Contrary to public opinion, I think Senator Obama has perhaps the smartest strategy about the upcoming veto on war funding that I’ve read, and I hope we at least start talking fairly about it, because it definitely is the best way to move forward. There’s been a lot of hand wringing and sentence parsing about his stand on this topic (and one infamous "playing chicken" quote that wasn’t really all that fair) but I think his position speaks for itself.
This is from the recent Moveon Townhall Meeting:
SENATOR OBAMA: I’m committed to putting as much pressure on the President and this war as possible in a responsible fashion, and I’m hopeful that the President is going to heed the advice of some of his own party, including Rudy Giuliani to reach an agreement with the Democrats. But assuming that he vetoes the bill, I’m committed to finding the 67 votes we need to override this veto. I would support putting conditions on the next version of legislation if we can’t muster 67 votes, and I’m also looking at options of giving the President a much shorter leash moving to appropriate enough money for 3 to 4 months at a time, during which we continue to build more Republican support for veto override.
This is hands down our best strategy: short, limited allocations of money to force Republicans to keep on voting on it and to force the President to keep on asking for it. It keeps the heat on them, and even if it can’t end the war, it’s the needed step to do so.
I think Obama recognizes what so many on this site seem to ignore: we can try to overturn the veto, but we need a back up plan for if we don’t...and this is the best back up plan available. Politically, it keeps the pressure on the GOP. Strategically, it doesn’t allow for any of that "abandoning our troops" nonsense. This is Bush’s war, and by continually having votes and vetos, we have the opportunity to keep the focus on the true culprits: the Administration and it’s enablers.
Realistically, defunding is just a bad idea. It puts us in a weak position. If Bush wants his war, it's his. We, and most Democrats in Congress, have done everything feasible without "endangering the troops". At some point, you have to acknowledge reality, which is what Obama is doing.
One of the reasons I support Obama is for his profoundly good judgment, and no matter what John McCain and others might lead you to believe, Obama has always and will always be a staunch critic of this war. Judgment is perhaps the most important thing a voter has to look for. In my mind, he’s shown it.
http://pol.moveon.org/...