Barack Obama today said...
My 16-month timeline, if you examine everything that I’ve said, was always premised on making sure that our troops were safe,” he said. “I said that based on the information that we had received from our commanders that one to two brigades a month could be pulled out safely, from a logistical perspective. My guiding approach continues to be that we’ve got to make sure that our troops are safe and that Iraq is stable.
Now, we all know that Obama has always said that "we need to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in." One could probably make a twenty minute montage of him saying that in twenty different debates. We know this. That's cool, whatever, but "stable..." Really? This is new, at least, this is new phrasing.
So, this is my question:
Has Barack Obama changed his position?
Has he given up on a promise to get us out of Iraq in sixteen months. Sure, he always said he would listen to commanders on the ground. Hillary Clinton always said she would listen to commanders on the ground. Samantha Power, you know...the woman Obama fired because she called Hillary a "monster," told a BBC reporter that Obama would, of course, listen to commanders on the ground and modify as necessary from their advice.
Still, wasn't his original promise always premised on the idea that this caution in getting out would be caution to protect American troops? You can't exactly remove our current 155,000 troops, that's right Mr. McCain not presurge levels, from a hostile environment, that's right Mr. Bush Iraq ain't exactly candy and flowers right now, without any planning. No one wants more video of American troops fleeing hanging from Hueys from the roof of an embassy. Anyway, I digress.
Wasn't Obama's promise to listen to commanders based on American troop security? Right? Come hell or high water we're getting out? Genocide or civil war be damned? Wasn't that the promise? What's this stability nonsence?
Well, wait a minute. Obama always said that resolve and clarity that troops ARE LEAVING would force the Iraqi government to actually come together and become an IRAQI GOVERNMENT, not a Shiite oligarchy ruling a Shiite, Sunni, and ethnically, Arab and Kurdish state. So, leaving should ensure whatever stability is necessary. Right?
Is Obama giving up his resolve to leave?
OR
Is this an example of Obama emphasizing what he has always said? Is he simply reiterating the "we will be as careful getting out as we were getting in" and we will "of course listen to" commanders on the ground statements. Is he simply emphasizing the details of his plan to LEAVE IRAQ?
You tell me.
This has been cross-posted on my site.