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Obama Condemns Mumbai Attacks, Evidence of 'Grave and Urgent' Terrorist Threat
November 26, 2008 6:24 PM
ABC News' Matt Jaffe reports from Chicago:
Just days before he is expected to roll out his national security team after the Thanksgiving holiday, President-elect Barack Obama condemned Wednesday's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, which have killed at least 101 people, wounded 287 others, and left others held hostage.
"President-elect Obama strongly condemns today's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, and his thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families, and the people of India," said Brooke Anderson, Chief National Security Spokesperson for the Obama Transition Team, in a statement released this evening.
The gunmen targeted Westerners in their assaults on luxury hotels, tourist hot-spots, and a train station in Mumbai, India's financial capital.
"These coordinated attacks on innocent civilians demonstrate the grave and urgent threat of terrorism," Anderson said.
A senior Obama official told ABC News that the President-elect was following the situation closely and getting regular updates from his staff, as well as updates and information from the Bush Administration.
"The United States must continue to strengthen our partnerships with India and nations around the world to root out and destroy terrorist networks," Anderson stated. "We stand with the people of India, whose democracy will prove far more resilient than the hateful ideology that led to these attacks."
The Obama Transition Team has established a team to interact with the State Department and with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. An Obama aide says the Bush administration "helpfully provided regular updates through several channels."
-- Matt Jaffe
November 26, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (56)
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Stay tuned everyone as events continue to unfold. Terrorists will test the new American President and his new administration. This is something that will not go away.
Next time you are out holiday shopping or at a large public event, be a little weary and check for yourself....how safe is this place? Do you see police and security out in the open? Why do we become so complacent in our American way of living and think it just will NOT HAPPEN HERE. Attitudes must change first.
America is prime for an attack and if I were a terrorist or terrorist organization, now is the time to hit us hard with our guards down!
Let the average citizen soldier beware...an attack is coming and it is not going to be a pretty sight!
Best wishes on everyone staying safe and put pressure on your government, both local, state and federal to do something.
Thanks,
Perry J. C
11/30/2008
Posted by: Perry J. Capurro | Nov 30, 2008 3:44:47 PM
You American's are sleeping....
Check out Aaron Russo's "Freedom to Facism", read about the fraudulent federal reserve, the motives of groups like the CFR, the Bilderberg Group, the Tavistock Institute, and the Trilateral Commission.
In 2002 Rockefeller authored his autobiography “Memoirs” wherein, on page 405," Mr. Rockefeller writes: “For more than a century ideological extremists at either end of the political spectrum have seized upon well-publicized incidents such as my encounter with Castro to attack the Rockefeller family for the inordinate influence they claim we wield over American political and economic institutions. Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as "internationalists" and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure - one world, if you will. If that's the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it."
Th war on terror is a fabricated psychological operation on the American people. This financial collapse is part of their plan to institute a global currency and eventually an overt global dictatorship. Welcome to the New World Order (also known as "Novus Ordo Seclorum", which is conviently placed underneath the occultic symbol of the eye of horus on the backs of your dollar bills).
Posted by: Ethan | Nov 30, 2008 1:52:36 PM
I think that US did'nt face any terrorist attack or could prevent a potential attack due to the proactive and pre emptive actions by Mr Bush. The attacks in Mumbai could have been prevented, had the Government and officials been proactive.
Posted by: Raman | Nov 30, 2008 5:57:26 AM
You might say my "creative speculation" was rather fevered.
Posted by: kat | Nov 28, 2008 3:36:00 PM
If Obama were to engage the cooperation of the world's 2.5 billion Muslims, then the extreme Islamic factions, which is a comparative handful, would be seriously undermined. Is the timing coincidental to his election? It's just a creative speculation.
Posted by: kat | Nov 27, 2008 9:21:26 PM
"We're gonna smoke him out" - George W. Bush regarding Osama Bin Laden.
Well, something stinks, but you sure didn't smoke him out - not in 7 years - MISSION FAILED!
Posted by: pefros | Nov 27, 2008 3:55:07 PM
Where is GW Bush? Accountability guys. He had 8 years to track down terrorists, and this huge terrorist attack happened before the inauguration of the next President.
Posted by: Kel
--------------------------
Why didn't George Bush stop these attacks? He's still in power . ..
Posted by: pefros
-----------------------------
The job president Bush had to do is hard enough already and the constant road block by putting up by the democrats doesn't help matters.
And obama is going to help out by closing down Guantanamo and let more bad guys go.
And why are you so surprised at these attacks?
Posted by: USA-No1 | Nov 27, 2008 1:46:20 PM
"How very sad that instead of aggressively targeting one nation after 9/11 Bush did not call on all nations to unite against the terrorists..."
Posted by: Martha
-------------------------
President Bush did tried to get the world united against the terrorist. Many countries didn't joined us out of fear that they'll be attacked. They don't have the stuffs that our military are made of.
Posted by: USA-No1 | Nov 27, 2008 1:25:56 PM
can't we all just get along?
Posted by: thomas | Nov 27, 2008 1:11:26 PM
what a stampede of stinking water buffaloes
Posted by: belegundu | Nov 27, 2008 10:46:10 AM
How very sad that instead of aggressively targeting one nation after 9/11 Bush did not call on all nations to unite against the terrorists, people w/ no loyalty to anything but chaos.
Now the nation & culture that produced Gandhi is bedeviled by these outlaws.
My heart goes out to the Indian people.
Posted by: Martha | Nov 27, 2008 10:10:14 AM
MikeMo, good point, I'm sure that the media IS more interested in hearing from Obama than from Bush. Both issued statements that are pretty standard fare. Bush called together the National Security COuncil at the White House to monitor the situation. I do not see any indication that Obama would do anything particularly differently, nor should he.
People should recall that this situation in India has little, if any, connection to American actions around the world. It probably has nothing to do with Iraq or even Afghanistan. The world does not really revolve around us and not everything that happens traces back to us. There are long-standing issues in India that fuel terrorist movements. It could be related to Kashmir, for example. We will have to see. The search for foreign hostages, esp. American and British ones, is disturbing and may indeed indicate an al-Quaeda related group. Time will tell.
One last question-- those of you who claim that people in South Asia and the Middle East hate America because of Bush and the Iraq war and that express hope that those people will change their opinion of America because of Obama, I want to know how many actual people from that part of the world you have spoken to in order to form this opinion. Or are you basing your perception on CNN or other news programming? Because I have numerous students who are Arab or South Asian, and their opinions on American foreign policy and their opinions on George Bush are all over the map. There is not a universal condemnation of the Iraq War or Bush. There is not a universal embrace of them, either. It is a complicated thing, and I have enjoyed seeing the diversity of views from my students. Just like in America, people around the world are individuals who do not think like sheep. They have their own points of view which cannot be neatly wrapped up in a cliched, "Bush made the world hate and fear the US." That's not what the evidence I have seen here shows-- and before you point out that I am talking to students who are in the US and therefore can be assumed to have a higher opinion of this country than those overseas, they often talk about the feelings of their friends, family, and acquaintances back home.
Posted by: moderate | Nov 27, 2008 7:15:12 AM
kalki,
Wow. Yes, the Pakistani govt is not being cooperative about terrorists, but is every single person in the country a terrorist? I don't think so. Is a baby that is being born right now a terrorist? There are many families, I am sure are against terrorism.
But we have got to understand the Pakistanis too. Many of them have seen no peace since the day that they were born, they are filled with anger and that is what many terrorists groups take advantage of.
Posted by: Grey Matter | Nov 27, 2008 5:34:05 AM
Too soft on terrorism?
Making a big show of throwing military weight around does sound big and intimidating, sounds "hard on terrorism", but the reality is that it backfired, and will backfire.
We need to win over the moderate Muslims in the Middle-East to isolate the terrorists. Many previously moderate Muslims became extremist because they were angry at America's tactics that they felt were bullying- such as invading Iraq. The whole place is in a mess now- the surge improved, but let's face it, we invaded the wrong country. Over one million Iraqi, men, women and children are dead. How do you think their family members felt?
It is time for more effective tactics that target more precisely the terrorists, and not the whole country. The truth is, our military too, has limits.
Posted by: Grey Matter | Nov 27, 2008 5:03:51 AM
John McCain would have been the best person to deal with these muslims. Obama is too soft on terrorism.
Posted by: John Biden | Nov 27, 2008 4:26:46 AM
No one making comments here, hope that the people of india and their families are okay and will be okay in the long run. Again as American we seek to lay Blame, what ever happen to the more caring America, the one that reach out to our neighbors in the time of need to express our sympathies. I forgot some Americans only care about party affliation, some of you are right Obama is not the President yet, but he is presidential enough to step and speak out about these violent act. Where is the one the rest of you are still praising. For some of the comments you all make here, I hope you are more faithful to your friends, if you have any.
Posted by: Claudette | Nov 27, 2008 4:18:56 AM
Where is GW Bush? Accountability guys. He had 8 years to track down terrorists, and this huge terrorist attack happened before the inauguration of the next President.
Posted by: Kel | Nov 27, 2008 3:32:33 AM
Why didn't George Bush stop these attacks? He's still in power . ..
Posted by: pefros | Nov 27, 2008 3:06:00 AM
India didn't invaded Iraq & Afghanistan, didn't participate in the war and still get attacked. This is the evil the Republicans party are trying fight for the last 7 years with little help from the democrats. Wised up liberals, good chance that your life will depend on it.
Posted by: USA-No1 | Nov 27, 2008 2:33:20 AM
When Barack gets into power, I sure hope he keeps his word and negotiates with the terrorists who kill hundreds. Maybe the promise of equal rights and benefits will end the terror of bombings such as these.
Posted by: Mihan | Nov 27, 2008 2:17:23 AM
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