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 5/10 Good --- tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com http://feedproxy.google.com/tpmcafe-main
Monday, July 14, 2008 --- 55 days ago http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/tpmcafe-main/~3/335115744/
| Barack Obama has an important op-ed today in the New York Times titled " My Plan for Iraq ." It's a useful portal into the current thinking in ObamaLand on America's Iraq policy and continues to emphasize both his opposition in 2002 to the Iraq War and his intention to "end the conflict." Bringing conflict to a close does not necessarily mean withdrawing all troops, but my hope is that he does not get seduced into thinking that a largish residual, remaining force (say of 60,000 to 80,000 troops) would be seen by locals as anything other than a continued occupation. What I like most about Obama's framing of his position is that he conveys an appreciation of the interconnectedness of the Iraq War to other challenges. He correctly points out that America's invasion of Iraq harmed our legitimate efforts against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. And the fatigue of our military superstructure today is making a more focused effort on Taliban and Al Qaeda resurgence in Afghanistan ever more difficult. It would be helpful if Obama -- like his traveling partner Chuck Hagel does frequently -- articulates an understanding that shows how the Israeli/Palestinian divide is also part of this regional mess that too many foreign policy pundits (and many in the McCain camp) wrongly silo into separate, unrelated hot spots. But even without this, Obama's framing shows positive progress in his strategic thinking. Obama is also in touch with the ... |
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