Obama for America

From his early days of opposition to the Iraq war to his place at the forefront of congressional efforts to bring our troops home, Barack has demonstrated consistent leadership on the defining issue of our day. After two weeks of continued debate in Washington ending in stalemate, Iraq remained on everyone’s mind as Barack visited the Granite State on Thursday and Friday 

Sunapee

Barack’s visit began in Sunapee, for a lakefront ice cream social.  As more than 500 people waited for Barack’s arrival, I spoke with Michael R., a former U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran who had spent the 2004 election in Fallujah. 

Michael brought his Purple Heart medal with him, hoping to catch Barack’s eye after the event for a one-on-one conversation.  Having challenged visiting presidential candidates that supported the war in question-and-answer settings since the campaign season began, Michael felt encouraged by Barack’s early opposition and came to hear the Senator's plan to end the war.

Carrying his medal in a red leather folder, Michael handed it to Barack and shared his thoughts about his combat experience. 

Hampton

The next morning, the gymnasium of the Marston Elementary School in Hampton filled to capacity with over 600 attendees.  The morning rain left the gymnasium hot and muggy, but the crowd welcomed Barack with energy. 

Barack received enthusiastic applause for urging the crowd to pressure their Republicans senators to vote to end the war in Iraq. 

Manchester

The sun came out from under the clouds for Barack’s last stop in Manchester, where he spoke before nearly 700 in the Queen City’s historic millyard. 

Anne from Concord, after thanking Barack for “decoupling the war in Iraq from the war on terror,” asked him about his plans to defuse violent extremism.  With clarity and force, Barack promised to double American foreign aid and devote attention to providing the millions of children exposed to radicalism in madrasas throughout the Islamic world due to lack of better educational options.

Barack closed the trip with a promise to keep faith with America’s veterans, taking the Bush Administration to task its failure to honor service members.

Another successful sweep through New Hampshire completed, Barack lingered to shake a more hands on his way out.  As the crowd converged on Barack to catch a glimpse and say a few words, I caught up with Francis Warman, who had used the time for his question to treat Barack and the crowd to a musical interlude.

“I’m a product of the 60s and he is just such a break from the fights my generation seems to keep reliving,” he said, “this generational schism, I believe, helped us repeat the mistakes of Vietnam by going into Iraq… It’ll take someone like Barack, who transcends those generational fights, to heal these old wounds.”