Campaign Statements — Barack Obama

Sunday March 04, 2012

“An opportunity remains for diplomacy - backed by pressure - to succeed.”

“That is where we are today. Iran is isolated, its leadership divided and under pressure. And the Arab Spring has only increased these trends, as the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime is exposed, and its ally – the Assad regime – is crumbling. Of course, so long as Iran fails to meet its obligations, this problem remains unsolved. The effective implementation of our policy is not enough – we must accomplish our objective. In that effort, I firmly believe that an opportunity remains for diplomacy – backed by pressure – to succeed.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran |

Sunday March 04, 2012

“An Iranian nuclear weapon could fall into the hands of a terrorist organization.”

“Let’s begin with a basic truth that you all understand: no Israeli government can tolerate a nuclear weapon in the hands of a regime that denies the Holocaust, threatens to wipe Israel off the map, and sponsors terrorist groups committed to Israel’s destruction. And so I understand the profound historical obligation that weighs on the shoulders of Bibi Netanyahu, Ehud Barak, and all of Israel’s leaders.

A nuclear-armed Iran is completely counter to Israel’s security interests. But it is also counter to the national security interests of the United States. Indeed, the entire world has an interest in preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. A nuclear-armed Iran would thoroughly undermine the non-proliferation regime that we have done so much to build. There are risks that an Iranian nuclear weapon could fall into the hands of a terrorist organization.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran | Israel/Palestine |

Sunday March 04, 2012

“When the chips are down, I have Israel’s back.”

“When the chips are down, I have Israel’s back. And remember that the U.S.-Israel relationship is simply too important to be distorted by partisan politics. America’s national security is too important. Israel’s security is too important.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Israel/Palestine |

Sunday March 04, 2012

“I have kept my commitments to the state of Israel.”

“Because of AIPAC’s effectiveness in carrying out its mission, you can expect that over the next few days, you will hear many fine words from elected officials describing their commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship. But as you examine my commitment, you don’t just have to count on my words. You can look at my deeds. Because over the last three years, as President of the United States, I have kept my commitments to the state of Israel. At every crucial juncture – at every fork in the road – we have been there for Israel. Every single time.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Israel/Palestine |

Monday February 06, 2012

“Hopefully we see a transition…”

“The Assad regime is feeling the noose tightening around them. And we’re gonna just continue to put more and more pressure until hopefully we see a transition. This is not going to be a matter of if; it’s going to be a matter of when.”

CATEGORIES: The Arab Spring | Barack Obama |

Monday February 06, 2012

“We have been relentless in sending a messafe that is was time for Assad to go.”

“I said at the time with respect to Libya that we would be making these decisions…on a case by case basis based on how unified the international community was. But we have been relentless in sending a message that is was time for Assad to go, that the kind of violence that we’ve seen exercised against his own people over this weekend…is inexcusable.”

CATEGORIES: The Arab Spring | Barack Obama |

Monday February 06, 2012

“The only way over the long term…is by getting them to understand it’s not in their interest.”

“My goal is to try to resolve this diplomatically, mainly because the only way over the long term we can assure Iran doesn’t get a nuclear weapon is by getting them to understand it’s not in their interest…I think we have a good estimate of when they could potentially archive breakout capacity…but do we know all the dynamics inside of Iran? Absolutely not. Knowing who is making the decisions at any given time inside of Iran is tough. But we do have a pretty good bead on what’s happening with their nuclear program.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran |

Monday February 06, 2012

“Any kind of additional military activity inside the Gulf is disruptive.”

“Any kind of additional military activity inside the Gulf is disruptive and has a big effect on us. It could have a big effect on oil prices, we’ve still got troops in Afghanistan, which borders Iran, and so our preferred solution here is diplomatic…We’re going to do everything we can to prevent Iran from getting a nuclear weapon and creating an arms race - a nuclear arms race - in a volatile region.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran |

Monday February 06, 2012

“We are going to be sure that we work in lockstep.”

“I will say that we have closer military and intelligence consultation between our two countries than we’ve ever had.  We are going to be sure that we work in lockstep as we proceed to try to solve this—hopefully diplomatically.”

CATEGORIES: Barack Obama | Iran | Israel/Palestine |