Republican National Committee: Obama's Mistaken Security

May 19, 2008

Obama Fails To Understand The Threat Iran Poses To The U.S. And Our Allies

WASHINGTON , May 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was issued today by the Republican National Committee:

Yesterday, Obama Said That Iran Did Not Pose A Serious Threat To The U.S.:

Obama: "I mean think about it. Iran , Cuba , Venezuela - these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union . They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying we're going to wipe you off the planet. And ultimately that direct engagement led to a series of measures that helped prevent nuclear war, and over time allowed the kind of opening that brought down the Berlin Wall. Now, that has to be the kind of approach that we take." (Sen. Barack Obama , Remarks At A Campaign Event, Pendelton, OR, 5/18/08)

Obama: "You know, Iran , they spend one-one hundredth of what we spend on the military. If Iran ever tried to pose a serious threat to us, they wouldn't stand a chance." (Sen. Barack Obama , Remarks At A Campaign Event, Pendelton, OR, 5/18/08)

Click Here To View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahMHC68i5g4

But The Threat Posed By Iran Is Supported By The State Department And Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's Own Statements:

The State Department's Recently Released Annual Terrorism Report Says That Iran Is The World's "Most Active" State Sponsor Of Terrorism. " Iran remained the most active state sponsor of terrorism. Elements of its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were directly involved in the planning and support of terrorist acts throughout the region and continued to support a variety of groups in their use of terrorism to advance their common regional goals. Iran provides aid to Palestinian terrorist groups, Lebanese Hizballah, Iraq -based militants, and Taliban fighters in Afghanistan ." ("Country Reports On Terrorism," U.S. Department Of State, Office Of The Coordinator For Counterterrorism, 4/30/08)

Iran Is Responsible For U.S. And Coalition Deaths In Iraq . "Despite its pledge to support the stabilization of Iraq , Iranian authorities continued to provide lethal support, including weapons, training, funding, and guidance, to some Iraqi militant groups that target Coalition and Iraqi security forces and Iraqi civilians. In this way, Iranian government forces have been responsible for attacks on Coalition forces." ("Country Reports On Terrorism," U.S. Department Of State, Office Of The Coordinator For Counterterrorism, 4/30/08)

Ahmadinejad Recently Referred To Israel As A "Stinking Corpse" And Said It Was "On Its Way To Annihilation." "President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Israel a 'stinking corpse' that was doomed to fail, and warned countries that they would 'burn in the fire of their people's hatred' if they helped Israel , the news agency IRNA reported. 'Today the reason for Zionist regime's existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation,' he said in a speech on the 60th anniversary of the Jewish state." ( Nazila Fathi , " Iran : A Hate Note On Israel's Birthday," The New York Times, 5/9/08)

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Said ... That Israel Is Dying And That Its 60th Anniversary Celebrations Are An Attempt To Prevent Its 'Annihilation.'" (Ali Akbar Dareini, "Ahmadinejad Says Israel Doomed," The Associated Press, 5/14/08)

Ahmadinejad Previously Said Israel Should Be Wiped Off The Map And Denied That The Holocaust Occurred. "Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said in the past he wants to wipe Israel off the map and dismissed the Holocaust as a myth." ( Nick Wadhams , " Israel : No Greater Threat To World's Values Than The Leaders Of Iran," The Associated Press, 9/21/06)

FLASHBACK: Even Obama Previously Said That Iran Posed A Significant Threat To U.S. Security:

On CBS Evening News, Obama Listed Iran As The Country That Frightened Him Most And Said It Posed "A Significant Threat." CBS' Katie Couric : "What country frightens you the most, and what would you do about it as president?" Obama: "I think Iran poses a significant threat to stability in the Middle East . So I think we have to talk to Iran directly. And when we talk to Iran direc tly, even if there are profound disagreements there, that will send a signal to the world that we are not simply seeking to impose our will without paying attention to what other countries think. And that kind of dialogue has not taken place. This president has refused to do it. I think it's a profound mistake. JFK once said we should never negotiate out of fear, but we should never fear to negotiate." (CBS' "Evening News," 12/12/07)

Obama: " Iran's nuclear ambitions pose a serious threat to the United States , to our ally Israel and to international security." (Obama For America, "Statement Of Senator Barack Obama On Additional Sanctions On Iran," Press Release, 3/4/08)

Obama: "Everybody would acknowledge that Iran is stronger now than it was before this war started and that they have always been a significant threat -- in fact, a much more significant threat than Saddam Hussein was. They actually are developing weapons of mass destruction." (MSNBC's "Reaction To The State Of The Union Address," 1/23/07)

Paid for by the Republican National Committee.

Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

SOURCE Republican National Committee

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