In a recent interview on Bill O’Reilly’s show on Fox News Channel, Barack Obama stated, "I think the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated. It’s succeeded beyond our wildest dreams."
This concession was both unnecessary and harmful to the Obama campaign.
Aside from the surge, there are many underlying causes of the reduced level of violence in Iraq. And Obama had no need to heap praise on the position taken by John McCain as we enter the home stretch of the presidential campaign.
But the bigger question is why did Obama’s advisers schedule an appearance for their candidate on The O’Reilly Factor?
It was obvious to any television viewer that O’Reilly, who is a tough interviewer, would have no purpose but to try to trip Obama. The Obama campaign staffers must have known that O’Reilly would bring up Obama’s relationships with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the 1960s radical, Bill Ayers. Voters don’t need to be reminded of these associations.
And what was Obama possibly to gain by appearing on the show? We can’t imagine that any of O’Reilly’s viewers are going to be persuaded to vote for Obama. Almost all of the Fox News audience have views to the right of center, and in very many cases to the far right.
It was all downside. There was no way an appearance on the O’Reilly show was going to help the Democratic ticket.
For more strategies concerning the 2008 presidential election, go to ObamaElectionWatch.com.