President Bush and Sen. McCain have been tag-teaming Sen. Obama on his willingness to hold talks with Iran. Jamie Rubin pulls the tape of him calling for talks with Hamas a mere two years ago.
(ed.note: As Rubin makes clear in his OpEd, there's nothing unreasonable about McCain's position from two years ago. It's probably the right position. It just shows his campaign rhetoric today is dishonest posturing for political effect.)
Note that the post has a video clip of the noted exchange.
McCain responded to this charge by equivocating on his change in position -- man, this guy changes his mind A LOT! -- and by once again lying about Obama's position on the matter.
Obama isn't rolling over for these fools. In a speech this morning (see video), the Illinois Senator responded forcefully to Bush and McCain. Again, via TPM:
"If George Bush and John McCain want to have a debate about protecting the United States of America, that is a debate I am happy to have any time," Obama said. "That is a debate that I will win."
He proceeded to rattle off all the things Bush and McCain have to "answer for." The unnecessary Iraq War. The phantom WMDs. The strengthening of Iran. The fact that "Hamas now controls Gaza." And the fact that Osama Bin Laden is "sending out video tapes with impunity."
Obama also slammed the notion that he'd ever supported any sort of negotiations with terrorists. "They're trying to fool you, trying to scare you, and they're not telling you the truth because they can't win a foreign policy debate on the merits," he said.
The speech also served a useful political purpose... well two actually.
The fight is one that the Obama campaign is eager to have, because it accomplishes two things. First, it forces McCain to stand by Bush, making it easier to tie them together. And second, it puts Obama, sans Hillary, on the same stage as the current Republican president and his would-be successor, making the Dem primary seem a bit like a distant memory.
16 May 2008
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