Obama, McCain trade blows over Iraq RAW STORY

Published: Wednesday February 27, 2008



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Print This Email This Republican presidential hopeful John McCain mocked Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday for saying he would take action as president "if al-Qaida is forming a base in Iraq," but Obama's campaign answered back right away. "When you examine that statement, it's pretty remarkable," McCain told a crowd in Tyler, Texas. "I have some news. Al-Qaida is in Iraq. It's called `al-Qaida in Iraq,'" McCain said, drawing laughter at Obama's expense. Obama quickly answered back, telling a rally at Ohio State University in Columbus, "I do know that al-Qaida is in Iraq." "So I have some news for John McCain," he added, saying there was no al-Qaida presence in Iraq until President Bush invaded the country. Noting that McCain likes to tell audiences that he'd follow Osama bin Laden to the "gates of hell" to catch him, Obama taunted: "All he (McCain) has done is to follow George Bush into a misguided war in Iraq." McCain said he had not watched the Democratic presidential debate on Tuesday night but was told of Obama's response when asked if as president he would reserve the right to send U.S. troops back into Iraq to quell an insurrection or civil war. Obama did not say whether he'd send troops but responded: "As commander in chief, I will always reserve the right to make sure that we are looking out for American interests. And if al-Qaida is forming a base in Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American homeland and our interests abroad." Throughout the primary season, McCain has repeatedly attacked Obama and Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton for saying they would withdraw troops from Iraq. "And my friends, if we left, they (al-Qaida) wouldn't be establishing a base," McCain said Wednesday. "They'd be taking a country, and I'm not going to allow that to happen, my friends. I will not surrender. I will not surrender to al-Qaida." He said that withdrawing troops would be "waving the white flag." In the debate, Clinton did not answer the question about re-invasion of Iraq on grounds it contained "lots of different hypothetical assessments." For years, McCain has urged sending more troops into Iraq, even before President Bush adopted such a strategy about a year ago. "I knew enough from talking to the men and women who are serving that this new strategy was what we needed, and I'm telling you, it is succeeding," McCain said. "So what needs to happen, we need to continue this strategy. It should be General Petraeus' recommendation, not that of a politician running for higher office, as to when and how we withdraw." He was referring to Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq. As he began a swing through President Bush's home state, which holds a presidential primary election on Tuesday, McCain made sure to play up a line he always uses: "I also think it might be nice for President Bush to get a little credit that there's not been another attack on the United States of America," he said to applause. The following is a press release issued by the Obama campaign in response to McCain's comments: FACT CHECK  Obama: There was no such thing as al Qaeda in Iraq until Bush and McCain led us to war there "So I heard that Senator McCain said this morning that he had some news for me al Qaeda is in Iraq. Well first of all, I know that, and that's why I've said we should continue to strike al Qaeda targets. But I've got some news for him. There was no such thing as al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain took us into a war that should've never been authorized and never been waged. They took our eye off the people who were responsible for 9/11, and that would be al Qaeda in Afghanistan, that is stronger now than at any time since 2001. So John McCain may like to say that he wants to follow Osama bin Laden to the Gates of Hell, but so far all he's done is follow George Bush into a misguided war in Iraq that has cost us thousands of lives and billions of dollars and that I intend to bring to end so we can actually start going after al Qaeda in Afghanistan and in the hills of Pakistan, like we should have been doing in the first place. That's the news, John McCain," said Barack Obama. FACT: Barack Obama has always said he would maintain the capability to strike al Qaeda in Iraq after a withdrawal of U.S. combat brigades. Obama in his August 1, 2007 speech, "The War We Need to Win" "That is why my plan would maintain sufficient forces in the region to target al Qaeda within Iraq. But we must recognize that al Qaeda is not the primary source of violence in Iraq, and has little support . On the contrary, al Qaeda's appeal within Iraq is enhanced by our troop presence. Ending the war will help isolate al Qaeda and give Iraqis the incentive and opportunity to take them out. It will also allow us to direct badly needed resources to Afghanistan." link Obama in his September 12, 2007 speech, "Turning the Page in Iraq" "We will need to retain some forces in Iraq and the region. We'll continue to strike at al Qaeda in Iraq." link FACT: Barack Obama was referring to a specific hypothetical scenario outlined by Tim Russert in the Democratic debate RUSSERT: I want to ask both of you this question, then. If this scenario plays out and the Americans get out in totality, and Al Qaida resurges and Iraq goes to hell, do you hold the right in your mind as American president to reinvade, to go back into Iraq to stabilize it? OBAMA: . Now, I always reserve the right for the president -- as commander in chief, I will always reserve the right to make sure that we are looking out for American interests. And if al Qaeda is forming a base in Iraq, then we will have to act in a way that secures the American homeland and our interests abroad. So that is true, I think, not just in Iraq, but that's true in other places. That's part of my argument with respect to Pakistan. FACT: Iraq had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks, and al Qaeda was not using Iraq as a base of operations before the Iraq War. The 9/11 Commission found that al Qaeda had no "collaborative operational relationship with Iraq. Nor have we seen evidence indicating that Iraq cooperated with al Qaeda in developing or carrying out any attacks against the United States." Furthermore, the Commission found that the evidence does not support the claim made by Administration officials that Mohammed Atta met with Iraqi intelligence officials in Prague. link A 2003 CIA report found that there were, "simple declarative accusations of Iraq-al Qa'ida complicity with no substantiating detail or other information that might help us corroborate them." link A report issued by the State Department in October 2001 listed 45 countries "where al Qaeda or affiliated groups have operated" including Afghanistan, Germany, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. Iraq was not on the list. pdf link FACT: George Bush has failed to bring Osama bin Ladin, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and the core of al Qaeda's leadership to justice since 9/11. Bush Failed to Capture Bin Laden: It has been widely reported that Osama bin Laden escaped across the border into Pakistan in 2002, when President Bush failed to commit sufficient ground forces to Afghanistan. The Washington Post (link) reported in April 2002: "The Bush administration has concluded that Osama bin Laden was present during the battle for Tora Bora late last year and that failure to commit U.S. ground troops to hunt him was its gravest error in the war against al Qaeda, according to civilian and military officials with first-hand knowledge." FACT: The Bush-McCain war diverted resources from the fight against al Qaeda Substantial military, intelligence, and diplomatic resources were shifted from Afghanistan and the hunt for bin Laden to the disastrous war in Iraq. These resources shortchanged our efforts to bring to justice the people responsible for 9/11, and have left the American people less safe. As the New York Times reported last summer (link) "Throughout late 2002 and early 2003, Mr. Grenier said in an interview, "the best experienced, most qualified people who we had been using in Afghanistan shifted over to Iraq," including the agency's most skilled counterterrorism specialists and Middle East and paramilitary operatives . "If we were not in Iraq, we would have double or triple the number of Predators across Afghanistan, looking for Taliban and peering into the tribal areas. We'd have the 'black' Special Forces you most need to conduct precision operations. We'd have more C.I.A. We're simply in a world of limited resources, and those resources are in Iraq," the former official added. "Anyone who tells you differently is blowing smoke." FACT: High-level al Qaeda terrorist groups are currently threatening the American homeland from a sanctuary in northwest Pakistan. The NIE in July 2007 (pdf link) warned of a reconstituted al-Qaeda leadership in Pakistan: "Al-Qa'ida is and will remain the most serious terrorist threat to the Homeland, as its central leadership continues to plan high-impact plots, while pushing others in extremist Sunni communities to mimic its efforts and to supplement its capabilities. We assess the group has protected or regenerated key elements of its Homeland attack capability, including: a safehaven in the Pakistan Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), operational lieutenants, and its top leadership. Although we have discovered only a handful of individuals in the United States with ties to al-Qa'ida senior leadership since 9/11, we judge that al-Qa'ida will intensify its efforts to put operatives here. (with wire reports)



