The Audacity of... ?

One of the major reasons that I will not support Barack Obama for the presidency is his foreign policy ideas. He believes that withdrawal from Iraq ASAP is the way to go. I completely disagree, as such a withdrawal will lead to negative consequences for Iraq and the greater war on violent Islamism.

An exchange between Obama and McCain over the Iraq war and future policy regarding Iraq illustrates this. First, it started with an Obama response to a question in last night's Democratic debate.



This morning, while in Tyler, Texas, McCain responded.



Obama then responded.

Obama referenced last night's debate in Cleveland and explained Russert's hypothetical question on whether he would send troops back into Iraq to strike al Qaeda.

"I said, well I would always reserve the right to go in and strike against al Qaeda if they were in Iraq," Obama said. "So, you know, this is how politics works. McCain thought that he could make a clever point by saying, 'Well, let me give you some news Barack, al Qaeda IS in Iraq,' like I wasn't reading the papers. Like I didn't know what was going on."

Obama went on to lay the blame for terrorist activity in Iraq on McCain's shoulders. "But I have some news for John McCain," Obama said, "and that was that there's no such thing as al Qaeda in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq!"

He added: "I've gone some news for John McCain: He took us into a war, along with George Bush, that should have never been authorized and never been waged. They took their eye off the people who were responsible for 9/11, and that would be al Qaeda in Afghanistan that is stronger now than anytime since 2001."

Obama's response is quite typical, and hardly sounds like Obama's ideals of unifying the country. You can argue all you want about whether the United States should have gone into Iraq or not. That debate is going to go on for decades. No matter what your opinion is on that subject, the objective is to find the best possible solution to Iraq. Unless you have a time machine, Obama's response helps no one.

Obama also argues that Iraq took the focus off of Afghanistan when we invaded Iraq in 2003. Again, you could argue that point for days on end. Obama seems to think that if we just pulled troops out of Iraq, we could put the focus back on Afghanistan. You can't undo the past, you have to find a way to deal with the reality you are dealt with. The reality that the US currently faces is one in which there is an American military commitment in Iraq and Afghanistan. Any responsible foreign policy needs to find a way to create an Iraq that is not going to be a haven of Al Qaeda and its ideological brethren or a country controlled by Tehran. Wishing for a better situation does not reflect well on someone who hopes to be commander in chief.

It looks like the general election has begun.

(Hat tip: Hot Air)