see here.

JaJae · 02-13-2007, 01:12 PM

Originally Posted by ballz2wallz

Yup, see here.

Yea, just saw that thread after I posted in this one.

JaJae · 02-13-2007, 02:13 PM

Obama apologies for 'wasted' comment

AP - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is apologizing for saying the lives of the more than 3,000 U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war were "wasted."

During his first campaign trip this weekend, the Illinois senator told a crowd in Iowa: "We now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted."

He immediately apologized on Sunday, saying the remark was "a slip of the tongue."

During an appearance Monday in Nashua, N.H., he apologized again, telling reporters he meant to criticize the civilian leadership of the war, not those serving in the military.

"Even as I said it, I realized I had misspoken," Obama said. "It is not at all what I intended to say, and I would absolutely apologize if any (military families) felt that in some ways it had diminished the enormous courage and sacrifice that they'd shown."

Obama made his second visit to New Hampshire on Monday, following his speech Saturday announcing his candidacy in Illinois on Saturday and a visit to first-caucus state Iowa.

That shows a lot of class right there. And I have a lot more respect for the man. He handled it perfectly. Everyone is going to slip up and say something that's gonna be sound-byte worthy this election. Most won't respond to it as well as he did. I give him credit. I really like the way he handled this. He just bumped his way up to my top Democratic potential slot.

Kerry and Murtha should be taking notes.

motivez · 02-13-2007, 02:16 PM

I agree with his original statement, and I'm saddened by the reality that we've sacrificed so many for a mistake, and will continue to sacrifice them with no real plan or mission or coherent strategy.

Had we had a better administration in charge of running the war, perhaps we'd be in a different situation..

However, I understand why he's apologizing for making the comment. It's the smart political move.

ballz2wallz · 02-13-2007, 02:22 PM

Originally Posted by JaJae

Everyone is going to slip up and say something that's gonna be sound-byte worthy this election.

but...but...

Originally Posted by Pro Street

or taking obvious misquotes and trying to push them knowing what they are

DosEquis · 02-13-2007, 02:30 PM

I am personally tired of all the apologies. These lives are being wasted. This conflict is sucking our country dry of so many valuable resources. Perhaps it was politically smart to apologize but once something is said, its out there and its to late.

If this was world of war craft and someone cast verbal diarrhea upon Obama, damaging credibility by 20 points... Casting the apology spell is only going to heal the credibility by like 5 points. The only thing that can fix it is time.

JSmythe · 02-14-2007, 01:07 AM

Originally Posted by DosEquis

I am personally tired of all the apologies. These lives are being wasted. This conflict is sucking our country dry of so many valuable resources. Perhaps it was politically smart to apologize but once something is said, its out there and its to late.

If this was world of war craft and someone cast verbal diarrhea upon Obama, damaging credibility by 20 points... Casting the apology spell is only going to heal the credibility by like 5 points. The only thing that can fix it is time.

Its not like this is going to matter with how early it is. Besides, its true.

David Octavius · 02-14-2007, 12:12 PM

Political correctness comes from both conservatives (who use it when they think they can get an advantage out of it) and liberals and both has atrophied our great nation - we can't even debate a grave issue such as war without someone getting their feelings hurt or saying that is dishonors someone else. If we can't debate on truth than we are in trouble.

The soldiers who died have honored themselves above anything we can do to add or detract from them, they fought with courage and fought for our country even though I suspect a few of them might have been politically torn on the meaning of this war. They are among the elites America has ever given birth too

It is rather for the living we must debate this war, for those still in Iraq and for Americans here - to debate if their lives should be on the line for a conflict that perhaps we should not have been in and was not strategically important until our President made it so. It is also for the next generation who must inherit our burdens - we must not give them too much load to bear because their forefathers could not find it within themselves to have an honest discussion about how we got there and what we need to do.

motivez · 02-16-2007, 09:24 PM

Great post, and I agree. It's why I agree with his original point. The sooner people realize that this lack of coherent strategy from the end of major military combat operations has wasted the lives of many brave American soldiers, the better.

Only then will they really begin to push and demand accountability from this President on his actions. The plan he is pushing now has been attempted in the past and failed, and if anything made the situation worse, as the level of violence has risen each time in the past.

RX Bandit · 02-16-2007, 09:32 PM

The life of a US soldier is never wasted, especially when attempting to salvage a ruined country and the presence of whom prevents a butchering of opposing forces of unprecedented magnitude. I can't think of a dumber, more misguided or more purposely hurtful statement to make. Each life was valiantly lost in protecting American foreign interests - each life lost was service honored by fulfilling the will of the US government.

Its not just his political inexperience that is showing, its his Democrat parrot mouth that is starting to show that he will mimic his superiors (and the inexperience will make his tongue "slip" and become incendiary rather than just misguided). Its also showing his inability and lack of capability of creating a coherent foreign policy.