McCain's Iraq gambit

murray

I am sorry to keep piping up here, but look at what a house of cards the dems (and the media) have built: a 4 year senator with good looks and great stage presence...and that is it...this thing is not even going to be close (and again, they could have cleaned up by nominating a moderate with experience-I'm not saying Hilliary who is a lightening rod)

TGF UKIP

McCain's problem on the surge with Obama is that he can counter with "we should never have gone there." However, like virtually the entire Democrat Party he did very vocally oppose the surge and McCain should nail him over and over again. What would be helpful to McCain, though, would be if the Iraqi Government were more cooperative with the US. Stopping US forces going into and sorting out the Mahdi Army in Sadr City is only the most recent example of Maliki's obtuseness and Shia partisanship. Perhaps, the real success might come not in Baghdad but, at the expense of British shame, in Basra. Even the BBC are reporting, very quietly and almost secretly, surprising progress there.

Hal

I think that a joint visit to Iraq could help Obama. The lazy assumption out there is that McCain knows foreign policy and national security issues. This trip could place Obama on a more nearly equal footing in the public mind. It also gives Obama a chance to venerate the troops and look patriotic.

Limited progress in Iraq, along with ongoing, endemic Iraqi tensions, can justify the U.S. beginning to pull out at (Obama's position) at least as much as staying for 100 years (McCain's).

Ganpat Ram

Hal:

You advise Obama to visit Iraq to "venerate (sic!) the troops and look patriotic"?

Obama? A guy who hasn't heard a shot even at a pumpkin at a fair?

Alongside McCain, a legendary American military hero?

The troops will die LAUGHING.

"Venerate the troops and look patriotic", eh?

Obama? A man who has never heard a shot fired even at a pumpkin?

Alongside on of America's greatest military heroes?

The troops will die LAUGHING !!!

Ian C

It's alright Ganpat, we're not deaf!!

McCain has been damned clever here. If BO goes it's as a result McC's agenda. If he doesn't he is not so inclusive as well as effectively sticking two fingers uo to the military. It also highlights that he probably does not know enough about to take the position he has as he hasn't been since '06.

He's shown him up beautifully. AIt seems like a master-stroke.

Ganpat Ram

Ian C:

Apologies for the inadvertent repitition! Hit the keys too hard in my amusement at the whole thing.

Craig Strachan

Obama should agree to go to Iraq with McCain. Together, they could visit the same street market McCain visited a year ago, when he had to be protected by hundreds of US soldiers and a couple of helicopter gunships. (I wonder if McCain is confident enough in his claims of "progress" to dispense with that level of security this time?)