REMEMBER WHEN, OBAMA-BIDEN ’08 USED TO SAY…
Obama Campaign Officials Intend To Use Biden’s National Security Speech At NYU To “Draw The Sharpest Contrast Yet Between The Administration’s Record On Foreign Policy And Governor Mitt Romney’s Foreign Policy Positions,” But What About Their Own Campaign Promises?
ON IRAN
Obama Didn’t Think Iran Was A Threat
In May 2008, Obama Called Iran A “Tiny” Country That Doesn’t “Pose A Serious Threat To Us.” OBAMA: “Strong countries and strong Presidents talk to their adversaries. That’s what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That’s what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That’s what Nixon did with Mao. I mean think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela – these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying we’re going to wipe you off the planet. And ultimately that direct engagement led to a series of measures that helped prevent nuclear war, and over time allowed the kind of opening that brought down the Berlin Wall. Now, that has to be the kind of approach that we take. You know, Iran, they spend one-one hundredth of what we spend on the military. If Iran ever tried to pose a serious threat to us, they wouldn’t stand a chance. And we should use that position of strength that we have to be bold enough to go ahead and listen. That doesn’t mean we agree with them on everything. We might not compromise on any issues, but at least we should find out other areas of potential common interest, and we can reduce some of the tensions that has caused us so many problems around the world.” (Senator Barack Obama, Remarks, Pendelton, OR, 5/18/08)
ON RUSSIA
As Candidates, Both Obama And Biden Called Putin A Threat
Obama In 2005: “I Believe The Most Important Threat To the Security Of The United States Continues To Lie Within The Border Of The Former Soviet Union.” “Throughout the last half of the 20th century, one nation more than any other on the face of the Earth, defined and shaped the threats posed to the United States. This nation, of course, was the Soviet Union and its successor state, Russia. While many have turned their attention to China or other parts of the world, I believe the most important threat to the security of the United States continues to lie within the borders of the former Soviet Union in the form of stockpiles of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons and materials.” (Senator Barack Obama, Congressional Record, 5/25/05, p. S5862)
- Obama: “The Threat Is Still Extremely Dangerous And Extremely Real.” “The situation in Russia and the rest of the former Soviet Union is drastically different than it was in 1991 or even 1996 or 2001. But, the threat is still extremely dangerous and extremely real.” (Senator Barack Obama, Congressional Record, 5/25/05, p. S5863)
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