Obama and Ike: How to End a War
Whether or not he is responding to John McCain’s goading, Barack Obama’s statement that he is “interested in” going to Iraq before November recalls Dwight Eisenhower’s campaign promise in 1952 to go to Korea and do something about ending the war there.
American voters then were weary of protracted fighting far from home as they are now. By his promise, Ike was underscoring his credentials as the man who won World War II and, soon after he was sworn in, made the trip–largely ceremonial–and months later a truce was signed.
Obama is on shakier ground in proposing to signify the end of US support for the war in Iraq and align himself with Prime Minister al-Maliki’s desire for withdrawal of our troops.
He should consider making that trip after he takes over the White House, as Eisenhower did, to avoid Republican campaign attacks that he is urging Iraqis to “surrender” to insurgents and extremists and that he is undermining and endangering American troops.
Those charges won’t be true but, in ending a war as all other life-and-death situations, timing is crucial.
Cross-posted from my blog.
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6 Responses to “Obama and Ike: How to End a War”
Look, if your whole campaign is based on a new kind of politics that addresses real issues and seeks to unite people, you don't make the dog and pony show trip to Iraq.
What's he going to do? Buy some rugs in a sanitized market?
I agree with Davebo, for reasons I outlined in comments to another post on the same topic.
In the meantime, toda's car bomb exploison in Baghdad reminded me how unstable,the situation in Iraq is. Anyhting Obama said on a trip today could become irrelevant in tomorrow's context. That could result in more criticism, from both sides.
He's going to be criticized no matter what he does. I think he's wise to choose his own timing and his owm methods. Jumping to appease every provocaton is a dead end street.
It's all politics. Obama has to go to Iraq to defuse a McCain talking point that “he hasn't even been to Iraq.”
I don't know. Seems useful to me to go meet the people who are critical in implementing any future plans with regard to Iraq.
good point.
“Seems useful to me to go meet the people who are critical in implementing any future plans with regard to Iraq.”
These days, you don't have to go to Iraq to talk to key people.
Seeing Iraq, the country, is quite difficult and limiting. It's not like going to Iowa to see flood damage.