There's been some hoopla in the traditional media -- and a vocal minority right here on DailyKos -- saying that either Obama's policy has shifted to the center-right, or about how his appointments are a predicator of such.
For the sake of having little else to do, I went searching for his pre and post election positions on a few subjects in the news recently to compare. I anxiously await your thoughts, comments, and maybe some pooties.
After the fold...
OBAMA ON GITMO AND TORTURE
Then...
BarackObama.com October 4th 2007
The secret authorization of brutal interrogations is an outrageous betrayal of our core values, and a grave danger to our security. We must do whatever it takes to track down and capture or kill terrorists, but torture is not a part of the answer.
Then...
Spokesman Bill Burton - June 19th 2007 - USAToday
Ultimately, he supports Guantanamo closing and is still working to find the best possible solution for the prisoners who are there right now.
Now...
60 Minutes - November 16th 2008
QUESTION: There are a number of different things that you could do early pertaining to executive orders. One of them is to shutdown Guantanamo Bay. Another is to change interrogation methods that are used by U.S. troops. Are those things that you plan to take early action on?
OBAMA: Yes. I have said repeatedly that I intend to close Guantanamo, and I will follow through on that. I have said repeatedly that America doesn’t torture. And I’m gonna make sure that we don’t torture. Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America’s moral stature in the world.
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OBAMA ON IRAQ
Then...
NewsHour March 17th 2008
What I do believe is we've got to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in. And that means, I believe, a phased redeployment, with a timetable, with a pace of about one to two brigades per month, pulling our combat troops out, but also redoubling our diplomatic strategy inside Iraq, as well as with the regional players, including Iran and Syria.
Then...
Press Conferences - July 3rd 2008
My position has not changed but keep in mind what that original position was. I have always said that I will listen to commanders on the ground; I’ve always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability.
(snip)
My 16-month timeline if you examine everything I’ve said was always premised on making sure that our troops were safe, I said based on what the information we had received from our commanders that one to two brigades per month could be pulled out safely from logistical perspective
Now...
Press Conference - December 1st 2008
QUESTION: I was wondering sir, do you still intend to withdraw all U.S. forces from Iraq 16 months after inauguration? Did you discuss the possiblity of that with Sec. Gates before selecting him.
OBAMA: Well, keep in mind what I said during the campaign. And you were there most of the time.
I said that I would remove our combat troops from Iraq in 16 months with the understanding that it might be necessary, likely to be necessary, to maintain a residual force to provide potential training, logistical support to protect our civilians in Iraq.
The SOFA that has been now passed by the Iraqi legislature points us in the right direction. It indicates we are now on a glide path to reduce our forces in Iraq. I will be meeting be not only Secretary Gates but the joint chiefs of staff and commanders on the ground to make a determination as to how we move that pace -- how we proceed in that withdrawal process.
I believe that 16 months is the right timeframe. But as I have said consistently, I will listen to the recommendations of my commanders. And my number one priority is making sure that our troops remain safe in this transition phase and that the Iraqi people are well served by a government that is taking on increased responsibility for its own security.
60 Minutes - November 16th 2008
QUESTION: Can you give us some sense of when you might start redeployments out of Iraq?
OBAMA: Well, I’ve said during the campaign, and I’ve stuck to this commitment, that as soon as I take office, I will call in the Joint Chiefs of Staff, my national security apparatus, and we will start executing a plan that draws down our troops. Particularly in light of the problems that we’re having in Afghanistan, which has continued to worsen. We’ve got to shore up those efforts.
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OBAMA ON CLINTON ADVISORS
Then...
Video Link
Iowa Primary Debate - December 13th 2007
MODERATOR: Senator Obama, you have Bill Clinton's former National Security Adviser, State Department policy director and maybe secretary among others, advising you. With relatively little foreign policy experience of your own, how will you rely on so many Clinton advisers, and still deliver the kind of break from the past that you're promising voters?
(Laughter)
Obama: You know I am --
Hillary: (Laughing) I want to hear that.
Obama: Well, Hillary, I'm looking forward to you advising me as well.
I want to gather up talent from everywhere. You know, we haven't talked too much about the war, but one of the points that I’ve tried to make during the course of this year during the campaign is I want to change the mind set that got us into war. And because I think that since 9/11 we've had a president who essentially fed us a politics of fear. And distorted our foreign policy in profound ways.
And I think that there are a lot of good people in the Clinton years, the Carter years, George Bush I who understand that our military power is just one component of our power, and I revere what our military does. And I will do whatever it takes as commander in chief to keep the American people safe. But I know part of keeping us safe is restoring our respect in the world. And I think those advising me -- advising me agree with that. Initiating contacts with Muslim leaders around the world, doubling our efforts in terms of foreign aid, all those are designed to create long-term security by creating long-term prosperity around the world.
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OBAMA ON GATES AND IRAQ/PAKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN
Then...
HuffPo - October 2nd 2008
WASHINGTON - A senior adviser (Richard Danzig) to Sen. Barack Obama said Thursday that the Democrat might see Defense Secretary Robert Gates as a candidate to remain at the Pentagon if Obama wins the White House.
1st G.E. Debate - September 26th 2008
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates himself acknowledges the war on terrorism started in Afghanistan and it needs to end there.
And that is a strategic mistake, because every intelligence agency will acknowledge that al Qaeda is the greatest threat against the United States and that Secretary of Defense Gates acknowledged the central front -- that the place where we have to deal with these folks is going to be in Afghanistan and in Pakistan.
2nd G.E. Debate - October 7th 2008
As Secretary Gates, the defense secretary, said, the war against terrorism began in that region and that's where it will end. So part of the reason I think it's so important for us to end the war in Iraq is to be able to get more troops into Afghanistan, put more pressure on the Afghan government to do what it needs to do, eliminate some of the drug trafficking that's funding terrorism.
Now...
Press Conference - December 1st 2008
As I said throughout the campaign, I will be giving Secretary Gates and our military a new mission as soon as I take office: responsibly ending the war in Iraq through a successful transition to Iraqi control. We will also ensure that we have the strategy – and resources – to succeed against al Qaeda and the Taliban. As Bob said not too long ago, Afghanistan is where the war on terror began, and it is where it must end.