fff said:
Can you imagine the uproar if Obama had been so uppity as to make that statement? :roll:
I don't remember any uproar from the statement that Obama made on the situation. He doesn't speak for the country, either. Here's some excerpts from Obama's statement:
I reiterate my call for Russia to stop its bombing campaign, to stop flights of Russian aircraft in Georgian airspace, and to withdraw its ground forces from Georgia. The Georgian government has proposed a cease-fire and the Russian government should accept it. There is also an urgent need for humanitarian assistance to reach the people of Georgia, and casualties on both sides.
I welcome the visit of the French and Finnish foreign ministers to Georgia as a first step toward mediation. There should also be a United Nations mediator to address this crisis, and the United States should fully support this effort. We should also convene other international forums to condemn this aggression, to call for an immediate halt to the violence, and to review multilateral and bilateral arrangements with Russia - including Russia's interest in joining the World Trade Organization.
While returning to a pre-August 8 military posture is a necessary first step to resolving this crisis, we cannot tolerate the unacceptable status quo that led to this escalation. That means Russian peacekeeping troops should be replaced by a genuine international peacekeeping force, Georgia should refrain from using force in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, and a political settlement must be reached that addresses the status of these disputed regions.
Going forward, the United States and Europe must support the people of Georgia. Beyond immediate humanitarian assistance, we must provide economic assistance, and help rebuild what has been destroyed. I have consistently called for deepening relations between Georgia and transatlantic institutions, including a Membership Action Plan for NATO, and we must continue to press for that deeper relationship.
Let me be clear: we seek a future of cooperative engagement with the Russian government, and friendship with the Russian people. We want Russia to play its rightful role as a great nation - but with that role comes the responsibility to act as a force for progress in this new century, not regression to the conflicts of the past. That is why the United States and the international community must speak out strongly against this aggression, and for peace and security.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/11/obama-responds-to-conflic_n_118276.html
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Personally, I don't think any candidate - Republican or Democrat - has any business going around as if they are already speaking for the whole country. We need to be seen as united on issues like this. We already have a President - and it isn't McCain OR Obama.
We need to speak with one voice on issues such as this - either that of the President or the Secretary of State. But as long as there is politics involved, that will never happen.
But...I don't guess you mind Obama making statements on world conflict, do you, ff?