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Posted: August 2, 2007 5:43 PM
Obama Lays Out Five-Step Counterterrorism Plan
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On the heels of last week’s dustup with Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., over talking with dictators, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., Wednesday tried to further define his foreign policy. In a speech at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., Obama outlined his five-step plan for countering terrorism.

Obama said his first step is “getting off the wrong battlefield in Iraq, and taking the fight to the terrorists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.” He said if U.S. troops are still in Iraq when he takes office, bringing them home will be his first priority. But he made clear that he does not oppose all troop deployments, calling for at least two more brigades to be sent to Afghanistan. He also pledged to give Afghanistan an additional $1 billion in non-military aid.

Perhaps most controversial, Obama announced that he would use military force in the tribal region of Pakistan if President Pervez Musharraf failed to hunt down terrorists himself.

“There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again,” Obama said. “If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.”

Obama also reiterated his belief in diplomacy with foreign leaders.

“It’s time to turn the page on Washington’s conventional wisdom that agreement must be reached before you meet, that talking to other countries is some kind of reward, and that presidents can only meet with people who will tell them what they want to hear,” he said. “Only by knowing your adversary can you defeat them or drive wedges between them.”

The senator did add that that he would “do the careful preparation needed.”

Among his other proposals were improved sharing of intelligence between nations, a renewed effort to stop the smuggling of nuclear weapons, closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center in Cuba and restoration of habeas corpus rights to detainees, and improved homeland security. He also announced he would end the current administration’s warrantless wiretapping programs.

Several other presidential candidates were quick to respond to Obama’s speech. Democratic Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware issued a press release accusing Obama of being a “Johnny-come-lately” for proposing many of Biden’s own ideas. Fellow Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., also criticized Obama, saying “it is dangerous and irresponsible to leave even the impression the United States would needlessly and publicly provoke a nuclear power. On the Republican side, Arizona Sen. John McCain called Obama’s proposals “simplistic.”

For her part, Clinton declined to revive last week’s heated exchange with Obama. She said in an interview with American Urban Radio News that she, too, would be willing to use force to root out terrorists in Pakistan. “If we had actionable intelligence that Osama bin Laden or other high-value targets were in Pakistan, I would ensure that they were targeted and killed or captured.”

On Thursday, Obama kept the focus on foreign policy in an interview with the Associated Press. When asked if he would ever consider using nuclear weapons, he said that option was “not on the table.”

In other campaign news, Obama released a new television ad in Iowa this week. Called “Take It Back,” the ad focuses on Obama’s refusal to accept donations from political action committees and lobbyists. View the ad here:

That ad played into another theme of the week for Obama: ethics and lobbying reform. In a speech Monday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Obama pledged to end no-bid contacts as president and prohibit former members of his administration from lobbying the White House while he is in office.

Meanwhile, Obama’s wife Michelle took center stage this week, giving her first major policy address Thursday morning at the Iowa State Education Association Conference. Her communications director, Katie McCormick Lelyveld, said Obama talked about her own educational experience and the importance of public schools. She also announced the formation of an Iowa educators working group. She planned to attend an African-American for Obama event in Des Moines in the afternoon.

Coming up, on Saturday the senator is scheduled to attend the YearlyKos convention in Chicago, followed by the Southern Christian Leadership Council Women’s Awards Dinner and Celebration in Atlanta. On Sunday, he is expected to travel from Atlanta to Park City, Utah, and then to Elko, Nev., for a town hall meeting on rural issues. He plans to participate in the AFL-CIO’s presidential forum in Chicago on Tuesday.