Asdie of criticize my vote..What have YOU done to end the war Barack?

[KennedyGuy]

That is what Hillary should answer when Obama brings up her war vote...
He likes to attack her on the vote, as she did not have the political expediency to vote present..
What HAS he done to end the war?..except for criticizing Hillarys vote?

[Cant trust em]

1. I don't think this is a good enough response from her

it points out that she's not doing anything either. No one has any high ground here.

[KennedyGuy]

2. But..what HAS he done?

[leftynyc]

3. Only voted to continue to fund it

I also love how the IWR vote was such travesty that Senator Obama refused the endorsement of both Kennedy and Kerry in protest.

[Levgreee]

4. Obama's view on Iraq

This is Obama's stance, put very simply.
1.He was ALWAYS against the war, he always thought it was the wrong choice to go in. He thought it was wrong in 2002, in 2004, and in 2007.

2.He was NOT ALWAYS against supporting the war. Once the invasion had occurred and couldn't be undone, he was for funding the troops, and he was for keeping peace and giving time for the Iraqis to sort things out.

2. is not contradictory with 1..

Here is a quote...

"Us rushing headlong into a war unilaterally was a mistake and may still be a mistake...
IF it has happened, then at that point what the debate's really gonna be about is what is our long term commitment is there. How much is is it going to cost, what does it mean for us to rebuild Iraq, how do we stabilize and make sure that this country doesn't splinter into factions between the Shi'as, and the Kurds, and the Sunnis." - Barack Obama

This quote clearly explains his view. Rushing into the war was wrong. HOWEVER, once we were there, we had a responsibility to help rebuild the country, which means funding the war. So Obama was always against the war occurring, but considered it a poor choice to pull funding/pull out, for some time, after we invaded. After we had gave them time, Barrack supported a phase withdrawal.

This is a totally reasonable, consistent view, and personally one I agree with completely.

[KennedyGuy]

10. what has he DONE to end it?

He's a senator..aside from lofty rhetoric..what has he done?
Still waiting...for anything....anything at all...

[leftynyc]

13. That still doesn't jibe

with it being such an egregious vote, so horrendous that he accepted, trumpeted the endorsement of two high profile senators that also voted for it. If Hillary puts it in those terms, he's toast.

[Skwmom]

6. Obama could have scored political points by refusing to fund the war.

He didn't.

[Cant trust em]

12. He scores points from dems

probably loses them from republicans. In terms of looking toward the GE, it was probably a smart vote. I think that it's wrong, but probably politically prudent.

[Cant trust em]

5. He hasn't done anything more than Clinton

but I think that in a debate you should bring up points that differentiate you from the other candidates. Not point out where they agree. Since the IWR was first cast, their positions are nearly identical. If you really want to fire back at Obama I don't think that this is the issue to do it on.

[NYCGirl]

7. There's this withdrawal bill Obama wrote:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/30/AR2007013001586.html

Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, one of the most prominent Democrats in the 2008 presidential field, proposed for the first time setting a deadline for withdrawing troops from Iraq, as part of a broader plan aimed at bolstering the freshman senator's foreign policy credentials.

Obama's legislation, offered on the Senate floor last night, would remove all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008. The date falls within the parameters offered by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, which recommended the removal of combat troops by the first quarter of next year.

"The days of our open-ended commitment must come to a close," Obama said in his speech. "It is time for us to fundamentally change our policy. It is time to give Iraqis their country back."

The senator offered his ideas in the midst of an intense congressional debate over President Bush's latest Iraq proposal, to deploy an additional 21,500 U.S. troops to curtail an increasingly virulent insurgency. It also coincides with the launch of the 2008 campaign, with Obama, as well as Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.), former senator John Edwards (N.C.) and other Democrats forming exploratory committees.

Obama's timetable for completing a withdrawal puts him at odds with other leading rivals for the Democratic nomination. Clinton supports capping the number of troops at their levels of Jan. 1. Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (Conn.) has proposed a similar troop cap. But neither has embraced a timetable for a troop removal. Edwards has been outspoken in his opposition to Bush's new plan and has called for the immediate withdrawal of 40,000 to 50,000 troops. But he, too, has stopped short of setting firm date by which all would be removed.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is the only other prominent Democrat in the field to set a withdrawal timetable, declaring that troops "can and should" be brought home by the end of 2007.

[jackson_dem]

9. Hillary wrote a similar bill

They both mysteriously finally came out with Iraq bills after they began running for president.

[Occam Bandage]

8. That's a weak response, and leaves her very open.

If he replies, "I have pushed for withdrawal timetables in the Senate, and you know as well as I do that George W. Bush has vetoed every attempt to get out of Iraq. That's why it's crucial that we elect a President who understands this war, with the judgement to do what is right."

Obama wins that exchange handily.

Also, ocean.

[KennedyGuy]

11. He hasn't pushed for anything..

lofty rhetoric..empty words...

[Occam Bandage]

14. Interpret his record how you will. Politicians are not constrained to acting like the caricatures

you have in your head.

[oviedodem]

15. This war attack on Obama is a joke

AFTER we go into Iraq, what are you supposed to do? NOT FUND THE TROOPS!!!

It's the most ridiculous argument that Hillary and the Republicans make. Obama voted for the early funding and against the latter ones after it became obvious that Bush was going nowhere (ala McCain). In Obama's words "Can't keep writing a blank check".

The troops did not ask to be put there but once there IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF OUR GOVERNMENT TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE PROTECTED AND HAVE THE TOOLS TO DO THEIR JOB!!

In addition, once you have destroyed the place you have a RESPONSIBILITY TO NOT LET THE COUNTRY SPIRAL INTO A BREEDING GROUND FOR TERRORISTS!!

I don't understand what the problem is.