Posted: 10/21/2008 7:54:22 PM EDT
I emailed Obama a while back when we were all emailing our Congressmen to look in to him violating the Logan Act. Unfortunately, Obama is one of my senators, but I got a kick out of emailing Senator Obama in regards to Senator Obama.  I finally got a response and thought some of you would be interested. Needless to say, it doesn't address my concern one bit.Dear bumpus: Thank you for contacting me about my recent overseas trip, which included a bi-partisan congressional delegation visit to the Middle East with Senators Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Jack Reed (D-RI). I appreciate your interest in the trip. First and foremost, we went to Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq to see the troops and to thank them for their extraordinary service. Our men and women in uniform are serving with courage and distinction, and throughout our visit, we thanked them and let them know that, back home, Americans are tremendously proud of them. Our visit to Afghanistan was important because it is the central front in the war on terror. Those who attacked us on September 11th reside in the tribal regions of Pakistan that are close to the border with Afghanistan, and they are getting stronger. While in Afghanistan, Senators Hagel and Reed and I talked to our military and diplomatic leadership, and to the leaders of Afghanistan. We discussed whether we have the right strategy and resources to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, and support lasting stability. The situation in Afghanistan requires a sense of urgency and determination. In Iraq, we consulted with our military leaders, embassy officials, and the Iraqi government about a way forward in Iraq that advances the interests of the United States, Iraq, and the entire region. Thanks to the extraordinary efforts of our armed forces, more effective Iraqi security forces, the decision by the Sunni Awakening to fight 'Al Qaeda in Iraq,' and the cease-fire by Shiite militia, violence in Iraq is down significantly. However, political progress, reconciliation and economic development continue to lag. There has been some forward movement, but not nearly enough to bring lasting stability to Iraq. Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told us that while the Iraqi people deeply appreciate the sacrifices of American soldiers, the Iraqis are ready to take more responsibility for their country and do not want an open-ended presence of U.S. combat forces. The Prime Minister said that now is the time to plan for the reorganization of our troops in Iraq, including their numbers and mission, and stated his hope that U.S. combat forces could be out of Iraq in 2010. We raised a number of other important issues with the Iraqi leadership. These included our deep concern about Iranian financial and material assistance to militia engaged in violent acts against American and Iraqi forces, the need to secure public support through our respective legislatures for any long-term security agreements our countries negotiate, the importance of doing more to help the more than 4 million Iraqis who are refugees or internally displaced persons, and the need to give our troops immunity from Iraqi prosecution so long as they are in Iraq. The visit to Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kuwait was authorized by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee. My trip also included privately-funded stops in Europe and in other countries in the Middle East. Thank you again for writing, and sharing your views. Please stay in touch with any further questions on this or other matters of concern. Sincerely, Barack Obama United States Senator P.S. Our system does not allow direct response to this email. However, if you would like to contact me again, please use the form on the website: http://obama.senate.gov/contact/ |