In the end, both Obama and McCain seemed to have a piece of the truth about Iraq, but Obama's truth was larger and more strategic. Obama had been right about the war in the first place. It was a disastrous idea, a phenomenal waste of lives and American credibility that diverted focus from our real enemy, al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan. And Obama was right about the war now: the progress in Iraq was enabling a quicker withdrawal — a plan already hinted at by Bush. And Obama was right about the future: the Iraqis don't want long-term U.S. bases on their territory, a McCain keystone and the source of his infamous comment about staying in Iraq for 100 years. McCain's piece of the truth was tactical: he was right about the surge and right about the brilliance of David Petraeus' battle plan, which had helped quiet down Iraq. McCain was justifiably infuriated that Obama wouldn't acknowledge that success — indeed, Obama seemed to understand that he was pushing McCain's buttons, hoping perhaps to elicit McCain's Vesuvian temper, and in Rochester the eruption occurred.
It appears that McCain's main perceived strength, foreign policy, has crumbled beneath him. While he can point to the surge, Obama can point to the issues listed above...that Iraqis agree with him on timetables, that Afghanistan/Pakistan are the real targets in the war on terror, that even the current administration is adopting some of his ideas, and that (aside from possibly the surge) McCain is simply wrong on the rest. Wrong on the Iraq invasion, wrong on the timetable, wrong on engaging Iran diplomatically first (rather than militarily first).
You have someone who is criticized for his lack of foreign policy experience who now looks like he had much more of a clue in the foreign policy realm than the candidate who used it as his strength.
McCain is going to have a tough time in November. Who'd have thought he'd need a good foreign policy VP choice to bolster his chances? Maybe he should just go with Huckabee and kow-tow to the religious extremists.
Technorati Tags: Politics, Obama, McCain, Foreign Policy, Obama Pwns McCain
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