Obama Foreign Trip "About Time" for Many Reasons

(Danville, California)

 

    You might think it is the "second coming." The Internet and TV networks and newspapers (and MANY blogs) are filled with talk of Barack Obama's trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. The coverage is a bit "over the top," and he has not even arrived yet. I'll try to dissect some of the conflicting opinions about this trip in a moment, but first some initial thoughts.

 

    I think the most important point here is that nothing bad can come from Obama's trip. Seeing things firsthand can be eye-opening, with a lot more information than can be gleaned from a stale Congressional hearing in an air-conditioned room with preplanned testimony. This guy might possibly become Commander-in-Chief, so he had best get familiar with the troops now. As we saw in the movie "Charlie Wilson's War," the Congressman was profoundly changed by what he saw in person. (OK, I know it was a Hollywood depiction and was embellished, but the point is well taken).

 

    There are various facets to the debate over Obama's trip. One political blogger argues that John McCain dared Obama to go and that now Obama is "one up" on McCain for calling his bluff. Sorry, but this might be the silliest argument on the table. First of all, it presumes that Obama is going only because of the taunts from McCain. Folks, Obama is going because he has to go! Can you imagine his trying to be a serious candidate in November without going to Iraq?

 

    So, this trip is a matter of necessity, not choice; and, all politics aside, it's a matter of grave national security.

 

    Yes, there is a political equation. I am not naive. Obama simply can't win in the fall without this trip. His military and foreign policy credentials pale so in comparison to McCain's, that Obama's inexperience raises serious doubts about his viability as President. (That said, I still argue that this election will be decided by the state of the U.S. economy, not by foreign policy, just as happened in 1980, in the midst of international strife).

 

    Still, given the timing, Republicans will try to have a heyday over Obama's visit. He should have gone there months ago, they will argue. The trip may change Obama's troop pullout plan, they may further argue. On the other hand, with Prime Minister Al-Malaki now searching for some sort of timetable for our withdrawal, the Obama visit may play into his hands, given Obama's pledge for specific troop drawdowns by specific dates.

 

    So, maybe it's a fact-finding trip; maybe it's a policy trip; and, yes, maybe it's a campaign trip. It may be all of the above but, given the time and proximity to next month's conventions, I'll defer to another colleague from Wisconsin, who may be the best analyst in the business on either end of the political spectrum. "It's very hard to argue that this is not political," said Jeff Greenfield, political analyst for CBS News, on Friday.

 

    I can't wait to get to Denver for the Democratic National Convention on August 25, followed by the Republican National Convention in St. Paul on August 31. Check in at www.MarkCurtisMedia.blogspot.com.

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