Obama v. McCain: Good timing or what?
Posted: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 9:21 AM by Domenico Montanaro
The Washington Post front-pages that as Obama met yesterday with Iraq’s leaders, a “spokesman for the Iraqi government declared that it would like U.S. combat forces to complete their withdrawal by the end of 2010. The comments by spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh mark the second time in recent days that a senior Iraqi has endorsed a timetable for U.S. withdrawal that is roughly similar to the one advocated by Obama. Dabbagh suggested that a combat force pullout could be completed by the end of 2010, which would be about seven months longer than Obama's 16-month formulation.”
VIDEO: Countdown's Keith Olbermann talks with Newsweek's Howard Fineman about Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki backing Barack Obama's plan for withdrawing U.S. troops from that country within 16 months of taking office.
The
New York Times: “The Iraqi government on Monday left little doubt that it favors a withdrawal plan for American combat troops similar to what Senator Barack Obama has proposed, providing Mr. Obama with a potentially powerful political boost on a day he spent in Iraq working to fortify his credibility as a wartime leader… The central tenet of Mr. Obama’s foreign policy is suddenly aligned with what the Iraqis themselves now increasingly seem to want. Not only have the developments offered Mr. Obama a measure of credibility as a prospective world leader in a week when his every move is receiving intensive attention at home and abroad, but it has complicated Mr. McCain’s leading argument against him: that a withdrawal timeline would be tantamount to surrender and would leave Iraqis in dangerous straits
The Los Angeles Times notes that the news “bolstered Obama's credibility on a key foreign policy issue, early in a weeklong trip to the Middle East and Europe that was designed to reassure voters concerned he lacks the experience to be commander in chief.”
The Washington Post’s Dan Balz adds, “[A]s political theater, the events of the past few days have played unfailingly in the Democrat's favor. On Friday, a day after Obama left for Afghanistan and Iraq, Bush administration officials announced that the United States and Iraq had agreed on a time horizon for removing troops. Then, twice in three days, Maliki embraced a withdrawal timeline similar to Obama's. Beyond that, McCain shifted ground to declare that he, too, favors sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan.”
“McCain, campaigning in Maine, was blistering in his criticism of Obama on Monday. He said his rival has been ‘completely wrong’ on Iraq and "has no military experience whatsoever," and argued again that any withdrawal from Iraq must be based on conditions on the ground.”
“‘The fact is, if we had done what Senator Obama wanted to do, we would have lost,’ Mr. McCain said... ‘And we would have faced a wider war. And we would have had greater problems in Afghanistan and the entire region. And Iran would have increased their influence.’”
Also: “McCain appeared to leave a door open on Monday to a large-scale drawdown of U.S. troops from Iraq in the next two years.”
The Boston Globe front page highlights yesterday’s contrast in images between the two candidates. McCain: Suited up, standing side-by-side with a white turtenecked, tan-blazered President George H.W. Bush in Kennebunkport, Maine. Obama: In a helicopter seated next to Gen. David Petraeus with headsets on. The accompanying story shows McCain driven around in a golf cart by Bush, the number “41” on one side of the windshield, and a sign that reads, “Property of 41. Hands off!” on the other.
