Published: March 20, 2008 11:45 pm         

Obama decries Iraq war, addresses specific issues

Since the day he announced his candidacy some 15 months ago in Illinois, Sen. Barack Obama has been asked why he’s running for office now. Why not when he’s older?

“I’m not running on some long-held ambition,” he told a crowd of supporters Thursday evening in Beckley. “I decided to run because of what Dr. King called the ‘fierce urgency of now.’ I believe there’s such a thing as being too late, and that hour is almost upon us.”

Obama began his short speech making reference to the war in Iraq.

“We celebrate this week, or we mourn this week. We mark this week the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq, a war that has lasted now longer than World War I, World War II and the Civil War; a war that was originally estimated to cost us $50 to $60 billion, according to President Bush, but has now cost us over $600 billion, with no end in sight; a war that has cost of thousands of lives, thousands more injured and maimed, and a war that I believe has not made us more safe,” Obama said.

The Democratic hopeful also touched on other major issues of this campaign. Following are a few of the highlights.



-- Economy

“People are working harder just to get by. We’ve never paid more for gas at the pump. We’ve never paid more for electricity in our home. ... It’s harder to save and it’s harder to retire. And the worse part is it feels as if nobody in Washington is listening, and so people are losing their homes ... people who are fearful of their jobs being shipped overseas feel like nobody’s listening.”

Obama said he wants to raise minimum wage every year.

“If you work in this country, you should not be poor and that’s a goal I will set when I am president of the United States of America.”

Obama said he plans to take away tax breaks for companies that ship overseas.

“I want to create an economy that works for everybody, not just for Wall street, but for Main Street.”



-- Change

“I believe the American people are decent, and they are generous and they are willing to work hard and sacrifice for future generations. But we’ve got to come together — black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American ...”



-- Special interests

Obama said the days of special interest groups running Washington would be over should he be elected.

“They will not run my campaign. ... They will not run my White House.”



-- Health care

Obama told the audience he intends to lower insurance premiums by $2,500 and allow the American public to buy into a plan similar to the one used by members of Congress.

“We’ll subsidize it if you can’t afford it ... so that we can have a health care system instead of a disease care system. ... We will do it by the end of my first term as president of the United States of America.”



-- Education

“Give every child the best education, from the day that child is born until the day that child graduates from college.”

Obama called for better preparing young children for school and for increasing teacher pay. He also said he plans to “fix No Child Left Behind,” adding teachers shouldn’t be teaching to a test but rather teaching the subjects that will make school inspiring for children.



-- Infrastructure

“If we can invest $12 million a month in Iraq, we can invest that kind of money here in West Virginia, building up roads and bridges and putting in broadband lines.”



-- Environment

Obama said the nation needs to invest in solar, wind, biodiesel and clean coal technology “so the use of coal does not degrade our environment. We can do that if we are investing in the technology, the research and the development.”



-- Foreign policy and veterans

“I want a foreign policy that makes sense. My job as commander-in-chief will be to keep you safe. I will not hesitate to strike against those who will do us harm.”

Obama said the military must be properly trained and equipped and also treated well when they return.

“It means when they come home we treat them with the honor and respect that they’re due. No more homeless veterans. We have to treat our veterans with honor and respect.

“But we also have to use our military wisely ... and the war in Iraq was unwise. Not only did we not tell the truth, the facts about how much it would cost, how long it would last, not only did we not find any weapons of mass destruction, but it distracted us from the war that needed to be fought against Al-Qeada in Afghanistan. We need to change direction. I opposed this war in 2002. I will bring this war to an end in 2009. We will end this war. ... We will go after Al-Qeada where it currently has its bases. ... We will restore a sense of diplomacy.”

— E-mail: bnaudrey@register-herald.com