Obama apologizes for saying troops' lives 'wasted'

[Dracos]

NASHUA, New Hampshire (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is apologizing for saying the lives of the more than 3,000 U.S. troops killed in the Iraq war were "wasted."

During his first campaign trip this weekend, the Illinois senator told a crowd in Iowa: "We now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted
He immediately apologized on Sunday, saying the remark was "a slip of the tongue."

During an appearance Monday in Nashua, New Hampshire, he apologized again, telling reporters he meant to criticize the civilian leadership of the war, not those serving in the military.

"Even as I said it, I realized I had misspoken," Obama said. "It is not at all what I intended to say, and I would absolutely apologize if any (military families) felt that in some ways it had diminished the enormous courage and sacrifice that they'd shown."

Obama made his second visit to New Hampshire on Monday, following his speech Saturday announcing his candidacy in Illinois on Saturday and a visit to first-caucus state Iowa.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/02/13/obama.apology.ap/index.html

[1620rock]

1. Umm, well they were??

[originalpckelly]

2. What's worse, wasting 3,000+ lives or telling the truth about it?

:shrug:

[The Blue Flower]

3. The truth hurts

Deeply, sorrowfully, endlessly.

[maxsolomon]

4. it has nothing to do with the effort or bravery of any dead military personnel

and everything to do with the criminal hubris of president asshat, the worst president in the history of america.

is obama has to apologize over this hair-splitting, then rove still controls the frame of the iraq debate.

families of the dead & wounded: why are you pissed at obama for daring to speak the truth, and not at bush for WASTING YOUR LOVED ONE'S LIFE FOR NOTHING EXCEPT RUIN?

[PDJane]

5. apparently,

Telling the truth about how the administration wasted lives and feeling hurt for all those Iraqis whose lives have been lost or totally disrupted by this invasion and occupation is worse than actually invading and breaking international law.

BTW, the only international treaties the US is signing anymore are trade protection laws....this administration won't even sign things guaranteeing aboriginal rights or decrying child soldiers.

Amazing bunch.

[Joe for Clark]

6. He has nothing to apologize for.

Maybe politically - not in reality.

The more I hear him the more impressed I am by him. This one very smart man.

Joe

[Ian David]

7. Why the FUCK did he apologize??

I'm not ready to throw him under the bus... but come ON!

[ClassWarrior]

10. He didn't. He said...

..."I would absolutely apologize if any (military families) felt that in some ways it had diminished the enormous courage and sacrifice that they'd shown." At least according to the OP.

That's quite appropriate, if you ask me.

NGU.

[Ian David]

13. Ahh... you are correct. He played that very well. Whew!

My faith in The Obamanator is restored!

[Fridays Child]

8. For what noble cause did they die, Sen. Obama?

You got it exactly right, on your first try, Senator.

[ClassWarrior]

9. A) He said it. Can't take it back...

B) He handled any potential backlash quite well.

Gotta do both when the other side is a bunch of cutthroats.

Nice job Senator.

NGU.

[Bucky]

11. Good instincts. Posters saying that lives were wasted are being naive.

Politics ain't therapy; it's theatre. It has much much more to do with appearing to speak for all of us, not throwing about blunt terminology that validates our anger at the war.

Saying the lives were wasted is the equivalent of saying "Hey, sorry your grandma croaked." Wasted is a slang term, and a pretty crude one at that. Politicians can never never say those words about people who chose to put on the country's uniform.

The other offense here is that Obama spoke in the passive tense. The unspeakable reality isn't that their lives "were wasted" but that Bush wasted their lives with his bullshit war. I can say that cause I don't represent anybody. I couldn't vote for a politician who'd speak so heartlessly to the families already suffering from the loss of loved one.

Obama was right on the money to apologize for this. The sooner the better. His political instincts are good.

[Dr Fate]

16. I think Obama handled it fine too- But I'm not sure you are 100% correct.

I have no problem with Obama clarifying his statement- but I also think that most normal people would not have a problem with his semantics- and would probably agree with his sentiment.

I'm not as sure as you are that politicians cant speak and talk in venacular, like a normal, everyday person. In fact, I think this is big problem- most folks cant even understand half the shit an average politician says.

I think if you said "Our troops in Iraq are being wasted" to a group of average, normal people, most folks would nod their heads and not even think twice about the semantics.

Still, we agree that Obama's clarification was fine- I have no problem with it and I do not see it as "backing down" either.

[w13rd0]

12. Wasted...

...as in SPENT FOR NOTHING. They DIED for a LIE and a LOSS. Pardon, but that's a WASTE. Obama has nothing to apologize for, but of course, in the present age of gotcha mediawhoredom and corptocracy... our representatives have to apologize repeatedly for being right. Remember all the calls for Dean to apologize regarding his statements about our being "no safer with Saddam gone"? The media needs to STFU because they've been carrying water for this maladministration for the past six years, and they've been wrong every step of the way. But you can always count on the right wing whine brigade to gin up some manufactured outrage over any statement that puts der fuerher in a bad light.

[chelsea0011]

14. Bush wasted them. They all died for a lie.

[keta11]

15. I say that everyday. I will say it again tomorrow

Their beautiful lives were wasted. There, sue me!!!

[enough already]

17. The pukes will swiftboat him nonstop over this one

fucking bastards.

[Dr Fate]

18. Could be- but the "Kerry hates the troops" thingy did not work, why should this?

I honestly think that average, everyday people will shrug at this and say to themselves:

"So what? he is right- their lives were wasted in this awful, useless war..."

I seriously doubt this will be much of a news story at all- it happened at least 24 hours ago and the only place I've even heard it discussed is here at DU.

[Dean Martin]

19. Yes, the truth hurts

And those lives were wasted. And the wasting needs to stop, NOW.

[KoKo]

20. Dems shouldn't apologize anymore...because once they apologize

the Crooks & Liars think they can bring you down with more apologies after apologies...and after awhile..you just don't matter anymore. :-( Haven't we had enough of Dems Apologies to last us a lifetime? While the Repugs kept winning we Dems kept apologizing.

[ClassWarrior]

21. He didn't. Does he get blamed because the press posted...

...a deceptive headline once again?

NGU.

[beaconess]

22. It's his fault for saying anything that the press could distort

He should just never say anything.

:sarcasm: