WASHINGTON (AP) — Invoking the death of Osama bin Laden, President Barack Obama on Thursday forcefully rejected Republican criticism of his foreign policy as timid and the equivalent of “appeasement.”
“Ask Osama bin Laden and the 22 out of 30 top al-Qaida leaders who have been taken off the field whether I engage in appeasement. Or whoever is left out there, ask them about that,” the president said during a news conference.
His remarks came a day after Republican presidential candidates took turns criticizing Obama’s foreign policy as weak during speeches before Jewish activists and donors. They especially focused on the Obama administration’s Middle East policy.
Former Sen. Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania on Wednesday said Obama’s policy toward radical Islamists “has been nothing but appeasement.”
Obama seemed primed for the question about the critique, responding by citing the killing of al-Qaida leaders and offering no further defense of his policies.
Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on Wednesday said Obama “emboldened Palestinian hard-liners who now are poised to form a unity government with terrorist Hamas and feel they can bypass Israel at the bargaining table.“ Romney also accused Obama of being ”timid and weak in the face of the existential threat of a nuclear Iran.”
Last week at a New York fundraiser, Obama specifically addressed concerns from Israel supporters about his administration’s approach to the Middle East.
“I try not to pat myself too much on the back, but this administration has done more in terms of the security of the state of Israel than any previous administration,” Obama said then.
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So let me get this straight. Obama has always blamed everything bad in America and the world on Bush. And his friends, the progressives, call Bush a criminal.
Now Obama is trying to gain favor by boasting about continuing Bush policies that so many of his supporters say made Bush a “war times criminal”? And then lie about his policies on Israel?
I think this strategy is something Obama has always done. Riding on the coattails of someone else. Well, that, and lying his butt off and pandering to his wealthy supporters like Soros, unions and celebreties and using his skin color to gain favor.
He is the biggest phoney in politics. And that is really saying something!
George W. Bush speech after capture of Saddam:
"The success of yesterday’s mission is a tribute to our men and women now serving in Iraq. The operation was based on the superb work of intelligence analysts who found the dictator’s footprints in a vast country. The operation was carried out with skill and precision by a brave fighting force. Our servicemen and women and our coalition allies have faced many dangers in the hunt for members of the fallen regime, and in their effort to bring hope and freedom to the Iraqi people. Their work continues, and so do the risks. Today, on behalf of the nation, I thank the members of our Armed Forces and I congratulate ‘em."
Barack Obama speech after killing of bin Laden:
"And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta, the director of the CIA, to make the killing or capture of bin Laden the top priority of our war against al Qaeda, even as we continued our broader efforts to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat his network. Then, last August, after years of painstaking work by our intelligence community, I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden. It was far from certain, and it took many months to run this thread to ground. I met repeatedly with my national security team as we developed more information about the possibility that we had located bin Laden hiding within a compound deep inside of Pakistan. And finally, last week, I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action, and authorized an operation to get Osama bin Laden and bring him to justice. Today, at my direction, the United States launched a targeted operation against that compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan ."
Bush refered to himself twice in the speech using the word “I” two times. Those two times were in congratulations to people in the armed forces.
Obama refered to himself a total of 12 times in the form of the words “I”, “we”, “our”, and “my”. Never once mentioning the folks that actually made it happen or that he was just continuing Bush stratigies and policies.
