Obama broke the law?

Drysdale said:
If this story is true is this illegal?

http://www.nypost.com/seven/0915200...tried_to_stall_gis_iraq_withdrawal_129150.htm

Should a presidential candidate be trying to negotiate with countries even before being elected?
Click to expand...

There's nothing illegal about a Senator discussing foreign policy with a member of a foreign administration.

On the other hand, if the story can be verified, Obama's got some explaining to do. The gist of the story is that Obama was trying to slow down a US pullout, something that he ostensibly supports. I would think that this would be very bad for him.
 
I'm willing to bet there is context missing from this op-ed. There are no direct quotes of what Obama said.

There is more to this story than what is being presented.
 
The problem is that the agreement that the Bush administration is trying to put together with the Iraqis will seriously hamper the ability of the next president, whoever that will be, to funtion as comander in chief.

It's not about withdrawl, it's about the other aspects of the agreement.
 
The Senate has to approve any binding treaty. He has a right to know what the out-going president is trying to stick us with. He has a right to point out that there is the possibility that what Bush is trying to sell them might not fly.
 
Obama insisted that Congress should be involved in negotiations on the status of US 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."
Click to expand...

I guess the dude never heard that the president is the commander-in-chief?

The funniest thing about this is that he's effectively screwing his base, which desires the troops home yesterday. What a buffoon!
 
Obama is just trying to head off the possibility that Bush will commit us to some stupidity that the next presdient and congress will have to undo, at some cost to our national image. Given his previous performance, there is no chance that Bush will do it right.

Bush is apparently trying to make a treaty without the usual consent and advice of Congress.

An extension of the UN mandate makes sense. The Iraqi government would be better served with an international body over-seeing the process than to trust our idiot-in-chief not to burden them with an agreement that is not acceptable to either side after the moron leaves office.
 
Looks to me like he's trying to postpone the withdrawl solely for political purposes.

Which I find abhorrent.

I understand there's a lot of mudslinging and ridiculousness involved in politics but when you start using our troops as pawns I have a big problem with that.
 
~Meh. Someone else has already pointed out Regan's pre-election adventures (don't forget G.H.W. Bush's trip in the SR71 to Iran :D)

That part wasn't true BTW.
 
I have no trouble with Obama discussing Iraq strategy that might well affect his foreign policy. The only line that gives me pause is:

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.
Click to expand...

He's not in any position to be demanding anything. That said, there is no confirmation that Obama did, in fact, "demand" anything. Just one guys opinion.

So, Drysdale, you "abhorrent" reaction appears to me to quite overblown.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom