Can I get more info on Obama's "killing civilians" quote?

[mrgorth]

Knuckle-draggers are using it for propaganda and I'm wondering if it's taken in context if it sounds better. Thanks.

[AngryAmish]

1. no

[merh]

2. Do you mean his words

Do you mean his words "we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there" - don't the pro-war folks realize that there have been air raiding of villages and civilians are dying. I don't know what folks expect from war, if we stay as the pro-war folks wish, civilians will die and not just at the hands of the insurgents. At least during Vietnam, there were peace talks, I've never heard anything about peace talks. Maybe because those who know the culture and the environment recognize that there will never be a chance of peace as long as the invading and occupying army remains.

There never was a good war or a bad peace. ~Benjamin Franklin

Oh and give them this link to ponder
http://bravenewfilms.org/blog/8546-july-23rd-salee-story?play=1

[Pirate Smile]

3. AP: Obama's right on civilian casualties

AP: Obama's right on civilian casualties

Posted: Tuesday, August 14, 2007 4:29 PM by Mark Murray
Categories: Democrats, 2008, Security

From NBC's Mark Murray
As we predicted this morning, this Obama statement yesterday regarding Afghanistan -- "We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there" -- drew a response from the Republicans. "It is hard to imagine that anyone who aspires to be commander-in-chief would say such a thing about our brave men and women in uniform," RNC chairman Mike Duncan said today in a statement. "Obama owes our armed forces an apology -- today.”

Yet the AP has this fact-check: "A check of the facts shows that Western forces have been killing civilians at a faster rate than the insurgents ... As of Aug. 1, the AP count shows that while militants killed 231 civilians in attacks in 2007, Western forces killed 286. Another 20 were killed in crossfire that can't be attributed to one party."

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/08/14/316864.aspx#comments

[flpoljunkie]

4. AP Fact Check Finds No Substance To Attack on Obama

Fact Check: Obama on Afghanistan
By NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writer

Tue Aug 14, 5:20 PM ET

Democrat Barack Obama said it, the Republican Party pointed out in a screaming headline Tuesday that highlighted the presidential candidate's comments on Afghanistan and the killing of civilians.

Behind the scenes, Obama's rival campaigns buzzed about his statement uttered Monday during a campaign stop in New Hampshire when he was asked about his plan to move troops into Afghanistan.

"We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there," Obama said.

THE SPIN:

The suggestion whispered by Obama's opponents was that he was maligning the efforts of troops fighting in Afghanistan by stating they are "just" out there killing civilians.

The Republican National Committee simply repeated the comment as one of their "They Said It!" series used to highlight statements by opponents that supposedly put them in a bad light. RNC Chairman Mike Duncan followed up later in a statement demanding that Obama apologize for his "offensive" statement.

"It is hard to imagine that anyone who aspires to be commander in chief would say such a thing about our brave men and women in uniform," Duncan said. "Obama owes our armed forces an apology — today."

THE FACT CHECK:

A check of the facts shows that Western forces have been killing civilians at a faster rate than the insurgents have been killing civilians.

The U.S. and NATO say they don't have civilian casualty figures, but The Associated Press has been keeping count based on figures from Afghan and international officials. Tracking civilian deaths is a difficult task because they often occur in remote and dangerous areas that are difficult to reach and verify.

As of Aug. 1, the AP count shows that while militants killed 231 civilians in attacks in 2007, Western forces killed 286. Another 20 were killed in crossfire that can't be attributed to one party.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai expressed his concern about the civilian deaths during a meeting last week with President Bush.

Bush said he understands the agony that Afghans feel over the loss of innocent lives and that he is doing everything he can to protect them. He said the Taliban are using civilians as human shields and have no regard for their lives.

"The president rightly expressed his concerns about civilian casualty," Bush said of Karzai. "And I assured him that we share those concerns."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070814/ap_on_el_pr/obama_afghanistan_fact_check