Which Way’s Up?

Pointing out inaccuracies with inaccuracies since 2000

When someone refers to soccer as “metric football,” despite the fact that the standard measure in soccer is the yard, then you have to figure there will be some gaps in said person’s ability to reason.

That’s why it’s no surprise that James Taranto was giddy when he thought he perceived a subtle Obama gaffe.  In actuality the “writer” had simply stopped thinking once the predetermined link had been made:

There weren’t a lot of surprises in President Obama’s Afghanistan speech last night, but here’s one: The president quietly repudiated the myth that Iraq has nothing to do with al Qaeda.

He went on to quote Obama’s speech:

Since 9/11, al Qaeda’s safe havens have been the source of attacks against London and Amman and Bali.

The attack in Amman having later been claimed by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian-born leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq — Jimmy T saw his gotcha moment and whipped up every last ounce of his rhetorical skill to piece together this argument:

Little wonder Obama also said in his speech that “the wrenching debate over the Iraq war is well-known and need not be repeated here.” That’s easier than admitting that he has changed his mind and now regards Iraq as having been an al Qaeda safe haven and source of international terrorism.

What seems to be a colossal lapse in memory for someone who is paid to follow the news is that Obama never asserted that there was no al Qaeda in Iraq.  In fact, during the Democratic nomination battle he was caught in a war of words with McCain over this very topic, asserting:

Well first of all, I do know that al Qaeda is in Iraq. That’s why I’ve said we should continue to strike al Qaeda targets. But I have some news for John McCain, and that is that there was no such thing as al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq.

The attacks in Amman happened in 2005, as Jimmy T states in his post.  My dear James that’s 2 years after Bush invaded Iraq.  Little wonder that Jimmy T pokes holes in other’s opposition to the Iraq War.  That’s easier than admitting that you were duped by man who chokes on pretzels.

Which Way's Up? Obama, Out of Context, Politics