Hypocrisy Check. If Obama killed Osama... did Obama just kill 12 children?

[GSLevel9]

Let's hear your best argument.

http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2011/s3230255.htm

At least 14 civilians, 12 of them said to be children, have died in Afghanistan's Helmand Province in a night time air strike by coalition forces.

A furious president Hamid Karzai has condemned the killings. Mr Karzai said his government had repeatedly asked the US to stop raids which end up killing Afghan civilians and this, he said, was his last warning.

[JVS]

1. Oh boy.

:popcorn:

[liberal N proud]

2. Obama gave a direct order to attack the compound in Pakistan

I don't think that is the situation here. Some lower ranking general or even lower gave the order on this attack.

[GSLevel9]

4. and who gave THAT lower ranking General the order to hit suspected houses? nt

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

3. He is responsible, as commander in chief, for both.

[ixion]

5. Yep, exactly

[MineralMan]

6. Odd logic, there. In the first instance, President Obama was

directly involved in the operation that killed OBL. In the second, it is unlikely in the extreme that he had any advance knowledge of the action. There is a difference, you know. As Commander in Chief, he is responsible for all actions of the military, but is not necessarily culpable for actions that produce bad results.

[EFerrari]

8. How can one be responsible but not culpable?

That's angels dancing on pin heads.

[MineralMan]

11. No, actually, it is not dancing on pins.

It's very clear.

[EFerrari]

13. Brings to mind another American president.

[Arkana]

26. If a lowly private in the United States army shoots and kills an unarmed

Iraqi civilian for no reason, does this make Obama culpable? Did he give an order to shoot innocent Iraqis?

The President can be held responsible in a general sense for the conduct of the army, but not on an individual basis.

[GSLevel9]

9. lol...

As Commander in Chief, he is responsible for all actions of the military, but is not necessarily culpable for actions that produce bad results.

lolz...

in other words:

As Commander in Chief, he is responsible for all actions of the military, but is especially responsible for actions that produce good results.

[MineralMan]

10. No, he is especially responsible for actions in which he gave

a direct order. Try to keep up, please.

[GSLevel9]

14. I've been sick of this shit for 7 years...

and lately I'm just to the point where I want to scream lately.

We have 10 dead US soldiers in the last week, 30 this month and 152 this year. And just because the guy in the WH wears a "D" badge... all the passionate peace activist types have a serious case of "itsmyguynow-itis" and I'm sick of it.

Where are the peace marches now? Where are the million peace activists on the streets of DC? Bunch of fucking hypocrites...

There's no purpose or reasoning to be in EITHER country or any of the 3 I should say.

[EFerrari]

16. Actual peace activists are still at it.

Code Pink, WorldCantWait, WarIsACrime, ANSWER, still at it. A lot of people are struggling because of the economy, that's cut down on participation in the last few years.

[GSLevel9]

17. good point...

I was just looking at CodePinks site to donate money and at $100 I can get the premium package including a deck of "war criminal" playing cards... while I expect Shrub and Co to be prominently featured on the playing cards, will I also find Obama and Gates in the deck?

[EFerrari]

22. I think Gates is already there. (Have to go check my deck.)

:)

It's harder to point the finger at someone who is supposed to be on your side. That's not always hypocrisy. Sometimes it's just pain avoidance.

Name calling aside, I hope we keep working to end these wars and to end the grip of the MIC on our government. If we don't, we can look forward to our own Mubarak regime, and not too far forward at that. There is a place for national defense in our republic. But that place is not calling the shots in foreign and domestic policy or eating up most of our budget under the aegis of security or promoting democracy by bomb overseas.

[NYC Liberal]

27. Wrong.

If he was directly involved in an action, he deserves the credit (or the blame). The killing of OBL was a major operation, the planning and execution of which Obama was intimately involved in.

No president can possibly be directly involved in every single decision made throughout the military across the world. You have no evidence Obama was intimately involved in this operation as he was in the OBL mission.

The president is "responsible," yes, but that means he has an obligation to take appropriate action once he is informed — not that it is his fault.

[WatsonT]

23. Put an "R" after his name

see if you come to the same conclusion.

[quinnox]

7. Its hard to see how he doesn't hold responsibility

Unless Obama is only responsible for good things that our military does, and not for any bad things. Yea, on second thought, I guess some of the more devoted Obama supporters might think that.

[Name removed]

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[elocs]

15. That is an interesting point to ponder. I suppose you cannot have it both ways

and the buck must stop somewhere. That he did not give the direct order is splitting hairs, ignorance should not be an excuse.

The question should be that if Obama knows that air strikes kill innocent civilians, even if he does not directly order them, why does he not stop them?

Children that are killed by these air strikes are as much loved as Obama loves his own daughters. That they were killed by mistake is no comfort to their parents or loved ones.

[Motown_Johnny]

18. Did he specifically order that those children be killed the way he ordered Osama's demise?

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[sharp_stick]

20. A furious Hamid Karzai

c'mon Hamid tell the US to get out right now, I dare you, you culpable POS, do it? I just love this furious Hamid Karzai, he'd be strung up on a fucking light pole by the Taliban in about a week if the American's pulled out. Maybe we should, he and his family aren't that much better.

I also like how it's always "12 of them said to be children", nice little "some said" reporting. I'm amazed there are any kids left in that country the way they always happen to group up in handy dandy packs right underneath the bombs when the Taliban happen to count the "dead" for foreign reporters over a satellite phone.

[Ikonoklast]

24. First, get hard evidence to back up the claim.

"It is reported..." is evidence of exactly nothing.

[JoePhilly]

25. Why does Obama hate the children??

:sarcasm:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

28. i would say we all did. all of us who vote for people who continue these wars

me included

[individual rights]

29. It's war...

Surely, you don't expect a "perfect war," do you?

[DFab420]

30. Lol. Stupid question is stupid.

That's like asking. Does Obama hate babies? He supports people's right to abortions, therefore he must hate babies.