The whole Obama needs to go to Iraq thing.
Pete Hegseth who runs the pro-war PAC, Vets for Freedom, has put up a series of internet ads picking up on John McCain’s challenge to Obama to go over to Iraq and meet with Saint Gen. Petraeus. So he can see for himself “how the surge is working” and how much better it is in Iraq these days.
Obama, is hopefully smart enough to recognize this as the truly dangerous challenge that it is. It sounds great on paper-is the kind of simplistic nonsense that appeals to red meat conservatives who love worthless Arabs more than they love Americans, and in the end has no really good upside for Obama.
Which is why he should have taken measure to innoculate himself from this sort of attack by going to Iraq sometime last year.
They posted an ad with a cute looking gash in it, challenging Obama to go to Iraq. It highligts that the “surge worked”.
Let the Swiftboating begin!
Like I said it sounds good and using a woman is real nice touch. The far right blogosphere and boneheads like this guy have already jumped all over it. Senior officials from the McCain campaign are smartly cutting their ties with the PAC however because they know this has the potential to blow up in their face.
Sounds great-except it ignores as few facts that no on has to go to Iraq to dig out:
1) Petreaus has already briefed Obama. It was the General’s place to come brief the Senate-not the other way around. And if you recall he simply said the same old line: ” We are making progress, the surge is working, but the Iraqis are still not ready to do it themselves and I cannot tell you when they will be ready. AQI is almost defeated, but for some strang reason the numbers of US Soldiers killed in Iraq hovers around 30 per month ( 52 KIA last month). It is almost always at least that number.” And that number does not include non-Soldiers who have also been killed in Iraq. Yep, really making progress on that score.
2) Iraqi government is still all screwed up. They went hat in hand and got turned down by everyone for credit, EXCEPT by the Iranians. Who have provided millions in low interest loans to the Iraqi government. Oh and those provinical elections they were supposed to have? Still on hold.
3) Just because one goes to Iraq does not mean one gets the right info. Look at McCain- he’s been plenty and still does not get it. However he has latched on to something-by framing Obama as a surrender monkey, even though leaving Iraq would be nothing more than forcing the Iraqis to actually take responsibility for themselves, he has hit on something that Joe 6 pack can understand. It does not matter that the term victory has no real meaning in an Iraqi context, people don’t want to lose. Even though no one can explain what winning or losing is. A peaceful Iraq? One where the Arabs are not screwed up? What? It is certainly not currently a functioning democracy.
My definition of victory in Iraq by the way? Either make the place a US colony or leave.
Nonetheless, this is dangerous for Obama, because he should have seen it coming. Now if he goes and still opposes the war, he will be decried. If he does not go, he will get run through the mud too. If he changes his mind on the war-he will lose a lot of people like me for whom ending US participation in Iraq is a huge issue and the only thing keeping me from voting for McCain.
I fear that Obama may have focused so much on winning the nomination, that he may have lost sight of the ground he has to make up with many Americans. White Americans who don’t understand him-or the “black” position.
Don’t go to Iraq with McCain though. Go with Hillary and get the Dems to show a united front for once.
Skippy,
I’m with you on your take on Blackfive. I’ve never understood why that guy gets the traffic he does.
Skippy, if Obama and Hillary go together, they both can duck sniper fire on the tarmac.
I too, will find it hard to vote for McCain. BTW, As a white American I do understand that Obama is not “black”.
McCain had to issue the challenge. I mean had to. This is war between the Republicans and the Democrats. Whether or not anyone knows it, the gloves are off.
You know as well as I do that both sides will do WHATEVER IT TAKES to get votes. I fear though that the guy who wins will not be the one who articulates his positions well. Rather it will be the one who has made the fewest “mistakes” which will lose him votes.
Does Iraq really matter to these guys? Of course not. Unless it will get them votes in November.
Like everything else.
“Just because one goes to Iraq does not mean one gets the right info. Look at McCain- he’s been plenty and still does not get it”
But, you, who have never been, have never been briefed, DO get yet.
I have been to the Middle East-extensively. I have not been to Iraq it is true-but that was because no one chose to send me. They could have sent me, but they did not. I was not going to jump and down to volunteer. I paid my dues a long time ago.
None if which has to do with knowing that from a big picture perspective-Iraq is no longer in the US long term interests. One does not have to go to Iraq to know that-the metrics are there for anyone to read.