Obama on rifles
This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Aschlafly (talk | contribs) at 15:15, February 25, 2008. It may differ significantly from current revision.
In a debate, Barack Obama claimed that poor presidential leadership on President Bush's part was resulting in shortages of rifles for US troops, who had to use captured Taliban weapons to supply the shortfall. ABC News "confirmed" this claim. [1]
- "They were actually capturing Taliban weapons because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief. Now that's a consequence of bad judgment, and you know, the question is on the critical issues that we face right now who's going to show the judgment to lead. ... I was right." [1]
Obama's statement contains more than one error.
The "captain" quoted was actually a lieutenant at the time of deployment. Captains lead companies, not platoons. Perhaps he used the man's current rank to make his story sound more credible. It would have been more accurate to say,
- I heard about an army lieutenant whose platoon was deployed to Afghanistan with only 24 men, should have been 39. (That is true, accurate, and not misleading in the slightest)
The officer did not mention any shortage of rifles.
- â ABC News claims to have verified Obamaâs story by speaking to the Army captain who was his actual source. Obama Criticizes US Troops' Supplies of Arms and Ammunition