Obama's SILENCE is dangerous

FROM NATIONAL COMMITTEEMAN BRUCE ASH

SILENCE IS DANGEROUS
Obama Speechless On National Security As Violence Surges In Afghanistan And Iraq
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TODAY'S POLITICO: "He may be presiding over two wars and facing a terror threat at home and abroad, but you'd hardly know it from listening to President Barack Obama speak." (Zachary Abrahamson and Eamon Javers, "Obama's Words Downplay Wars," Politico, 8/13/09)

EVEN WITH INCREASED VIOLENCE IN IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, OBAMA AT LOSS FOR WORDS

With Thousands Of "Troops In The Field," President Obama "Sounds More Like A Peacetime President Than A Commander-In-Chief." "Obama has uttered more than a half-million words in public since taking office Jan. 20 - and a POLITICO analysis of nearly every word in this vast public record shows that domestic topics dominate, so much so that Obama sounds more like a peacetime president than a commander-in-chief with more than 100,000 troops in the field." (Zachary Abrahamson and Eamon Javers, "Obama's Words Downplay Wars," Politico, 8/13/09)

Iraq Experiences Worst Surge In Violence Since June 30 Pullout. "A string of bombings in northern Iraq and Baghdad that has killed at least 112 people in the last several days, including 60 on Monday, has raised fears that insurgent groups are embarking on a sustained attempt to kindle ethnic and sectarian warfare ... The toll since Friday represents the worst surge of violence since U.S. troops handed over security in urban areas to Iraqi security forces on June 30." (Liz Sly, "Iraq Attacks Raise Fears Of Renewed Ethnic Tensions," The Los Angeles Times, 8/11/09)

July Deadliest Month For U.S. Forces In Afghanistan. "The deaths brought to 42 the number of Americans killed in Afghanistan in July -- the bloodiest month for U.S. and international forces during the eight-year Afghan war." ("U.S. Servicemember Killed In Afghanistan; July Toll At 42," The Associated Press, 7/31/09)

Civilian Death Toll In Afghanistan Up 24%. "The report by the U.N. assistance mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, says the total death toll reached 1,013 killed civilians in the first half of 2009 -- 24% higher than in the same period in 2008, and 48% higher than in 2007." ("U.S. Servicemember Killed In Afghanistan; July Toll At 42," The Associated Press, 7/31/09)

WHITE HOUSE PORTRAYS BATTLE WITH TERRORISTS AS ANYTHING BUT WAR

Obama's Top Counterterrorism Adviser, John Brennan: "The President Does Not Describe This As A 'War On Terrorism.'" (John Brennan, Remarks To Center For Strategic And International Studies, Washington, DC, 8/6/09)

Obama Minimizes Terrorism As "Incitement." "I've said very clearly to the Israelis both privately and publicly that a freeze on settlements, including natural growth, is part of those obligations. I've said to the Palestinians that their continued progress on security and ending the incitement that, I think, understandably makes the Israelis so concerned, that that has to be -- those obligations have to be met." (Transcript: Obama's Full Interview With NPR," NPR, 6/1/09)

Obama's Homeland Security Secretary Calls Terrorism "'Man-Caused' Disasters." "In my speech, although I did not use the word 'terrorism,' I referred to 'man-caused' disasters. That is perhaps only a nuance ..." ("Interview With Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano," Der Spiegel, 3/16/09)

White House Budget Office Asked Pentagon To Re-Phrase "Global War On Terror" As "Overseas Contingency Operation." "In a memo e-mailed this week to Pentagon staff members, the Defense Department's office of security review noted that 'this administration prefers to avoid using the term 'Long War' or 'Global War on Terror' [GWOT.] Please use 'Overseas Contingency Operation...' The memo said the direction came from the Office of Management and Budget..." (Scott Wilson and Al Kamen, "'Global War On Terror' Is Given New Name," The Washington Post, 3/25/09)

A Product Of The RNC Research Department