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Barack Obama and the "Art of Repentance"
#118 - 0--spud--Barack Obama and the "Art of Repentance"--2008-09-05 16:42:57
#After McCain's speech last night, I hopped over to
Bill O'Reilly's website to
watch his interview with Senator Barack Obama. While it was a brief
introduction to a much longer interview that will be done next week, I
lost all respect for the Senator in those few moments.
For me, a
sign of character and integrity is our ability to admit when we are
wrong. One of the things I do appreciate about President George Bush
is his ability to come forward and say, "I'm sorry. I was wrong and I
take full responsibility." That is a characteristic of a good leader.
When someone is unable or unwilling to admit they made a mistake, I
make note of that.
In typical O'Reilly fashion, Bill asked Obama
about the surge and actually got him to freely admit, “I think that the
surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated." “I’ve already
said it’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams.”
When
O'Reilly pushed Obama as to why, then, did he not just come out and
admit he was wrong, Obama refused to do so instead stating, "Because
there is an underlying problem with what we have done. We have reduced
the violence but the Iraqis still haven't taken responsibility and we
still don't have the ? of political reconciliation."For a
presidential candidate to stand before me and refuse to admit he was
wrong after having just stated that the proposed plan he thought would
be a failure had indeed worked is outrageous!
If that
isn't enough Obama then declares that the Iraqis "still haven't taken
responsibility?" Yet, - according to a recent news release from the
White House on September 1, 2008,
"Today in Iraq, responsibility for security in Anbar Province was
transferred to Iraqi civilian authorities.
Iraqi forces will now take
the lead in security operations in Anbar, with American troops moving
into an over-watch role. Not long ago, Anbar was one of the most
dangerous provinces in Iraq. Al Qaeda was in control of almost every
major population center, and its leaders intended to turn Anbar province
into a safe haven from which to plan and launch further attacks against
Iraqis and others in the region, as well as here at home.
Today, Anbar is no longer lost to al Qaeda - it is al Qaeda that lost
Anbar.
Iraqis - like countless other Muslims across the world -
witnessed al Qaeda's brutality first-hand and rejected it. As a result,
Anbar has been transformed and reclaimed by the Iraqi people. This
achievement is a credit to the courage of our troops, the Iraqi Security
Forces, and the brave tribes and other civilians from Anbar who worked
alongside them.
Today's ceremony returns the 11th of 18 provinces to provincial Iraqi
control. Al Qaeda and Iranian-backed Special Groups remain a threat, but
the United States and the nations of Multi-National Forces-Iraq continue
to stand with the Iraqis as they work to defeat these enemies and build
a democracy in the heart of the Middle East. The success of Iraq will
make the American people more secure and help yield the peace we all
desire."So,
not only is Senator Obama unwilling to apologize for being wrong on the
surge (which shouldn't be any big deal - we all miss it sometimes) he
then tells me he doesn't even know what is going on in Iraq because he
appears to be unaware that Anbar has become self-sufficient.
Unbelievable! Furthermore, if you read the statement by the White
House, Anbar is the "11th of 18 provinces to provincial Iraqi
control." I would say the Iraqi people have most definitely stepped up!
Another
thing that really bothered me was that in Senator Obama's unwillingness
to admit he was wrong about the surge, he lost an opportunity to give
credit where it was due - to General Petreaus. Unlike Senator Obama,
General Petreaus knew the surge would work. He wouldn't have
implemented the plan if he didn't. Additionally, Obama missed an
opportunity to thank our men and women for their incredible service to
America and the Iraqi people as well as their faith in the
possibilities of the surge. Not a good sign for someone who wants to
lead a nation.
Additionally,he missed the opportunity to
thank the people in the 11 provinces in Iraq who have have become
self-sufficient militarily, thus, also deserving credit.If
Senator Obama wants to win in November he needs to understand
something. The American people are not stupid. We have no problem
with our elected officials making mistakes and fessing up. However, we
have serious misgivings about those we elect thinking they are so
"perfect" that there is no need to apologize when they are wrong. If
Senator Obama truly wants to become President, he needs to learn the
art of repentance, first and foremost. - --comments-->43--788--1
