Criticism from U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe echoed by Republicans
CHRIS CASTEEL, Washington Bureau
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Published: June 5, 2009
WASHINGTON — Sen. Jim Inhofe criticized President Barack Obama’s speech Thursday in Cairo, saying it was "un-American” for him to give an address on foreign soil that referred to the war in Iraq as "a war of choice” and that didn’t criticize Iran for pursuing a nuclear program.
Inhofe, R-Tulsa, said the president also suggested in his speech that torture was conducted at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "There has never been a documented case of torture at Guantanamo,” said Inhofe, who has been harshly critical of Obama’s intent to close the prison. "I just don’t know whose side he’s on.” Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, didn’t call Obama un-American, but he echoed Inhofe’s theme, saying Obama "was wrong to implicitly and explicitly criticize our military and intelligence efforts while on foreign soil.” "It was wrong of him to imply that torture was a policy of the United States,” Cole said. "It was a mistake to trumpet his misguided decision to shut down Guantanamo Bay. Finally, he ought to recognize that the democracy that is taking shape in Iraq would have been impossible without the removal of Saddam Hussein and without the force of American arms.” Cole said parts of Obama’s speech "will be very helpful in fostering mutual understanding,” but that the president should have built on former President George W. Bush’s "freedom agenda, as opposed to glossing over the defects of authoritarian regimes.” Rep. Mary Fallin, R-Oklahoma City, said Obama "needs to take a stronger stance against regimes, which threaten international peace, sponsor terrorism, brutalize their own citizens and threaten the existence of other nations with the pursuit of weapons of mass destruction.” Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, said, "When the United States promotes peace around the world, it ensures our own security — militarily, culturally and economically. "We should not, however, support any actions or offer any aid to those countries, which directly or indirectly support groups that promote the destruction of our way of life. The president has offered the Muslim world an open hand, but we must keep in mind that there are those few who would use his offer against him.”
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Senator Inhofe,
This is my first contact with you or your office, ever, and probably the last, but I had to respond to your comments following President Obama's speech from Cairo.
No torture at gitmo? No war of choice? Obama is un-American? What were you thinking? What ARE you thinking? Are you thinking?
I'm embarrassed for you. I'm embarrassed to be from the same state as you. The confidence you have that you can be reelected regardless of sparse expressed instances of sanity is shocking.
That Oklahoma is the second reddest of all states does NOT mean that you are the only republican interested in a senate seat or that the democrats don't have anyone capable of winning a statewide election.
Again and finally, Oklahoma is viewed the way it is for a reason. Don't perpetuate the misconception that Oklahomans are all Baptist, redneck, beer drinking, NASCAR fans incapable of understanding science, unable to separate church and state and unable to read and comprehend the news well enough to know that both our senators get their talking points from Rush Limbaugh. As such you are a waste of space.
Thank you for your time and attention,
He leaves a wife and a 2 year old.
What a waste...what did we accomplish with a dumb war ?
LOL GOP for the future !
Inhofe is a radical nut and a danger to our country.
Exercise your right to tell HIM how you feel. Commenting on the news boards are just fine and dandy, but get us nowhere, except frustrated. Writing to him will most likely go nowhere either, but at least he knows how you feel. I challenge each and everyone of you to drop him a note.
I can tell whose side Obama's on, and it ain't crazy people like Jim Inhofe. Is it any wonder the Republican party is shrinking to a small regional party when this is the kind of leadership it has?
Zachary, that is why it was a "war of choice". I don't know but I think the main problem is that President Bush and his administration lied about the reason for the war. If they would have said it was to get rid of terrorist bases, I think people would have understood.
I do think what Obama said was Un-American. What he said was borderline treason! He basically did exactly what Neville Chamberlain did to Hitler and the Nazis. Iraq was not a war of choice, Sadaam had used WMDs in the past and just moved them or destroyed them before we could find them. Our troops found the "ingredients" to create them (e.g. chemical agents). Also, we killed a lot of key terrorists in Iraq. Did we need a regime change? Debatable. But we weren't going to get rid of the terrorists without removing Sadaam who openly supported Al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. Our Senate voted for the war resolution and has yet to offer an act to end the war. Obama didn't vote for the war because he wasn't even qualified to! I can't believe this communist is our president. I wonder if he will apologize to China for our excessive spending.