Fire Fighters Hear from Eleven Presidential Hopefuls
IAFF 2008 Presidential Forum -- March 14, 2007   ...Next >
March 14, 2007--Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) was the third candidate to address the IAFF 2008 Presidential Forum. 
Speech notes.  Sen. Obama decried the "smallness of our politics."  "I've been in Washington long enough to know that Washington needs to change," he said.  Obama brought a shirt for the IAFF's "Hero to Hero" program, which sends shirts with messages of support to troops.  His message was, "Thank you.  Be safe.  You're coming home soon."  "They need to be coming home soon," Obama said.  Obama recounted a bus ride he took with a group of fire fighters during a recent trip to Iowa, and how he listened to their concerns.  "I believe we can end the can't do, won't do, won't even try style of politics in this country," he said.  "We can and we will have universal health care by the end of the next president's first term; by the end of my first term as president we will make sure that everybody has universal health care in this country," Obama said.  Noting that he opposed the Iraq war from the beginning, Obama said, "It's time to find an end to this war."   "I have a plan that will begin withdrawing our troops from Iraq on May 1st of this year, with the goal of removing all of our combat forces from the country by March of 2008."  At the same time, Obama said the withdrawal would be gradual and keep some troops in the region.  Obama spoke for about 22 minutes.  [prepared remarks]

Photos
Former Sen. John Edwards (D-NC)
Former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R-VA)
Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL)
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE)
Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT)
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS)
Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM)
Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE)
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Copyright © 2006  Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action