Democrtic presidential candidate Barack Obama calls Congressman Steve King’s comments about his heritage and his views on the Middle East "offensive" and "inflammatory."
King, a Republican from western Iowa, said Friday and again today in a Radio Iowa interview that terrorists would be "dancing in the streets" if Obama were to become president.
"I think that Mr King has it backwards, that in fact the continuation of a presence in Iraq, as (Republican presidential candidate John) McCain has suggested, is exactly what I think will fan the flames of anti-American sentiment and make it more difficult for us to create a longterm and sustainable peace in the world," Obama said today during a campaign stop in Columbus, Mississippi when asked by reporters to comment on King’s remarks. "But I have to say that Mr. King and individuals like him I think thrive on offensive or controversial statements as a way of getting their name in the papers, so I don’t take it too seriously. I do think that I would hope Senator McCain would want to distance himself from that kind of inflammatory and offensive remarks."
King today said he stands by his comments."I pointed out something that has to do with the culture of the Middle East and how it will be viewed and how a declaration for defeat as a presidential candidate will be viewed by our enemies," King said during a telephone interview from Washington, D.C. "They’ll see it as victory and that’s really the central point."