ABC News' Wright simply asserted that Obama "seemed to criticize" troops

During a report on Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) on the August 17 edition of ABC's Good Morning America, ABC News correspondent David Wright clipped a recent statement by Obama in order to assert that he "seemed to criticize the performance of U.S. troops" there. Further, when referring to Obama's August 1 comment -- "If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets [in Pakistan] and President Musharraf won't act, we will" -- Wright stated that Obama's rival candidates would "probably not" "wait to act on actionable intelligence," but asserted that, unlike Obama, "[t]hey just might not say so out loud." In fact, Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani have both acknowledged that they agree that a president should retain the option of attacking terrorists within the territory of an ally, as Media Matters for America documented. Throughout Wright's report, the on-screen graphic read: "Obama's Foot in Mouth Disease? Too Inexperienced for Campaign?"

As evidence to support his claim that Obama "seemed to criticize the performance of U.S. troops," Wright aired a brief clip of Obama saying: "[A]ir-raiding villages and killing civilians," accompanying the video with a caption of those words printed on the screen. But Wright left out the rest of Obama's sentence, from his speech at an August 13 campaign appearance in Nashua, New Hampshire: "We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there." The full sentence makes clear that Obama was criticizing the troop shortage in Afghanistan, rather than the troops' conduct.

Wright went on to report: "Civilian casualties are a huge issue in Afghanistan. Last week at Camp David, the Afghan president raised the issue directly with President Bush," but presumably," Wright added, "Hamid Karzai used language that was more diplomatic, more presidential." In fact, U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan -- and accounts of resulting civilian casualties -- have been widely reported in the media. President Karzai has reportedly criticized U.S. airstrikes resulting in alleged civilian casualties, with the state-run Anis newspaper reportedly saying after one such airstrike: "Repetition of such mistakes and occurrence of such events not only puts under question the credibility of the government, but also leads to the failure in the war against terrorism." Such airstrikes have also reportedly provoked criticism from a British commander stationed in southern Afghanistan.

Additionally, as the Associated Press reported in a "Fact Check" report, titled "Obama on Afghanistan," "Western forces have been killing civilians at a faster rate than the insurgents." Further, in a July 7 article on NATO and U.S. airstrikes reported to have killed more than 100 Afghan civilians, Reuters cited the assessment of military analysts that "a shortage of ground troops means commanders often turn to air power." Moreover, like Obama, the Afghan ambassador to the United States, Said Jawad, expressed the need for a greater troop presence in the country when, during a July 17 interview with Talking Points Memo's Spencer Ackerman, he stated that "room has been provided" for the Taliban and Al Qaeda to restore themselves in Afghanistan "on one hand due to the fact that we don't have enough international soldiers to be in Afghanistan."

During the report, Wright also asserted: "When Obama said he'd chase Osama bin Laden into Pakistan with or without that country's approval, Pakistan protested and his rivals questioned his experience. Would any of them actually wait to act on actionable intelligence? Probably not. They just might not say so out loud." In the speech to which Wright referred, Obama said:

I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won't act, we will.

But despite Wright's assertion that Obama's rivals would not make such pronouncements "out loud," both Giuliani and Romney have, in fact acknowledged their agreement with the substance of Obama's statement, as Media Matters documented. When asked during an August 1 interview on PBS' Charlie Rose if he would go into Pakistan "to crush the Taliban and al-Qaeda ... despite the objections of Musharraf," Giuliani responded, "I certainly would not take that option off the table. You would have to judge that given the circumstances that were presented to you, hey, these things are all to be called on."

ABC News chief Washington correspondent George Stephanopoulos asked Giuliani about this comment during the August 5 Republican presidential debate, saying, "[Y]ou said, 'If we had a chance to take bin Laden we've got to do it ourselves, because we're not sure if someone else is going to do it correctly. Yeah, I think I would take that option.' " Giuliani acknowledged: "Well, I would take that option if I thought there was no other way to crush Al Qaeda, no other way to crush the Taliban and no other way to be able to capture bin Laden." During the August 5 debate, Romney referred to Obama's remark and said, "It's wrong for a person running for the president of the United States to get on TV and say "We're going to go into your country unilaterally"; but he then went on to agree with Obama's statement, as Wright would say, "out loud." Indeed, Romney said: "Of course America always maintains our options to do whatever we think is in the best interests of America."

Additionally, aided by the on-screen graphic, Wright and ABC News political commentator Cokie Roberts repeatedly suggested that Obama comes across as too inexperienced to be president. Roberts claimed that Obama "comes across as someone who's not quite ready for prime time." Later, Wright asked: "There's no question Obama is smart and well-briefed, but is he ready to be president?" His question was followed by another clip of Roberts saying, "Politicians get into trouble when they do or say something that plays into a story line that's already there. When Ronald Reagan seemed too old, that was a problem; when George Bush seemed too elite, that was a problem." Wright added: "For Obama, the Achilles' heel may be experience."

From the August 17 edition of ABC's Good Morning America:

DIANE SAWYER (co-anchor): And now we turn to the race for the White House: This weekend in Iowa, George Stephanopoulos and ABC News holding -- sponsoring a Democratic presidential debate, and this time, the spotlight is sure to be on Illinois Senator Barack Obama, who has spent the past few days defending himself about his own words.

Here is ABC's David Wright.

[begin video clip]

WRIGHT: When Obama said he'd chase Osama bin Laden into Pakistan with or without that country's approval, Pakistan protested and his rivals questioned his experience. Would any of them actually wait to act on actionable intelligence? Probably not. They just might not say so out loud.

ROBERTS: A lot of people would agree with a lot of what he's saying, but the way he's saying it comes across as someone who's not quite ready for prime time.

WRIGHT: The Pakistan flap came on the heels of Obama's promise to sit down face-to-face with [Venezuelan President] Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro.

SEN. HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON (D-NY): I thought that was irresponsible and frankly naive.

WRIGHT: They disagree.

OBAMA: Thank you, Nashua.

WRIGHT: Then this week at a New Hampshire forum, Obama seemed to criticize the performance of U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

OBAMA: Air-raiding villages and killing civilians --

DAVID GERGEN (former presidential adviser): I think they are positions a presidential candidate can take, but they have to be taken with precision. It's not wise as a candidate to bring a sledgehammer.

WRIGHT: Civilian casualties are a huge issue in Afghanistan. Last week at Camp David, the Afghan president raised the issue directly with President Bush, but presumably Hamid Karzai used language that was more diplomatic, more presidential.

KARZAI: I had a good discussion with President Bush on civilian casualties.

WRIGHT: There's no question Obama is smart and well-briefed, but is he ready to be president?

ROBERTS: Politicians get into trouble when they do or say something that plays into a story line that's already there. When Ronald Reagan seemed too old, that was a problem; when George bush seemed too elite, that was a problem.

WRIGHT: For Obama, the Achilles' heel may be experience. So, on Sunday, he'll have to weigh every word. For Good Morning America -- David Wright, ABC news, Washington.