Obama is losing the public relations battle regarding the Surge. And it is hurting him.
The press and the Republicans have all been having great fun trying to make Obama look stubborn (or worse) for not admitting his "mistake" on the Surge. Violence is down in Iraq, so the Surge must be working, right? Why can't Obama admit he was wrong?, they ask.
But Obama has been correct from the start. The problem is that the press keeps confusing the tactical "success" of the Surge and the strategic (and moral) failure of the decision by Bush to invade Iraq.
Here is one suggestion for how Obama should decisively answer these charges and damage what is currently one of McCain's best weapons against him.
This week during his interview with Bill O'Reilly, Obama was again asked why he cannot admit his "mistake" on the Surge. This is a talking point that plays into McCain's hands. McCain cannot win a debate about the merits of the Iraq war, but he knows that with a complicit press corps he can win a false narrative about the Surge. And the press is all too happy to oblige.
There is a way that Obama can combat this, but to date he has failed to do so. In this diary I would like to offer my solution for your consideration.
The press has fallen for McCain's head fake and is running with the false narrative. With the debates just around the corner, we know that this question will be asked at least three times by moderators trying to inherit the "Gotcha-Master" title from Tim Russert. Obama must be better prepared to answer than he has been thus far.
The problem is that Obama's answers to date have hurt him. I think that his answers just make this line of questioning even more inviting. Obama's answers are always something along the lines of "I agree that the Surge has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. It is a testament to the skill and dedication of our forces that they have acheived so much. But the Iraq government has failed to take responsibility"
This answer, frankly, is not good enough. If Obama is admiting that violence in Iraq has gone down since the Surge began, then the reporters and Republicans are quite within their rights to say "but you opposed the Surge. So you must have been wrong. Admit your mistake". The more Obama fails to admit his "mistake", the longer this narrative will string out to his detriment. Reporters in particular will keep asking him this question because (1) it requires no new thought and (2) it is an easy way to back Obama into a corner. Each reporter keeps trying to see how uncomforatable they can make Obama look.
I don't think there is any benefit to Obama continuing to say that there were multiple reasons why violence has decreased. Yes, the facts may be that there were multiple reasons for the decline in violence (voluntary ceasfires, Anbar Awakening, better counter-insurgency intelligence, etc.). But none of those reasons matter in the court of public opinion. Every time this question is asked I cringe because Obama does come across looking like he is evading the question and cannot admit his mistakes.
The more this question is asked and the more Obama fails to respond with a knockout answer, the more the press continue to support the narrative that Obama is too arrogant. Given that this is pretty much the entire basis of McCain's campaign, Obama cannot afford having this continue.
So what should Obama say? Here is my suggestion (perhaps others have already suggested this, but I have not seen it anywhere). Obama should answer as follows:
"It is true that I opposed the Surge. It is also true that the Surge has reduced violence in Iraq. So why was my opposition not a mistake? Because while the Surge has make Iraq more safe, it has failed to make the United States of America more safe!
"As president and commander in chief, my highest priority when sending our military into harm's way is the following: 'is this use of force necessary to protect America or its interests?'. The Surge has been a regretable failure in this regard. Hundreds of Americans have died in Iraq since the Surge began. How has America been made safer?
"The Taliban and the terrorists in Afganistan and Pakistan have become stronger during this time. More and more allied soldiers are dying in Afganistan while Iraq is enjoying both increased peace and massive budget surpluses, thanks to American troops. This must stop!
"Iraq is the wrong war at the wrong time in the wrong place. I have been saying for a very long time that we have essentially given Osama Bin Laden a 'get out of jail free' card by our foolish focus on Iraq. The Surge has made this misdirection of resources worse, not better! That is why I believe that my position on the Surge has been correct from beginning and continues to be correct. McCain is simply defending a tactic that is irrelevant to the actual strategic threat we face."
What do you think?