Obama Flip Flops on Afghanistan and Iraq

Patrick Bell of the Washington State Republican Party sent along this exhaustive fact check of Rep. Adam Smith's (D-WA) statements about Obama's views on Afghanistan and Iraq from last Wednesday's Hannity & Colmes.

FACT CHECK: REP. ADAM SMITH ON HANNITY & COLMES

SMITH, OBAMA AND AFGHANISTAN

Obama Surrogate Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) Claimed Obama Has Been To Many Hearings And Spoken To Many Commanders To Form His Views On Iraq And Afghanistan:

Smith Claimed Obama Had “Been To Many, Many Hearings” On Iraq And Afghanistan, And “Has Talked To Many Generals, To Many Of Our Troops About The Position There.” Smith: “Senator Obama has taken the position on Iraq and Afghanistan. He has been to many, many hearings on both issues. He has talked to many generals, to many of our troops about the position there. The idea that someone would run for president without having thought seriously, listened, and learned on the issue is ridiculous. You can point to one aspect of it and say well, he didn't do that. He has articulated a clear position on Iraq, on Afghanistan based on his belief, and that belief is very straightforward. Afghanistan and Pakistan are the central front in the war. That is where we need to be concerned. We have taken our eye off the ball and placed too much emphasis on Iraq.” (Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes,” 7/23/08)

Obama Failed To Hold A Hearing As Chairman Of The U.S. Subcommittee Overseeing The NATO Mission In Afghanistan, And Missed 2 Of 3 Full Committee Policy Hearings On The U.S. Strategy In Afghanistan:

Obama Has Served As Chairman Of The Subcommittee On European Affairs From 2007 - 2008. (U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Website, www.senate.gov, Accessed 2/15/08)

The Subcommittee On European Affairs Has Jurisdiction Over The Countries Of Europe As Well As NATO Activities. “Jurisdiction: The subcommittee deals with all matters concerning U.S. relations with the countries on the continent of Europe ... and with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.” (U.S. Senate Committee On Foreign Relations Website, foreign. senate.gov, Accessed 2/27/08)

However, Obama Has Held Zero Hearings As Chairman Of The Subcommittee On European Affairs. “Doubts about Barack Obama’s presidential credentials have crystallized during the past two weeks over his stewardship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on European Affairs, which has convened no policy hearings since he took over as its chairman last January.” (Joe Conason, “Obama’s European Problem,” www.salon.com, 12/29/07)

Obama Could Have Held Hearings On The Role Of NATO In Afghanistan. “[A]mbassador John Ritch, who served for two decades as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s senior staffer on European affairs and East-West relations ... [P]oints out that as subcommittee chair, Obama could have examined a wide variety of urgent matters, from the role of NATO in Afghanistan and Iraq to European energy policy and European responses to climate change...” (Joe Conason, “Obama’s European Problem,” www.salon.com, 12/29/07)

In March, The Hill Reported Obama Missed Three Of Four Meetings On Afghanistan, Two Policy Hearings And A Nomination Hearing. “But since joining Foreign Relations, Obama has missed three meetings on a ‘new strategy’ in Afghanistan, a country he has never visited. Obama was absent from a January 31 meeting this year, and also was not present for a hearing on Sept. 21, 2006. He did attend a March 8, 2007 hearing on a new Afghanistan strategy. On Feb. 15, 2007, Obama also missed a committee hearing on U.S. ambassadors to Iraq and Afghanistan.” (Sam Youngman, “Obama Absent At Afghanistan Hearings,” The Hill, 3/1/08)

Obama’s Overseas Trip To Afghanistan Was His First Ever, After Skipping An Opportunity To Visit Afghanistan In 2006:

The Obama Campaign Pointed To His Trip To Iraq In Response To Criticism For Not Holding Any Oversight Hearings On Afghanistan.CNN’s Jessica Yellin: “Obama’s campaign points out the senator has visited Iraq...”(CNN’s “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” 2/27/08)

“Obama’s Second Trip Abroad As A U.S. Senator Starts In Qatar And, In Addition To Iraq, Will Include Stops In Kuwait,Jordan, Israel And The PalestinianTerritories, According To A Statement From His Washington Office.” (“Obama To Visit Middle East, Including Iraq,”The Associated Press, 1/4/06)

“[Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN)] Is Traveling With U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Sen. Christopher ‘Kit’ Bond, R-Mo., And Rep. Harold Ford, D-Tenn. Their Weeklong Trip Including A Stop In Israel For Meetings With Israeli And Palestinian Officials. Other Stops Included Kuwait, Qatar,Afghanistan And Pakistan.”(Rick Callahan, “Bayh: Next Six Months Crucial To Iraq’s Future,” The Associated Press, 1/7/06)

“After A Two-Day Iraq Tour, Obama Is To Travel To Jordan And Israel On His Own.” (Jeff Zeleny, “Obama Making 1st Visit To Iraq,” Chicago Tribune, 1/5/06)

Obama Voted Against Providing Funding For Operations In Afghanistan:

Obama Voted Against Providing $94.4 Billion In Critical Funding For The Troops In Iraq And Afghanistan. (H.R. 2206, CQ Vote #181: Passed 80-14: R 42-3; D 37-10; I 1-1, 5/24/07, Obama Voted Nay)

The Emergency Supplemental Provided The Following For U.S. Operations In Afghanistan:

$40 million for new power generation
$314 million for rural road rebuilding
$155 million for rural development
$19 million for agriculture
$174 million for Provincial Reconstruction Teams
$25 million for governance capacity building
$10 million for a Civilian Assistance Program
$79 million to support Diplomatic and Consular Programs
$16 million for Migration and Refugee Assistance
$16 million for International Disaster and Famine Assistance for Internally Displaced Persons Assistance
$47 million for International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement activities
(Stephen Daggett, Amy Belasco, Pat Towell, Susan B. Epstein, Connie Veillette, Curt Tarnoff, Rhoda Margesson, and Bart Elias, “FY2007 Supplemental Appropriations For Defense, Foreign Affairs, And Other Purposes,” Congressional Research Service, 7/2/07)

SMITH, OBAMA AND IRAQ

At A Hastily Arranged Press Conference, Obama Denied His Statement That He Would “Refine” His Policies Meant He Would Alter His 16 Month Timetable To Withdraw Troops. Question: “What did you mean when you said you might refine your Iraq policies? Does that mean no 16-month timetable?” Obama: “No that's not no, not refine the 16-month timetable, what I just referred to. For example, there's been a major debate in terms of how we should structure training for Iraqi military and police what kinds of troop presence will we need in order for that to occur. What kind of troop presences will we need in order for that to occur? What kind of troop presence do we need in order to provide a counterterrorism strike force in Iraq that assures that al Qaeda does not regain a foot hold there? Those are all issues that obviously need to be determined by facts on the ground.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Press Conference, 7/3/08)

Smith Claimed Obama Has Been Consistent In Calling For Withdrawal From Iraq:

Smith Claimed Obama Has Said “Clearly” That He Would Withdraw U.S. Troops, But Added “Now, Is That Going To Be 16 Months Or 18 Months Or 17 Months? He Supports Getting Us Out Of Iraq.” Fox News’ Sean Hannity: “He said 16 months. Then he said he'd listen to the generals. Then he said he'd refine his position, and then he went back.” Smith: “He's going to. He believes clearly.” Hannity: “And you say he never changed his position.” Smith: “He believes -- he believes clearly...” Hannity: “Clearly.” Smith: “... that we need to draw down our forces in Iraq. Now, is that going to be 16 months or 18 months or 17 months? He supports getting us out of Iraq. (Fox News’ “Hannity & Colmes,” 7/23/08)

But Obama Has Shifted Positions On The Pace Of His Withdrawal Plan And Whether He Would Listen To Commanders On The Ground:

In April, Obama Committed To Withdrawing Troops From Iraq In 16 Months, Agreeing It Was A “Rock-Hard Pledge” Regardless Of The Advice He Received From Commanders On The Ground. ABC’s Charles Gibson: “And, Senator Obama, your campaign manager, David Plouffe, said, ‘When he is’ -- this is talking about you – ‘When he is elected president, we will be out of Iraq in 16 months at the most. There should be no confusion about that.’ So you’d give the same rock-hard pledge, that no matter what the military commanders said, you would give the order to bring them home?” Obama: “Because the commander-in-chief sets the mission, Charlie. That’s not the role of the generals. And one of the things that’s been interesting about the president’s approach lately has been to say, ‘Well, I’m just taking cues from General Petraeus.’ Well, the president sets the mission. The general and our troops carry out that mission.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Democrat Presidential Candidate Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 4/16/08)

In July, Speaking To The Military Times, Obama Said He Would Withdraw Troops “At A Pace That Is Determined In Consultation With General Petraeus And The Other Commanders.” Obama: “If current trends continue and we’re in a position where we continue to see reductions in violence and stabilizations and continue to see some improvements on the part of the Iraqi army and Iraqi police, then you know my hope would be that we could draw down in a deliberate fashion in consultation with the Iraqi government, at a pace that is determined in consultation with General Petraeus and the other commanders on the ground and it strikes me that that’s something we can begin relatively soon after inauguration. If on the other hand you’ve got a deteriorating situation for some reason then that’s going to have to be taken into account.” (Sen. Barack Obama, Remarks To The Military Times Editorial Board, 7/2/08)

The Next Day, Obama Said He Would “Refine” His Iraq Policy Based On Conditions On The Ground. Obama: "I've always said that I would listen to commanders on the ground. I've always said that the p ace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed. And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies." (Sen. Barack Obama, Press Conference, 7/3/08)