War in Iraq and Nuclear Test in North Korea

(In Feb., 2009, U.S. President Obama said that most U.S. forces would be withdrawn from Iraq by Aug., 2010.) The agreements were seen as strengthening Prime Minister Maliki and further undermining Moktada al-Sadr, and in the Jan., 2009, provincial elections, Maliki's coalition emerged as the strongest political grouping. In June, Iraqi forces assumed responsibility for security in urban areas; the process had begun in January.("Iraq")

Work Cited
"Iraq." The Columbia Encyclopedia. 6th ed. 2009.

Obama said that, in response to the nuclear test, the United States and its four partners in the regional talks - China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea - "have all come to the same conclusion: North Korea will not find security and respect through threats and illegal weapons."


Moscow and Beijing issued their own condemnatory statements immediately after the test. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said May 26 that China "resolutely opposed" the test and that, in carrying it out, North Korea had "ignored [the] universal opposition of the international community."(Crail)

WorkCited
Crail, Peter. "N. Korean Nuclear Test Prompts Global Rebuke." Arms Control Today June 2009: 27+.

International Relations and National Defense

"President Barack Obama said that the new missile defense architecture in Europe "will provide stronger, smarter, and swifter defenses of American forces and America's allies" than the Bush-era plan. 

...According to Obama, it was the unanimous recommendation of Gates and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Their recommendation was driven in part by a new analysis of the threat posed by Iranian missile capabilities. 

...The intelligence community now assesses that the threat from Iran's short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, such as the Shahab-3, is developing more rapidly than previously projected," Gates said at a Sept. 17 press conference. At the same time, Gates said, "the threat of potential Iranian intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities has been slower to develop than was estimated in 2006." 

... "n his statement, Obama denied that the previous plan had been aimed at Russia but welcomed Russian cooperation in the new missile defense architecture." (Harvey)

Works Cited

Harvey, Cole. "Obama Shifts Gears on Missile Defense." Arms Control Today Oct. 2009: 19+. 

Patriotism, Terrorism and Taxes

Barack Obama said that he no longer wears a flag pin because it has become a substitute for "true patriotism." He added, "Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism." ("Barack Obama Said That" 6)


Barack Obama said that America must be willing to attack al-Qaeda targets in Pakistan with or without the permission of the Pakistani government. He told a press conference, "If we have actionable intelligence about high- value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will." (Babbin 6)


Obama said that "McCain wants to give the average Fortune 500 CEO a $700,000 tax cut but absolutely nothing at all to over 100 million Americans." In the back-and-forth between McCain and Obama on tax policy, McCain has repeatedly referred to "Joe the Plumber": Joe Wurzelbacher, the Ohio plumber who elicited Obama's comment that "when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody." ("McCain & Obama's Ongoing" 7)

Works Cited

Babbin, Jed. "Pakistan-based Terrorists Must Be Rooted out." Human Events 8 Dec. 2008: 6. 

"Barack Obama Said That He No Longer Wears a Flag Pin Because It Has Become a Substitute for "True Patriotism."." National Review 5 Nov. 2007: 6.

"McCain & Obama's Ongoing Debate on Taxes Ignores Inflation Tax." The New American10 Nov. 2008: 7.

Ending War in Iraq

MLA Citation
Obama said that he wanted to get the United States "out of Iraq so that we can refocus our attention on building the networks and alliances that are required to reduce terrorism around the world."177 Like Richardson, Obama also pointed to the situation in Iraq as a reason why he wanted "to elevate diplomacy, so that it is part of our arsenal to serve the American people's interests and to keep us safe." (Bostdorff)


MLA Bibliography/Work Cited

Works Cited

Bostdorff, Denise M. "Judgment, Experience, and Leadership: Candidate Debates on the Iraq War in the 2008 Presidential Primaries." Rhetoric & Public Affairs 12.2 (2009): 223+.

APA Citation:
Obama said that he wanted to get the United States "out of Iraq so that we can refocus our attention on building the networks and alliances that are required to reduce terrorism around the world."177 Like Richardson, Obama also pointed to the situation in Iraq as a reason why he wanted "to elevate diplomacy, so that it is part of our arsenal to serve the American people's interests and to keep us safe." (Bostdorff, 2009)


APA Bibliography/References

References

Bostdorff, D. M. (2009). Judgment, Experience, and Leadership: Candidate Debates on the Iraq War in the 2008 Presidential Primaries. Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 12(2), 223+. 

Obama said that he wanted to get the United States "out of Iraq so that we can refocus our attention on building the networks and alliances that are required to reduce terrorism around the world."177 Like Richardson, Obama also pointed to the situation in Iraq as a reason why he wanted "to elevate diplomacy, so that it is part of our arsenal to serve the American people's interests and to keep us safe." ¹

1. Denise M. Bostdorff, "Judgment, Experience, and Leadership: Candidate Debates on the Iraq War in the 2008 Presidential Primaries," Rhetoric & Public Affairs 12, no. 2 (2009).