There He Goes Again!
Back in the 1980 presidential debate, Ronald Reagan brushed aside Jimmy Carter’s attacks with the remark, “There you go again.” While the Gipper used the expression to dismiss the then-President’s baseless accusations, perhaps we should use it in this campaign to highlight the attempts of Carter’s candidate to rewrite his record.
Just today, the presumptive Democratic nominee claimed, “What I said even at the time of the debate of the surge was that when you put 30,000 American troops on the ground, of course it’s going to have an impact. There’s no doubt about that.” (Statement at 6:05 minute mark.)
What he actually said at the time:
I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do the reverse. I think it takes pressure off the Iraqis to arrive at the sort of political accommodation that every observer believes is the ultimate solution to the problems we face there. So I am going to actively oppose the president’s proposal. . . . .I think he is wrong.
I guess since the “surge” succeeded, Obama now wants us to believe he always supported it, even if he refuses to acknowledge its success.
The guy misrepresents his own record — and not for the first time. If he were a Republican, this rewriting of history would headline the news.
Once again, Obama does stand for change, changing what he stands for to suit the needs of the moment.
UPDATE: Editors at USA Today ask: Why can’t Obama admit the obvious? The surge worked. (Via Instapundit.)
UP-UPDATE: Obama, a “serial liar“? One blogger speculates . . . .
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Barack actually made a poor choice of words before the surge when he said “not persuaded.” It’s not that he wasn’t persuaded, he just used the wrong words.
Comment by David Alexrod — July 24, 2008 @ 10:21 pm - July 24, 2008
Words and phrases like “misrepresents” and “flip flops” are really inadequate when describing Obama. These are not misrepresentations or flip-flops, they are bald-faced, intentional lies.
Comment by American Elephant — July 24, 2008 @ 10:27 pm - July 24, 2008
Now the progressive proletariat will follow the lead and claim they were for it all along, or at least they were for it before they were against it.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — July 25, 2008 @ 12:37 am - July 25, 2008
Barack Hussein Obama now claims he made a poor choice of words? The man who based his whole campaign on words matter, change matters and now suddenly that it is fact that the surge did work, its a poor choice of words….so let’s see when he speaks out of both sides of his mouth, which poor choice of words does he mean?
Obama claims that judgment matters and he has excellent judgment? Where exactly is that excellent judgment? (he called the surge the worst foreign policy blunder since WWII) Obama’s judgment was wrong once again and he wants us to trust him to be Commander in Chief?
What other words were a poor choice to use, if he is President and finds his choice of words puts us in further harm.
Obama, as the commercial says, is worse the a flip flopper..he has both positions on each issue..and is exactly like the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy first meets him and he points in both directions……..at least the Scarecrow finally got a brain….Obama has shown he has none….nor the judgment to be the President of the United States.
Hey, but he has time to hold a fundraiser in Germany but can’t find the time to see the troops he wishes to lead…..since it would mean he would use his campaign’s funds…..how lame is that..how about leave your entourage behind, take the Secret Service detail along with you and pay your respects to the Armed Forces that serve each and every one of us and thank them for their service.
Next we will be hearing that Obama really didn’t mean those words in Berlin where he said we should redistribute the wealth of the United States to other countries and all sorts of code words for socialism and Marxism……he was just misunderstood…but then again he keeps reminding us that words don’t matter…..especially when he speaks them and they are misunderstood and he really didn’t mean them but then again maybe he did.
We all can go issue by issue and Both Ways Barack will tell you how he stands on an issue or doesn’t….whichever you wish to believe..just as long as you are stupid enough to vote for him.
Comment by Rocket — July 25, 2008 @ 1:34 am - July 25, 2008
#1 - “It’s not that he wasn’t persuaded, he just used the wrong words.”
Nice try, Axelrod. It won’t work.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — July 25, 2008 @ 10:52 am - July 25, 2008
[...] GayPatriotWest quotes Ronald Reagan over Obama’s attempt to rewrite his history on the Surge. [...]
Pingback by No Runny Eggs » Blog Archive » The Morning Scramble, part 1 - 7/25/2008 — July 25, 2008 @ 11:18 am - July 25, 2008
Sorry if this Shelby Steele link has been posted already - it’s a great analysis of how Obama’s appeal works: Why Jesse Jackson Hates Obama.
If Steele’s analysis is correct: An Obama Presidency would be a great step forward for American race relations / culture… provided he is competent, or not going to be a failure. And this election is Obama’s to win… provided he can convince the American people he is competent. Steele takes no position on where Obama is with those two provisos, except to note that Obama seems to have a violent aversion to political / ideological principle. (IMHO, making Obama far more of a Clinton than a Reagan.)
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — July 25, 2008 @ 2:12 pm - July 25, 2008
As for this:
Yeah… he explicitly said that the surge’s impact would be to make things worse.
So let’s see. Obama wants to simultaneously (1) downplay-if-not-deny the surge’s success, (2) praise our troops for how important they have been to the surge’s success, (3) ascribe the surge’s success to other factors having nothing to do with the troops or U.S. policy, and (4) take credit for the surge, claiming he was one of those who predicted its success (or “impact”). What a mess he’s in! And I think it goes to the “competence” issue I mention above.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — July 25, 2008 @ 2:17 pm - July 25, 2008
As many others have said: Every new truth passes through three phases: First it is ridiculed. Second it is fiercely and violently opposed. Third, it is defended as self-evident, i.e., as something so obvious that everybody always believed it and you’re still a freaking idiot for pointing out something so obvious.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — July 25, 2008 @ 2:21 pm - July 25, 2008
“David Alexrod”… Mitchell that’s cute
And welcome.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — July 25, 2008 @ 2:26 pm - July 25, 2008
As Gandhi said, first they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.
Comment by V the K — July 25, 2008 @ 3:46 pm - July 25, 2008
There are more than 90 days until the fall elections. What date exactly do you predict the Obama myth to be completely dismissed? When will the emperor be totally shown to have no clothes? I really thought this guy was made of some substance of some kind. As it turns out he is much more fluff than even I suspected.
Comment by Gene in Pennsylvania — July 25, 2008 @ 5:42 pm - July 25, 2008
Gene, Obama has already been shown to have no clothes, and then some… his internal organs are hanging out.
But nothing can make a person see what they don’t want to. Especially not with people who live by their emotions and illusions of the wonderful things that Big Brother (government) is going to make happen for them. Take the Clinton supporters. For some, it took until this year (2008) to finally see that he is an empty liar, she is a corrupt shrew, etc… things that were proven by, oh, 1998 if not much sooner. Some still haven’t seen it.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — July 25, 2008 @ 6:44 pm - July 25, 2008
Ghandi would have been ashamed of what has happened.
Comment by Pinky Bear — July 25, 2008 @ 11:58 pm - July 25, 2008
Folks orgasming and fainting before a Daley-ite empty suit who promises to destroy our greatness and livelihood? I suspect you’re right.
Comment by ThatGayConservative — July 26, 2008 @ 1:01 am - July 26, 2008
Perhaps I should perform a citizens arrest next time Obama comes up here. We’ve made it a crime to falsify ones resume in Washington State.
Comment by American Elephant — July 26, 2008 @ 7:06 am - July 26, 2008
#14: “Ghandi would have been ashamed of what has happened.”
I guess the leftists have run out of LIVING foreign leaders that they can claim hate America, so they’ve moved onto the dead ones. Well, Good Riddance, your timing is perfect because I just had a seance with Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin and they asked me to tell you and the rest of the Democrats that you’re doing a fantastic job and to keep up the good work! Oh, and before I forget, Stalin was bugging me about getting an Obama ‘08 coffee mug for him–do you think you could make that happen? Thanks.
Comment by Sean A — July 26, 2008 @ 9:23 am - July 26, 2008
Sean,
Honey, you need a good laxative because you are full of crap.
XXOO
Comment by Pinky Bear — July 26, 2008 @ 10:53 am - July 26, 2008
So, Good Riddance, is that a “no” to coffee mug or what?
Comment by Sean A — July 26, 2008 @ 1:25 pm - July 26, 2008
!8.
You didn’t make it past 5th grade, did you?
Comment by ThatGayConservative — July 26, 2008 @ 8:32 pm - July 26, 2008
Hmmm….I don’t think Obama is a serial liar. Those folks need to have some intelligence and actually plan their deceptions. Obama is simply a good example of how the soft bigotry of low expectations works out to incompetence promoted on the basis of skin color.
Comment by North Dallas Thirty — July 27, 2008 @ 2:11 am - July 27, 2008
Next up: PB telling us what Jesus would think.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — July 27, 2008 @ 3:34 pm - July 27, 2008
#22 - As if PB believes in Jesus. Give me a break.
Regards,
Peter H.
Comment by Peter Hughes — July 28, 2008 @ 10:34 am - July 28, 2008
#22-23: As if Good Riddance understood the concept of thinking. Give to me that break.
Comment by V the K — July 28, 2008 @ 11:13 am - July 28, 2008