WATERTOWN, South Dakota - Democratic front-runner Barack Obama says President George W. Bush made an “outrageous political attack” when he told the Israeli parliament that those who want to talk to Iran are similar to Nazi appeasers before the Second World War.
Although Bush never mentioned Obama by name, the Illinois senator, who has called for talks with Iran and other hostile governments, told supporters in South Dakota on Fridayit was an attack on him and other Democrats.
“The president did something that presidents don’t do,” he told a crowd of some 2,100 in South Dakota. “And that is launch a political attack targeted toward the domestic market in front of a foreign delegation.”
Bush’s comments, made in Jerusalem on Thursday during celebrations for Israel’s 60th anniversary, stirred up the campaign for the November election and drew sharp responses from Democrats, including New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.
Obama responded to Bush’s remarks on Thursday, but a spokeswoman said he decided to address them again because he felt they were outrageous since they were made while abroad.
She also said he wanted a forceful response to make sure Swift Boat-style attacks were not allowed to stand, a reference to the ad campaign that damaged Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 election.
The White House has expressed bafflement at the anger of the Democratic response, saying Bush had been making similar statements for years.
“On a day when we were supposed to be celebrating the anniversary of Israel’s independence, he accused me and other Democrats of wanting to negotiate with terrorists, and said we were ‘appeasers’ - no different from people who appeased Adolf Hitler,” Obama said.
“That’s exactly the kind of appalling attack that has divided our country, and that alienates us from the world.”
Obama went on to criticize presumptive Republican nominee John McCain for embracing Bush’s comments shortly after giving a speech about elevating civility in politics.
“So much for civility,” Obama said, adding he was ready to debate McCain and Bush over how to best protect the country.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Reuters/Larry Downing (Bush speaks to Israeli parliament)
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6 comments so far
Instead of having a serious debate on the issues Obama lashes out on Bush more than he lashed out on his minister.
- Posted by andyBush was only bringing up a view. Obama goes hysterical and accuses Bush of “slander”.
That is the most ridiculous behaviour of a Commander-in-Chief! How can a President launch an attack at his own country while he is in a foreign land celebrating someone else’s anniversary? That is tantamount to being a traitor of his own countrymen, is it not? Is he getting senile or drunk?
- Posted by Gordon Perry[...] immediately took umbrage and began firing back, questioning the President’s patriotism. “The president did something that presidents [...]
- Posted by Conservative Donnybrook » Blog Archive » Bush takes swipe at Carter, Obama takes offenseAnyone who really listens to the dead duck President must need their heads examined!
Bush is a total nobody to anyone with a brain!
- Posted by Keith M WarwickI wonder why all the fuss about Bush’s public remarks. We have known his inept capabilities in putting sensible words together at home or abroad. One more makes no difference to his repertoire…
- Posted by BIBAThe commenters here engaging in knee-jerk Bush bashing ought to take a look at the entirety and context of the President’s remarks before falling for the ego-centric Obama line (and Zogby’s based on the Reuters story today that used the “pollster’s” comments to create the impression that it was widely accepted that Bush’s comments were an “attack” on Obama.)
Those commenters are the ones who need to have their heads examined to see if there’s anything in there besides a tape machine that plays back Obama talking points.
And how is a talk on the dangers of appeasement, in a nation whose history is in many ways an outcome of European appeasement of Nazi expansionism, an “attack at his own country?” I’m sure that was worded that way simply to cover up the actual rhetorical attacks Obama and Mrs. Obama have lobbed at various sectors of the American population, usually whenever someone suggests to the Obama’s that the groups in question haven’t bought into the media promoted idea that all of America’s problems can be solved if we just elect a one-term Illinois senator with no real economic or foriegn policy experience President.
I can see why someone would get so flummoxed in the face of that reality.
- Posted by ME