by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright February 12, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

lammed by Australian Prime Minister John Howard, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Il.) learned from his colleague former presidential candidate John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) that it's wise to answer critics. Howard accused Obama of aiding terrorists after calling for a withdrawal of U.S. troops by March 2008. “If I was running al-Qaeda in Iraq, I would put a circle around March 2008 and pray, as many times as possible, for a victory for Obama, but also for the Democrats,” Howard told Australia's Nine Network Feb. 11, dragging Barack into his reelection bid. Howard faces stiff opposition from the Labor Party's Kevin Rudd because of his Iraq policy. President George W. Bush made mincemeat of Kerry in 2004 for supporting the Oct. 16, 2002 Congressional Joint Resolution 114 authorizing the use force in Iraq, then opposing the funding. Obama learned from Kerry about flip-flopping.

      Obama drew a sharp contrast to his chief rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), who straddled the fence on Iraq since voting to authorize Bush to use force. Campaigning in New Hampshire, Clinton refused to apologize for her vote, only to say that if elected president she'd bring the troops home by 2009. She's struggled, as other Democrats, with how best to handle Iraq, since the U.S. is still officially committed to winning the war. Unlike Obama, Clinton has been reluctant to call for an immediate withdrawal, fearing political backlash. Obama has put his cards on the table, clearly reflecting the same voters that swept Democrats into power Nov. 7. Clinton's nuanced position hurts her politically by exposing political calculation over personal principle. Obama has gone out on a limb, telling voters precisely what he thinks and what he'd do as president.

      Responding to pointed questions in Granite State, Clinton tried to clarify her position on Iraq. “Knowing what we know now, I would never have voted for it,” she told prospective voters, claiming she didn't vote for preemptive war only to send weapons inspectors back to Iraq. Yet it was abundantly clear Oct. 16, 2002, when the Senate approved Joint Resolution 114, that she authorized Bush to use force. “I'm not clear how she would proceed at this point to wind down the war in a specific way,” Obama told voters in Iowa. Obama was not in the U.S. Senate when raw emotion from Sept. 11 still dominated the chamber when senators cast their votes. Though presidential candidate former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) called his 2002 voter a mistake, the mood in the country in 2002 pushed senators to error on the side of caution and go along with President Bush.

      While criticized for his lack of experience, Obama has an outsider's eyes when it comes to Iraq. Despite Bush's push for a last ditch “troop surge,” Obama sees the futility of keeping U.S. troops in the middle of a deadly “civil war,” something denied by the White House. Howard's slap at Obama used the same twisted logic as Bush, accusing war critics of disloyalty and treason. Calling violence and chaos “sectarian strife,” doesn't stop the escalating death toll to U.S. forces. “The time has come to end this engagement in Iraq,” Obama told 8,000 cheering supporters during a campaign rally at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Three years ago, the public wasn't receptive to Kerry's antiwar message. Judging by Nov. 7, voters have wised up and now see Iraq as the most costly mistake in U.S. history. Attempts to cast Iraq as an epic battle to save civilization have fallen flat.

      Standing up to Howard was precisely the kind of toughness Obama needed to prove his mettle on the campaign trail. “I think that will just encourage those who want to completely destabilize and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for an Obama victory,” said Howard. In case Howard hasn't noticed, terrorists and insurgents aren't just hanging on but dominating the action. Howard's small contingent of noncombatant troops aren't taking the same beating as U.S. forces. “If he's ginned up to fight the good fight in Iraq, I would suggest that he call up another 20,000 Australians and send them to Iraq,” said Obama. “Otherwise it's just a bunch of empty rhetoric.” Unlike Kerry who tried to stay above the fray, Obama came out swinging, turning bad publicity into political points. Howard hasn't yet got that the White House lost its propaganda war.

      When former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld stepped down Nov. 8, 2006 only one day after the Nov. 7 election, the White House lost its key man. Rumsfeld answered Bush's critics with an endless barrage of bombastic rhetoric. His successor former CIA director Robert M. Gates possesses no gift-for-gab, leaving the White House without a good salesman. It's difficult for Vice President Dick Cheney to pick up the slack when he's embroiled in the trial of his former chief of staff I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, defending perjury and obstruction of justice charges for outing covert CIA operative Valerie Plame. With Cheney's approval ratings at 16%, he's not the best one to salvage Bush's Iraq policy. Obama reminds the White House that between now and the election they're going to be taken to task. Democrats still tone-deaf and sitting on the fence will pay the price.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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