Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah greets Obama
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meredith viera, today show
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Look down my threads and you can read the drama over the der Spiegel, German interview given by Nouri al Malaki.
New York Times got the AUDIO TAPE from der Spiegel and guess what? You got it. It again, backs up what al Malaki originally said of backing Obama's 16 month plan.
Asked by ABC's Diane Sawyer Monday morning whether the "the situation in Afghanistan in precarious and urgent," McCain responded:
"I think it's serious. . . . It's a serious situation, but there's a lot of things we need to do. We have a lot of work to do and I'm afraid it's a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq/Pakistan border," said McCain, R-Ariz., said on "Good Morning America."
Obama, one million Germans, and history by by MBNYC; Chuck Todd: GOP panicked, Maliki sticks with "timetable" by JedReport; Dead Black Man Tasered 9 Times by White Cop by by Steven D; 8,500 U.S. banks many will die soon by Stranded Wind; Barack, through a soldier's eyes two roads; Frank Rich SLAMS McCain in the NYT! by ItsJessMe; Bob Barr at NN! by Jerome a Paris; Republicans Lose 1 Million Registered Voters by lapin; Lunch with Michelle Obama by Governor Chris Gregoire; The McCain campaign declares war on "the Muslims." by Geekesque; Why The GOP Is Seriously Screwed if Obama Wins by thereisnospoon; Simple Credit Card Advice. by Lava2020; Note to media: John McCain is a disgusting misogynist by Geekesque; Imagine if Michelle Obama said this: by icebergslim; Want to see what Guantanamo torture does to a boy? by Bobs Telecaster; The HUGE McCain Blunder No One Knows About....Yet by slinkerwink; Happy 90th Birthday Nelson Mandela, Madiba by maureen; obama in afghanistan and kuwait with video and pictures by icebergslim
weekly slideshow review.....
al Maliki, Obama, der Spiegel, CENTCOM and the Truth
I wrote about all of this yesterday. I should have known better, me thinking a slow news day and can just lounge around, but it ended up with a bang and the bang is still coming.
Now we know that al Maliki favors the Obama plan of withdrawing the troops in 16 months. He stated so to the German magazine, der Spiegel. In fact, der Spiegel stands by their story and have released the full transcript. If the White House or CENTCOM continues to press and change al Maliki’s statement, I will not be surprised at either an audio or video popping up from der Spiegel. OUCH to McCain, Bush and the lame CENTCOM.
But let us look at CENTCOM. First, CENTCOM is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense. It was originally conceived of as the Rapid Deployment Forces.
So, why CENTCOM is used to release statements for al Maliki’s retraction is highly suspect? The so called clarification came from Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh a spokesman for the Iraqi government, via CENTCOM. You can read the statement, here. My thing is this, why is any statement from an important Iraqi spokesperson coming from CENTCOM? Does anyone think this stinks or is not right? In reading the statement it basically 'attempts' to denounces what al Maliki said, but the verbiage was weak. Next, it puts the question and suspect back on the U.S. for using their high command post to release a statement on behalf of the government of another country. Get it? Oh, Ben Smith gets it and is questioning the use of CENTCOM, along with the power of al Maliki's words. Also, Chuck Todd of MSNBC/NBC gets it and states on Meet the Press, it is significant that the Iraqi government mentioned "timetables' in its statement walking back the Der Spiegel interview. Meaning, that is the crux of the Obama argument that is not being removed from the table.
Let’s be clear here. We knew a rebuttal was going to come, it was. We also knew that it would either be hard hitting and totally discrediting der Spiegel or it was going to be weak. The rebuttal was weak. (the carpetbagger runs it down here) This makes the conclusion that al Maliki agrees with the Obama 16 month timetable and puts McCain and Bush in a very bad position. The position is to rationalize staying in Iraq when the Prime Minister of the country wants you out by a timeline of 16 months.
...They're massively underestimating the psychological impact of Maliki's statement. A lot of voters desperately want to leave Iraq, but feel a sense of responsibility to the Iraqi people, and they're told the Iraqi people need them, and so they reluctantly resign themselves to perpetual occupation. Maliki's comments free them of that responsibility. The political impact of this is tremendous: The long-standing moral blackmail of "we broke it, now we have to fix it" just dissipated. The Crate-and-Barrel theory is finished: The proprietors just told us to leave the store. If we don't want to be there, and the Iraqis don't want us there, what's the point?
Now the ball is in the Bush/McCain court to explain to the public why we should continue to remain in Iraq, when we are being asked nicely to leave. It is also up to the Obama Campaign to continue to pressure this point that al Maliki want us to leave and that we should honor what this government is asking us to do. Just as the Obama Campaign is asserting this assimilation of McCain with the premise that McCain is following in Obama's footsteps and not leading anything.
I don’t care what you say or more in fact, what McCain says, Obama is “Big Noise”.
I was watching one of my favorite movies last week, Cover Girl, with Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth. The premise of the movie is about a Brooklyn girl’s quest to become NYC’s “Big Noise.” And she did.
This is Obama’s quest. If you outlined this past week it is as follows:
New Yorker’s magazine cover Jesse Jackson’s contiuned rhetoric Obama’s Iraq Speech Obama’s Speech on Security and Nuclear Proliferation Obama’s Afghanistan’s Trip Obama in Kuwait and Afghanistan And the Nouri al Maliki agreement with Obama’s timeline of leaving Iraq
See, the McCain Campaign is not a “Big Noise”, though they are trying to be, they just can’t quite make it.
All the above was followed with intent interest and angst by the McCain Campaign. The fear of what the international community would think of Barack Obama and how it would be received here, in the United States.
So, far so good. The al Maliki comments were a godsend to the Obama Campaign. It made the Bush White House and McCain scramble, justify why we should remain in Iraq when we are being asked to bring this to closure. The New Yorker magazine cover, which many assailed as the worst satire, butchery ever, also elevated Obama to many. It kept his name in the news and may just play on the sympathy vote for many towards Obama and against the New Yorker Magazine. The Jesse Jackson rhetoric is just more dumb Fox News noise that made more angry at Jackson and sympathetic towards Obama. And the photos and videos of Obama out of Kuwait and Afghanistan could not be more positive.
This is what McCain is up against. Sure he and his campaign are whining. They are not getting covered. Hell, McCain has been to the same countries that Obama is now touring. Guess what? They were “little noise.”
Barack Obama is being viewed worldwide as the new face of the United States. With a new face comes new policies and fresh ideas. All these foreign dignitaries, leaders want to sit down with Obama and meet him, talk with him. They have already concluded that McCain is the continuation of George W. Bush, who is hated internationally.
So, while we watch the Obama Trip, live and continuous with all the cable desk clerks harping about it, the McCain Camp continues being the “little noise”, as they rightfully are.
polls
Rasmussen SD, MN, LA, MI and IA Poll; PPP Poll Colorado; Rasmussen National Poll; WAPO/ABC National Economic/Iraq Security Poll; Quinnipiac National Poll; PPP SC Poll; SUSA NC Poll; CBS/NYT National Poll; Reuters/Zogby National Poll; California Field Poll; Rasmussen OR and KS Poll; Rasmussen NC, NV, AR Poll; SUSA Washington State Poll; Obama maintaining support amongst liberals; Rasmussen VA Poll; Pew Research Older Women; Strategic Vision NJ Poll; J Street Jewish Adults Poll; AP/Yahoo "Excitement" Poll; Rasmussen ME Poll; Daily Kos Alaska Poll
obama in kuwait and afghanistan slideshow...a candle to light the way for obama...
this is a reduced diary this week, since i am in a lazy mode, vacation mode. but had to comment on a few things like, al maliki and the incredible obama foreign trip thus far. the candle is to light the way for obama, while he is overseas. we all need light, some of us have been in the dark far too long. as always remember to focus on obama and not the drama....
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama started a campaign-season tour of combat zones and foreign capitals, visiting with U.S. forces in Kuwait and then Afghanistan _ the scene of a war he says deserves more attention and more troops.
The Illinois senator arrived Saturday in Kabul as part of an official congressional delegation and then flew to eastern Afghanistan. Staff. Sgt. David Hopkins said Obama and two other senators were making a brief stop in Jalalabad airfield, in Nangarhar province, to visit with soldiers stationed there.
The delegation also met with top military leaders and troops at Bagram Air Base, the main U.S. military base in the country, according to a U.S. military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity because the officer was not authorized to release the information.
Obama's first visit to Afghanistan, coming less than four months before the general election, was rich with political implications. Republican presidential rival John McCain has criticized Obama for his lack of time in the region. Obama is also expected to stop later in Iraq.
En route to Afghanistan, Obama stopped Friday at Camp Arifjan, the main U.S. military base in Kuwait and a major gateway for U.S. soldiers moving into and out of Iraq.
Lt. Col. Bill Nutter, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Kuwait, said, "He talked to soldiers and constituents and met with senior military leadership."
During the two-hour visit, Nutter said, the officers gave him an overview of operations. Obama shook hands, answered questions, posed for photos and played a little basketball during the visit.
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