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Just This Week, Barack Obama Told ABC That Even With The Success Of The Surge, He Would Not Have Supported It:
Obama Told ABC's Terry Moran That, Despite The Progress That Has Occurred In Iraq, He Would Not Have Supported The Surge. Moran: "'[T]he surge of U.S. troops, combined with ordinary Iraqis' rejection of both al Qaeda and Shiite extremists have transformed the country. Attacks are down more than 80% nationwide. U.S. combat casualties have plummeted, five this month so far, compared with 78 last July, and Baghdad has a pulse again.' If you had to do it over again, knowing what you know now, would you -- would you support the surge?" Obama: "No, because -- keep in mind that --" Moran: "You wouldn't?" Obama: "Well, no, keep -- these kinds of hypotheticals are very difficult. Hindsight is 20/20. I think what I am absolutely convinced of is that at that time, we had to change the political debate, because the view of the Bush administration at that time was one that I just disagreed with." Moran: "And so, when pressed, Barack Obama say s he still would have opposed the surge." (ABC's "World News With Charles Gibson," 7/21/08)
BARACK OBAMA ON THE SURGE
In January 2007, Barack Obama Opposed The Surge:
Barack Obama Said The Surge Would Actually Worsen Sectarian Violence In Iraq. Obama: "I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do the reverse. I think it takes pressure off the Iraqis to arrive at the sort of political accommodation that every observer believes is the ultimate solution to the problems we face there. So I am going to actively oppose the president's proposal." (MSNBC's "Response To The President's Speech On Iraq," 1/10/07)
In July 2007, Barack Obama Said The Surge Had Not Worked:
Obama Said The Surge Had Not Worked In Iraq. Obama: "My assessment is that the surge has not worked and we will not see a different report eight weeks from now." (NBC's "The Today Show," 7/18/07)
In November 2007, Barack Obama Said The Surge Strategy Was Not Working And That America Was "Actually Worsening" The Situation In Iraq:
Barack Obama Said The Surge Has Not Worked, And Had Potentially Worsened The Situation In Iraq. Obama: "Finally, in 2006-2007, we started to see that, even after an election, George Bush continued to want to pursue a course that didn't withdraw troops from Iraq but actually doubled them and initiated the surge and at that stage I said very clearly, not only have we not seen improvements, but we're actually worsening, potentially, a situation there." (NBC's "Meet The Press," 11/11/07)
ABC ON THE SURGE
In July 2007, ABC's Charles Gibson Reported On Progress In Iraq:
ABC's Charles Gibson: "A bit of a surprise today on Iraq. Two long and persistent critics of the Bush administration's handling of the war today wrote a column in the 'New York Times' saying that after a recent eight-day visit to Iraq, they find significant changes taking place. Military analysts Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack wrote, 'We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms.' They added, 'We were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce, not necessarily victory, but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with.'" (ABC's "World News With Charles Gibson," 7/30/07)
In October 2007, ABC Reported That Casualties Had Decreased Dramatically:
ABC's Jonathan Karl: "This is Jonathan Karl at the Pentagon, where military officials say the lower US death toll has caught them by a surprise. They had been expecting an increase in attacks tied to General Petraeus's report to Congress and the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Instead, US casualties were at their lowest level in over a year. One reason, officials say, a dramatic drop in attacks linked to al Qaeda in Iraq. The military announced last week that this air strike killed top al Qaeda leader Abu Usama al-Tunisi. At the location, officials say they uncovered a note from Tunisi saying, 'I have been surrounded. We are so desperate for your help.'" (ABC's "World News With Charles Gibson," 10/1/07)
ABC's Charles Gibson: "We began this broadcast a few days ago talking about the sharp drop in US and Iraqi casualties last month. And this month looks even better. General David Petraeus says attacks in October so far are at an 18-month low. Even better, he can now travel safely to some areas that might have been problematic just as early as this summer." (ABC's "World News With Gibson," 10/11/07)
In November 2007, ABC News Reported That Violence In Iraq Was "Down Considerably":
ABC's Jonathan Karl: "Charlie, nobody over here is anywhere near ready to declare victory, but the military statistics tell an unmistakable story. Violence in Iraq is down and down considerably. Baghdad's marketplaces are slowly coming back to life as violent attacks in Iraq have fallen to less than half of what they were a year ago." (ABC's "World News With Charles Gibson," 11/1/07)
In December 2007, ABC News Reported On The Success Of The Surge:
ABC's John Hendren: "As 2008 dawns, General Petraeus is taking stock, eager to showcase what he describes as the fruits of the American troop surge. Topping the list is a 60% drop in violence over the past six months with roadside bomb attacks falling 68%. The drone of daily killings in Iraq would be shocking anywhere else. But here, the sense of growing normalcy is striking and it is reflected in the voices of Iraqis who, in city after city, told us they felt safer." (ABC's "World News With Charles Gibson," 12/31/07)
