Saturday, July 19, 2008
Barack Obama's grand tour
Even the Financial Times marvels that one week's travels should somehow establish Barack Obama's foreign policy bona fides:
This week [John McCain] scored points against Mr Obama on the most pressing foreign relations issue of all: Iraq. The Democrat has reformulated his position on the withdrawal of US forces so many times – latterly, twice in the space of a few days – that one’s head spins. The McCain campaign has produced an eight-minute video compilation of these iterations, and it hits home. Most recently, Mr Obama has again stiffened his commitment to bring combat troops home within 16 months of the election, playing down any conditions and qualifications. That is an unsatisfactory and irresponsible posture. It would be better to say that forces will be withdrawn as soon as conditions allow.
Mr McCain’s complaints are unlikely to get much airtime next week, however. Breathless coverage of Mr Obama’s procession will drown them out. In many ways, the callow Mr Obama already looks more presidential than his rival. If he watches his step next week, his ability to shrug off Mr McCain’s attacks on his lack of foreign policy expertise will be even greater when he returns.
Every sentence of that excerpt may well be true, including the dispiriting prediction in the last.
14 Comments:
By 
, at
Sat Jul 19, 01:04:00 PM:
And what shall we make of the POTUS' recent flip flo..., I mean concessions on the Iraq withdrawl timetable and diplomatic talks with Iran?
Doesn't he know he runs the risk of being labelled an appeaser by the likes of Cheney and Faux News??
By 
D.E. Cloutier, at
Sat Jul 19, 02:03:00 PM:
FYI, here are two interesting links:
Today, from Spiegel Online: "Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki supports US presidential candidate Barack Obama's plan to withdraw US troops from Iraq within 16 months."
Link:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,566841,00.html
Yesterday, from Elisabeth Bumiller of the New York Times: "A Cast of 300 Advises Obama on Foreign Policy."
Link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/us/politics/18advisers.html?ex=1374120000&en=550e6f6c4438701b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink
By JPMcT, at
Sat Jul 19, 02:28:00 PM:
Mr. Obama will be xleeping each night in a Holiday Inn Express, thus returning to the USA with intuitive understanding of Foreign Policy matters.
By , at
Sat Jul 19, 02:46:00 PM:
I agree with FT. Short of a YouTube clip of a Joe Lieberman-type whispering the correct answers in his ear, this will be a win-win for Mr. Obama, particularly, in light of Pres. Bush's capitulation this week re: timetables.
By , at
Sat Jul 19, 02:47:00 PM:
DEC, I have a mentally challenged cousin who likes to pick up people's plates during dinner (before they're done eating) and scrape them off and put them in the dishwasher. It's actually quite funny and endearing if you're not paying attention and she actually makes off with one. But the funny thing is that when the meal is over, everyone agrees to give her their plates.
But wait, check out this headline: "Dinner guests support mentally challenged cousin's plan to take dinner plates from table within 5 minutes."
Does this mean she was right all along?
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Sat Jul 19, 02:52:00 PM:
I have no interest in your family, Anonymous at 2:47 pm.
By , at
Sat Jul 19, 02:57:00 PM:
DEC, was it not your point to attempt to use al-Maliki's statement as justification for Obama's plan?
-Anonymous at 2:47 pm.
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Sat Jul 19, 03:13:00 PM:
No, Anon at 2:47 p.m. FYI means "for your information." If I wanted to make a point beyond that, I would have stated it clearly.
I always vote Republican.
Remember one of the most important rules of life: Erroneous assumptions lead to bad decisions.
By , at
Sat Jul 19, 03:30:00 PM:
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Sat Jul 19, 03:35:00 PM:
No apology is necessary, Anon. But thank you for your courtesy.
By Purple Avenger, at
Sat Jul 19, 06:12:00 PM:
A Cast of 300 Advises Obama on Foreign Policy
That's not advisers, that's a mob.
By Dawnfire82, at
Sat Jul 19, 10:28:00 PM:
DEC: There's follow up to that first story, however.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/07/19/almaliki.obama/index.html?section=cnn_latest
"But a spokesman for al-Maliki said his remarks “were misunderstood, mistranslated and not conveyed accurately.”
Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said the possibility of troop withdrawal was based on the continuance of security improvements, echoing statements that the White House made Friday after a meeting between al-Maliki and U.S. President Bush."
The Iraqis clarified that they were in accord with what has already been discussed with the President, rather than endorsing a candidate's plan.
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Sat Jul 19, 10:56:00 PM:
By D.E. Cloutier, at
Sun Jul 20, 09:12:00 AM:
FYI -- Here is the next-day story at Spiegel Online: "Spiegel sticks to its version of the conversation."
Link:
http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,566914,00.html
