Yes, we can.

[Gemini Cricket]

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama on Thursday shrugged off the criticisms from the Republican convention, saying he's been called worse on the basketball court.
Republicans are going on the attack because they did not have any ideas or concrete plans to help improve the lives of ordinary Americans, Obama told reporters after touring a factory that makes hydro-energy equipment in York, Pennsylvania.
"They've spent the entire two nights attacking me or extolling John McCain's biography, which is fine," said Obama, who faces Republican John McCain in the November election.
"They can use their convention time any way they want, but you can't expect that I'd be surprised by attacks from Republicans," Obama said.

Source

Better than nothing, I guess....

[Morrigoon]

Heh, and threw in a little "relate to the working man" tidbit while he was at it. (eg: the b-ball reference)

[Strangler Lewis]

Originally Posted by Morrigoon

Heh, and threw in a little "relate to the working man" tidbit while he was at it. (eg: the b-ball reference)

I think that was for the yutes and maybe for the ladies. I don't think too many working men his age are running full court. Maybe George Clooney.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by ISM

scaeagles, have you drunk the kool-aid, or was that a legitimate error on your part? Because otherwise, it stinks of the same misleading crap Republicans love to spread like the manure it is.

The exact quote of Obama is this -

Originally Posted by Obama

Iran, Cuba, Venezuela? These countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don't pose any serious threat to us

Comparison is part. The other is clearly a statment that they don't post "any serious threat". I actually regard Iran as a larger threat. The Soviet Union didn't want to get nuked and they weren't state sponsors of terrorists, and were not inclined to give nukes to terrorists. So no koolaid. No misleading. It is what he said.

In fact, what he said was ridiculous enough that he has hed to try to emphasize a completely different point of view since then, stressing they are a "grave threat".

[innerSpaceman]

My apologies, then. Sincerely. Non-mousepad.

[Tom]

Scaegles, you left part of the quote out, and it still misrepresents what Obama said. Here is the full paragraph quote:

"Strong countries and strong presidents talk to their adversaries. That's what Kennedy did with Khruschev. That's what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That's what Nixon did with Mao. I mean, think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela - these countries are tiny compred to the Soviet Union. They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying we're going to wipe you off the planet."

The reference to Iran was entirely in comparison to the Soviet Union. You can disagree with what he said, but to say he does not view Iran as a serious threat based on that quote is factually incorrect.

[scaeagles]

I can see why you would read it that way, but he is still saying they are not a serious threat and saying that the Soviets were. I don't think he was equating the type of threat, but the level of threat. He's saying that the Soviets were a serious threat, but Iran is not.

Again, I believe Iran is more of a threat than the USSR was because they are a diffeent type of threat.

[Tom]

I disagree with your reading of the quote, but can see how you would come to it.

By the way, in looking back on my previous quote, I see that it came off as more accusatory than I meant it to be. I apologize for its tone.

[innerSpaceman]

No scaeagles, learn to read English. Jeebus.

"They don't pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us."

It's a comparative statement only and solely to the threat level of the Soviet Union during the Cold War, when the threat level was nuclear annihiliation of every human on earth.


Nowhere in that statement does Obama say Iran is not a threat, only that they are not the same level of threat that the Soviet Union WAS.



I'm really upset I apologized to you when you assured me you were not mischaracterizing Obama's statement. Either you're being obtuse about it, or you deliberately misled ME, which I'm not pleased about.

[scaeagles]

I don't think i'm obtuse, nor did I try to mislead. I will consider the apology withdrawn.

I read it as Obama saying that Iran is not a serious threat. It is obvious that they are not a threat in the same way the USSR was and that is really not necessary to say. However, in describing them as tiny, he is saying that the threat they pose is being overstated. As I said, I think they are more of a threat than the USSR was because they sponsor terrorists. He is ignoring that completely and equating size with threat level, which I think is not wise. He also says clearly that they are not a serious threat, saying the the Soviets were. Their nuclear program is a serious threat primarily because of sponsorship of terrorism.

I was not intending to mislead or misquote.

I think his change of opinion on it shows how he realizes what he had said before was unwise. Now it is all about how Iran is a grave threat and how he will eliminate the threat that they pose, and how their nuclear program is uinacceptable. This is a complete change from them not being a serious threat.