Obama and Iraq

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/04/09/AR2008040903404.html?sub=AR

In the middle of the Middle Eastern desert, approximately six thousand miles away from the shores of the United States, lays Iraq which the United States invaded at the beginning of the decade. The political debate on whether to keep the troops fighting or to take them out of the country has confused and worried many, especially during this presidential election. There is an equal amount of people who believe the encroachment of Iraq was a mistake and those who believe that the war is going along well. In Michael Gerson’s article he confers how Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s major weakness is the issue of the war in Iraq. Unlike his stances with domestic issues, Obama has yet to really discuss his plans with the persistent war overseas and this could forlornly cost him the Democratic ticket.

Obama’s stance on Iraq comes down to just three simple points, some of which are contradicting. The first point was as Senator, Obama voted twice against funding the troops in Iraq. If he were to become Commander in Chief then this decision to vote against the funding will be unsuitable for his position as president. Obama’s second approach for Iraq is to eventually remove the American troops from the country using a strategic timetable. This would then force the Iraqi government to take responsibility for their own country and citizens. This could then create difficulty because although the government of Iraq does not seem to lack a will to help the country, it lacks the ability to govern the country. His third and final strategy is to negotiate with Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to support and train Shiite militias which in many eyes seems like a very naive move on Obama’s part

Sadly, Barack Obama does not possess the same qualities for foreign policy as he does for domestic policy. As Commander in Chief he could turn this country upside down, in a favorable way, with his plans for domestic problems such as educations and racial prejudices. However, as Gerson states in his article, “The question here is not self-confidence but public confidence. And Obama’s political judgment is exactly wrong. He will have enormous advantages on domestic policy in the coming campaign, on which he seems both more activist and interested than McCain.” Not only as a leader of the United States would someone have to be able to be domestic savvy but also well-informed with foreign relations and policies. Barack Obama does have a strong will to help the domestic issues but seems to lack a will to change to foreign policy of the United States. The position of Commander in Chief is a two way street and what America needs is a candidate to be able to drive a bus down both sides.