Category: Barack Obama

Obama’s “Waffle” On Iraq

A reader writes:

This is exactly this sort of thoughtfulness and intellectual honesty that makes Obama so appealing.  Rather than give a facile political answer, he was open to the possibility that more information could affect his opinion.  To me this is not a waffle at all, just a recognition that one’s position should be determined by the available facts.

This came out during Saturday’s debate, during the health care discussion.  Clinton tried to claim he had changed positions; he calmly explained that in a hypothetical sense, the single-payer system made sense, but given the practical reality in the US, a different approach was required.  This is nuanced and transparent, and I’m in favor.

And that is why a conservative of doubt can support him.

Obama and the Right, Ctd.

The University of Chicago Law School is a key. A reader writes:

The Law School is a notoriously conservative place, famous as the home of Chicago School of legal analysis (i.e., law and economics).  While there are certainly progressive students and professors there, anyone at the law school would have to confront conservatism on a daily basis.  As such, Obama had to hone his arguments to the conservative environment in which he taught.  That is not to say that his time there turned him conservative – rather, it helped him to articulate his progressive arguments in such a way that he could convince conservatives.

Go check out his debates with Alan Keyes. Really riveting.

Did Obama Waffle On Iraq?

That’s Bill Clinton’s claim. Here’s an old NYT piece outlining the facts:

A review of Mr. Obama’s statements on Iraq since 2002 shows that he has opposed the war against Saddam Hussein consistently, calling it ‘dumb’ and ‘rash.’ Yet when it came later to hypothetical questioning about how he would have voted on the 2002 Iraq war resolution, Mr. Obama has been more circumspect.

… Indeed, reporters asked Mr. Obama about the Democratic presidential ticket throughout the 2004 campaign, because Senators John Kerry and John Edwards had both voted for the Iraq war resolution. In an interview with The New York Times in July 2004, he declined to criticize Mr. Kerry or Mr. Edwards over the Iraq vote, but also said that he would not have voted as they had based on the information he had at the time.

"But, I’m not privy to the Senate intelligence reports," Mr. Obama said. "What would I have done? I don’t know. What I know is that from my vantage point the case was not made."

A McCain-Obama Race in ’08?

Hewitt is appalled at the prospect:

The fall debates will see a respectful Obama listen intently to the elder statesman and promise to consult closely with him, and then he’ll turn to the audience and talk about a new era of change that will include the best of the generation that has served us so well and so bravely.  If McCain tries to get tough with Obama, the Saturday night McCain emerges, and the GOP is toast.  If he smiles at Obama and comments on his youth and inexperience, everyone will hear their grandpa saying "When I was a kid…." and tune out.  Turn out the lights on the GOP at that moment. 

Changing The Paradigm

Jedediah Purdy on Obama’s "sweet spot":

This is what Obama’s critics on the left fail to understand, notably the usually invaluable Paul Krugman. Talk of unity and bridge-building may be a sign of weakness in the zero-sum game of ordinary politics. In the politics of realignment, when you can make the words do something, it is the mark of strength.

McCain On Obama

Sounds like himself a little:

"Knowing him well, as I do, I know he had great potential, but I wasn’t sure about, and I think all of us who indulge in the conventional wisdom didn’t know, is whether he could have success against what was basically very strong control of the party and its apparatus in Sen Clinton. It’s sort of what we faced in 2000 with Gov. Bush. He had the whole party apparatus behind him. I’m not saying she had all of it, but she certainly had a good part of it …

He is very articulate. He’s got a very strong message of let’s work together and get something done for the country. I think he has articulated that message very effectively. I think that he campaigns extremely well, and he’s able to motivate people, to say the least, very well. And I think he has a pretty good message."

Let’s forget he said "articulate" shall we? I’ve said it before, but a McCain-Obama contest in 2008 would bring out the best in us. It would be particularly instructive in grappling with the question of the Iraq occupation.