The Iraq Question at the AARP Forum updated
Barack Obama has had a bad week. After opting out of the Cornyn vote, it continued
when he decided to stay out of last night’s AARP forum on PBS. I have the same
feeling I had when he skipped another forum on health care earlier in the year. Somebody should be fired.
It wasn’t a Fox “News” forum, that’s for sure. It was a serious conversation
about issues that hit seniors, including social security, medicare and taxes, with the centerpiece talking about health care. Edwards continues his confrontations with Clinton and got off the best zinger.
“I think her health care proposal is actually very good,” said Edwards. “It’s very similar to mine. I’m proud of the fact that six or seven months later Senator Clinton came out with a plan that is very similar to mine.”
At the end of the forum came a question on Iraq. It’s clear that our Democratic
candidates are very pessimistic about what has not happened since the new Congress
took over. They obviously don’t trust what one of them will inherit.
I’ve said it before, but anyone who commits himself or herself to definites
on Iraq troop force is kidding you and themselves. After you listen to the YouTube
of the Iraq question last night I bet most of you will also understand why
I took hisses at YearlyKos, as well as heat on what I believe the reality will
be on the ground in Iraq when we (hopefully) take over in 2009.
I know what people want to hear, especially progressives in the blogosphere. I understand it. But I’ve talked to a lot of people on this, as
well as know a thing or two about it myself, so I feel confident to tell you that we’re not going to be where any of us want to be in 2009. With Mr. Bush continuing the war until that time no one should put restraints on our candidates to make promises they will not be able to keep. Because I’m telling you right now that it will surely come back to haunt us when he or she has to break those promises.
UPDATE: Of course, now I get why Mr. Obama ditched the AARP forum last night (in addition to the fact that it’s easier to stump than it is to answer hardball questions about policy). He was raising money in Atlanta (via several emails), while also repeating his attacks on MoveOn.org.
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