Obama Says That His First Action as President Would be to Bring U.S. Troops Home from Iraq

[babylonsister]

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/alerts/322

Obama Says That His First Action as President Would be to Bring U.S. Troops Home from Iraq
Submitted by BuzzFlash on Sat, 01/05/2008 - 11:26am. Alerts

A BUZZFLASH NEWS ALERT

January 5, 2008

In an 11-minute interview with hometown Chicago radio broadcaster and journalist, Roland Martin, Barack Obama revealed that his first act, if elected president, would be to pull our troops out of Iraq as quickly as possible.

You can listen to the interview, conducted the morning after Obama's victory in Iowa, at link~
http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/alerts/322

BuzzFlash has excerpted the key Iraq question and answer below. But there's a lot more interesting stuff to listen to in a rather candid, hoarse conversation between Obama and Martin.

Roland Martin: If you are elected what is the very first thing that you focus on as Commander in Chief of this country?

Barack Obama: Well, we will call in the Joint Chiefs of Staff. I will give them a new assignment and that is to bring our troops home in a careful, responsible way, but to end this occupation in Iraq. I will call in my Secretary of State and initiate the diplomacy that's needed to make sure that exit is accompanied by negotiations between the Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.

Obama responds to a number of revealing questions, including discussing how he would stop the tax breaks for the wealthy.

As far as the claim that he lacks experience, Obama pointed out that if he lacks experience how is he out organizing political campaigns that have been running for years.

A good point indeed.

Obama also discusses the echoing of Lincoln and MLK in his speeches.

But his first step as president would be to take the steps necessary to bring our troops home from Iraq.

[The_Casual_Observer]

1. A bipartisan move for sure!

[rosesaylavee]

2. This a new response, isn't it?

Good first step. I am undecided at this point but this is a wonderful step in the right direction. Perhaps he would consider Biden as Secretary of State?

[aquart]

3. In 16 months from his inauguration? Speedy.

[babylonsister]

5. You do the math. There's nothing I'd like more than to get these

people home, but with a shit for brains in the wh and a Congress that's not in a hurry to do anything, would you prefer he lied and said two months? You'd be bitching at that, too.

[bpeale]

4. this guy is telling you what he thinks you want to hear

both he & hillary have said not before 2013. so which is it?

[unc70]

6. Exactly. Starting bring troops home. But leaves some combat trrops in Iraq

Unless he changed something since Iowa, his position and that of Clinton are essentially the same. They each foresee "anti-terrorist" and other combat operations continuing in Iraq for some indefinite time (years) if they become President.

Edwards would remove all except for a somewhat-large Marine embassy guard group. Richardson is essentially the same as Edwards, although he has tried to gain an advantage by saying that he would remove "all troops" but defining that to not include the Marine embassy guards who might number up to 1000.

Obama and Clinton each use this rhetoric to mask their actual positions. "begin", "initiate"

[babylonsister]

7. Kick. nt

[Didereaux]

8. But that is NOT what he just said in the debates...which is it?