Obama To Romney: Do You Want To Start Another Middle East War?

[RickyJ]

http://houston.cbslocal.com/2012/09/23/obama-to-romney-do-you-want-to-start-another-middle-east-war/


President Barack Obama, defending his foreign policy record at a time of anti-American rage in the Muslim world, fired back at suggestions from Republican Mitt Romney that the president has been weak with allies and enemies alike.

In an interview airing the night before Obama meets with other world leaders at the United Nations, the president said, “If Gov. Romney is suggesting that we should start another war, he should say so.”

It was Obama’s most direct rebuttal yet to persistent skepticism by his White House rival on his handling of an unraveling situation in the Middle East. Romney has charged the U.S. stance has been marred by miscalculations, mixed messages and appeasement.

As far back as May, Romney was condemning Obama’s response to unrest in Syria, dubbing it a “policy of paralysis” and calling for more assertive measures, such as arming the opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad. As deadly anti-American protests erupted earlier this month in Libya and elsewhere, Romney sought to undercut what polling shows is a significant foreign policy edge for Obama by calling the president’s handling of the situation “disgraceful” and decrying a lack of U.S. leadership in the region.

In a companion interview to Obama’s appearance on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Romney broadened his reproach to include Israel, criticizing Obama’s failure to meet with the U.S. ally’s head of state, Benjamin Netanyahu, during the annual U.N. gathering. Romney called it a mistake that “sends a message throughout the Middle East that somehow we distance ourselves from our friends.”

The White House has said scheduling precluded a meeting between the two leaders, who won’t be in New York at the same time. With the final six weeks of a hard-fought election hanging over the U.N. summit, Obama has opted out of face-to-face meetings with any of his counterparts — not just Netanyahu — during his compressed U.N. visit.

But Obama pushed back on the notion that he feels pressure from Netanyahu, dismissing as noise the Israeli leader’s calls for the U.S. to lay out a “red line” that Iran’s nuclear program mustn’t cross to avoid American military intervention.

“When it comes to our national security decisions, any pressure that I feel is simply to do what’s right for the American people,” Obama said. “And I am going to block out any noise that’s out there. “

In a wide-ranging interview conducted the day after U.S. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens was killed in an attack on Benghazi, Obama defended his foreign policy successes, noting he’d followed through on a commitment to end the war in Iraq and had nabbed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

He also waxed optimistic that winning a second term would give him a mandate to overcome obstructionism from congressional Republicans whose No. 1 goal, he said, has been to prevent his re-election.

“My expectation is, my hope is that that’s no longer their number one priority,” Obama said. “I’m hoping that after the smoke clears and the election season’s over that that spirit of cooperation comes more to the fore.”

Romney, in an interview conducted last week, sought to deflect attention from his running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, over their differences in Medicare policy: “I’m the guy running for president, not him.”

While reaffirming his commitment to lowering all income tax rates by 20 percent, Romney expressed no unease about his refusal to offer specifics, such as which loopholes and deductions he’d eliminate to pay for the cuts.

“The devil’s in the details. The angel is in the policy, which is creating more jobs,” Romney said, adding that he doesn’t want to see overall government revenue reduced.

Addressing the seemingly unshakable charge of flip-flopping on policy issues, Romney pointed the finger at Obama, noting his changes of heart on gay marriage and military tribunals for terrorism suspects.

“Have I found some things I thought would be effective turned out not to be effective? Absolutely,” Romney said. “You don’t learn from experience, you don’t learn from your mistakes —why, you know, you ought to be fired.”

The series of interviews also offered glimpses into both candidates’ personal habits, including their late-night routines. Romney said his nightly prayer is a time to connect both with the divine and with his own thoughts, and said he asks God mainly for wisdom and understanding.

Obama, describing himself as “a night guy,” said that after first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters retire around 10 p.m., he hunkers down for reading, writing and occasionally a moment alone on the Truman Balcony, with the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in view.

“Those are moments of reflection that, you know, help gird you for the next challenge and the next day,” Obama said.

The “60 Minutes” interviews came as Romney’s campaign strove to turn the page on a week of public stumbles and Republican hand-wringing, promising a redoubled effort in the most competitive states to undercut Obama’s economic record as voters tune in for the final six weeks of a deadlocked race.

A secretly recorded video released last Monday showed Romney writing off his prospects for winning over the almost half of Americans who he said pay no taxes, are dependent upon government and see themselves as victims dominated the week. Ahead of an evening campaign stop at a Denver-area high school Sunday, Romney huddled with senior advisers in Los Angeles to rehearse for the three upcoming presidential debates, which his aides see as the best opportunity to get his campaign and its message back on track.

Amid mounting pressure to spend less time raising money and more time explaining his plans to voters, Romney was refocusing his schedule on the most competitive states. After Colorado, Romney was to begin a three-day bus tour in Ohio on Monday followed by a stop in Virginia — states that Obama won in 2008 but that Republicans claimed four years earlier.

While national polls remain tight, polls in several of the most closely watched states, including Colorado, suggest Obama has opened narrow leads. Obama won Colorado by 9 points four years ago, but the state went to a Republican in the previous three presidential elections.

Obama took a rare weekend break from the campaigning ahead of his U.N. address Tuesday, but dispatched top allies to the Sunday talk shows to try to keep Romney’s missteps alive in the minds of a dwindling cadre of undecided voters.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

[Acala]

Hahahaha. Obama now has to pose as the peace candidate again.

[acptulsa]

Hahahaha. Obama now has to pose as the peace candidate again.

Romney's job is to hand reelection to Obama. I don't know how obvious they can make it. But they make it more obvious every day.

[joestoddard]

Cause and Effect: I saw lightning strike a mountain, I saw a fire begin and then 15 seconds later I heard thunder. The delay from cause to effect is often less obvious. Sometimes it seems the thunder was the cause.

Today Al Quaida and the Taliban are becoming more active as we see riots in the middle east and beyond. Some of the underlying cause came in 2009 when President Obama notified the world (also Al Quaida and the Taliban) that the US would pull out of Afghanistan by a date. The government of Afghanistan saw we were short term friends, no staying power. Al Quaida and the Taliban must have celebrated, the fire was ignited. (Compare South Korea to Afghanistan in what we did and the results. We stayed in South Korea and today, South Korea is a major exporter with a strong economy.)

Another causative event came in 2009 when Pres Obama insisted the Moslem brotherhood (at least 10 leaders) be present for his speech. His recognition helped start the chain of events that placed an openly hostile government in place. To top it off he preached a sermon to these ecclesastical leaders. He preached the same sermon he might have given in a Chicago community organizational meeting. Different place, different culture. Then when things fell apart, he declared they weren't allies anyway - nothing lost. ??

President Barack Osama Obama is in way over his head. He may enjoy looking at the Washington Monument from the White House Balcony, he enjoys his family, he speaks well, but he is in way over his head.

[CaptUSA]

Wow, Joe! Nothing like hearing the last rumble of the thunder and calling that the "underlying cause".

Surely, you are not suggesting that we stay in Afghanistan for 60 years like Korea?!!

The problems in the Middle East are not Obama's fault, but I will grant you that he is in over his head. I'd suggest that their problems would lessen if we stopped disposing our wealth over there and quit killing them. Even if they didn't lessen, at least it wouldn't be our problem. If you want to police the world, no amount of clever tactical maneuvers will prevent a backlash.

[Acala]

Cause and Effect: I saw lightning strike a mountain, I saw a fire begin and then 15 seconds later I heard thunder. The delay from cause to effect is often less obvious. Sometimes it seems the thunder was the cause.

Today Al Quaida and the Taliban are becoming more active as we see riots in the middle east and beyond. Some of the underlying cause came in 2009 when President Obama notified the world (also Al Quaida and the Taliban) that the US would pull out of Afghanistan by a date. The government of Afghanistan saw we were short term friends, no staying power. Al Quaida and the Taliban must have celebrated, the fire was ignited. (Compare South Korea to Afghanistan in what we did and the results. We stayed in South Korea and today, South Korea is a major exporter with a strong economy.)

Another causative event came in 2009 when Pres Obama insisted the Moslem brotherhood (at least 10 leaders) be present for his speech. His recognition helped start the chain of events that placed an openly hostile government in place. To top it off he preached a sermon to these ecclesastical leaders. He preached the same sermon he might have given in a Chicago community organizational meeting. Different place, different culture. Then when things fell apart, he declared they weren't allies anyway - nothing lost. ??

President Barack Osama Obama is in way over his head. He may enjoy looking at the Washington Monument from the White House Balcony, he enjoys his family, he speaks well, but he is in way over his head.

Trouble in the middle east isn't my problem. It IS that simple. If the people over there want to kill each other, it is tragic, but it is not my problem. And it is certainly not the proper role of our government to try and police the world. Our attempts to do so are a long tale of failure, corruption, wasted fortunes, wasted lives, and mass destruction.

[pcosmar]

Cause and Effect: I saw lightning strike a mountain, I saw a fire begin and then 15 seconds later I heard thunder. The delay from cause to effect is often less obvious. Sometimes it seems the thunder was the cause.

You need to look a little farther in history for your causes. The effects are predictable.
This has been planned since the 1800s.

[VanBummel]

Liberals will eat this right up. :( "We haven't been at war with Eastasia since 2008."

[acptulsa]

Today Al Quaida and the Taliban are becoming more active as we see riots in the middle east and beyond. Some of the underlying cause came in 2009 when President Obama notified the world (also Al Quaida and the Taliban) that the US would pull out of Afghanistan by a date. The government of Afghanistan saw we were short term friends, no staying power. Al Quaida and the Taliban must have celebrated, the fire was ignited.

You're not serious, right?

You've come to a place where we know Dubya wined and dined the Taliban in Texas in the 1990s. You've come to a place where we know the officials at least turned a blind eye to al Quaeda eleven years ago this month. You've come to a place where there's a serious doubt about who produced that silly film, and a place where the term 'blowback' is seen daily.

Take your once upon a time fairy tales to where the children are. The people here will be far more impressed by you if you start talking like an adult now.

[nobody's_hero]

Hahahaha. Obama now has to pose as the peace candidate again.

Not defending Obama here, but the perception is that Obama *is* the peace candidate.

The Republican party is being a dumbass. They haven't figured it out. All you have to do is *pretend* to be for peace. But all we hear from the GOP is Iran this and Iran that. John McCain gets up at the RNC convention and beats the war drums. Romney talking about increasing an already wasteful military budget.

Obama is a two-faced liar when it comes to peace, but he's figured it out. The GOP is going full steam ahead into November openly promising more war when 60+% of the American people favor bringing the troops home. That's just plain STUPID.

Obama is molding his rhetoric perfectly, even though he's a lying sack of poop. Nevermind Obama. It's the GOP that really needs to stop setting its own trap to walk into.

[Acala]

Not defending Obama here, but the perception is that Obama *is* the peace candidate.

The Republican party is being a dumbass. They haven't figured it out. All you have to do is *pretend* to be for peace. But all we hear from the GOP is Iran this and Iran that. John McCain gets up at the RNC convention and beats the war drums. Romney talking about increasing an already wasteful military budget.

Obama is a two-faced liar when it comes to peace, but he's figured it out. The GOP is going full steam ahead into November openly promising more war when 60+% of the American people favor bringing the troops home. That's just plain STUPID.

The Republicans are appealing to those voters who are easily manipulated by fear and hatred for "those other people". And there are a LOT of them.

[acptulsa]

Obama is a two-faced liar when it comes to peace, but he's figured it out. The GOP is going full steam ahead into November openly promising more war when 60+% of the American people favor bringing the troops home. That's just plain STUPID.

Dubya preached non-intervention when he ran in 2000. Preached it with an eloquence that could only have come from a speechwriter unrelated to the Bushes.

The GOP knows. Romney's job is to assure Obama's reelection. How obvious do they have to make it?


The Republicans are appealing to those voters who are easily manipulated by fear and hatred for "those other people". And there are a LOT of them.

There aren't enough of them and everyone knows it. Everyone knows it because Obama and McCain proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt four years ago. Everyone knows it. There's only one possible reason for taking the unpopular side of this issue: Your job is to throw the election to Obama.

How obvious do they have to make it?

[coastie]

Cause and Effect: I saw lightning strike a mountain, I saw a fire begin and then 15 seconds later I heard thunder. The delay from cause to effect is often less obvious. Sometimes it seems the thunder was the cause.

Today Al Quaida and the Taliban are becoming more active as we see riots in the middle east and beyond. Some of the underlying cause came in 2009 when President Obama notified the world (also Al Quaida and the Taliban) that the US would pull out of Afghanistan by a date. The government of Afghanistan saw we were short term friends, no staying power. Al Quaida and the Taliban must have celebrated, the fire was ignited. (Compare South Korea to Afghanistan in what we did and the results. We stayed in South Korea and today, South Korea is a major exporter with a strong economy.)

Another causative event came in 2009 when Pres Obama insisted the Moslem brotherhood (at least 10 leaders) be present for his speech. His recognition helped start the chain of events that placed an openly hostile government in place. To top it off he preached a sermon to these ecclesastical leaders. He preached the same sermon he might have given in a Chicago community organizational meeting. Different place, different culture. Then when things fell apart, he declared they weren't allies anyway - nothing lost. ??

President Barack Osama Obama is in way over his head. He may enjoy looking at the Washington Monument from the White House Balcony, he enjoys his family, he speaks well, but he is in way over his head.

The Taliban and Al-Qaeda are not becoming more active because of some stupid speech by Obama in 2009, and to suggest so shows a stunning amount of stupidity on your part, or , that history's clock starts at 2009 for you.

The "Government of Afghanistan"?, LMFAO, they haven't had a legitimate one of those....well, ever. 90% of Afghan males have never even heard of 9/11-after 10 YEARS OF WAR THERE.

What you, and so many Americans, tend to forget, is it is THESE people, on the ground, being blown up by OUR weapons, that are protesting. This has NOTHING to do with a stupid movie on youtube, that may have been just a catalyst that pushed it as far as it has gone. These protests against the US happen in that part of the world, nearly EVERY DAY. The media only covers it when it's convenient, or just too big to keep a lid on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xctXi2Yk5vU

Scroll to 2:52 if you don't want to watch the whole thing, I put together in this part just a TINY fraction of the protests all over the world against the US wars-not just the Middle East.



President Barack Osama Obama You just had to throw the Osama in there, didn't you? Just admit you want to nuke the entire Middle East because you hate brown people, instead of trying to look all intelligent with your Fox news worthy analysis of today's events.

[juleswin]

Cause and Effect: I saw lightning strike a mountain, I saw a fire begin and then 15 seconds later I heard thunder. The delay from cause to effect is often less obvious. Sometimes it seems the thunder was the cause.

Today Al Quaida and the Taliban are becoming more active as we see riots in the middle east and beyond. Some of the underlying cause came in 2009 when President Obama notified the world (also Al Quaida and the Taliban) that the US would pull out of Afghanistan by a date. The government of Afghanistan saw we were short term friends, no staying power. Al Quaida and the Taliban must have celebrated, the fire was ignited. (Compare South Korea to Afghanistan in what we did and the results. We stayed in South Korea and today, South Korea is a major exporter with a strong economy.)

.

A better comparison will be Vietnam where we left, the war ended and both North and South Vietnam are doing just fine as opposed to Korea still involved in a war with the North and North Korea being a shit hole. Also wouldn't it be a better action to lay low and wait for the actual withdrawal than pick up the fighting when the occupiers are about to leave?

Just something to think about

[acptulsa]

What you, and so many Americans, tend to forget, is it is THESE people, on the ground, being blown up by OUR weapons, that are protesting. This has NOTHING to do with a stupid movie on youtube, that may have been just a catalyst that pushed it as far as it has gone. These protests against the US happen in that part of the world, nearly EVERY DAY. The media only covers it when it's convenient, or just too big to keep a lid on.

This. Why would they spend all day trying to understand some puppet on U.S. television speaking a language most of them don't understand when they're kind of busy trying to avoid getting perforated by U.S. ordinance? And if they spend all day trying to avoid getting perforated by U.S. ordinance, why would they need to go looking for another reason to hate us?

Besides, for all of that they're better informed than you. They know it's all about the pipeline. So, they're making you look ignorant, friend. That's the one advantage to being in the crossfire--at least you have a clue what everyone's fighting over. That's more than you can ever, ever get vegetating in front of Faux News.

[Acala]

There aren't enough of them and everyone knows it. Everyone knows it because Obama and McCain proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt four years ago. Everyone knows it. There's only one possible reason for taking the unpopular side of this issue: Your job is to throw the election to Obama.

How obvious do they have to make it?

There are ALWAYS enough humans susceptible to being manipulated by fear, anger, and hatred. That's why we have constant war. And every vote in the legislature is for more.

[Philhelm]

Romney's job is to hand reelection to Obama. I don't know how obvious they can make it. But they make it more obvious every day.

I thought McCain was more obvious in displaying that.

[joestoddard]

Let us reword the Houston.cbslocal article and see what is really being discussed.
President Barack Obama defended his foreign policy record at a time of anti-American rage in the Muslim world, and stated he has not been weak with allies and enemies alike as accused by Gov. Romney.
This was President Obama’s most direct response to Gov. Romney’s accusation that U.S. stance has been marred by miscalculations, mixed messages and appeasement. These issues are drawing more attention with the unraveling of the situation in the Middle East. In May, Romney condemned Obama’s response to unrest in Syria, dubbing it a “policy of paralysis” and calling for more assertive measures, such as arming the opposition to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
In a companion interview to Obama’s appearance on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” Romney broadened his reproach to include Israel, criticizing Obama’s failure to meet with the U.S. ally’s head of state, Benjamin Netanyahu, during the annual U.N. gathering. Romney called it a mistake that “sends a message throughout the Middle East that somehow we distance ourselves from our friends.”
The reasons given by the White House for not meeting with Netanyahu have been confused. Either no meeting was requested, or there was a scheduling problem. Obama himself explained he has opted out of face-to-face meetings with any of his counterparts — not just Netanyahu — during his compressed U.N. visit. Governor Romney has decried meetings between President Obama and entertainers while neglecting matters of state.
While President Obama has refused to meet with Netanyahu, he dismissed as noise the Israeli leaders call for the US to set a “red-line” Iran’s nuclear program mustn’t cross to avoid American military intervention. (Editorial – At the next press conference ask, How does President Obama know that Netanyahu’s information is noise?)
President Obama stated “When it comes to our national security decisions, any pressure that I feel is simply to do what’s right for the American people.” “And I am going to block out any noise that’s out there.“ (Editorial – At the next press conference ask, How do you know what is noise?)
Obama defended his foreign policy successes, noting he’d followed through on a commitment to end the war in Iraq and had nabbed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. . (Editorial – At the next press conference ask – Who created the Navy Seals? Who started the pursuit of Osama bin Laden? Who built the highway President Obama used? Should bin Laden have been captured and tried?)

President Obama also waxed optimistic that winning a second term would give him a mandate to overcome obstructionism from congressional Republicans whose No. 1 goal, he said, has been to prevent his re-election. (Editorial – What a continuing insult to other elected officials.) “My expectation is, my hope is that that’s no longer their number one priority,” Obama said. “I’m hoping that after the smoke clears and the election season’s over that that spirit of cooperation comes more to the fore.” (Editorial – At our next press conference the question should be asked on what issues have you successfully compromised to reach an agreement?)

Romney, in an interview conducted last week, sought to deflect attention from his running mate, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan, over their differences in Medicare policy: “I’m the guy running for president, not him.”

While reaffirming his commitment to lowering all income tax rates by 20 percent, Romney expressed no unease about his refusal to offer specifics, such as which loopholes and deductions he’d eliminate to pay for the cuts. “The devil’s in the details. The angel is in the policy, which is creating more jobs,” Romney said, adding that he doesn’t want to see overall government revenue reduced.

Addressing the charge of flip-flopping on policy issues, Romney pointed the finger at Obama, noting his changes of heart on gay marriage and military tribunals for terrorism suspects. “Have I found some things I thought would be effective turned out not to be effective? Absolutely,” Romney said. “If you don’t learn from experience, you don’t learn from your mistakes —why, you know, you ought to be fired.”

The series of interviews also offered glimpses into both candidates’ personal habits, including their late-night routines. Romney said his nightly prayer is a time to connect both with the divine and with his own thoughts, and said he asks God mainly for wisdom and understanding.

Obama, describing himself as “a night guy,” said that after first lady Michelle Obama and their daughters retire around 10 p.m., he hunkers down for reading, writing and occasionally a moment alone on the Truman Balcony, with the Washington Monument and Jefferson Memorial in view. “Those are moments of reflection that, you know, help gird you for the next challenge and the next day,” Obama said. .“ (Editorial: Does President Obama’s concern about the next challenge indicate a reactionary response? Is each turn of events a new challenge, or a continuation?)
The “60 Minutes” interviews came as Romney’s campaign strove to turn the page on a week of public stumbles and Republican hand-wringing, promising a redoubled effort in the most competitive states to undercut Obama’s economic record as voters tune in for the final six weeks of a deadlocked race.

A secretly recorded video released last Monday showed Romney writing off his prospects for winning over the almost half of Americans who he said pay no taxes, are dependent upon government and see themselves as victims dominated the week. Ahead of an evening campaign stop at a Denver-area high school Sunday, Romney huddled with senior advisers in Los Angeles to rehearse for the three upcoming presidential debates, which his aides see as the best opportunity to get his campaign and its message back on track. .“ (Editorial – At the next press conference we might ask Governor Romney, What would you

Amid mounting pressure to spend less time raising money and more time explaining his plans to voters, Romney was refocusing his schedule on the most competitive states. After Colorado, Romney was to begin a three-day bus tour in Ohio on Monday followed by a stop in Virginia — states that Obama won in 2008 but that Republicans claimed four years earlier.

While national polls remain tight, polls in several of the most closely watched states, including Colorado, suggest Obama has opened narrow leads. Obama won Colorado by 9 points four years ago, but the state went to a Republican in the previous three presidential elections.

Obama took a rare weekend break from the campaigning ahead of his U.N. address Tuesday, but dispatched top allies to the Sunday talk shows to try to keep Romney’s missteps alive in the minds of a dwindling cadre of undecided voters.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

[jmdrake]

Let's see. Romney is so upset about what happened in Libya that he wants to make sure it happens in Syria.