McCain camp attacks Obama on Iraq position changes, Obama raises huge sums
McCain's team has released the following video on Obama's position changes on Iraq which can be found at this link:
http://www.johnmccain.com/videolanding/documentary.htm
The major bit of news from the Obama campaign this week was that he raised an impressive $51 million in June, though it is not clear how much he has spent, but he continues to open new campaign offices around the country. The other news highlight is Obama's visit to Iraq. During this visit, Obama's team released a long planned editorial, published in the New York Times, defining his position on Iraq. It can be found here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/14/opinion/14obama.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Notably absent from Obama's plan is language referring to his previous commitments to listen to and take advice to the commanders on the ground and our ambassador in Iraq. Restored are his (late) primary positions of pledging to withdraw from Iraq within 16 months. The "plan" strikes me as notoriously optimistic, focused on the past, and entirely silent as to what contingencies/backup plans are in place if things go differently than expected.
It seems Obama plans on either continuing to oscillate back and forth between pledging to withdraw in 16 months and listening to the commanders on the ground as polls dictate or he is incapable of imagining a scenario where the two do not coincide, (such as now and the previous year). No matter where someone stands on Iraq, it would seem hard to imagine being confident that Obama is your guy or knowing what he believes.
In addition to the video link above, McCain's speech the following day on the same topic can be found here:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/07/strategy_for_victory_in_afghan.html
Obama has also spoken of increasing our military presence in Afghanistan, (McCain has done the same), and has not ruled out invading Pakistan, nor going back into Iraq after the 16 month withdrawal if that causes conditions in the country and/or region to deteriorate.
Last, der Spiegler, a German news magazine, reported this week that al Maliki endorsed Obama's 16 month withdrawal plan, which, after the Obama team touted the report, was flatly denied as a misrepresentation and mischaracterization by the Iraqi leader.
Obama will tour Europe, including Germany, after he finishes his first trip to Iraq in over two years.
McCain, meanwhile, continues his outreach efforts to Hispanics.
