Dear Bob,
Five
years ago today, President George W. Bush launched a war that should never have
been authorized based on faulty premises and bad intelligence.
This war has now lasted longer than World War I, World War II, or the Civil
War.
Nearly four thousand Americans have given their lives. Thousands more have
been wounded. Even under the best-case scenarios, this war will cost American
taxpayers well over a trillion dollars.
And where are we for all of this sacrifice?
We are less safe and less able to shape events abroad. We are divided at
home, and our alliances around the world have been strained. The threats of a
new century have roiled the waters of peace and stability, and yet America
remains anchored in Iraq.
I am running for President because it's time to turn the page on a failed
ideology and a fundamentally flawed political strategy, so that we can make
pragmatic judgments to keep our country safe.
That's what I did when I stood up and opposed this war from the start and
said that we needed to finish the fight against al Qaeda. And that's what I'll
do as President of the United States.
Please take a few minutes to read my strategy for ending the war in Iraq and
making America safer. I hope you will sign on and show your support:
http://my.barackobama.com/fiveyearslater
Senator Clinton says that she and Senator McCain have passed a
"Commander-in-Chief test" -- not because of the judgments they've made, but
because of the years they've spent in Washington.
She made a similar argument when she said her vote for war was based on her
experience at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue.
But here is the stark reality: there is a security gap in this
country -- a gap between the rhetoric of those who claim to be tough on national
security, and the reality of growing insecurity caused by their decisions.
It is time to have a debate with Senator McCain about the future of our
national security. And the way to win that debate and keep America safe is to
offer a clear contrast -- a clean break from the failed policies and politics of
the past.
Nowhere is that break more badly needed than in Iraq.
Join me in supporting an end to this war and a plan for a safer America:
http://my.barackobama.com/fiveyearslater
The judgment that matters most on Iraq -- and on any decision to deploy
military force -- is the judgment made first.
If you believe we are fighting the right war, then the problems we face are
purely tactical in nature. That is what Senator McCain wants to discuss --
tactics. What he and the Administration have failed to present is an overarching
strategy: how the war in Iraq enhances our long-term security, or will in the
future.
That's why this Administration cannot answer the simple question posed by
Senator John Warner in hearings last year: Are we safer because of this war? And
that is why Senator McCain can argue -- as he did last year -- that we couldn't
leave Iraq because violence was up, and then argue this year that we can't leave
Iraq because violence is down.
When you have no overarching strategy, there is no clear definition
of success.
Success comes to be defined as the ability to maintain a flawed policy
indefinitely. Here is the truth: fighting a war without end will not force the
Iraqis to take responsibility for their own future. And fighting in a war
without end will not make the American people safer.
When I am Commander-in-Chief, I will set a new goal on Day One: I will end
this war. Not because politics compels it. Not because our troops cannot bear
the burden -- as heavy as it is. But because it is the right thing to do for our
national security, and it will ultimately make us safer.
Show your support for a clear strategy to end the war in Iraq and focus our
national security efforts on making America safer:
http://my.barackobama.com/fiveyearslater
Here are the core elements of my strategy to address our critical national
security challenges in the 21st century:
- End the war in Iraq, removing our troops at a pace of 1 to 2 combat
brigades per month; - Finally finish the fight against the Taliban, root out al Qaeda and invest
in the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan, while making aid to the Pakistani
government conditional; - Act aggressively to stop nuclear proliferation and to secure all loose
nuclear materials around the world; - Double our foreign assistance to cut extreme poverty in half;
- Invest in a clean energy future to wean the U.S. off of foreign oil and to
lead the world against the threat of global climate change; - Rebuild our military capability by increasing the number of soldiers,
marines, and special forces troops, and insist on adequate training and time
off between deployments; - Renew American diplomacy by talking to our adversaries as well as our
friends; increasing the size of the Foreign Service and the Peace Corps; and
creating an America's Voice Corps.
Please take a minute to show your support for this plan:
http://my.barackobama.com/fiveyearslater
We are at a defining moment in our history.
This must be the election when America comes together behind a common purpose
on behalf of our security and our values.
That is what we do as Americans. It's how we founded a republic based on
freedom, and faced down fascism. It's how we defended democracy through a Cold
War, and shined a light of hope bright enough to be seen in the darkest corners
of the world.
When America leads with principle and pragmatism, hope can triumph over fear.
It is time, once again, for America to lead.
Thank you,
Barack Obama
This reply was a response to my publish letter yesterday of which I emailed
to Obama's office.
I expect this is a general reply he sends out to everyone that make contact,
however the reply makes very interesting reading it clarifies his manifesto of
which looks pretty good to me. I hope this letter will create good political
debate.
