BY TAYLOR MARSH
–Updated – Obama speech planned tomorrow–
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The foundation for the media call today was Obama’s Iraq op-ed. Biden and Rice did a brilliant double teaming on McCain:
PODCAST: Biden
Blasts McCain on Iraq, with Susan Rice
NOTE: Some volume spikes, due to so many different locales from those participating.
Halperin
was also on the call.
To add, also see DemocracyArsenal’s latest on Pakistan, an issue McCain ignores at tremendous costs.
Obama’s op-ed today:
In the 18 months since President Bush announced the surge, our troops have
performed heroically in bringing down the level of violence. New tactics have
protected the Iraqi population, and the Sunni tribes have rejected Al Qaeda
— greatly weakening its effectiveness.But the same factors that led me to oppose the surge still hold true. The
strain on our military has grown, the situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated
and we’ve spent nearly $200 billion more in Iraq than we had budgeted.
Iraq’s leaders have failed to invest tens of billions of dollars in
oil revenues in rebuilding their own country, and they have not reached the
political accommodation that was the stated purpose of the surge. ……Only by redeploying our troops can we press the Iraqis to reach comprehensive
political accommodation and achieve a successful transition to Iraqis’
taking responsibility for the security and stability of their country. Instead
of seizing the moment and encouraging Iraqis to step up, the Bush administration
and Senator McCain are refusing to embrace this transition — despite
their previous commitments to respect the will of Iraq’s sovereign government.
They call any timetable for the removal of American troops “surrender,”
even though we would be turning Iraq over to a sovereign Iraqi government.
…My
Plan for Iraq, by Barack Obama
Having Senator Joe Biden on the call was a big plus. His enthusiasm today was obvious, as he backed up Obama’s plans for Iraq, while simultaneously pummeling Senators McCain and Graham. On
the Bush policy, which McCain is adopting, “It was just to keep the
lid on, to kick the can down the road.” As for what Biden thinks about
McCain’s link of Iraq with Korea, Biden was brutal: “…total fundamental
lack of understand on what America faces.” Biden gets tougher from
there. “There is no historical parallel. There is no ethnic parallel.
… .. The idea that they are comparable reflects a lack of understanding.”
Bottom line: “I find it bizarre.”
“We need a fact based foreign policy.” – Senator
Joe Biden
The other real problem with McCain is that he just doesn’t understand the larger
challenges today.
Ending the war is essential to meeting our broader strategic goals, starting
in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the Taliban is resurgent and Al Qaeda has
a safe haven. Iraq is not the central front in the war on terrorism, and it
never has been. As Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
recently pointed out, we won’t have sufficient resources to finish the
job in Afghanistan until we reduce our commitment to Iraq.
Obama’s being hit on the left on a couple of fronts. Juan
Cole makes a comparison on Afghanistan with Lyndon Johnson, also warning
what the Russians went through in Afghanistan. This is a common philosophy from
some right now, especially on overall foreign policy philosophy. Needless to say, Juan is beyond qualified
on the subject, but he makes the same mistakes many other liberals make. They
misunderstand the differences in the American goal and the Soviet goal. In addition,
the bombings in Afghanistan to which Cole refers are mainly because the U.S.
doesn’t have the troop structure needed on the ground because of Iraq. Juan
advised: “We need to get out of there.” That may be so, but this is
not the time. Afghanistan has deteriorated to an extent that without the NATO
troops promised, as well as U.S. troops broadened significantly, Afghanistan could once
again become a failed state. Pakistan militants and jihadis will make sure of
it. Larry
Johnson also hits Obama on Iraq, but gets it wrong, too, by not also including Obama’s
statement during the Dartmouth debate, on which Clinton and Edwards agreed. One thing about Obama on Iraq is that
he’s been very careful to allow plenty of room for himself going forward. That’s
incontrovertible. Samantha Power made that uncomfortably clear during the primaries.
This simply cannot be ignored or rewritten.
Obama’s anti war speech was simply his foundation. Beyond that he’s been pragmatic and very cautious
making sure he has room to consider reality in 2009, which is months ahead. Having Biden on
today speaking as he did so forcefully is nothing but an elevator for Senator
Obama. It gives gravitas to the candidate where it’s needed.
“We may muddle through In Afghanistan.”
– John McCain, 11/5/03
Obama and his team are making good moves so far on the foreign policy front. Not ceding any ground to McCain, while getting the best established politicians on foreign policy to back Obama’s play. It’s a way to illustrate to the unconvinced that Obama has establishment foreign policy thinkers backing him up. It won’t go unnoticed by certain doubting Europeans either.
UPDATE: Obama to deliver major foreign policy address tomorrow:
Senator Barack Obama to Deliver Major Foreign Policy Address on Iraq and U.S. National Security CHICAGO, IL – Tomorrow, Senator Barack Obama will deliver a major speech on the war in Iraq and America’s national security priorities. Senator Obama will outline his strategy for addressing the most pressing threats facing America, which requires bringing the war to a responsible end, finishing the fight in Afghanistan, and pursuing our broader strategic objectives in the world.
Unlike Senator McCain, Senator Obama had the judgment to oppose the war before it began. Senator Obama understood that the war would undermine our security by sapping the resources needed to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan and al-Qaeda across the globe. As President, Senator Obama will consult with the generals on the ground on the tactics necessary to ensure the safe, responsible redeployment of American troops over 16 months.
Obama and McCain responses to each other on Iraq in the comments.
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