I was wondering about the claims, that Barack Obama wasn’t even a senator in the run up to the Iraq war and it was easy for him to say he didn’t vote for the war, when his vote hadn’t been asked for. So read what Barack Obama had to say in October 2002:
Good afternoon. Let me begin by saying that although this has been billed as an anti-war rally, I stand before you as someone who is not opposed to war in all circumstances.
The Civil War was one of the bloodiest in history, and yet it was only through the crucible of the sword, the sacrifice of multitudes, that we could begin to perfect this union, and drive the scourge of slavery from our soil. I don’t oppose all wars.
My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton’s army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka. He fought in the name of a larger freedom, part of that arsenal of democracy that triumphed over evil, and he did not fight in vain.
I don’t oppose all wars.
After September 11th, after witnessing the carnage and destruction, the dust and the tears, I supported this Administration’s pledge to hunt down and root out those who would slaughter innocents in the name of intolerance, and I would willingly take up arms myself to prevent such a tragedy from happening again
Read on, here.
The Tuesday primaries/caucuses are well covered by blogosphere and MSM alike. Here’s the European take from The Guardian and The Times and Der Spiegel. Read jurassicpork’s live blogging, if you have the time.
Back to war: Afghanistan is lost, plain and simple. Despite frantic attempts to find support for the US strategy in Afghanistan, there is no chance left of winning this. Robert Gates alienated his allies first by claiming, they didn’t have the necessary skills to fight a counterinsurgency and then by writing a coercive letter to a member of his coalition, fully aware that he asked for the impossible. Condoleeza Rice tripping the globe in a last-ditch attempt to find renewed support, or just an idea how to go on. Simon Jenkins writes:
The American secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, flies to Britain this week to meet a crisis entirely of London and Washington’s creation. They have no strategy for the continuing occupation of Afghanistan. They are hanging on for dear life and praying for something to turn up. Britain is repeating the experience of Gordon in Khartoum, of the Dardanelles, Singapore and Crete, of politicians who no longer read history expecting others to die for their dreams of glory.
“Europeanview” wishes you a happy and peaceful Wednesday, take care.
8 Comments
February 6, 2008 at 9:21 am
Don’t interfere with a country’s right to sell drugs to fund themselves. It is something no one seems to do. Probably because there are too many skeletons in their own closest. (hint, see CIA) That is why Afghanistan is a failure and will be. No one is gonna touch that.
February 6, 2008 at 10:00 am
My favorite paragraph from the speech…
I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a US occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences. I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.
I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars.
February 6, 2008 at 11:20 am
RUC, the guy told the truth, he was against the war from the start and look at his arguments. He’s got it right from the start. He has a number of issues on which he is weak still, but the war is the point that I myself can’t get over. If someone is sacrificing the lives of young men and women and uncounted civilians out of opportunism, for their own political career and that is definitely what Hillary Clinton did, and others, too. He/she is morally flawed beyond healing. Just my two cents.
You can learn about health care, you can discuss it to get to an improved common ground with others you can compromise even for a while to achieve the end of health insurance for everybody.
But every day you are wasting on explaining how difficult it is to get the troops out of Iraq (and Afghanistan) and explaining how complicated the diplomacy is around your foes, people are dying. There is no fooling around with war.
And finally: We.Will.Not.Fight.Bush’s.War! If they send German troops to southern Afghanistan, they will never know what hit them at the next general election.
February 6, 2008 at 11:33 am
Bluedahlia, you know the Taliban had the poppy growing under control, they were opposed to it and their very brutal style of law enforcement was effective here.
German troops had a project to help farmers grow roses instead poppy. The rose oil sells good to the cosmetics industry. Now they should go and fight in the South and leave the area to the drug warlords. Makes sense, huh?
Could it be, that the North is more stable and peaceful, because there is no American-style “shoot them all, and let Allah sort them out” peacemaking there? Just asking.
Hey I’m furious, that’s good.
February 6, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Rose oil is the most expensive essential oil and has the highest healing powers. When people are depressed, they prefer opium and heroin to ease their pain. It’s a “check out” high. Perhaps the suicide bombers are all strung out on heroin so they need to keep the poppies growning.
February 6, 2008 at 1:34 pm
“Der Spiegel” reports today on its German site, opium production in the North is much lower than in the South.
North: Less military action by NATO troops, more reconstruction, less opium, more trust and security.
Maybe the US strategy in the South is simply not a very good idea.
February 6, 2008 at 3:48 pm
If Bush and Cheney and their incompetents are in charge then that would explain the poor strategy in South Afganistan.
February 6, 2008 at 5:46 pm
Good post EV… My immediate thought was, I have heard of “Gun’s and Roses” but not gun’s for roses..Blessings