Obama Tells Iraqi Leaders He Will Consult With Them and U.S. Military Officials, But Has Already Decided to Withdraw From Iraq
WASHINGTON , June 18 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following was released by the Republican National Committee:
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20080519/RNCLOGO )
In His Discussion With Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari , Obama Claimed That He Would Consult With Iraqi Leaders And U.S. Military Commanders On His Plans For Withdrawal:
Obama Told Zebari That He Would Not Make Any "Irresponsible" Decisions That Would Endanger Gains In Iraq And Would Consult With The Iraqi Government And U.S. Military Commanders On His Plans. "Mr. Zebari said that in addition to promising a visit, Mr. Obama said that 'if there would be a Democratic administration, it will not take any irresponsible, reckless, sudden decisions or action to endanger your gains, your achievements, your stability or security. Whatever decision he will reach will be made through close consultation with the Iraqi government and U.S. military commanders in the field.'" (Editorial, "Mr. Zebari's Message," The Washington Post, 6/18/08)
But Previously, Obama Committed To Removing Troops From Iraq Regardless Of What Military Commanders Advised:
Obama Committed To Withdrawing Troops From Iraq Regardless Of The Advice He Received From Commanders On The Ground. ABC's Charles Gibson : "And, Senator Obama, your campaign manager, David Plouffe , said, 'When he is' -- this is talking about you - 'When he is elected president, we will be out of Iraq in 16 months at the most. There should be no confusion about that.' So you'd give the same rock-hard pledge, that no matter what the military commanders said, you would give the order to bring them home?" Obama: "Because the commander-in-chief sets the mission, Charlie. That's not the role of the generals. And one of the things that's been interesting about the president's approach lately has been to say, 'Well, I'm just taking cues from General Petraeus.' Well, the president sets the mission. The general and our troops carry out that mission." (Sen. Barack Obama , Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Philadelphia, PA , 4/16/08)
Obama Said As Commander In Chief, It Would Be His Job To "Set The Mission" In Iraq . Obama: "I will listen to General Petraeus given the experience that he has accumulated over the last several years. It would be stupid of me to ignore what he has to say. But it is my job as president, it would be my job as commander in chief, to set the mission..." (Fox's "Fox News Sunday," 4/27/08)
Obama Has Also Said That He Would Carry Out A Plan For Withdrawal To Force The Iraqi Government To Make Political Progress:
Obama: "The first part of this strategy begins by exerting the greatest leverage we have on the Iraqi government - a phased redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq on a timetable that would begin in four to six months." (Sen. Barack Obama , Remarks To The Chicago Council On Global Affairs, Chicago, IL , 11/20/06)
Obama:"[W]e have to send a clear message to the Iraqi government as well as to the surrounding neighbors that there is no military solution to the problems that we face in Iraq . ... So we have to begin a phased withdrawal, have our combat troops out by March 31st of next year, and initiate the kind of diplomatic surge that is necessary in the surrounding region to make sure that everybody is carrying their weight." (Sen. Barack Obama , CNN/YouTube Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Charleston, SC , 7/23/07)
NOTE: Obama Has Made No Effort To Meet One-On-One With Gen. David Petraeus :
Obama Confirmed That He Has Never Attempted To Meet With Gen. Petraeus. Question: "He's saying outside of those meetings on the Hill, you would not set up your own meetings with General Petraeus, never attempted to meet with him?" Obama: "And I haven't - look, it's just a flippant comment, it's not designed to actually talk about substance. It's a political comment that doesn't get anywhere." (Sen. Barack Obama , Press Conference, 5/28/08)
NOTE: Obama Has Not Met With Troops Or Commanders On The Ground In Iraq In Over Two Years:
Obama Was In Iraq For Two Days In 2006."Obama ... met with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Saturday [ January 6, 2006 ]. He said before his two-day trip to Iraq that he wanted to ask U.S. commanders what a realistic time frame was for bringing troops home." ( Jason Straziuso , "Obama Says Minorities Must Be More Involved In Iraq's Government," The Associated Press, 1/7/06)
It Has Been 892 Days Since Obama Visited Troops And Commanders In Iraq . (GOP Website, www.gop.com, Accessed 6/18/08)
PDF Format: http://www.gop.com/images/research/061808Research2.pdf_
A Product Of The RNC Research Department
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
SOURCE Republican National Committee
