One More View of Barack Obama's Latest Proposal

My good friend Josh Levy of Win The War gives yet another perspective of Obama's latest speech at Depaul University here in Chicago. (for full disclosure I am a contributing editor at Win-The-War)In Sen. Obama's latest speech on the war, he summarized his position on the Iraq War as follows:But it's also time to learn the lessons of Iraq. We're not going to defeat the threats of the 21st century on a conventional battlefield. We cannot win a fight for hearts and minds when we outsource critical missions to unaccountable contractors. We're not going to win a battle of ideas with bullets alone.Let's put aside the fact that al-Qaeda itself wants very much to to fight and defeat us on the battlefield, and considers Iraq the most important battlefield.Let's put aside also that the solution to outsourcing critical missions is to increase the military so that it can accomplish those missions.Let's put aside, finally, that by providing greater protection (i.e., manpower and bullets) to the Iraqis under the new strategy of Gen. Petraeus, we are in fact winning the battle of ideas. Sunnis and Shia both are giving us immense help and cooperating more with each other at the local and regional levels.All that aside, Sen. Obama wants to leave Iraq and never discusses the probable consequences of our departure. He does not consider whether leaving will bolster the power of al-Qaeda or reduce it, whether it will increase unity in Iraq or lead to greater civil conflict, whether Iran and Syria will try to dominate the country or cease providing men, money and arms, whether America's reputation in the minds of its enemies will be burnished or blemished.In other words, Sen. Obama wants to abandon the war effort merely on his principle that it was wrongly begun. Sen. Obama believed that the war would hurt more than help American interests and security. He isn't asking himself the same questions about the consequences of retreat. Any candidate who proposes, in effect, abandoning our allies to slaughter, yielding territory unconditionally to determined and fierce foes, and casting disgrace upon America's image abroad, is unfit for the presidency.Now, after reading this, I just have one question for Josh, Why don't you tell us how you really feel?