A video recorded in 2004 of then-Senator-elect Barack Obama paints a contrasting portrait of the man whom we elected as president.
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In the video, Obama is talking about fighting the war on terrorism from a far more liberal standpoint, stating that “we’re not fighting terrorists, we’re fighting people who engage in terrorism.”
He continued:
“And to the extent that we can change the sense of opportunity in many of these countries, we can change the manner in which we function in these countries in more positive, proactive ways, then we’re not going to eliminate terrorism entirely but we’re at least going to be able to make more of a dent than if all we’re resorting to is military firepower.”
Obama’s ideological stance on fighting terrorism in 2004 draws a sharp contrast to the increased drone strikes that his administration has currently launched in Yemen. Many of the drone attacks are kept under tight wraps, so it’s unknown who exactly the US is aiming to kill and have killed – despite the fact that innocent civilian lives are typically lost in each attack.
MSNBC host Chris Hayes unearthed the video of Obama detailing his left-leaning approach to terrorism during a speech he gave at a Barnes And Nobles store in New York City.
While conservatives praise the Commander-in-Chief for using aggressive strategies to target terrorism in the Middle East, Democrats question what happened to the politician that called for using diplomacy and opportunity to counter terrorism. This video shows that Obama’s views may have shifted over his presidential tenure, or he just have been more moderate and center to the Left then we initially thought.
Watch the video at the top.
