Amir Taheri at the New York Post has this piece that sheds some light on what Obama is willing to do to secure his election in November. With all the good news of American success in Iraq, Obama has lost the source of his primary appeal to the far Left, from which comes much of his campaign’s financial support. Obama correctly assesses that a draw-down of forces in Iraq would bode badly for his campaign and that delaying action (never mind what’s best for the troops and for the Iraqis) keeps the issue alive for him to demagogue.
WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.
According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July.
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Though Obama claims the US presence is "illegal," he suddenly remembered that Americans troops were in Iraq within the legal framework of a UN mandate. His advice was that, rather than reach an accord with the "weakened Bush administration," Iraq should seek an extension of the UN mandate.
While in Iraq, Obama also tried to persuade the US commanders, including Gen. David Petraeus, to suggest a "realistic withdrawal date." They declined.
Obama has made many contradictory statements with regard to Iraq. His latest position is that US combat troops should be out by 2010. Yet his effort to delay an agreement would make that withdrawal deadline impossible to meet.
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