Obama/Biden Define Patriotism

A few days ago, at Camp Victory, Iraq, an hourlong ceremony was held as the U.S. military command in that country changed hands. General Petraeus, the author of the strategy known as the surge, is to take over command of the military's Central Command. General Ray Odierno is now in charge in Iraq. The ceremony was attended by Secretary Gates, Adm. Mike Mullen, Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey, and senior Iraqi government and military officials. When finished, Secretary Gates traveled on to Afghanistan.

I read an interesting account in the New York Post by Amir Taheri about Obama's trip to Iraq. You'll recall Obama's foreign policy papers have been positioned around a quick withdrawal from Iraq. According to the article, "Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence. According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July."

"He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the U.S. elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said in an interview." "Obama insisted that Congress should be involved in negotiations on the status of U.S. troops - and that it was in the interests of both sides not to have an agreement negotiated by the Bush administration in its "state of weakness and political confusion." "Though Obama claims the U.S. presence is "illegal", he suddenly remembered that American troops were in Iraq within the legal framework of an UN mandate. His advice was that, rather than reach an accord with the 'weakened Bush administration,' Iraq should seek an extension of the UN mandate."

"While in Iraq, Obama also tried to persuade the U.S.commanders, including Gen. David Petraeus, to suggest a "realistic withdrawal date." They declined." I realize it is the ploy of the Obama campaign to create the impression that Obama is already the Commander in Chief, the President, but he is not. This action borders on treason. How dare he interfere in such delicate military negotiations.

"Iraqi leaders are divided over the U.S. elections. Iraqi President Jalal Talabani sees Obama as a "man of the left"- who, once elected, might change his opposition to Iraq's liberation. Indeed, say Talabani's advisers, a President Obama might be tempted to appropriate the victory that America has already won in Iraq by claiming that his intervention transformed failure into success."

"Maliki's advisers have persuaded him that Obama will win - but the prime minister worries about the senator's "political debt to the anti-war lobby" - which is determined to transform Iraq into a disaster to prove that toppling Saddam Hussein was "the biggest strategic blunder in U.S. history."

"Other prominent Iraqi leaders, such as Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi and Kurdish regional President Massoud Barzani, believe that Sen. John McCain would show "a more realistic approach to Iraqi issues."

"Obama has given the Iraqis the impression that he doesn't want Iraq to appear anything like a success, let alone a victory, for America. The reason? He fears that the perception of U.S. victory there might revive the Bush Doctrine of 'pre-emeptive' war - that is, removing a threat before it strikes at America."

Just yesterday the sound bite from Team Obama - vocalized by Joe Biden - is that it is downright patriotic to pay more taxes. The 'rich' should do their patriotic duty and simply hand over their hard earned wages - and punish their success - so that those with less money will have more. By broadcasting the distinct sharp turn to socialism that Team Obama will bring to our taxpayers, the media yawned and went back to adoring their candidate. Their Chosen One.

Biden actually used the words "taking money" in his reference to his tax philosophy. How 1960's burnt out liberal of him. Tell me again how choosing a throwback to previous decades is worked within the 'change' theme? Especially a politician who has consistently been on the wrong side of history in his vision of U.S. foreign policy. He was embarrassingly wrong about dividing Iraq into three separate sections. He fought against Reagan's cold war policies. He was against the strategic air defense system. On and on. Biden is clueless. And keeps on talking.

According to Bob Owens, writing for Pajamas Media, the article in the New York Post must be accurate on Obama's secret meetings pushing his own political agenda. "Curiously, the New York Post reports that the Obama campaign has not called the editorial department to ask for a correction or retraction of the Taheri article."

"It was wrong to attempt to put American commanders at war in such a predicament, where their words could be used against their sitting commander-in-chief as a political bludgeon. Either Obama did not think of that, or he was simply untroubled by the thought of abusing the careers of American commanders for political gain.

"Longtime accusations of Obama's naked self-interest may doom an already flailing campaign."

A quote often used by the McCain campaign is that he would rather lose a campaign than lose a war. Too bad the same cannot be said of Barack Obama. The Obama/Biden team have a very strange definition of patriotism.