Speeches at 2008 Democratic National Convention: on War & Peace


Barack Obama: McCain says he’d follow Laden to hell; but not to his cave?

If McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament & judgment to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that’s a debate I’m ready to have. While McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing it would distract us from the real threats we face. I argued for more resources & troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden & his lieutenants. McCain likes to say he’ll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell--but he won’t even go to the cave where he lives. As my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government & even Bush, even Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we’re wallowing in deficits, McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war. That’s not the judgment we need. That won’t keep America safe. We need a President who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping the past.
Source: Speech at 2008 Democratic National Convention Aug 27, 2008

Barack Obama: You don’t defeat a terrorist network by occupying Iraq

You don’t defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. You don’t protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can’t truly stand up for Georgia when you’ve strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice--but it is not the change we need.
Source: Speech at 2008 Democratic National Convention Aug 27, 2008

Barack Obama: I will only send our troops into harm’s way when necessary

As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm’s way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home. I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.
Source: Speech at 2008 Democratic National Convention Aug 27, 2008

Joe Biden: Al-Qaeda & the Taliban have regrouped due to Bush’s neglect

Al-Qaeda and the Taliban- the people who have actually attacked us on 9/11, they’ve regrouped in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan and are plotting new attacks. And the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has echoed Barack’s call for more troops and McCain was wrong and Obama was right. Should we trust John McCain’s judgment? When he rejected talking with Iran and asked what is there to talk about? Or Barack Obama who said we must talk and must make clear to Iran that it must change.
Source: Speech at 2008 Democratic National Convention Aug 27, 2008

  • The above quotations are from Speeches at Democratic National Convention, Aug. 26th-Aug. 28th, 2008.
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