Obama: Trust him, not Clinton, to end war
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (AP) - March 19, 2008 In a speech not far from North Carolina's Fort Bragg military
base, the Democratic presidential hopeful told military families
and local officials that the war has emboldened al-Qaida, the
Taliban, Iran and North Korea.
"Ask yourself," Obama told the crowd, "Who do you trust to
end a war: someone who opposed the war from the beginning, or
someone who started opposing it when they started preparing a run
for president?"
Obama used the five-year anniversary of the Iraq invasion to
again cast himself as the only true anti-war candidate, one who
openly opposed the invasion as a state lawmaker. He renewed
criticism of Clinton for voting to authorize the use of force
against Iraq.
Obama also teased likely Republican nominee John McCain for a
foreign policy gaffe Tuesday in which McCain, touring the Middle
East, said several times that Iran was training al-Qaida in Iraq.
Iran is a predominantly Shiite Muslim country and has been at pains
to close its borders to al-Qaida fighters of the rival Sunni sect.
After another senator on the trip, Joe Lieberman, I-Conn.,
whispered into his ear, McCain finally corrected himself to say
Iran was training Shiite militants.
"Maybe that is why he voted to go to war with a country that
had no al-Qaida ties," Obama said to laughter and applause.
"Maybe that is why he completely fails to understand that the war
in Iraq has done more to embolden America's enemies than any
strategic choice that we have made in decades."
In the days before she won primaries in Texas and Ohio, Clinton
argued that she was better prepared to be commander in chief and
broadcast a television ad that asked who could handle a
middle-of-the-night crisis. Obama countered that Clinton had
bungled her crisis moment when she voted to authorize military
force to oust Saddam Hussein.
Obama alluded to that ad in his speech.
"What we need in our next commander in chief is not a stubborn
refusal to acknowledge reality or empty rhetoric about 3 a.m. phone
calls," he said. "What we need is a pragmatic strategy that
focuses on fighting our real enemies, rebuilding alliances and
renewing our engagement with the world's people."
He said Clinton and likely Republican McCain talk tough on
national security yet they make decisions that leave the country
less secure.
"This is why the judgment that matters most on Iraq - and on
any decision to deploy military force - is the judgment made
first."
Special forces from Fort Bragg were among the first soldiers in
Iraq during the 2003 invasion and its paratroopers led last year's
troop increase. President Bush visited the base to deliver his 2005
Independence Day speech, where he warned that setting a timetable
to withdraw from Iraq would only embolden terrorists.
McCain has issued similar remarks and Obama squarely rejected
them.
"These are the mistaken and misleading arguments we hear from
those who have failed to demonstrate how the war in Iraq has made
us safer," Obama said.
Obama also defended his contention that the United States should
act on intelligence about top terrorist targets in Pakistan even if
President Pervez Musharraf refuses - a statement last year that
drew criticism from Republicans.
"We have a security gap when candidates say they will follow
Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell, but refuse to follow him
where he actually goes," Obama said, referring to McCain's vow to
chase down bin Laden.
North Carolina holds its primary May 6. Obama was scheduled to
travel to Charlotte on Wednesday evening for a town hall meeting
and a fundraiser.