Barack Obama on Iraq, Opposition from the Start

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhpKmQCCwB8

This video shows Barack Obama's stance on the war in Iraq. It shows speeches and/or interviews of him from 2002, 2004, and 2007. In all, it is clear that he is against the war. In 2002, before the war even happened, he was against it. He said, "What I do oppose is a dumb war." I agree with him in that I do not want a dumb war either, but I think he needs to make clearer what a "dumb war" is. Also, in his speech, he said he believed that rushing into war was a mistake. I agree with him on this because I feel that America went into war too quickly without thinking through all of the many consequences and dangers.

In 2004, Obama brought up more political issues. He said "I'm a hawk when it comes to defeating terrorism." This quote shows me that he is very much against terrorism and I entirely agree with him. If there was no terrorism, there would be much more peace in the world. Obama also mentioned that he is supportive of Afghanistan and would prevent September 11, 2001 from happening again. Again, I agree with him because so many lives were lost on that day and to have a president who makes his fellow Americans feel safe and secure in American would be great. On the other hand, he has never been put in the position to take charge when such a terrible attack was occurring. So, he may not do as good of a job as he think he would which could be a down fall.

Recently, in 2007, Obama gave a speech in which he said that he was not in favor of the war from the start. I never wanted war at any point in my life, so I can see where he is coming from. I think war is far too violent and horrifying. Another point Obama brought up in his speech was the fact that many Americans grieve for families who lost loved ones in the war. It is devastating to hear that a number of American troops died from the war. It is good that Obama shows sympathy towards these solders and their families.

Obama also said that he wanted to bring the American troops home from war. His plan was to bring them home by March of 2008. I support him in ending the war and bringing the troops home. However, March of 2008 has already passed so it is not possible to bring the troops home anymore. Still, he wants to return the troops from Iraq very soon which seems impossible because Iraq has too many problems and Americans need to be over there. In this way, Obama seems like he is being unreasonable. I completely agree with his stance on ending the war, but moving the military troops home in a short amount of months seems impractical.