Redstate

Posted at 12:37pm on Jul. 4, 2008 Will Obama win a war in order to win an election?

By Soren Dayton

John McCain has famously said that he would rather lose an election than lose a war. He seemingly sacrificed his Presidential ambitions in favor of our national interest.

In Barack Obama, it seems that we have the converse. He had declared the war lost and withdrawal an imperative when it was politically expedient. Now it seems that the reality on the ground (both polling in the US and the security in Iraq, in that order) has shifted, and Barack Obama is about to change his position.

Where John McCain put the war above his election, Barack Obama puts the election above the war, and everything else.

The lesson here is that Barack Obama is willing to sacrifice anything and everything for his political ambitions. No friend is too close, no promise so (seemingly) heartfelt, no principle so great will get in the way of his election.

Now there is a contrast with John McCain.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Iraq — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:04am on Jul. 4, 2008 Walking Back The Cat

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Of all of the major Presidential candidates, Barack Obama has been the one who most consistently opposed the war and most consistently garnered the approval of antiwar voters with his promise to end American involvement in Iraq in 16 months after his inauguration, should he win the Presidency. Indeed, several times in debates and on the campaign trail, Obama was asked whether he would reconsider his Iraq policies in the event that General Petraeus or other members of the military asked him to in light of what the conditions on the ground might be. And each time, Obama refused.

However, when it comes to his Iraq policy, Obama may now be softening:

Senator Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot sustain a long-term military presence in Iraq, but added that he would be open to "refine my policies" about a timeline for withdrawing troops after meeting with American military commanders during a trip to Iraq later this month.

Mr. Obama, whose popularity in the Democratic primary was built upon a sharp opposition to the war and an often-touted 16-month gradual timetable for removing combat troops, dismissed suggestions that he was changing positions in the wake of reductions in violence in Iraq and a general election fight with Senator John McCain.

"I've always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed," he said. "And when I go to Iraq and have a chance to talk to some of the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."

Of course, the practical translation of the above is "get ready for the antiwar movement to be thrown under the bus." Just as Obama has cut his ties with longstanding political supporters--thus embittering some of them and just as Obama has decided to support FISA reform--thus embittering the netroots, Obama has now pledged to "refine" his Iraq strategy after having initially pledged not to.

Look, I understand that there are practicalities involved in politics. And Barack Obama now appears to be embracing those practicalities. That's fine and good as it goes but with each passing day, it becomes clearer and clearer that while Barack Obama is an eloquent man with a winning campaign trail style, there is nothing special or extraordinary about his brand of politics.

He's just another Democratic party politician. And because Obama has been selling his politics as some extraordinary new batch of leadership and policies, the more people realize that Obama is just another Democratic party politician, the more pronounced their sense of disillusionment with him is likely to be.

Oh, and see this, this and this. The Obama campaign had to call a press conference to try to kill any talk that he is changing his position, but you can tell that the press is not buying it and that they are calling him on a whole host of inconsistencies between his prior position and his current one. He also accuses the McCain campaign of "prim[ing] the pump" to somehow mislead the public on Obama's position, which is bizarre and unsupported. It is difficult to see how Obama can "refine policies" concerning a troop withdrawal without potentially refining the 16 month timetable that he set for himself so his claims that he would leave the timetable untouched even though he might "refine policies" makes no sense and can't even plausibly be offered up as promises. I realize there is a need to spin this as not being a big deal, but it just isn't going to wash, as this story indicates.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Flip-Flopping | Iraq — Comments (4)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:01pm on Jul. 3, 2008 Watch out for all those bitter folks in the crowd, Barry -- they tend to cling to things [Open Thread]

By Jeff Emanuel

Courtesy of Roll Call($) comes this wonderful report:

Obama May Campaign at NASCAR Races

Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) in the coming weeks may become the first Democratic presidential nominee to attend a NASCAR stock car race in 16 years, his campaign confirmed today.

“We would love to make it to a NASCAR race if the schedule permits,” Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki told Roll Call Thursday afternoon. “In the meantime, we plan to continue campaigning in communities across the country including small towns and rural communities where people are dissatisfied with the leadership of the last eight years and looking for a new direction for the country.”

The sight of Barack Obama attempting to mingle with a demographic he so publicly despises and looks down on should be an interesting one indeed. Further, the entertainment value provided by liberal elites who try to do "normal people" things is practically endless, as the two scenes below from the 2004 campaign remind us.

By the way, anybody remember the wonderfully eloquent attempt to blend in just before the hunting trip chronicled above by asking, "Can I get me uh huntin' license here?"

Delicious. I can't wait to see what Obama tries to do to blend in with these bitter hayseeds who are always clinging to guns and religion.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Liberal elites trying to blend in with the unwashed masses | NASCAR | Obamafiles — Comments (78)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:02pm on Jul. 3, 2008 Democratic Party contemplating cutting a day off of convention schedule.

For a Party so supposedly loaded down with cash, they're doing a lot of austerity programs.

By Moe Lane

I can't seem to avoid the front page today. Via Hot Air:

A short but sweet gathering
July 3, 2008

Barack Obama's campaign and the Democratic National Committee are toying with a convention scheduling change that has been broached before in theory but never seriously considered: cutting the party's conclave in Denver short by one day to give Obama an extra day of post-nomination bounce in the crowded August calendar.

For the last several decades -- when conventions became forums that merely rubber-stamp a presumptive nominee -- they have traditionally run from Monday through Thursday. Increasingly, both parties have struggled to offer something of interest during the first couple of convention nights, and the television networks have responded by dramatically reducing live coverage. The only truly significant event has been the nominee's acceptance speech, delivered during prime time on Thursday evening.

But Obama aides have floated the idea of ending the Denver convention on Wednesday, Aug. 27, instead of Thursday, Aug. 28.

You'll notice - although the LA Times didn't - that the aforementioned Obama aides completely overlooked the fact that their blithe suggestion would muck up network lineup schedules. The time to do that was four months ago, guys. Springing it on them seven weeks out isn't very nice.

Read on.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | DNC | Obamafiles | Things to Do In Denver When You're Broke — Comments (46)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:38am on Jul. 3, 2008 And so we wait for the Great Obaman Reversal on Iraq.

We also wait for everyone's June fundraising numbers, but that's a different issue altogether.

By Moe Lane

Like Glenn Reynolds, I am nigh-breathless from waiting to see how long it'll take for Senator Obama to finally integrate objective reality into his Iraq position, which is slowly but surely looking more and more absurd every day. As Brother Soren notes, Obama's surrogates are already doing an admirable job of muddying the waters, but the IDB/TIPP poll referenced (but not linked to) in the link above is grim news to anybody wanting to cut and run. When you have half of independents and 45% of Democrats now disagreeing that the war is lost, you have a problem with being a Democrat running on a campaign that the war is lost.

So... we wait for him to cave on his most fundamental, bedrock policy position. I expect that it'll be right after that trip to Iraq and Afghanistan that the VRWC shamed him into making. And when he does, the derision and mockery that will ensue over this last, best betrayal of the progressive netroots will make our reaction to the Democratic cave on FISA look like an Elks Club Amateur Comedy Night.

Just thought that I'd share.

Moe Lane

PS: Exit question, as Allahpundit would say: Do you think that the netroots support the Democratic Party in the same way that I was a New York Mets fan, growing up? Because damned if I can see how they're getting any practical return on their money, particularly when it comes to foreign policy.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Iraq | Obamafiles | The Great Netroots Betrayal — Comments (12)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 8:10am on Jul. 3, 2008 New game: Try to figure out what the Obama campaign thinks about Iraq

By Soren Dayton

Over the last 48 hours, senior advisers in Barack Obama's campaign have articulated (at least) 3 separate positions on Iraq. Chief campaign strategist David Axelrod, campaign co-chair Senator McCaskill, and foreign policy advisor Susan Rice all expressed different positions. Watch them:

Today, all those advisors--and more--are trying to explain Obama's policies on the morning shows. Perhaps someone will be able to coordinate these chuckleheads, but it probably won't be the Obama campaign.

Perhaps you can try to figure out what their policy will be. They certainly don't seem to know.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Iraq — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:55pm on Jul. 2, 2008 The Fabulous FISA Flip-Flop

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Via Patterico, we see that Glenn Greenwald is really going after Patterico with a vengeance over his decision to support FISA reform. I'll remain silent over all other matters . . . except to say that I agree with Patterico that now would be a very good time for a fresh batch of popcorn.

Posted at 11:54pm on Jul. 2, 2008 Barack Obama's Toothless Second Amendment

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Jacob Sullum discusses. It's clear that Obama would have preferred D.C.'s tremendously onerous gun ban to remain in effect and if he becomes President, he will do whatever he can legislatively to restrict the right to keep and bear arms.

He'll also try to appoint people to the Supreme Court who would be willing to reverse or severely limit the Supreme Court's ruling in Heller. On this issue, it's important to turn the mike over to Robert Levy, who successfully litigated Heller:

Heller is merely the opening salvo in a series of litigations that will ultimately resolve what weapons and persons can be regulated and what restrictions are permissible. Near term, the Court will also have to decide whether Second Amendment rights can be enforced against state and local governments. Despite those remaining hurdles, it's fair to say that the court's blockbuster decision makes the prospects for reviving the original meaning of the Second Amendment substantially brighter. And given the unfolding presidential contest, it's also fair to say that the court's razor-thin majority conveys a crucial message: Judicial nominations matter.

Yes they do. And by extension, elections matter.

Posted in Barack Obama | Law | Second Amendment — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:52pm on Jul. 2, 2008 Flip-Flopping On Trade--The Fun Continues

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

Here's Barack Obama's campaign today:

As presumptive Republican nominee McCain headed to Latin America today after an event in Indianapolis, the Obama camp hosted a conference call to criticize him for what it called failed trade policies.

On the call, Indiana House Majority Leader Russ Stilwell and former UAW Vice President Terry Thurman said McCain was committed to unfair trade policies that have hurt Indiana workers and resulted in the loss of thousands of jobs in the state.

"Just recently, Sen. McCain traveled to Canada to talk about his support for NAFTA and today, after he finishes his speech here in Indiana, he's hopping on a plane and going to Colombia and Mexico to talk about how much our trade agreements are going to help those countries rather than talking about what we can do to help this country," Thurman said. "I find it no surprise that he's gonna go to Mexico to talk (sic) how great NAFTA is because he is certainly not gonna find much support for it in the Hoosier State."

And here was Barack Obama just a little over a week ago:

The general campaign is on, independent voters are up for grabs, and Barack Obama is toning down his populist rhetoric - at least when it comes to free trade.

In an interview with Fortune to be featured in the magazine's upcoming issue, the presumptive Democratic nominee backed off his harshest attacks on the free trade agreement and indicated he didn't want to unilaterally reopen negotiations on NAFTA.

"Sometimes during campaigns the rhetoric gets overheated and amplified," he conceded, after I reminded him that he had called NAFTA "devastating" and "a big mistake," despite nonpartisan studies concluding that the trade zone has had a mild, positive effect on the U.S. economy.

Does that mean his rhetoric was overheated and amplified? "Politicians are always guilty of that, and I don't exempt myself," he answered.

Someone forgot to remind the Obama campaign that they should refrain from "overheated and amplified" rhetoric. They certainly engaged in such rhetoric today. By the way, if you want to see how trade has helped Indiana--and why Indianans would be in favor of free trade absent efforts to obscure the issue via demagoguery--you need only read this.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | Flip-Flopping | Free Trade — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 11:48pm on Jul. 2, 2008 This Is Going To Be A Close Election, Part 47,926

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

To wit:

With the dust having finally settled after the prolonged Democratic presidential primary, a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll shows Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama locked in a statistical dead heat in the race for the White House.

With just over four months remaining until voters weigh in at the polls, the new survey out Tuesday indicates Obama holds a narrow 5-point advantage among registered voters nationwide over the Arizona senator, 50 percent to 45 percent. That represents little change from a similar poll one month ago, when the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee held a 46-43 percent edge over McCain.

CNN Polling Director Keating Holland notes Tuesday's survey confirms what a string of national polls released this month have shown: Obama holds a slight advantage over McCain, though not a big enough one to constitute a statistical lead.

Just a little reminder that every vote counts.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | John McCain — Comments (7)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 5:45pm on Jul. 2, 2008 Yet Another Flip-Flop On Trade

By Pejman Yousefzadeh

The Obama campaign said today that it will not try to unilaterally re-open negotiations regarding NAFTA:

Of course, in February of this year, Obama said something entirely different:

One wonders what America's trading partners think about all of this--beyond "America's word will not be trusted" if such double-talk actually finds its way to becoming policy.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama | flip-flops | Trade — Comments (18)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 5:02pm on Jul. 2, 2008 Manufacturing Obama: He "worked his way through college" with two summer jobs

By Soren Dayton

Barack Obama is a liar. We know this by now. He lies about what he used to say or think. And he lies about his personal background. For example, he said that he compared his upbringing to Hillary Clinton's elite upbringing. Never mind that he went to the most prestigious prep school in Hawaii, paid for by his grandma, who was VP of a bank.

This time he is saying in his most recent ad that he "worked his way through college and Harvard Law". FactCheck.org fact-checked and it turns out that it isn't true. He had two (2!) jobs during college and graduate school. From Fact Check:

But "worked his way" through college and law school? The only back-up the campaign provided for this claim was a quote from Obama's book "Dreams from My Father" having to do with a construction job he had one summer while he was in college, and an article mentioning his job as a summer associate one year at a big Chicago law firm. We asked campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor if Obama held jobs during the school year, or other summer jobs, but he said only, "He had the two jobs I told you about." Unless Obama had a good bit more employment than his spokesman was able to describe for us, it's a real stretch to claim he "worked his way" through school.

Now I wouldn't argue that I "worked by way though college" but I did work a 20+ hour/week job during the school year and full time during the summer and all vacations.

Sees like the only change he is going to bring to Washington is that of better acting.

Posted in 2008 | Barack Obama — Comments (21) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 1:28pm on Jul. 2, 2008 Faith Without the Faith

By Mark I

I'm not normally enamored of Bill Donohue, but this is pretty good stuff.

“Any church or religious agency that agrees to take federal money on the condition that it must operate in a secular fashion—in hiring and in disseminating its values—is selling out. If Orthodox Jews running a day care center are not allowed to exclusively hire Orthodox Jews, there is nothing kosher about it. If a Catholic foster care program cannot place Catholic children with Catholic parents, it is doing a disservice to the children. If an evangelical drug rehab program can’t deliver a Christian message to its clients, it may as well close up shop. But that’s what Obama wants—he wants to secularize the religious workplace.

“No wonder Obama said yesterday that ‘I’m not saying that faith-based groups are an alternative to government or secular nonprofits, and I’m not saying that they’re somehow better at lifting people up.’ Indeed, if he really believes this then he might as well withdraw his initiative.

“The whole purpose behind funding faith-based programs is that they are, in fact, superior to secular programs. And the reason they are has everything to do with the inculcation of religious values disseminated by people of faith. No matter, Obama wants to gut the religious values and bar religious agencies from hiring people who share their religion. Hence, his initiative is a fraud.”

Posted at 10:15am on Jul. 2, 2008 Question and answer time: the Wes Clark thing.

Some Snide that Got Fed Ex'ed?

By Moe Lane

Q. OK, so what's going on?
A. Senator Obama has lost control over how his campaign will reference Senator McCain's military service.

Q. Lost control, or gave it up?
A. Hah! I have a cynical questioner this time. No, this was taken away from him; he didn't and doesn't want to go there.

Q. Why?
A. Because Senator Obama doesn't make a habit of urinating on electric fences.

Read on.

Posted in Anti-war liberals | Barack Obama | Elections | John McCain | Wes Clark — Comments (50)/ Email this page » / Read More »