Sunday, February 18

Benedict Clinton 2008, Benedict Obama 2008: Presidential Victory through defeat in Iraq

After the Iraq votes in Congress, I think I will just start calling the 'cut and run' crowd as Benedict's (Including the Republican turncoats). As expected, the Democrats are fighting over each other to see who can guarantee defeat in Iraq quicker. Benedict Clinton has declared that if President Bush does not pull all troops out of Iraq, she will as President.

Benedict Obama, her main challenger shows why it is sometimes dangerous to act first on an issue by declaring that all troops should be out of Iraq by the end of March, 2008, a date almost a year earlier than his main Democrat challenger. However, while Clinton has been all talk, Obama put action behind his words and submitted legislation in the Senate to ensure a pullout from Iraq:
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., wants to cap troop levels and begin redeployment, with all combat troops out by March 2008. - Seattle Times
Not to be outdone, Clinton has realized that she needs to act quicker than relying on a campaign promise to fix Iraq if elected. After all she has already been elected to the senate.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the early front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, has called for a 90-day deadline to start pulling American troops from Iraq.

Clinton, the wife of former President Bill Clinton, has been criticized by some Democrats for supporting authorization of the war in 2002 and for not renouncing her vote as she seeks the U.S. presidency in next year's election.

"Now it's time to say the redeployment should start in 90 days or the Congress will revoke authorization for this war," the New York senator said in a video on her campaign Web site, repeating a point included in a bill she introduced on Friday. In October 2002, Congress authorized President George W. Bush to take military action in Iraq before the U.S.-led invasion of March 2003. - Reuters
Benedict Clinton, in calling for what is basically an immediate withdrawal from Iraq, is attempting not only to neutralize Obama's Iraq 'plan' but also deal with a serious problem for all Democrats pushing defeat in Iraq.

While the press may not be portraying Iraq as anything close to victory, the election is about two years away, and when people go to vote, they will be judging Iraq as is it is at the time that they vote, not at the time that the candidates have staked their position. This of course explains why the candidates positions on Iraq keep changing, especially Clinton's, whose constantly changing position on Iraq requires a computer to keep track of. (By pulling out immediatly, you ensure that Iraq remains a mess, exactly what you need to get votes in 2008.) At least Obama has been consistently against the war in Iraq which I will give him credit for. Unfortunately for him, we are in Iraq, and his position on Iraq is one against winning there and therefor not an option for many in 2008. And that is a shame because he is a pretty decent candidate, when compared to the other Democrats running against him. Which is exactly the type of position that might win him the Primaries only to get creamed in the General Election, which is the only one that matters.

President rebuked, but real fight may lie ahead - Seattle Times
Clinton urges start of Iraq pullout in 90 days - Reuters

1 comment:

merjoem32 said...

Obama is so much more credible than Hillary when it comes to pulling the troops out of Iraq. Obama has been consistent with his stance on the war while Hillary is clearly contradicting her vote to authorize the war. Her vote will be a significant factor in her chances at the 2008 presidential race.