The Initial Decision
Paul Begala looked back at Barack Obama’s list of particulars against McCain’s misjudgments on Iraq policy in 2002-2004 and said: “He thrashed John McCain on Iraq.” It’s too bad, though, that Obama didn’t return back to this point more frequently. Unlike the various tactical ins-and-outs of different people’s ideas about exactly when and where you meet with so-and-so, the initial question about whether or not to invade Iraq implicates big picture strategic considerations.
It’s clear to anyone who bothers to ask him that love of preventive war as a primary tool of non-proliferation policy is integral to McCain’s worldview. He sees one of the main problems with the Iraq War as being that it’s tended to make Americans less eager to embrace that agenda. He fears that we may turn to a candidate, Obama, who doesn’t believe in attacking countries that haven’t attacked us or our allies. He thinks that starting such wars is vital to American security, and that’s why he’s running for president.
In fact, though, people have grown disgruntled with preventive war because the preventive war doctrine has resulted in disaster.
24 Responses to “The Initial Decision”
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September 26th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
Maliki withdrawal??
September 26th, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Greatest credit crisis this country has seen in how many years? And McCain spent half the time talking about pork barrel spending. Hah. What a joke! He doesn’t get it.
September 26th, 2008 at 11:43 pm
I suppose that the Obama’s primary objective going into this debate was to demonstrate that he was prepared to manage America’s foreign policy, and I think he basicly did that. But I don’t think he “thrashed” McCain on Iraq effectively enough to convince anyone who didn’t already know McCain’s record. McCain managed to deflect by talking about the surge and attacking Obama.
September 27th, 2008 at 12:01 am
overall, i think Obama took it, but agree he missed some openings. especially when McCain said that talking to Iran is ‘naive and dangerous’ – rather than responding with further folderoll about preconditions, Obama should have said, “That’s exactly the problem with your judgment on foreign policy. You think that talking to a rogue nation is dangerous, but making preemptive war against one is a good way to keep us safe. Have you learned nothing from the past 8 years? Your perception of what’s risky in foreign affairs is fundamentally backwards, and it’s the same perception that’s gotten us into the mess we’re in, and the last thing we need is more of the same.”
September 27th, 2008 at 1:06 am
i think Obama took it, but agree he missed some openings
Agreed, but I also think that he clearly held his fire on certain ones, because he wants to save them for October. No ‘rich is $5m’ when that was fat and over the plate. No Keating Five. Even the big hits — bomb Iran, etc. — were done in an off-hand way, the equivalent of body shots. I think Keating Five and rich = $5m comes later. I hope the fuck so.
Today was ‘not a scary black man’ day for Obama, with his eye on the blurry-headed undecideds.
September 27th, 2008 at 1:42 am
Matt: “He fears that we may turn to a candidate, Obama, who doesn’t believe in attacking countries that haven’t attacked us or our allies.”
Why does he fear that? Obama is going to do exactly that with Iran.
Look, morons, here’s the bottom line on Iran:
Either Iran stops enrichment
OR
the US and Israel blink.
Which do you think is more likely to happen?
‘Cause I can tell you straight up – Iran is NOT going to stop enrichment.
So if you don’t believe Obama or McCain or Israel is going to allow Iran to continue enrichment – then you believe we’re going to war with Iran.
That’s the bottom line.
September 27th, 2008 at 3:46 am
I have a question that I wish someone would ask John McCain. He seems to think that pulling out of Iraq would be an enormous mistake that would be dangerous for the US. He hinted that he knows this because of his experience in Vietnam.
My question is this: what happened when we withdrew “without honor” from Vietnam? What catastrophes ensued? Were the results better or worse than would be expected from another 10 years occupation of the country?
September 27th, 2008 at 5:09 am
It’s too bad, though, that Obama didn’t return back to this point more frequently.
I agree completely. I don’t have the sense that he is making this point in any of his ads either. Why not?
September 27th, 2008 at 7:27 am
I agree with M: why wasn’t Obama also banging McCain over the head with calling the withdrawal timetable correctly?
There’ve been three judgment calls that stand out: going to war, the surge, and setting a deadline (more or less) to get out. Obama can win the first and third, McCain the second. Pound him on both and let people decide that 2 for 3 beats 1 for 3.
September 27th, 2008 at 11:54 am
Senator Obama won, hands down. All of the focus groups and the polls following the debate showed that. I also saw this as a fight between the past and the future. I was astounded that Senator McCain constantly referred to war and the military and aggression and the existential struggle between good and evil. Several times McCain simply reached for this when it was totally inappropriate and had nothing to do with the questions. Senator Obama was wise and thoughtful and well prepared and did project strength, without alpha male force and threat toward the older, and nearly feeble opponent.
I know that McCain is stuck in Vietnam. It was his one and only chance at greatness. But, greatness begins to die when the “great” person continues, year after year, and way beyond the time younger americans even care about that episode in history – to contually harp on that event in his life. Old John McCain against New Barack Obama. I find it very wrong when older persons refuse to step aside and let the bright and the young and the sharp take over. As an older person, I feel relieved and I have trust in Barack Obama to lead this nation and to inspire the world the way John F. Kennedy did. You did well, Barack. {PEACE
September 27th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
John McCain is full of vituperation and resentment for the future. It was evident in his condencension and disrepect for Barack Obama, his youth, his ideas, his march forward. I think Barack will take some lessons from this debate. In the next one, the elbows may be a little sharper and there will be no ad up the next day saying “I agree with John”. The concensus is however, that by those agreeing statements, Barack spoke to the independent voter. New polling today shows Americans are with Obama. What a country….
September 27th, 2008 at 2:27 pm
Hopefully, America is ready to lead again…..if they don’t we will be very glad to take up the mantle
Iran.
September 27th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I felt well represented by Barack Obama in the first debate. This is a presidential election, not a job interview for secretary of defense or Emperor of the Earth. Wise decision making, broad consideration of negative impacts, and honest communication with all members concerned is the imperative for anyone in the position of president.
I am not from a “military” family although members of my family have served in the military through the generations. It is my fervent hope for the world that that majority of us who have no interest in waging war or creating armed conflicts will invest our attention, efforts, and work to enhance our own countries thereby raising the quality of our lives and our children’s lives, creating a human and humane world in which we can survive with honor. If we have good work to be done at home, there is no reason to conduct bad work far away.
Given the choice of attending tuition-free college and trade schools or joining the military, it is my theory that young people will choose life-sustaining endeavors. No doubt there will long be funding available for true crises and that minority who crave the comraderie and single-minded authoritative style of military life. What is needed now however is funding for a new country in search of sustainable ways of living.
We struggle to address global warming. Can you believe that? Our very habitat is predicted to fail and we struggle to attend to it. It is my hope that our modern ability to have pervasive non-governmental international communications will further the endeavors by people of every country who are willing to work to create peaceful sustainable relations with each other and the planet upon which we all depend. This is community organizing writ large. We know who has experience in this.
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