Obama Gets Help From Iraq's Prime Minister And from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

[Pirate Smile]

Obama Gets Help From Iraq's Prime Minister
And from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

By Fred Kaplan
Posted Thursday, July 10, 2008, at 5:55 PM ET

It's been a good week for Sen. Barack Obama. National security is the one area where his opponent, Sen. John McCain, holds an advantage in the polls. Yet on the two most contentious security issues—Iran and Iraq—Obama's views have now been endorsed by two of the most unassailably authoritative figures: the highest-ranking officer in the U.S. armed forces and the prime minister of Iraq.
When it comes to military matters, McCain the war hero might get away with pulling rank on the junior senator from Illinois—but he can't claim more experience than those two.

The stab from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki turned into a comedy routine. Maliki stated this week that he would not sign any treaty allowing U.S. armed forces to remain on his nation's soil—the current accord, known as a Status of Forces Agreement, expires at the end of this month—unless it includes a timetable for their withdrawal.
Obama has called for just such a timetable. McCain has opposed one, famously saying that a substantial number of U.S. combat troops might need to stay in Iraq for another 100 years.
When asked about Maliki's statement, McCain told reporters that it had been mistranslated—to which Maliki responded that, no, the English version was correct. At that point, some of McCain's supporters said that the prime minister wasn't serious, that he'd been forced by political constituencies to demand a timetable. Maliki again insisted that he meant what he'd said. (Even if he was caving to political pressures, one could infer that this suggests a majority of Iraqis and their major parties want us to commit to getting out in the not-too-distant future.)

-snip-
Obama also got a boost this week from reports in the Jerusalem Post and Haaretz that Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently told top officials of the Israeli Defense Forces that the United States would not give them a "green light" to launch airstrikes on Iran.
This is not merely a political statement. To send fighter-bombers to attack Iran, the Israelis would need permission to fly over Iraq on the way. Maliki certainly wouldn't approve such a plan; Mullen was saying that President Bush wouldn't, either.

-snip-
Once more: advantage Obama.

At this point, McCain's challenge is to justify the perception that national security is his strength—to explain how his experience in the military translates into good judgment for making policy.

http://www.slate.com/id/2195134?nav=wp

[babylonsister]

1. Obama has better plan! He didn't need help. nt

[AtomicKitten]

2. This is a gift. Now let's hear McBush explain himself on national security & foreign policy

for a change.

K&R

[ErinBerin84]

3. I thought McCain's flip on this should have been the biggest story of the week

I mean, I'll take what I can get these days...Gramm, Birth Control question, even Nut-gate for Christ sake were more than I can usually hope for in the week in terms of positive Obama coverage/negative McCain coverage, but this should have been such a bigger story.

[grantcart]

4. k and r

[peoli]

5. Obama wins

[invictus]

6. K&R

[cliffordu]

7. K&R

Nice!

[John Q. Citizen]

8. That's good news.

[Tarheel_Dem]

9. And just as McCain had ramped up his anti-Iran rhetoric we find out

the pics were photoshopped. Looks like the Senator's national security arguments are falling apart, but I'm sure they've got something in store for us in the fall, since Bin Laden & Achmidenijad(sp) seem to be on the GOP payroll.

[LaStrega]

10. enthusiastic k/r n/t

[NattPang]

11. This should be a big story here,

if DU's priorities were in order.

[uponit7771]

12. K&R

[nod factor]

13. Know your media.

The party line, Obama's line, DU's line has always been that there is no military solution there.
I don't care what any "commanders on the ground" say.
Until ALL troops withdraw immediately Iraq will always be a mess, case closed.
Don't be fooled this does not help us.
The media will just focus on what Obama has said in the past, that the surge was a failure and we need to start looking at withdrawal plans NOW.
I am sick and tired of this foolishness now.
GET OUT NOW!