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If I had been a Clinton supporter -- or just a leftist committed to defeat in Iraq -- I'd be pretty bitter about this one. Remember Barack's promises of immediate withdrawal from Iraq -- the ones that distinguished him from Hillary's more "nuanced" position? Apparently, as Politico's Mike Allen reports, those Obama pledges are no longer operative:
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) promised primary voters a swift withdrawal from Iraq, in clear language still on his website: “Obama will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. He will remove one to two combat brigades each month and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months.”
Not anymore. Heading into the holiday weekend, Obama and his advisers repudiated that pledge, saying he is reevaluating his plan and will incorporate advice from commanders on the ground when he visits Iraq later this month.
Anyone who's observed politics for any period of time is used to some finessing of positions between the primary and general elections. But the scope and the boldness of Barack's flip-flopping is really breathtaking.
This should be a warning to any conservative or Republican who, in a moment of madness, might even contemplate voting for Barack (or not voting for John McCain). Barack said what the left-wing constituency in the Democrat primaries wanted to hear -- and now he hasn't hesitated to crumple them up and throw them away like a dirty Kleenex.
Does anyone think he'd have the slightest hesitation about treating the moderates and independents he's courting now any differently, should he win the presidency?
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