[lbo-talk] Justin Raimondo: Confessions of an Obama Cultist

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Sat Mar 8 05:03:01 PST 2008


On Mar 7, 2008, at 10:53 PM, Joseph Catron wrote:


> Raimondo and I are on similar pages here:
>
> "With the GOP presidential sweepstakes over, the antiwar voter – that
> is, the single-issue voter who conditions his support on the
> candidate's generally pro-peace foreign policy stance – was left with
> a single choice, and that is Obama.

Alas, the scholar of monsters begs to differ:

New York Daily News - March 8th 2008 <http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ 2008/03/08/2008-03-08_barack_obamas_aide_suggested_renege_on_i.html>

Barack Obama's aide suggested renege on Iraq troop pledge BY MICHAEL SAUL IN NEW YORK AND KENNETH R. BAZINET IN WASHINGTON DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Samantha Power paid for her "monster" dig by resigning Sunday, but Hillary Clinton's campaign seized on potentially more damaging remarks suggesting Barack Obama might renege on his pledge to pull U.S. troops from Iraq promptly.

Even before the Harvard professor and Obama's chief outside foreign policy adviser stepped down, the Clinton camp was gleefully circulating another interview where Power called Obama's 16-month withdrawal plan "the best-case scenario."

"[Obama] will, of course, not rely on some plan that he's crafted as a presidential candidate or a U.S. senator," Power told the BBC in what the Clinton campaign flagged as eyebrow-raising remarks.

"He will rely upon a plan - an operational plan - that he pulls together in consultation with people who are on the ground to whom he doesn't have daily access now, as a result of not being the President," she said.

Aides to Hillary Clinton jumped all over those comments, charging in a hastily planned conference call that it was an example of more empty words by Obama.

"The impression that one thing is said for political purposes perhaps and another thing is what's actually going to happen, is amateur hour on making foreign policy," said Clinton foreign policy adviser Jamie Rubin, a State Department spokesman in the Clinton administration.

"On foreign affairs, in particular, words matter," Rubin added. "He can't seem to run a foreign policy team the way it's supposed to run."

Retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark added that Power's Iraq comments were "quite disturbing."

Bomb-lobbing spokesman Howard Wolfson, who a day earlier compared Obama to Clinton nemesis Ken Starr, contended Power's remarks fit a troubling pattern: "Again we are seeing the difference between talk and action."

Obama's team charged Clinton's aides were distorting what Power had said for political advantage.

Obama responded himself in Wyoming, blasting Clinton for hurling mud to divert attention from her vote backing the war.

"Sen. Clinton used this to try to imply that I wasn't serious about bringing this war to an end....Don't be confused," Obama said.

"Sen. Clinton is not even willing to acknowledge that she voted for war," he added. "So I don't want to play politics on this issue because she doesn't have standing to question my position on this issue."

These new dustups come as Wyoming holds caucuses today with 15 delegates up for grabs. A Clinton source conceded Obama will likely win easily, padding his overall lead in delegates slightly.



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