Obama Claims To Be A Leader On Iraq But Waited 11 Months Before Even Talking About Iraq Once He Entered The Senate:
Obama: "I think it is important to lead. And I think John [Edwards], the fact is I've opposed this war from the start. So you're about four-and-a-half years late on leadership on this issue. And I think it's important not to play politics on something that is as critical and as difficult as this." (Sen. Barack Obama, CNN/WMUR/Union-Leader Democrat Presidential Candidates Debate, Manchester, NH, 6/3/07)
Obama Waited 11 Months Before Giving A Major Speech On Iraq. "Though Mr. Obama is framing his candidacy to appeal to Democrats who have long opposed the war, until recently he was not among his party's most outspoken voices against it. He campaigned strongly against the war in his bid for the Senate in 2004, but when he arrived in Washington he waited 11 months to deliver a major speech on Iraq." (Jeff Zeleny, "As Candidate, Obama Carves Antiwar Stance," The New York Times, 2/26/07)
- Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joe Biden (D-DE) On Obama's Iraq Rhetoric: "I Don't Recall Hearing A Word From Barack About A Plan Or A Tactic." (Jason Horowitz, "Biden Unbound: Lays Into Clinton, Obama, Edwards," The New York Observer, 2/25/07)
