Obama on Petraeus: ‘I Do Have Confidence in Him’
01 November 2008 8:00 am by Taylor Marsh
BY TAYLOR MARSH
“…He did an outstanding job in Iraq.” What about closing Gitmo? Iran and their nuclear ambitions? Direct talks with the Taliban? Watch the tape. This interview with Blitzer is just one Obama has done across the media spectrum. It reveals Obama’s confidence in who he is and where he stands at this point in the race, the job he faces as he looks ahead to possibly being the next president, as well as the challenges he will face if elected.
Thinking “more strategically” about how we deploy our resources” to make ourselves more secure, that’s the first signal Obama sent on what kind of commander in chief he will be. On Afghanistan, the issue in Obama’s mind is that we have to “create a situation in Afghanistan where this ongoing threat isn’t constantly coming back at us.” That’s the reason I’ve believed all along that more troops are needed. We cannot afford to let this country unravel to where it was before 9/11, which is a possibility, only worse, if we walk away. On Pakistan, Obama stated that we have to do more than just support the fledgling democracy with military aid, but realize the threat to the country is within its own borders, coming from the militants who are taking advantage in the midst of domestic challenges. On that note, let me add an example of what’s happening, which was part of Hezbollah’s success in Lebanon. The Pakistani government isn’t acting fast enough, for instance, when tragedies like the recent earthquake hits. In their absence Islamic religious groups step in to help the populace, which creates loyalties and makes President Zardari’s job more difficult, as well as our own.
Obama then gave a nod to Iowans who made him during the primaries. He talks economics and taxes, also tying the Iraq war to our financial realities, with the need to take care of our troops paramount.
Priorities of a possible Obama administration were last, which includes a very good question from a former Clinton supporter on the “spread the wealth” topic, which McCain and Palin have been driving home since Obama said it.
