Obama Links Iraq War to Economic Woes
Barack Obama blamed the Iraq war for higher oil prices and skyrocketing debt Thursday as he sought to tie the unpopular war to the slumping economy in working-class West Virginia.
The Democratic hopeful is trying to cut into Hillary Clinton’s base in West Virginia. The state’s demographics appear to favor Clinton, whose support is strongest among older white voters and blue-collar workers.
“When you’re spending over $50 to fill up your car because the price of oil is four times what it was before Iraq, you’re paying a price for this war,” Obama said. “When Iraq is costing each household about $100 a month, you’re paying a price for this war.”
By linking the economy to the war, Obama is playing to his perceived strength as someone who spoke out against the war as a state lawmaker in Illinois. He has criticized Clinton for only recently opposing the war and said Thursday that her criticism of Republican John McCain’s war policies lacks teeth.
“Her point would have been more compelling had she not joined Senator McCain in making the tragically ill-considered decision to vote for the Iraq war in the first place,” Obama said to cheers.
It was the third consecutive day that Obama set aside his usual stump speech and delivered a more focused issue speech. He discussed race relations on Tuesday and the foreign policy consequences of the Iraq war Wednesday.
Obama has won more states than Clinton, leads in the popular vote and holds a nearly insurmountable lead in pledged delegates. But neither candidate can clinch the nomination without help from superdelegates, the party leaders who are not bound by any primary or caucus and are free to vote for whomever they choose. Clinton hopes a strong finish in the remaining primaries will persuade superdelegates to back her in a close race despite the delegate shortfall.
West Virginia holds its primary May 13. The economy is a key issue in West Virginia., and Obama aides concede that Clinton is expected to perform well here.
“For what folks in this state have been spending on the Iraq war, we could be giving health care to nearly 450,000 of your neighbors, hiring nearly 30,000 new elementary school teachers, and making college more affordable for over 300,000 students,” Obama said.
Obama was introduced at the University of Charleston by West Virginia Sen. Jay Rockefeller, who played up Obama’s blue-collar credentials and his familiarity with his home state’s coal industry.
“He’s a man who’s worked for everything he’s achieved. That’s something I can’t say,” Rockefeller joked. He said Obama can see the world “through the eyes of those who are in the trenches everyday struggling to make ends meet and who are fighting to keep their families together.”
“Barack Obama blamed the Iraq war for higher oil prices” He is such a smart guy! Yes he is.
Clinton may eventually figure it out also. Nah…Probably not.
DUH..Dems.
Finally, Fox actually reports something on Obama, without trying to paint an evil picture of Him.
Lets discuss the real issues Fox.
Iraq, The Economy. Obama will be president, as good must triump over evil.
Enough!
March 20, 2008
Dear Fox News:
Thank God we still have a news station that has the courage to report the truth.
Obama will quickly learn that West Virginia and North Carolina shall not dance to his pied piper tune as quickly as other states have.
He has not given a satisfactory explanation of the inflammatory remarks of Jeremiah Wright and sugar coating in the Deep South just won’t fly.
We take remarks concerning Israel very seriously as we are a Pro-Israel state.
In addition, Jeremiah Wright should read Joel 3rd Chapter where God said, “I will gather all nations, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations and parted my land. And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for a harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink.
4: Yea and what have ye to do with me O Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine? Will ye render me recompense? And if ye recompense me, swiftly and speedily will I return your recompense upon your own head.
In the third chapter of the Prophet Joel, God made it abundantly clear his thoughts on Palestine. There is not now and has never been a Palestinian Nation. Maybe Jeremiah Wright should spend more time studying his Bible and less time spewing hate.
We have a saying that if you lay down with dogs you’ll get up with flees. Obama did not lay with Jeremiah Wright for 20 years without agreeing with his philosophy on life and his hatred of this great country that we love. How do two walk together lest they agree?
So go back to Chicago Obama! We are not dancing to the pied piper in North Carolina.
Sincerely,
Abbie Baker
Obama has absolutely no clue what’s driving oil prices up. It’s not the Iraq confict, that’s a certainty. This is simply scare tactics and politicing by a desperate man who’s looking at the end of his run as a presidential candidate. It’s over Obama.
Glad to see Obama back on task and going forward. Let’s get’r done!
Obama:
My 2 year old daughter could have come to this conclusion. Is this your way of cloudy the real issue at hand, you are a LIAR and a sneaky man who has a hidden agenda that is finally getting the exposure it so despartely needed.
I don’t think that the credentials needed to become the CEO of the USA is to be an Anti-American. If that were the case Osama Bin Landin would be front and center not you.
Well, this just goes to show you how inexperienced Obama is to be President. He really has no clue. He has absolutely no foreign policy experience and very little domestic experience. He is going to be so easy to beat by McCain. The Dems are throwing another election away.
The arguement made by the Senator: with what we/you are paying for the war we could hire more teachers and make college more affordable is laughable. How about coming off some of your campaign contributions and hire some more teachers and make college more affordabe. The good Senator and his compatriots can’t have it both ways.
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely!
I don’t think Obama can be trusted with anything anymore now that his past has become clearer.
This is by far the best line of attack against McCain. Barack’s most effective argument, I think, is to focus on how much money the war is costing us, and to continue to describe that cost in terms that translate into the finances of everyday people.
While it may be true that the Iraq war has had a direct impact on the price of oil and gas, to blame the entire economic situation on the war may be a bit of a stretch.
It is about time someone pointed out the cost of the war economically. I remember a gal. of gas being $1.30. Since the was it has increased by $2.00 per gal. And, the price this war will have on our future generations is tragic. Keep on bringing light to a difficult subject.
Truer Words Have Never Been Spoken
Everyone needs to go to You Tube to see a Fox report on Obama’s record on the war. It shows that he flip flops quite often. How can anyone believe he could be the leader of the United States?
Obama crows about voting against the war, but doesn’t mention he was at the time only an ill. legistlator with no say in the matter. Were he then in the Senate, his vote aginst the war could well be seen as proof that he flinched as a potential chief executive in that he had failed in his duty to protect America, since the internatinal intelligence agencies agreed that Iraq had and could soon use WMD.With the overwhelming amount of information pointing to this, our president, whoever it was, could not take the chance of not acting as we did. As to the price of gas he should talk to Cong. Dingell who now wants to add a $.50 tax to each gallon.Also, a poll released today shows 48% say no tax increase, 28% would pay up to 50 cents, 10% pay more then 50 cents, and 8% more then a dollar.To attribute the increase to the war and not to us not drilling for more oil and not building new refineries AND not noting huge increased consumption by India, China, and other countries shows a lack of awareness of what is happening - as well as perhaps deliberate political scheming by him.What none of these politicians running on the left of left ignore is that the cost of wars are added costs, not monies which get switched off and used elsewhere. Our economy is so huge that this war’s costs are bearable without reducing butter for guns.
We need a man like Obama to solve our serious economic problems. He is not connected to the Lobbyist and special interest groups who control washington.
Great for Obama, what a discovery brainiac!
Obama acts like he is Mr. I Saw the Future when really the reason that he didn’t vote for the Iraq war is because at the time when it was thought to be the best choice for our country, Obama didn’t care about our country. He still doesn’t. Gas prices were on the increase before the Iraq war. Gas prices are high due to stupid environmentalist lasws that prevent us from using oil from our own sorces. If you don’t believe that liberal environmentalism is the cause of our economic problems (plus to much personal debt among americans) then look at California. IT is the most liberal environmental state in the union, and it had expensive gas before the war along with inflated prices on everything else. Obama knows nothing about the military. Rather than serving our own self interest as we so often do, maybe, just maybe, we should listen to the military commanders who so it would be foolish to leave now. Obama didn’t vote for the war because he never votes for anything. He didn’t do anything while he was in congress and he still doesn’t.
It’s a nice concept, I guess the increased global usage of oil in developing countries doesn’t matter. The fact that China and India and other countries continue to use more doesnt’ factor in? He has absolutely no factual basis to back this claim. He could argue increased debt easily, but not increased gas prices.
Its not the war raising gas prices, its the Fed lowering the interest rate which increass the rate of inflation which means each dollar is worth less. which means oil producing countries need to raise the price of each barrel to maintain the same income in their native currency.
Is the war helping…no but it is not the main cause either.
Just some extra info. Most of our Oil comes from Canada and Mexico. And I would belive when economic Sanctions were imposed on Iraq they were not selling much Oil to the rest of the world either. But now they have no one stopping the sale of Oil there. And funny thing is we still don’t buy if from them.
Are you all so foolish as to think that our economic problems are due to a little war?
CHINA is our economic and military PROBLEM!
Do not be so blind.
Don’t start assuming anything, he hasn’t provided any evidence to this theory.