Obama’s top Iraq advisor has written a paper in which he advises that through negotiations with the Iraqi government “the U.S. should aim to transition to a sustainable over-watch posture (of perhaps 60,000–80,000 forces) by the end of 2010 (although the specific timelines should be the byproduct of negotiations and conditions on the ground).” (Emphasis mine.)
Now, of course, Obama’s campaign denies that this position is his position, but Colin Kahl heads his Iraq working group and Obama has never said how many troops he’d leave on the ground in Iraq. Obama’s advisors have also said that he wouldn’t rule out using Blackwater and other mercenaries in Iraq.
Of course, Clinton’s position isn’t all that different or better. But I keep being told that I should overlook Obama’s rightward drift on Social Security and UHC because he’s sooooo much better on Iraq. When from what I can tell, he’s not.
Of course, if any Obama fan or Blogger Boy wants to take a break from scrounging through Hillary’s tax returns and press his campaign to move left on this issue - because that’s what primaries are for - that would be very welcome. It would be nice if he would get pressured to move left on something as he tries to win the nomination.
See - http://www.nysun.com/politics/obama-advi… and http://www.cnas.org/en/cms/?1888
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It's a wash either way, IMSHO
The whole situation in Iraq is so fucked, and the information we’re getting from our famously free press and the malAdministration is so pervasive, that I don’t think we’re even capable of making rational policy from the outside; GIGO. (I guess I’m assuming that such policy can be made from the inside.)
So, I don’t really see this as a gotcha, though it does point out that the famous 2002 speech has somehow magically morphed into the Beltway consensus.
What I’d like to see Hillary doing is telling the stories of soldiers from PA — maybe one whose family had to buy them body armor.
[x] Any (D) in the general. [ ] Any mullah-sucking billionaire-teabagging torture-loving pus-encrusted spawn of Cthulhu, bless his (R) heart.