Flip Floppin' Through the Summer

The predictable cries of “flip-flop” were heard last week when Obama backtracked from his (absurd) primary promises to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq on his pre-determined timeline, whatever the consequences. He used these earlier promises to draw a contrast between himself and Hillary, who did not have the luxury of claiming to have always opposed the war in Iraq. Now Obama is having to deal with the publicity fallout of his “refinement” of his timetable for troop withdrawal, convening hastily planned follow-up press conferences and then blaming the media for not understanding his nuanced positions in the first place regarding “the mission”, “tactical decisions” and so forth. In one sense it is nice to see Obama squirm a little bit, since he has generally been confronted with nothing short of a fawning press corps up to now (the Rev. Wright couple of weeks notwithstanding).

I get increasingly frustrated with the “flip-flop” charge in political campaigns. On the one side, perhaps it indicates indecisiveness and lack of knowledge or experience. That is certainly what McCain’s people will claim (and should claim, strategically speaking). On the other hand, the shrill cries of “flip-flopper” seem to deny that a candidate can develop his own views over time and rightfully change his mind as circumstances demand. Put it in the context of the business world. What would a corporate Board do to an executive who stuck to certain policies and principles no matter how the markets shifted or developed? They’d fire his ass for being inflexible and not being cognizant enough of his ever changing environment. Now, I know that this comparison is not completely valid. You do need a set of core values and principles to define yourself when dealing with domestic policy and with other nations. But with Obama here, this does not seem to be a case of changing core values. This is a case of him finally speaking to military commanders and getting the scoop on the entire situation.

McCain is right in the sense that Obama should have been seeking these military perspectives a hell of a lot earlier than now. McCain has visited Iraq multiple times to see for himself. Obama should have been doing the same. McCain can rightly counter that this has been the situation all along (at least through the primary season up to now), so a wiser statesman would have realized it sooner than last week.


ABOVE: Perhaps Obama finally understands the situation in Iraq

I will tell you this. I have been looking for excuses to support Obama. I really like him and respect him, and in many ways I feel that his election would be a positive seismic event for our country. But one of the main things that hold me back is his (now previous?) position on Iraq.

McCain’s folks will hurl accusations of “flip-flopper” at him (and I don’t blame them, they have to) and liberal bloggers and other leftists will wring their hands and cry in their lattes that he may not be the Great Left Hope that they had imagined. BUT, for that huge and crucial number of voters who hover around the great Middle (either slightly left of it or slightly right)…Obama’s “refinements” might just win him the election. Before last week there was no way I would vote for Obama. After last week, there is now a small chance that I will. I have always supported and respected John McCain, but his time was 2000. He got screwed by the Rove machine in South Carolina. And honestly I think McCain can be more effective as the “maverick” Senator than as President. No knock on McCain, he is one of the most significant American politicians of the last decade.

But I am ready for some Obama magic. The deal breaker for me is if he screws up our crucial successes in Iraq because of some asinine pre-determined withdrawal date. I’ll say it again: your views on whether Bush should have gone in to Iraq in the first place are largely irrelevant as to what should be done now. Perhaps Obama himself now sees the stupidity of his primary-era statements after finally speaking to the commanders and men and women on the ground. I believe that I have stated this before, but I’ve got a couple of good friends who have served over there. One friend, who has served two tours and will probably go back for a third, insists that our progress in Iraq is real and positive. He says that amongst the people who are on the ground, the consensus is overwhelmingly in favor of finishing the job. He says within the last year there has been an incredible change in the population’s attitudes and feelings about the future. There is an optimism in Iraq that was not present a year ago, and many of the citizens acknowledge that the U.S. forces are largely responsible. John McCain has understood that all along. Maybe Obama is starting to understand that as well. Keep “refining”, Barry. I’ll be watching intently.