Desert Storm: Obama's surge across the Middle East

[Swagman]

by Bruce Wolpe
( a former Democrat staffer who spent years inside the beltway and is now following all the action of the campaign.)


US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has had his own Desert Storm campaign across the Middle East in the past week, and he has executed it cleanly and decisively.

Obama stayed on his message, notwithstanding pressure on his position opposing the surge in Iraq. He handled the strategic diplomacy, and fielded tough questions from the media heavyweights, with dexterity.

Images from the Obama surge in Afghanistan and Iraq boosted the message of clarity, coherence and leadership: troops mobbing Obama in Baghdad; the proper air of gravitas in the meetings with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai and Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki; a putative presidential head-to-head in the chopper with General David Petraeus surveying the terrain.

And the sports image to capture it all: Obama sinking a pressure three-pointer to whoops from the troops in Kuwait. Worthy of Tiger at Augusta.

(snip)

The White House was furious with the Iraqi President's endorsement of Obama's game plan for Iraq in an interview with a German magazine.

In Washington, when you tell the truth it's often called a gaffe, and The New York Times was punctilious about this one: "The following is a direct translation from the Arabic of Mr Maliki's comments by the Times: 'Obama's remarks that - if he takes office - in 16 months he would withdraw the forces, we think that this period could increase or decrease a little, but that it could be suitable to end the presence of the forces in Iraq.' He continued: 'Who wants to exit in a quicker way has a better assessment of the situation in Iraq.' "

(snip)

The cruelty of this week so far for McCain has been harsh indeed: he has been outflanked on an exit strategy for Iraq by friendly fire.
For what lies ahead:

Obama will be warmly greeted in Jerusalem, and warily in Palestine, with both sides wondering how hard he will push them to negotiate a peace settlement next year.

And more profoundly, Israel will be looking Obama in the eye and asking whether he can see the world with a nuclear Iran, and what he will do about it. Now.

And then to Berlin, and a rally in the city that will attract several hundred thousand people, where we can get a glimpse of the future and a world that is listening, once again, to an American president.

http://blogs.smh.com.au/whitehouse08/archives/2008/07/obamas_desert_storm_successful.html

[Cha]

1. Thanks, Rec'd..

Obama needed to do this to get away from the American presswhores and to meet and see first hand what he will be doing in the years to come.

Thanks for the whining suggestion, mccain.