McCain: How about traveling to Iraq, Barack?
posted at 9:20 am on May 27, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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John McCain took an opportunity to hit Barack Obama where he feels the Democrat is vulnerable: Iraq. If that seems like a contradiction, the McCain campaign thinks that Obama’s lack of immersion in Iraq makes him look inexperienced and weak, especially since Obama hasn’t visited Iraq for over two years, well before the surge reversed American fortunes. Yesterday, McCain challenged Obama to accompany him on a visit:
Republican John McCain on Monday sharply criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for not having been to Iraq since 2006, and said they should visit the war zone together.
“Look at what happened in the last two years since Senator Obama visited and declared the war lost,” the GOP nominee-in-waiting told The Associated Press in an interview, noting that the Illinois senator’s last trip to Iraq came before the military buildup that is credited with curbing violence.
“He really has no experience or knowledge or judgment about the issue of Iraq and he has wanted to surrender for a long time,” the Arizona senator added. “If there was any other issue before the American people, and you hadn’t had anything to do with it in a couple of years, I think the American people would judge that very harshly.”
McCain, a Navy veteran and Vietnam prisoner of war, frequently argues that he’s the most qualified candidate to be a wartime commander in chief. In recent weeks, he has sought portray Obama, a first-term senator, as naive on foreign policy and not as qualified to lead the military.
This was the criticism that prompted the ignorant and hypocritical response from the Obama campaign about political posturing and the meaning of Memorial Day. Obama spent the day criticizing Bush administration policy on Iraq, but then eschewed “political posturing” on Memorial Day, a “day to honor our nation’s veterans” — when in fact Obama did plenty of political posturing yesterday and the day honors our war dead, not living veterans, who have Veterans Day to honor them.
McCain’s surrogate Lindsey Graham proposed a trip together by both nominees for a joint briefing by CENTCOM commander General David Petraeus. McCain has traveled repeatedly to Iraq during the course of operations, receiving briefings from commanders on the ground, while Obama has not received any briefings at all. The media asked McCain about this proposal, as the McCain campaign desired, and McCain endorsed the idea of a joint briefing. As political traps go, this one got telegraphed but still worked rather effectively.
The challenge allows McCain to set a bigger trap for Obama than just a holiday headline. If Obama refuses, McCain can openly question how Obama came to his conclusions about Iraq when he won’t listen to the people running the operation now. It also calls into question Obama’s testicular fortitude; if McCain goes there regularly, why won’t the younger and more energetic Obama? If Obama does go, McCain will publicize the briefing and call on Obama to reconsider his position in light of the new data that Obama received.
The optics of this are priceless. If Obama goes, he risks his standing with the hard-Left haters of the military and exposes himself to the optimistic findings in the briefing. If he doesn’t go, McCain can openly wonder why Obama wants to meet with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and not David Petraeus. The commercials practically write themselves.
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Shrewd.
backwoods conservative on May 27, 2008 at 9:24 AM
He’ll go, he’ll accept the good news even if he doesn’t believe it, and he’ll track right on the war and toss the nutroots overboard, as we all knew he would for the GE anyway.
Then when he takes office it’ll be “whoa, I didn’t know until I got here how bad those Neocon warmongers screwed this up” with a big fat wink to Markos and the gang.
Hannibal Smith on May 27, 2008 at 9:26 AM
I wonder if Obama would ever be able to gain the respect of our troops?
mimi1220 on May 27, 2008 at 9:29 AM
B.O. will most sling some B.S., telling McPain his oh so busy schedule prevents him from seeing the truth as to how things are improving in Iraq at this time.
And then he’ll give a speech to the masses on how we are failing miserably there.
pilamaye on May 27, 2008 at 9:29 AM
Gold.
Jaibones on May 27, 2008 at 9:30 AM
Ahh, herein begins the fantasy….. : )
kcd on May 27, 2008 at 9:32 AM
Delicious…
Theworldisnotenough on May 27, 2008 at 9:32 AM
Needs theme music, for whether Barack should go to Irag!
Should I go or should I stay,by the Clash!
canopfor on May 27, 2008 at 9:33 AM
New Politics, brought to you by Barack Obama:
I must admit, I liked Old Politics a little bit better.
free-thinker on May 27, 2008 at 9:34 AM
I haven’t read the book, but I’ve seen the movie.
Limerick on May 27, 2008 at 9:34 AM
I wish McCain would put Obama on the spot about what Obama wants to do in Iraq. Obama has always kept the focus BACKWARD looking — “I voted against this war and Hillary/McCain voted for it!” — as if voting for Obama will go back into the past and erase the war. But the question you really need to ask is “what are you going to do in 2009?” and not “what would you have done in 2002-3?”
Roger L. Simon has argued on many occasions that Obama has been fundamentally dishonest about Iraq, because while Obama sells “I want to leave Iraq,” the truth is that Obama has no coherent Iraq policy at all. It’s basically “let’s draw down troops at some kind of pace I’m not really sure of just yet.” Polls still show that the American people want to win in Iraq, even if the war is unpopular; this war has not reached Vietnam levels where people are willing to accept defeat to cut their losses.
McCain, I think, should really play up this distinction and pummel Obama for being a crass political opportunist.
Outlander on May 27, 2008 at 9:35 AM
MSM was all over Cindy Sheehan when Prez refused to meet her more than once. Now where is the media when
Obama refuse to meet his home state veterans?
Anita on May 27, 2008 at 9:36 AM
Obama doesn’t seem to know the difference. In a speech yesterday, he said: “On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes — and I see many of them in the audience here today — our sense of patriotism is particularly strong.”
Apparently he really is the Messiah — he sees dead people!
AZCoyote on May 27, 2008 at 9:37 AM
A. Can he find Iraq?
B. Do they have waffles?
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on May 27, 2008 at 9:42 AM
“McCain wants me out of the country so he can run a campaign with me out of sight”
“We have had briefings on the hill, and many more senators then McCain, with just as much experience, has told us what we need.”
“With the briefing on the hill, that’s what they are for, we don’t need to go to the battlefield, you rely on the information given. And the information is not conclusive”
“I never said we weren’t doing better, I said the war was mis-managed, I don’t need to go to Iraq to know the the general public knows, it was a war of disaster - ran on empty promises, short on results, with loss of life not commensurate with results.”
“By McCain’s standards I would have to go there for the next 100 years.”
“We have generals in the battlefield to give us what information we need. I don’t need to go to Iraq and grandstand for picture ops, I know what the public knows, it was and is a war that costs too much in lives, money. This has hurt families, and it is an economic disaster. The pain is here at home, that is where we need to start healing the country”
“Going to Iraq, may be great publicity for McCain, but it won’t give us our economy back, put people back to work, make congress less divisive, make us more oil independent…it won’t resolve any of the problems we are facing today, photo ops in Iraq won’t cure our problems here in the U.S. We need solutions not P.R.”
See, how easy it is to get out of it?
right2bright on May 27, 2008 at 9:44 AM
I am sure Obama would go to Iraq.
To go boost the morale of his Islamofascist BFF’s and go chat with the jihadi “troops”.
After he got done there he could go spend a relaxing weekend with another of his BFF’s Amadinejad.
Nahanni on May 27, 2008 at 9:47 AM
That’s odd. According to this Obama is against political posturing on Memorial Day. But according to this he considers Memorial Day the perfect opportunity for political posturing.
I’m so confused.
JohnJ on May 27, 2008 at 9:48 AM
Obama rejoinder: “If Bush and McCain had listened to me instead of using that so-called experience, I wouldn’t have to visit Iraq to see what mess they made for us.”
Not bad.
SteveMG on May 27, 2008 at 9:49 AM
I saw in the news yesterday that Fidel Castro says Obama is the most qualified candidate for President. Obama is now endorsed by both Hamas and Castro. I think Obama needs a new campaign slogan to reflect all the high-profile support he’s been getting lately.
Something like:
Commies, Crazies, and Terrorists for Obama ‘08.
AZCoyote on May 27, 2008 at 9:51 AM
Obama don’t have a clue! He thinks he can go to these dictators and use that smooze he spouts off to his ignorant supporters, and they will follow him like the damn pied piper. If he were ever put to thest, he would wind up under his desk in the oval office, with his thumb in his mouth!
kcd on May 27, 2008 at 9:52 AM
to
thestoops, “the test”.kcd on May 27, 2008 at 9:53 AM
right2bright on May 27, 2008 at 9:44 AM
“To know what the general public knows”
“I know what the public knows”
Since when did the MSM apportion higher education degrees upon the public? Everyone knows whatever it is that the general public knows really makes a person the highly trained specialist. The general public is so smart.
LOL @ bho and his absurd generalizations
maverick muse on May 27, 2008 at 9:56 AM
Obama doesn’t want to stand next to McCain in a war zone. The contrast would just be too stark.
pecan pie on May 27, 2008 at 9:57 AM
I wouldn’t travel anywhere with B.O.
…not when Billary is suggesting he may have a ‘Kennedy moment’.
cntrlfrk on May 27, 2008 at 10:00 AM
AZCoyote on May 27, 2008 at 9:51 AM
Obama IS the most qualified candidate to drag us into Castro’s hell.
Viva la CONSERVATIVE REVOLUTION!
Nail down the Left and leave them high and dry.
maverick muse on May 27, 2008 at 10:00 AM
Aside, “Barry” belongs to Goldwater, certainly not to BHO who renigged on his American alias in preference for his given Muslim name.
Hence, Obama is either Barack or Berry to his friends.
maverick muse on May 27, 2008 at 10:05 AM
Going to Iraq won’t help Michelle Obama’s children.
Good on ya, McCain, for putting Obama square in the spotlight and making him squirm; shrewd political maneuvering.
Bishop on May 27, 2008 at 10:11 AM
When the MSM have convinced them of whatever they want, other words when the public agrees with the liberals.
Oil shortage is caused by the oil corporations…
Iraq is a lost war…
The economy is bad…
Unemployment is bad…
Obama is a “new beginning”…
Whenever the majority begins to view the world as the MSM sees it, they confer “higher education degrees upon the public”.
But when they don’t, like the election of Bush over Gore, the public is “angry”, stupid, has been fooled, etc. And they become uninformed. Their degrees are revoked.
right2bright on May 27, 2008 at 10:14 AM
Berry? Berry what?! Berry Inssain?
kcd on May 27, 2008 at 10:14 AM
I also love how McCain is focusing on BO and not-so-subtly ignoring Hillary. That’s got to drive her crazy.
pecan pie on May 27, 2008 at 10:15 AM
If Obama is smart, he’ll make this trip as soon as possible, even if his statements here and in Iraq are at odds. Remember, his supporters think the world will be unicorns, rainbows and fairy princesses if Barak wins election and are willing to look past any contradictory statements, as long as the last statement fits their world view.
Nancy Pelosi just finished a trip to Iraq, where she admitted the surge was working, but once outside the country, went back to saying the exact same things as before, and has not bee called on it. Obama can do the same thing and get away with it. As long as he avoids making a joint visit with McCain, where their statements and any future contradictions would be harder to bury, he can make the trip in June, say the situation is better, then immediately come home and say Iraq’s a quagmire and the big media will never call him on it, and he can then also say it’s a disaster that he’s seen first hand and doesn’t need to go back again.
jon1979 on May 27, 2008 at 10:19 AM
This is the best political move w/r to Obama of McCain’s campaign so far. He really can’t let up on this. No way Obama can be CIC if he isn’t even willing to visit Iraq.
WisCon on May 27, 2008 at 10:20 AM
Brilliant!
It’s a good time to remember that Barry’s plan to end the war was:
A. To hold a summit meeting with all Middle Eastern countries (except for Israel), and to specifically include our enemies, Syria and Iran, in drawing up a “compact”.
B. To oppose the surge and pull all troops out by March 31st.
Just imagine where we’d be right now if his mind-numbingly stupid plan had come to fruition.
Buy Danish on May 27, 2008 at 10:22 AM
Voting for Barr most likely and McCain’s just going to help my candidate out with his recent antics. These people have a short memory. When McCain tried his a-hole antics in New Hampshire it almost cost him the primary, his lead got smaller. Now he thinks it will work this time. This is not why people like and vote for McCain. This is a big mistake if one actually wants McCain to win.
LevStrauss on May 27, 2008 at 10:28 AM
Obama won’t go to Iraq. His “judgment” is so great that he doesn;t need to, you know, actually see the place to know we should never have gone there and should get out now ASAP.
This is one issue where he truly cannot backtrack in the general election, or the entire prmie of his campaign goes down the toilet. David Axelrod concocted this campaign in 2006 when it did look like we were losing the war and the new Democratic majority in Congress appeared ready to finish the job. Polls showed large majorities wanting to bring the troops home no matter the consequences. The Obama campaing is stuck with this narrative now and there isn’t a hell of a lot they can do except dance around it now that the facts on the ground have changed.
My belief is that none of them thought the House Republicans would stick with President Bush and defeat all the end-the-war bills, they did not envision anything like the surge policy, and they sure as hell did not envision John McCain winning the GOP nomination.
rockmom on May 27, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Maybe Obama will go to Iraq after we make it one of the 57 states.
Sweet. Now if we can just get JMac off of the amnesty and global warming trips, then I could give him more support.
Dr.Cwac.Cwac on May 27, 2008 at 10:30 AM
Reneged perhaps? Wouldn’t want you to get in trouble.
baldilocks on May 27, 2008 at 10:38 AM
Berry clever, kcd.
txsurveyor on May 27, 2008 at 10:45 AM
He has seen the report of Petraeus, and like many others in congress, was not moved.
The reason why we have the generals give us these reviews is so the public servants do not have to travel overseas and disrupt the campaigns which amount to nothing more then PR stunts.
This war is too important, to much has been forever lost to make this an issue of “who shows up in Iraq”. The resolution has to born here on U.S. soil. The direction of the war comes from Washington, and it has to be changed.
So Barack would say…using the lives of military men to win votes is not what I consider the best use of my time…Obama would state.
right2bright on May 27, 2008 at 10:46 AM
The man didn’t have time to go to Kentucky, and you people want him to travel to Iraq?
Quisp on May 27, 2008 at 10:51 AM
I can bet you Obama will make a trip if things in Iraq goes bad.. Now that we are having progress, he’s not going to go in there and let his mind be changed.
It’s sad that the democrats are implicitly hoping for failure and shame to our country because of stupid politics.
justinok on May 27, 2008 at 10:54 AM
Outstanding piece Ed.
I loved the comment regarding BO’s willingness to unconditionally meet with our enemies but not our military leaders. I think Maverick just shot a sidewinder up BO’s tailpipe.
David in ATL on May 27, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Conventional Wisdom: Iraq is a political loser in 2008
Contrarian wisdom: Iraq is a winner in 2008
I’m a contrarian.
Baraq is a conventional loser.
indythinker on May 27, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Or Washington Bullets.
Akzed on May 27, 2008 at 11:06 AM
But hey, the way things are going, he might get a private audience with Sistani or maybe Sadr will even fly in to greet him.
Connie on May 27, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Hillary has announced that she agrees with McCain. Barack should go to Iraq, and things have improved so much that he can probably do without a security detail. It’ll be a vacation! Michelle can go, too!
CK MacLeod on May 27, 2008 at 11:11 AM
I hope they do travel to Iraq together. If the “True Conservatives” really are stupid enough to put Obama in the White House he needs to learn all he can about Iraq and the military.
funky chicken on May 27, 2008 at 11:29 AM
Stand by…
Heres the Obama scenario…
Obama will go with McCain to Iraq, and see the progress on the ground.
He will then come back and as he has already done, say his plan is for a SLOW withdrawl of troops. He will stress his willingness to talk to Iran, who is the main perp over there now. He, or his surrogates will approach Iran and cut a deal saying that if he is President, he will not only talk to Iran, but will not put Permanent military bases in Iraq…
He’s already milked all the money from the nutroots left… his coffers are full of cash from the Anti War crowd, so now, just like the Dems in Congress, he will get real and renenge on his position… and use the change of circumstance on the ground and approachment with Iran as the excuse.
Romeo13 on May 27, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Option #3 - Obama goes to Iraq, then comes back and lies about it.
Option #4 - Obama goes to Iraq, then comes back and finds some way to take credit for it.
Lehosh on May 27, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Michelle!
Look people…there’s only one MICHELLE!
So when mentioning that pretender’s name its Michelle Obama, or Mrs. Obama, or Ms. Obama or Michelle LaVaughn Robinson-Obama, or MLRO
anything but MICHELLE!
Dread Pirate Roberts VI on May 27, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Ubama will certainly go to iraq..he is not afraid.
No jihadi will dare hurt him,as they are also well aware of the fact that he is a muslim manchurian candidate and if he gets into office they win.
I wonder why the MSM is not reporting on why an “apostate” muslim is fanatically supported by Hamas,Hezzbollah and all other islamic terrorist groups…
SaintOlaf on May 27, 2008 at 12:10 PM
Why does B. Hussein fear confronting the very men and women he hopes to command over?
Conservative_SAHM on May 27, 2008 at 12:35 PM
this just in nobama cant make ther trip to iraq he is to busy going to the 7 new states we just found out we had .
Mojack420 on May 27, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Or Obama can travel to Iraq,leak a story about some plot or another was thwarted, plans to assasinate him, how he knew about it and he went anyway , take credit for bravery in the face of death, use the story about how bad it is in Iraq, and use it against those that claim he is somehow favored by US enemies, an example how the terrorist don’t want him to win.
AverageJoe on May 27, 2008 at 12:39 PM
That presupposes that he hard-Left has the intellectual honesty to actually care. Iraq is and always has been little more than a political device to the left. They don’t care about wars, they don’t care about Iraqis, etc., they only care about military activity that their chosen ones deem appropriate. If Obama is elected and deems it appropriate that we stick around in Iraq for a while, they will quite suddenly get over it.
DaveS on May 27, 2008 at 12:49 PM
Since BHO denounced Islam as a boy would he be safe in the middle east? would not there be a death sentence on his head in any Muslim country?
unseen on May 27, 2008 at 12:50 PM
Obama might be able to weasel out if he does go to Iraq. He will pull a Pelosi–marvel at the progress and smile at the troops while he’s in Iraq, then make a U-turn in La-La land and tell his liberal friends on TV that it was Bush’s misguided judgment that caused all the suffering he observed, and McCain would continue it.
If Obama doesn’t go to Iraq, then McCain will go by himself and the MSM will ignore it.
Of course, after Hillary’s remark on RFK in June, Obama might start worrying about stray bullets and friendly fire!
Steve Z on May 27, 2008 at 1:11 PM
However, McCain could come back and say that Hussein would still be in charge and still killing the Kurds and he would not be just in Iraq, but maybe back to Kuwait or even Israel
ConservativePartyNow on May 27, 2008 at 1:42 PM
In fairness to Barack, does Iraq really need a new Hussein to visit?
Kevin M on May 27, 2008 at 3:04 PM
Why does B. Hussein fear confronting the very men and women he hopes to command over?
Conservative_SAHM on May 27, 2008 at 12:35 PM
Call it pre-emptive fragging
elduende on May 27, 2008 at 3:17 PM
Obama adviser:
“You should go. Good photo ops. Maybe sit in a tank with a helmet on.”
jgapinoy on May 27, 2008 at 11:42 PM