TPM: Obama Doubles Down on his 16-month withdrawal timetable in big Iraq speech.

[Pirate Smile]

You Gotta Know When to Hold 'Em . . .

Obama doubles down on 16-month withdrawal timetable in big Iraq speech.

--David Kurtz

Obama: "I Strongly Stand By My Plan To End This War"

By Greg Sargent - July 15, 2008, 12:06PM



Now that Barack Obama has just wrapped up his big Iraq speech, it's worth noting how big a gamble he's taken at key moments during this race -- by insisting on elevating the discussion to a higher plane than the ordinary tit-for-tat of campaigns.

When Obama was under fire for Reverend Wright, Obama gave a speech in which he asked his audience to think bigger, to rise above the narrow, gaffe-driven debate about Wright and have a real and meaningful discussion about the larger social and historical forces at play.

Now Obama has again done something very similar on Iraq.

John McCain wants the debate between the two men about Iraq to be framed around three narrow assertions: One, he was right about the surge, which has succeeded. Two, that success proves that we can "win" with "honor," rather than "surrender." And three, Obama has "flip-flopped" because he can't guarantee that withdrawal from Iraq won't take 30 seconds longer than his proposed 16 months.

Today, Obama insisted on a much broader framing of the discussion, in multiple ways.


In response to McCain's desire to focus the discussion on who was right about the surge, he asked his audience to imagine what our nation could have accomplished in the days after 9/11, if we hadn't squandered our post-9/11 global good will with an unnecessary invasion of a country that had nothing to do with the attacks. He pointed out that we could have devoted all of our force to hunting down the terrorists responsible for 9/11 and their networks and invested hundreds of billions in seeking alternative energy sources.

In response to McCain's insistence that we can "win" with "honor," rather than "surrender," Obama refused to cede the definition of these terms to his foe.

"They refuse to press the Iraqis to make tough choices, and they label any timetable to redeploy our troops `surrender,' even though we would be turning Iraq over to a sovereign Iraqi government -- not to a terrorist enemy," Obama said, adding that the "accusation of surrender is false rhetoric used to justify a failed policy."

And in what may have been the biggest gamble of all, he asked his audience to stop thinking about what lies ahead in Iraq as a straight choice between victory and defeat...

At some point, a judgment must be made. Iraq is not going to be a perfect place, and we don't have unlimited resources to try to make it one. We are not going to kill every al Qaeda sympathizer, eliminate every trace of Iranian influence, or stand up a flawless democracy before we leave -- General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker acknowledged this to me when they testified last April.
In fact, true success in Iraq -- victory in Iraq -- will not take place in a surrender ceremony where an enemy lays down their arms. True success will take place when we leave Iraq to a government that is taking responsibility for its future - a government that prevents sectarian conflict, and ensures that the al Qaeda threat which has been beaten back by our troops does not reemerge. That is an achievable goal if we pursue a comprehensive plan to press the Iraqis stand up.

And finally, in response to McCain's claim that Obama has flip-flopped on whether to leave, Obama reiterated his support for withdrawal in 16-months, adding: "I strongly stand by my plan to end this war."

Obama did not back off his commitment to withdrawal one bit today. Rather, he doubled down on it. In a big, big way.

http://tpmelectioncentral.talkingpointsmemo.com/2008/07/obama_i_strongly_stand_by_my_p.php

:applause: :patriot:

[Richardo]

1. Nothing about the New Yorker cover?

Oh that's right, he's talking about things that matter.

</snark>



Excellent speech again - I love the way he takes the petty snipes from the GOP, faces them head-on, and puts them in a perspective that shows exactly how petty they are. :applause: :patriot:

K&R!

[Egnever]

4. agreed

he seems to have a real talent for responding to attacks against him with cool headed logic. It is very satisfying to see in a Dem candidate.

[NatBurner]

2. in other words: "flip-flop on deez"

[Pirate Smile]

10. Huh?

[cliffordu]

3. I love Barack Obama. I really, really do.

[Pirate Smile]

9. This is why I supported him in the first place. His wide and deep foreign policy

views that don't accept the Republican's false and dangerous foreign policy frames which have been so disastrous.

If you want to leave Iraq, you are for "surrender", "waving the white flag", "cut and runner", blah, blah, blah - NO, Obama says, it will be victory and success.

He reframes it beautifully.

Now, we just need all the Democrats to use this framework throughout the campaign.

[InternalDialogue]

5. It's basically a "bootstraps" argument for the Iraqis.

You'd think the Father-Knows-Best Republicans would relate to it. Or maybe the Republicans, in this case, want us to be nannies?

[Coexist]

6. thank you for posting this.

[TexasObserver]

7. "We'll leave when they ask us to leave." --- was supposed to be the deal

"When they stand up, we'll stand down." --- was supposed to be the deal

How can it be surrender, if we leave when the Iraqis want us to leave?

[Pirate Smile]

8. I love the way that he has defined it as success. He blows McCain and the Republican's

"Cut and Run", "Surrender", "waving the white flag" arguments to pieces.


In fact, true success in Iraq -- victory in Iraq -- will not take place in a surrender ceremony where an enemy lays down their arms. True success will take place when we leave Iraq to a government that is taking responsibility for its future - a government that prevents sectarian conflict, and ensures that the al Qaeda threat which has been beaten back by our troops does not reemerge. That is an achievable goal if we pursue a comprehensive plan to press the Iraqis stand up.



Obama gives us a definition of success - a definition of victory.

[Hope And Change]

11. K & R!You can watch Obama`s full speech here...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=132x6504541

[Pirate Smile]

12. kick