Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

Obama screws up, day two; this is annoying. On the same day that Senator Feingold
and Majority Leader Reid send a strong signal to Mr. Bush about his veto threat,
what does Mr. Obama do? He picks up where he left off on Sunday with his “playing
chicken with the troops” quote and makes matters worse.
It’s particularly irksome when he stomps all over Majority Leader Reid’s strategy, who had decided to call Bush’s bluff by joining Russ Feingold on an Iraq defunding bill
that sent shockwaves through the media. Obama didn’t seem to get what was happening and blundered right through the Democratic Party strategy with his own message. What makes matters worse is that his message was taken straight from wingnut talking points.

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama says he has not softened his position on Iraq, despite suggestions to the contrary from other presidential camps and liberal blogs. The Democratic presidential candidate took issue with a weekend report suggesting that he believes that if President George Bush vetoes a withdrawal bill, Congress should quickly provide full funding with no strings attached. Other campaigns privately pointed out the Associated Press report and questioned if Obama has changed his stance. The liberal blog Daily Kos carried a headline on Sunday stating, “Obama Caves to Bush.” In a telephone interview this afternoon during the Illinois senator’s latest New Hampshire campaign swing, Obama said he has not backed down. But he said that neither he nor “the vast majority of Democrats” are interested in cutting funding for troops in the field. He said that after a veto, Congress should “keep on ratcheting up the pressure to try to make the President see we’re on the wrong course and have him respond to Congress and the American people.” Obama said that since there are not enough in the House or Senate votes to override a veto, “My object at that point would be explore passing a new version that also has some sort of constraints on the President’s actions.” He said it would be unacceptable for Congress “to fold up tent because the President vetoed the bill.” But he also said troops should have “night vision goggles and armored Humvees and other equipment they need.” … .. Obama: Bush should be pressured on Iraq

Obama channels Sean Hannity. Incredible.

Democrats will not leave our troops in the field unfunded or leave them without
important equipment like night vision goggles and armored Humvees. That’s an
insult to our intelligence and straight from the GOP Vietnam slur vault. Mr. Obama should be ashamed of himself. The
Republicans are the ones who under funded, back door drafted, and ill equipped our troops throughout the entire Iraq war; then made it worse by hanging them all out to dry when they came home wounded, maimed or mentally scarred. Democrats are the ones trying to make sure our troops don’t go sent to the field with lacking equipment or training that has symbolized Republican management
of this war.

These right-wing talking points also leave Mr. Obama with a national security credibility gap flapping in the primary breeze. The senator doesn’t get that continuing our
current course is going to further deplete our Army and Marine Corp., as well as further
destroy our National Guard. His rhetoric smacks of military ignorance. He can recover, but he better do it soon.

The facts illustrate that the new Democratic darling is a man who says he wants out of Iraq,
but won’t utilize his senatorial power through the Constitution to make it happen. Obama points to his Illinois speech, before the Senate voted in 2002 to give Mr. Bush the power to preemptively invade Iraq, as evidence of his anti Iraq war bona fides. But his actions and rhetoric lately do not convince me he would have voted against the war had he been in the Senate at the time. There is a courage gap. Obama says Bush
should be pressured on Iraq. What exactly does he mean? It’s hard to tell. Air balls are all we’re getting from this guy.

Newsflash for the senator from the great state of Illinois: The pressure you’re talking about was presented yesterday in language from Senator Feingold and Majority Leader Reid, at the very same time Senator Clinton was pushing a petition to get us out of Iraq by encouraging Bush to listen to the people. They were working together sending the same signal. What were you doing? Undermining them all.