Obama hits back on foreign policy
Posted: Tuesday, November 20, 2007 7:15 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan
CONWAY, NH-- In response to Clinton’s dig at his foreign policy credentials (and a similar shot by the RNC), Obama struck back.
"We just had a little exchange, Sen. Clinton and myself today,” Obama told voters here. “I had mentioned that one of the reasons that I got it right when it came to Iraq was because I had lived overseas as a child. It gives me some judgment and perspective around what other people think about America and how they might react or respond when we make some of the decisions that we make.
“And, of course, both the Republicans in their talking points as well as Sen. Clinton said we don't think that what Sen. Obama did when he was 10 years old is relevant to our national security. I didn't say that. She went on to make up the point, that some of the Republicans have made that she's met with all these world leaders. I was wondering which world leader told her that we needed to invade Iraq because that is the conventional thinking that we're going to have to break."
The flurry of comments and responses are indicative of a campaign that has heated up with less than 45 days to go before the first nominating contest in Iowa. Obama, who has usually shied away from attacking Clinton on the stump, now appears ready and willing to engage, calling her out on her record routinely in town halls.
He also criticized her shift on NAFTA today at a town hall in Alton, Iowa, saying that she had praised NAFTA just one year ago. Obama questioned Clinton's commitment to bring real change to Washington, because she had changed her positions on the trade bill.
"When somebody has a different response now then they did a year before or two years before or five years before,” Obama said, “then you can't count on them fighting for what they say they’re going to fight for now.”
