Obama's New Iraq War Offensive

[illinoisprogressive]

Sept. 12, 2007 - As Washington digests the two-day testimony of Gen. David Petraeus, and President Bush readies his next address on the war, the leading Democratic presidential candidates are returning to the campaign trail—testing out their Iraq War applause lines in the new postreport climate. Barack Obama scored this summer by reminding his cheering crowds of his early and enduring opposition to the war—a conflict that, in his words, “should never have been authorized and never have been waged.” Hillary Clinton’s supporters love her promise that if President Bush won’t end the war, “I will.”
Taking to the trail after the Petraeus testimony, Obama seized the opportunity to turn up the heat on the Democratic front runner. “Conventional thinking in Washington lined up for war,” he told supporters in Iowa. “The pundits judged the political winds to be blowing in the direction of the president. Despite—or perhaps because of—how much experience they had in Washington, too many politicians feared looking weak and failed to ask hard questions. Too many took the president at his word instead of reading the intelligence for themselves. Congress gave the president the authority to go to war. Our only opportunity to stop the war was lost.”

It was not lost on Obama’s audience at Ashford University—in the town of Clinton, of all places—whom he meant to single out as a politician who failed to read the Iraq intelligence for herself: Hillary Clinton.

Obama’s aides believe her vote for the war offers a possible chink in the formidable Clinton armor. They eagerly point out that she failed to read the full and classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. Unlike the public version of that report, the full NIE included multiple caveats and disclaimers that cast doubt on key assertions by the White House.
CONTINUED
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20746894/site/newsweek/

[AtomicKitten]

1. Edwards didn't read the NIE either and he was on the Intel Comm.

I will not reward either he or Hillary with my vote in the primary.

>> It was not lost on Obama’s audience at Ashford University—in the town of Clinton, of all places—whom he meant to single out as a politician who failed to read the Iraq intelligence for herself: Hillary Clinton.

Obama’s aides believe her vote for the war offers a possible chink in the formidable Clinton armor. They eagerly point out that she failed to read the full and classified National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq. Unlike the public version of that report, the full NIE included multiple caveats and disclaimers that cast doubt on key assertions by the White House. <<

[DURHAM D]

4. The "spinning aides" have a non-starter here.

Seventy percent of the country was ready to go to war. (I was not one of them). However, forty percent of that seventy percent has now realized they were wrong. They forgive both John and Hillary that vote because they must forgive themselves.

Those middle grounders (the 40 percent) don't really want to talk about that vote. They want to talk about the future. Obama grounding his campaign to history is a mistake. He is the one who keeps wanting to "turn the page". Bad message management.

[AtomicKitten]

7. I'll bet some folks don't want to talk about "that vote."

I fully intend on holding my elected officials accountable for their participation in the inception of the worst foreign policy and Constitutional abuses in the history of this country.

Restoring democracy is more important to me than second chances for people who have already failed miserably and catastrophically.

Obama is the future.

[DURHAM D]

9. Huh?

You have conflated voters (approx. 115 million of them) and national elected representatives (535).

I am talking only about voters. They have moved on. This is poor political strategy on Obama's part.

[GeorgeGist]

12. I seriously doubt that Obama is going after ...

the ignorant vote.

[DURHAM D]

2. Are you sure you wanted to give the link -

the piece has parts of his speech and then snidely offers the conclusion that Obama is trotting this out because he is getting desperate as Clinton continues to expand her lead in the polls?

[AtomicKitten]

3. they are suggesting it might be politics -- you added the "desperate" part

[DURHAM D]

5. You are right - that is my word and he is that. eom

[sandnsea]

6. To be #1, you have to beat #1

And you have to give the people the reasons why #1 doesn't deserve to be #1 anymore. Hillary is not leading on foreign policy and Obama is laying the groundwork to make that clear as the primary season goes on. There's no point in fighting an issue when nobody is paying attention. I expect he won't really turn up the heat until December.

[Colobo]

8. Exactly!

[DURHAM D]

10. Oh please. What heat is that?

He is currently shoting his wad for fear of losing sight of the leader.

[sandnsea]

11. Nah, it's the fall kick-off

All you've seen so far are tail gate parties.

[illinoisprogressive]

13. Agreed, sandandsea

[DURHAM D]

14. All I hear is whistling in the graveyard. eom

[sandnsea]

15. Booooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's us Obama-mamas you hear, we're going to be haunting you in your dreams before too long.

[DURHAM D]

16. Nah - I don't dream much - I live a reality based life. eom

[sandnsea]

17. uh oh, folks who don't dream...

well that can't be a good sign.

I'm done. :hi: