Obama's trip has dealt him new cards to play at home

[babylonsister]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/jul/28/barackobama.uselections2008

Obama's trip has dealt him new cards to play at home
Michael Tomasky

He wowed Europe, but it was his meetings in Iraq and Israel that could prove big vote-winners when taking on McCain

snip//

If I had to guess right now, I'd say that barring some unforeseeable bombshell about either man, Obama will reassure more voters than not that he's the better choice for the moment (plus, his nationwide armada of workers and volunteers will do a more thorough job of getting the already-converted to the polls). But it'll take time. And this is where some of the things that happened on this trip will come back into play when it matters.

Most notable among them is Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki's stated support for Obama's withdrawal timetable. That July Christmas gift will enable Obama to say, in the debates and on the stump, that he and the Iraqi leader - George Bush's man in Baghdad, no less - are on the same page about the future. That's a pretty strong card to play with regard to a war that's costing $10bn a month and that most Americans want to see end sooner rather than later. McCain has a fair point about the troops surge, but it's doubtful that argument about something that happened two years ago will quite match what's essentially an endorsement from the Iraqi leader about the future.

Only a little less important was the Israel leg of the trip. Shimon Peres was most effusive, praising Obama's "moving humanity" and, without exactly saying so, making it crystal clear who his preferred candidate is. The other elements of the Israel dates came off without a hitch. The forces in America and Israel that don't want a settlement with the Palestinians will perform their mischief between now and November, but they represent a minority viewpoint in America. Obama already leads McCain two-to-one among Jews, and well-timed reminders of Obama's experiences in Israel should pump that up to the usual three-to-one Democratic advantage.

And finally, Obama is substantively right to talk about the strategic importance of Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the Taliban have regrouped and al-Qaida is amassed. His successful meetings in Afghanistan reinforce that message.

Obama still has a lot of convincing to do. And McCain, if the past week was any template, is clearly going to run a very negative campaign. Now that Obama's back home, he needs to start punching back, since he probably felt constrained from doing so while overseas, and plotting how to make this trip's ultimate dividends pay out in October.

[Kolesar]

1. The Beatles didn't order millions of teenage girls to scream,

...and Obama did not put pixie dust in America's, or the world's, watercoolers. He's hardly responsible for people's positive reactions to him. :)

[babylonsister]

3. Now if only the spinning, talking heads would get that through their noggins! nt

[Cha]

6. They're doing it on purpose..they must have a stink tank

in the basement that sends up the negative Obama points du jour. They didn't get what they wanted with the Wright Extravaganza but by $$$$ and monopoly they'll get mccain for their top corporate whore or die trying.

[nc4bo]

2. and I know that Shrubbery and McFlamingLiar would love Maliki to join Jimmy Hoffa.

Hopefully there will be no bombshell (including the recent ABC/WH shenigans) and America will wake up and smell the change in the air in November!

[Cha]

4. I really like Michael Tomasky..been reading him since

he was a political writer for New York magazine. Always brilliant.

[TexasObserver]

5. If he walked on water and cured the blind, they'd say "he's showing off, again."