 |
|
Obama attacks Bush over appeasement remarks
|
May 16, 2008, 21:00
Democrat Barack Obama accused President George W. Bush today of "fear-mongering" for suggesting democrats wanted to appease terrorists and vowed to meet leaders of hostile nations like Iran if elected.
Obama, relishing a long-distance debate with Bush on foreign policy, said the president had contributed to Tehran's rise in the Middle East by launching the Iraq war, which he said had removed Baghdad as a counterweight to Iran.
The Illinois senator said republican presidential nominee John McCain was as much to blame as Bush for what he termed a failure of US policy in the Middle East. "They're trying to fool you, and trying to scare you, and they're not telling the truth. The reason is because they cannot win a foreign policy debate on the merits. But, it's not going to work," said Obama, the democratic front-runner vying to face McCain in the November presidential election.
Speaking to reporters after a speech, Obama said if elected president he would meet, with preparation but without preconditions, leaders Bush has avoided Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, North Korea's Kim Jong-il and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Obama warns of false comfort of appeasement
Bush triggered Democratic outrage yesterday by saying in a speech in Israel that some politicians would pursue the "false comfort of appeasement" by negotiating with militant groups like the Palestinian Hamas and Hezbollah organizations and Iran.
Obama said Bush and McCain were guilty of "bombast, exaggerations and fear-mongering."
The White House said it was baffled at the heat of the Democratic response, saying Bush had been making similar statements for years.
The McCain campaign derided Obama for what it called "the same tired partisan rants." – Reuters
|
|
