There appears to be an interesting dichotomy, developing in the political arena. That being the fact, that Senator McCain and the Bush administration, by virtue of supporting Senator McCain, want to portray Senator Obama, as being a lightweight on foreign affairs, with limited experience, while they continue to follow Senator Obama’s announced positions on many things. During the debates, when Senator Obama stated that, if as president, he had actionable intelligence, that Osama Bin Laden was found to be in the border area of Pakistan and Afghanistan, then he would invade the area, bomb or do whatever was necessary to capture or kill the man, he was ridiculed by everyone, for being naïve and uniformed regarding the subject.
After that, the Bush administration bombed, not once, but four times, I believe it was reported, and in fact killing possibly two terrorists in the attacks. When Obama announced that as president, he would want to send at least two brigades to Afganistan, because that is where the center of the war on terrorism, actually is, as that is where the plot to bomb the World Trade Center, originated, on the same border with Pakistan, where, it is said that Bin Laden is holed up. The very next day Senator McCain said he would send three brigades.
Senator Obama has also said he wants to bring the troops home from Iraq, sooner rather than later, Senator McCain has insisted the troops stay there, having permanent bases there, and not worrying about bringing them home, as he said to a news commentator, that it didn’t matter when they came home, as long as there were limited casualties, and just how do you propose to have limited casualties? The Iraqi president Maliki, disagreed and said that in the statement being negotiated now, between the U. S. government and Iraq, the Iraqis, wanted no bases in their country, unless they controlled them, and they wanted a timeline for American troop withdrawal.
It was just announced that within that official statement, there will be a reference to a “time horizon” for troop withdrawal, translation there will be a timeline, however arbitrarily stated. Once again, toward Senator Obama’s position. Senator McCain has not weighed in as yet. We can all remember Senator Obama’s opposition, although he could not vote on the war, as he was still a State senator, to invading Iraq, that it would be the wrong thing to do, and would turn out to be a disaster, as it has.
So in all these cases, the novice, according to some, is apparently leading the charge, and those who call him inexperienced, are are jumping on the Obama wagon, as far as advice goes on how to conduct foreign military affairs.
In other partially related news, former Senator Phil Gramm, Senator McCain’s Chief Economic Advisor resigned, late Friday, so as to not become a distraction, from the McCain campaign. Just a little too late for that, with his “mental recession” remark. But I guess better late than never.
Take care & God bless.