Obama's Misjudgment On The Surge And Ignorance Of The Consequences Of

His Withdrawal Plan Show He Is Not Ready To Lead



    WASHINGTON, July 22 /EMWNews/ -- The following is being

issued by the RNC:



    



    Today, Obama Claimed That He Said There Was "No Doubt" The Surge Would

Reduce Violence In Iraq:



    Obama: "What I can say is that there's no doubt that our U.S. troops

have contributed to a reduction in violence in Iraq. I said that -- not

just today, not just yesterday, but I've said that -- previously." (CBS'

"Evening News" Website, "Preview: Obama On Troop Surge," http://www.cbsnews.com,

7/22/08)



    But When The Surge Was Announced, Obama Said It Would Not Work And

Would Potentially Increase Sectarian Violence In Iraq:



    In January 2007, Obama Said He Did Not Know Of Any Middle East Expert

Or Military Officer That Believed That The Surge Would "Make A Substantial

Difference On The Situation On The Ground." Obama: "We cannot impose a

military solution on what has effectively become a civil war. And until we

acknowledge that reality -- we can send 15,000 more troops, 20,000 more

troops, 30,000 more troops, I don't know any expert on the region or any

military officer that I've spoken to privately that believes that that is

going to make a substantial difference on the situation on the ground."

(CBS' "Face The Nation," 1/14/07)



    Obama: "I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is

going to solve the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do

the reverse." (MSNBC's "Response To The President's Speech On Iraq,"

1/10/07)



    Obama Also Said That He Does Not Know What Would Have Happened In Iraq

If His Plan For Withdrawal Had Been Implemented Last Year:



    Obama: "[I] have no idea what would have happened had we applied my

approach, which was to put more pressure on the Iraqis to arrive at a

political reconciliation. So this is all hypotheticals." (CBS' "Evening

News," 7/22/08)



    But Before Visiting Iraq, Obama Re-Affirmed His Similar Plan To

Withdraw Troops In 16 Months Irrespective Of Conditions On The Ground:



    Obama Said He Would "Give Our Military A New Mission" In Iraq His First

Day In Office. Obama: "To achieve that success, I will give our military a

new mission on my first day in office: ending this war. Let me be clear: we

must be as careful getting out of Iraq as we were careless getting in. We

can safely redeploy our combat brigades at a pace that would remove them in

16 months." (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks On A New Strategy For A New World,

Washington, DC, 7/15/08)







    Obama "Appears To Have Decided That Sticking To His Arbitrary, 16-Month

Timetable Is More Important Than Adjusting To The Dramatic Changes In

Iraq." Early last year, when the war was at its peak, the Democratic

candidate proposed a timetable for withdrawing all U.S. combat forces in

slightly more than a year. Yesterday, with bloodshed at its lowest level

since the war began, Mr. Obama endorsed the same plan. After hinting

earlier this month that he might 'refine' his Iraq strategy after visiting

the country and listening to commanders, Mr. Obama appears to have decided

that sticking to his arbitrary, 16-month timetable is more important than

adjusting to the dramatic changes in Iraq." (Editorial, "The Iron

Timetable," The Washington Post, 7/16/08)



    The Brookings Institution's Michael O'Hanlon: "To say you're going to

get out on a certain schedule - regardless of what the Iraqis do,

regardless of what our enemies do, regardless of what is happening on the

ground - is the height of absurdity." (Editorial, "Obama's 'Judgment,'" The

Wall Street Journal, 7/18/08)



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