Obama’s Head Is In The Sand

National Review: Ill. Senator Has Left Iraq More Cemented In His Ill-Advised Positions Than Ever

(National Review Online)  This column was written by Pete Hegseth.

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Five months ago, I returned to Iraq as an embedded journalist, some 18 months after I had completed a combat tour there. It was a worthwhile trip. I returned to Iraq to cover the progress the U.S. military had been making on the ground since the surge had begun. Mainstream-media coverage of the war had largely ignored the counterinsurgency’s success, rehearsing outdated notions of the conditions there. You could say I made the long trip to the front to cover an exposed domestic flank of American public opinion.

My fact-finding at the highest levels of strategic command and the lowest level of tactical implementation brought back into view the intricacies of the Iraq experience. What seems like a black-and-white situation on op-ed pages and in TV talking points in the United States is revealed as complex grayscale in Iraq.

So keeping one’s ear to the ground and eye on the facts in Iraq is exceedingly important. It takes real effort to cut through the spin and punditry; and if anyone spends too much time away, tempting platitudes like “we’ve already won” or “withdrawal immediately” creep into the lexicon, complicating one’s ability to tailor their positions to reality, rather than ideology.

Thus, trips to Iraq tend to be enlightening experiences - full of competing emotions, as long-held assumptions, good and bad, clash with self-evident realities on the ground. Any serious student of warfare, particularly of counterinsurgency, will know that every battlefield is fluid, and information that is relevant one day may be deceiving the next.

On Monday, Senator Barack Obama finally had his wingtips on the ground in Iraq, to at last meet with U.S. brass and Iraqi leaders and get his dose of reality. He met with commanders on the ground who told him - as they recently told Fox News Sunday and the New York Times - that the timeline for withdrawal that Obama supports would be disastrous, both for the prospects of success in Iraq, and for strategic stability in the region.

Obama heard from Iraqi leaders, Maliki included, who told him the same thing - and who brandished their newfound reconciliation dramatically on Saturday, when the largest Sunni block rejoined the Iraqi parliament and cabinet.

And Obama heard from Iraqi and U.S. troops and from the citizens of Iraq who have all witnessed al-Qaeda’s attempts - both through their extremist rhetoric and maniacal deeds - to make Iraq the central front in their war against the West.

Despite these facts - however the mainstream media chooses to spin them - the operative question is: Will any of this matter to Obama?

I fear it won’t. He’s already shown that his version of fact-finding is to lay out an Iraq plan before going there. And while he conceded yesterday that there has been “enormous improvement” in security, Obama remains unwilling to concede change-I-can-believe-in on his three main Iraq tenets: timelines, political progress, and Iraq as a central front.

The statement he released after touching down in-country reiterates his misguided support for “a clear date” for withdrawal, his confused assertion that “political reconciliation continues to lag,” and his stubborn insistence that America must “refocus” our efforts in Afghanistan. Obama went so far as to tell an interviewer that he would oppose the surge again, despite the fact that the strategy that has saved countless American and Iraqi lives.

None of this is surprising. An Obama concession on these points would mean political damage-control for weeks. Still, I would like to believe that Sen. Obama is capable of recognizing - and adapting his views on - the changed conditions in Iraq he is now seeing for the first time. A wartime posture demands this. But I doubt we’ll ever see it.

The sad reality of this trip is that Sen. Obama has now left Iraq more cemented in his ill-advised positions than ever before. He was willing to throw scraps to commanders and troops (“good job, guys”) but sought every opportunity to confirm that his policy views - which are as outdated as cassette tapes - had not changed.

The next question, then, is: Who will fact-check the fact-finder? Sen. Obama managed to praise the surge (which he fervently opposed), all the while calling for timelines, degrading Iraqi leaders, and pretending that al-Qaeda in Iraq doesn’t exist.

Contrast this with John McCain. Based on his visits to Iraq before the surge, he had the prescience to call for a new strategy and more troops. And despite running for president, he continued to make fact-finding trips to Iraq after the surge, and reported the success of the surge before anyone else. Sen. McCain went to Iraq to gather information that would inform his policy positions - not to “put lipstick on a pig,” as General Petraeus is apt to say.

In the days ahead, additional information will be made public on what General Petraeus and Senator Obama discussed. We'll see if Obama’s statements in the weeks and months ahead show whether his ideological approach to the Iraq war has been disturbed by any single fact on the ground.

[standlee5]

God, Obama''s lack of qualifications and credentials are shocking. The guy running for county commissioner has more experience.

[cbsnowfox]

doctor said,

"When I listen to Republicans I walk away thinking that they really must enjoy war."

They do, and anyone with half a brain since VIETNAM understands why that is...they profit from it immensely. Where''s my proof? Ever hear of BLACKWATER, HALLIBURTON, CHENEY, NO BID CONTRACTS???

Eisenhower warned the country in his departing speech. We as a Society are now and have been for some time under complete control of the Military Industrial Complex whose sole objective is the creation of endless war for the purpose of profit and control. Which is a long winded way of saying: REPUGNANTCANS

[cbsnowfox]

ausus,

I''m afraid it is you sir who is living in Fantasyland. America has a Constitution in "theory" yes. In reality, its citizenry for the most part has no actual voice. Where''s my proof? Tell me, who on "K Street" represents your interests? But yes, we have a Constitution so we''ve got that going for us...ha, even if only in theory.

"The main force of Fascism I can foresee in the next few years is from the left attempting to shut down those elements of the media that don''''t follow their political line."

Uhhhh, excuse me but do you mean exactly like the BUSH Admin has done the past 7 years?

In practice, in reality, our Constitution isn''t worth the paper its written on...especially after the latest FISA bill...or was that just a fantasy, a bad dream, on my part...please someone, tell me it wasn''t true and we really do still have a 4th ammendment!

[ausus-2009]

noloyalisti,

You are really living in Fantasyland. America is a democracy with a strong Constitution. Get your head out of the sand. The GWB administration is an aberration. Nobody said Clinton was a Fascist, nobody says the Democrat-controlled houses of Congress are Fascist, nobody says the likely next President Obama is a Fascist. The media generally has drifted to the left over the past 40 years - certainly the West Coast media.

The main force of Fascism I can foresee in the next few years is from the left attempting to shut down those elements of the media that don''t follow their political line. Politics is a circle and extremists of the left and right can sometimes meet at the other end.

[noloyalisti]

Obama is our last best hope to save our country from the creeping fascism. He appears to honestly care about people and to be wise and have his head on straight. This is so unlike his opponent who appears to be constantly mixed up and states constantly how he does not care about the wishes of the people (for example to get out of Iraq and not leave bases).

[jon2012-2009]

Posted by doctor--o at 06:12 AM : Jul 24, 2008

Very well-put.

[ariel133]

The sad reality of this trip is that Sen. Obama has now left Iraq more cemented in his ill-advised positions than ever before. He was willing to throw scraps to commanders and troops (%u201Cgood job, guys%u201D) but sought every opportunity to confirm that his policy views - which are as outdated as cassette tapes - had not changed.

The next question, then, is: Who will fact-check the fact-finder? Sen. Obama managed to praise the surge (which he fervently opposed), all the while calling for timelines, degrading Iraqi leaders, and pretending that al-Qaeda in Iraq doesn%u2019t exist. "

HIS HEAD IS MORE THAN IN THE SAND, IT IS EMPTY LIKE HIS SUIT.

[sanfelz]

As NRO conveniently forgets, Obama had the vision to understand this was a no-win occupation where we fought an enemy that did not exist in the land we invaded.
McCain''s vision is one in which we provide schools and healthcare to Iraqis while we ignore needs in this country.

[doctor--o]

The war is over, we won. The people of Iraq must find a way to govern themselves. It would be great if they could do that peacefully, but it isn''t likely. The rationale to stay in Iraq is as misguided and ill conceived as the rationale to go there. Is it black and white? Is it a simple fix? No, not in any way. But it is certainly far beyond the ability of our current administration or any conservative (Republican) I have listened to. War won''t fix Iraq''s enormous political problems. Only a fool thinks more troops (surge) have accomplished anything except suppressing the expression of violence. The cause of violence is unchanged.

When I listen to Republicans I walk away thinking that they really must enjoy war. They must think depleting our Treasury is always worthwhile in the name of bombs and international violence. I have never met a conservative Republican who ever thought we spent enough money on armaments. I guess if I was as belligerent as they seem to be it would make a tiny bit more sense - but not much.

I shake my head at the abject stupidity of it all.

[dashortround]

I''m an Independent.

I honestly do not give a *** about Iraq. Screw that God-forsaken place. We have much WORSE problems right here at home to worry about.

I''m mad as hell that the GOP has written a blank "welfare" check to Iraq (best estimates say it will top $3 Trillion of BORROWED US money, plus interest!).

It''s the ECONOMY dummy! And the Republicans, more than anybody else, deserve the blame for totally messing it up in more ways than I would have ever believed possible.

I just can''t take it any more. I HAVE to vote for Obama. McCain is just too old and slow and weak to convince me he''s not right in the GOP''s pocket.