In a major policy speech today on the Iraq war and National Security, "A New Strategy for a New World," Obama called the Iraq war a 'dangerous distraction.'
"This war distracts us from every threat that we face and so many opportunities we could seize. This war diminishes our security, our standing in the world, our military, our economy, and the resources that we need to confront the challenges of the 21st century," Obama stated.
Obama noted that he opposed the war in Iraq from the beginning and warned that it "would fan the flames of extremism."
"I opposed going to war in Iraq; Senator McCain was one of Washington's biggest supporters for war. I warned that the invasion of a country posing no imminent threat would fan the flames of extremism, and distract us from the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban; Senator McCain claimed that we would be greeted as liberators, and that democracy would spread across the Middle East. Those were the judgments we made on the most important strategic question since the end of the Cold War," Obama said.
Obama vowed that on his first day in office as President, he would give the military a new mission: Ending the war in Iraq.
Obama's strategy for National Security is premised on five goals:
1. Ending the war in Iraq responsibly 2.Finishing the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban
3. Securing all nuclear weapons and materials from terrorists and rogue states
4.Achieving true energy security
5. Rebuilding our alliances to meet the challenges of the 21st century.
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