First a disclaimer: This is not a new clip, it's several weeks old. I think it's still worth watching for several reasons:

1) It's topical. Ms. Logan has some very trenchant views on the war and it's coverage.

2) It's refreshing to see a mainstream journalist that takes her craft so seriously. Cronkite would be proud.

3) Lara Logan has a fraction of the exposure of her cable news counterparts, while deserving much more. The fact that she got the first Obama interview of his junket indicates I am not alone in this opinion. Finally,

4) The lady is just a flat-out badass. (watch her calmly describe her hotel blowing up). We need more like her.

Apologies if you've seen this before, if you haven't, it's 7 minutes well spent - enjoy.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke with Jim Lehrer on last night's News Hour. He reinforced much of what Obama has long been saying -- as well as what Obama said yesterday about the need to factor recommendations from military leaders into a larger strategic vision.

Admiral Mike Mullen repeatedly took pains to indicate that his military perspective is an expression of his role as a facilitator of President Bush's stated mission. "Right now I'm working for the current commander in chief."

Key points:

1) The situation in Afghanistan is "precarious and urgent."

2) We need three additional brigades there.

3) Our commitment in Iraq has not allowed us to put the necessary troops in Afghanistan.

4) The existing Bush mission treats Afghanistan as a lower priority than Iraq (a prioritizing that McCain so far has supported).

5) The job of military leaders is to focus on carrying out missions set by civilian leadership -- not to argue strategic priorities.

6) Mullen would have no trouble or hesitation executing a new mission by a new commander in chief.

Between John McCain's adoption of Obama's Afghanistan policy and now Iraq's endorsement of Obama's Iraq policy, there's a subtext that underpins Obama's entire trip to the Middle East: Obama was right, John McCain was wrong.

You know the Obama was right meme is beginning to penetrate when the press deigns to actually acknowledge it. Here's Howard Fineman, a villager who straddles worlds with his appearances on Countdown, but a villager all the same, on Keith last night:

...Barack Obama's attempt to play the presidential contest out on John McCain's territory. John McCain is supposed to be the expert on foreign policy and defense in that part of the world. Barack Obama is coming off like the guy who can see over the horizon, can use his own internal radar. Obama's the one who was saying more than a year ago that Afghanistan was the place to watch, that it was the central place in the war on terror. It was Obama who was pushing the timetable for withdrawal. now both of those seem to be kind of conventional wisdom in many ways backed up to some extent by the very people on the ground Obama is talking to.

The beauty of this message is that it reinforces one of the central themes of Obama's campaign, which is that judgment is more important than experience and as Obama's slam dunk of a trip coincides with even more McCain stumbles (umm, what Iraq-Pakistan border, exactly?) McCain is aiding and abetting the destruction of the only thing he had left in this election. Matt Yglesias summarizes the consequences of Obama's trip to McCain's presidential prospects (h/t TPM):

[McCain had] spent, several weeks with the main theme of his campaign being, quite literally, to criticize Barack Obama for not having been physically present in Iraq recently. This (of course) got Obama to go to Iraq, thus setting up a dilemma. Either Obama would survey the "progress" in Iraq and change his position, thus making him a flip-flopper, or else he would refuse to change his position, thus making him obstinate and out of touch with reality.

But instead of either of those things happening, Obama went to Iraq and Iraqi leaders said he'd been right all along! That's about as close to "game, set, match" as you get in terms of real world events influencing your political campaign. What's more, given the domestic situation and John McCain's inability to talk about domestic issues persuasively, he can't afford to play for a draw on Iraq.

Or, to put it another way, as a "prominent Republican strategist" expressed it in an e-mail to Marc Ambinder:

"We're fucked."

Update [2008-7-22 15:4:45 by Todd Beeton]:Another satisfying result of Obama's trip, especially insofar as McCain had tried to goad Obama into the trip, is that Obama has used it to settle the questions of whether he is suitably ready for the presidency and suitably serious on national security from a village CW perspective. I agree with digby that the use of rightwing Iraq frames to describe Afghanistan is problematic, but probably politically savvy. Chris Cillizza makes the case that Obama has settled those questions for good.

Gone were the jokes and "rah rah" language that won over many Obama partisans but left many undecided voters wondering whether there was any there there when it came to the Illinois senator. Instead, we saw a serious explication of his position on removing combat troops in Iraq, a position bolstered in recent days by repeated calls by the Iraqi government to remove U.S. military forces from the country by 2010. [...]

Overall, however, Obama cleared a crucial bar in today's press conference. He looked and sounded presidential at a moment when the eyes of the world were on him.

Update [2008-7-22 15:8:35 by Todd Beeton]:And as if on cue, the front page of the dead tree version of the Denver Post above the fold:

Iraqis Like Obama Plan

repost with permission

obama with president hamid karzai at presidential palace in kabul, afghanistan

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obama in kuwait

shoutouts

Obama, one million Germans, and history by by MBNYC; Chuck Todd: GOP panicked, Maliki sticks with "timetable" by JedReport; Dead Black Man Tasered 9 Times by White Cop by by Steven D; 8,500 U.S. banks many will die soon by Stranded Wind; Barack, through a soldier's eyes two roads; Frank Rich SLAMS McCain in the NYT! by   ItsJessMe; Bob Barr at NN! by Jerome a Paris; Republicans Lose 1 Million Registered Voters by lapin; Lunch with Michelle Obama by Governor Chris Gregoire; The McCain campaign declares war on "the Muslims." by Geekesque; Why The GOP Is Seriously Screwed if Obama Wins by thereisnospoon; Simple Credit Card Advice. by Lava2020; Note to media:  John McCain is a disgusting misogynist by Geekesque; Imagine if Michelle Obama said this: by icebergslim; Want to see what Guantanamo torture does to a boy? by Bobs Telecaster; The HUGE McCain Blunder No One Knows About....Yet by slinkerwink; Happy 90th Birthday Nelson Mandela, Madiba by maureen; obama in afghanistan and kuwait with video and pictures by icebergslim

weekly slideshow review.....

al Maliki, Obama, der Spiegel, CENTCOM and the Truth


I wrote about all of this yesterday.  I should have known better, me thinking a slow news day and can just lounge around, but it ended up with a bang and the bang is still coming.

Now we know that al Maliki favors the Obama plan of withdrawing the troops in 16 months.  He stated so to the German magazine, der Spiegel.  In fact, der Spiegel stands by their story and have released the full transcript.  If the White House or CENTCOM continues to press and change al Maliki's statement, I will not be surprised at either an audio or video popping up from der Spiegel.  OUCH to McCain, Bush and the lame CENTCOM.

But let us look at CENTCOM.   First, CENTCOM is a theater-level Unified Combatant Command unit of the U.S. armed forces, established in 1983 under the operational control of the U.S. Secretary of Defense. It was originally conceived of as the Rapid Deployment Forces.  

So, why CENTCOM is used to release statements for al Maliki's retraction is highly suspect?  The so called clarification came from Dr. Ali al-Dabbagh a spokesman for the Iraqi government, via CENTCOM.   You can read the statement, here.  My thing is this, why is any statement from an important Iraqi spokesperson coming from CENTCOM?  Does anyone think this stinks or is not right?  In reading the statement it basically 'attempts' to denounces what al Maliki said, but the verbiage was weak.  Next, it puts the question and suspect back on the U.S. for using their high command post to release a statement on behalf of the government of another country.  Get it?  Oh, Ben Smith gets it and is questioning the use of CENTCOM, along with the power of al Maliki's words.  Also, Chuck Todd of MSNBC/NBC gets it and states on Meet the Press, it is significant that the Iraqi government mentioned "timetables' in its statement walking back the Der Spiegel interview.  Meaning, that is the crux of the Obama argument that is not being removed from the table.

Let's be clear here.  We knew a rebuttal was going to come, it was.  We also knew that it would either be hard hitting and totally discrediting der Spiegel or it was going to be weak.  The rebuttal was weak. (the carpetbagger runs it down here)  This makes the conclusion that al Maliki agrees with the Obama 16 month timetable and puts McCain and Bush in a very bad position.  The position is to rationalize staying in Iraq when the Prime Minister of the country wants you out by a timeline of 16 months.  

Lastly, Ezra Klein wraps this up perfectly for justifying the American mindset to leave Iraq and move on:

...They're massively underestimating the psychological impact of Maliki's statement. A lot of voters desperately want to leave Iraq, but feel a sense of responsibility to the Iraqi people, and they're told the Iraqi people need them, and so they reluctantly resign themselves to perpetual occupation. Maliki's comments free them of that responsibility. The political impact of this is tremendous: The long-standing moral blackmail of "we broke it, now we have to fix it" just dissipated. The Crate-and-Barrel theory is finished: The proprietors just told us to leave the store. If we don't want to be there, and the Iraqis don't want us there, what's the point?

Now the ball is in the Bush/McCain court to explain to the public why we should continue to remain in Iraq, when we are being asked nicely to leave.  It is also up to the Obama Campaign to continue to pressure this point that al Maliki want us to leave and that we should honor what this government is asking us to do.  Just as the Obama Campaign is asserting this assimilation of McCain with the premise that McCain is following in Obama's footsteps and not leading anything.

Is your popcorn popping, yet?  

h/t for getting the story straight: VirginiaDem, karpaty lviv, DanK is Back, turneresq, MLDB, and Excelscior1.  Not only did they get it right, but kept it a lively topic all of Saturday and moved it into today, Sunday.  Job well done.  Oh, and clammyc for comic relief!

                                michelle greeted by jeannie ritter, first lady of colorado

audio/video

Obama on his foreign policy experience; jibjab video; NCLR Conference Speech in San Diego; NAACP Speech in Cincinnati, OH; National Security Ad; Obama on Larry King; Obama's Security Speech in Lafayette, IN; Obama's World Tour Stops In Afghanistan, Iraq; 2nd National Security Ad; In Europe, A Fascination With Obama-McCain; Obama addresses Netroots Nation; 'It's All Politics': NPR's Weekly News Roundup; David Pfouffe's Strategy Update

iraq speech, washington, dc, july 15th

icebergslim's last word:  obama is big noise

I don't care what you say or more in fact, what McCain says, Obama is "Big Noise".

I was watching one of my favorite movies last week, Cover Girl, with Gene Kelly and Rita Hayworth.  The premise of the movie is about a Brooklyn girl's quest to become NYC's "Big Noise."  And she did.

This is Obama's quest.  If you outlined this past week it is as follows:

New Yorker's magazine cover
Jesse Jackson's contiuned rhetoric
Obama's Iraq Speech
Obama's Speech on Security and Nuclear Proliferation
Obama's Afghanistan's Trip
Obama in Kuwait and Afghanistan
And the Nouri al Maliki agreement with Obama's timeline of leaving Iraq

See, the McCain Campaign is not a "Big Noise", though they are trying to be, they just can't quite make it.

All the above was followed with intent interest and angst by the McCain Campaign.  The fear of what the international community would think of Barack Obama and how it would be received here, in the United States.

So, far so good.  The al Maliki comments were a godsend to the Obama Campaign.  It made the Bush White House and McCain scramble, justify why we should remain in Iraq when we are being asked to bring this to closure.  The New Yorker magazine cover, which many assailed as the worst satire, butchery ever, also elevated Obama to many.  It kept his name in the news and may just play on the sympathy vote for many towards Obama and against the New Yorker Magazine.  The Jesse Jackson rhetoric is just more dumb Fox News noise that made more angry at Jackson and sympathetic towards Obama.  And the photos and videos of Obama out of Kuwait and Afghanistan could not be more positive.

This is what McCain is up against.  Sure he and his campaign are whining.  They are not getting covered.  Hell, McCain has been to the same countries that Obama is now touring.  Guess what?  They were "little noise."

Barack Obama is being viewed worldwide as the new face of the United States.  With a new face comes new policies and fresh ideas.  All these foreign dignitaries, leaders want to sit down with Obama and meet him, talk with him.  They have already concluded that McCain is the continuation of George W. Bush, who is hated internationally.

So, while we watch the Obama Trip, live and continuous with all the cable desk clerks harping about it, the McCain Camp continues being the "little noise", as they rightfully are.

polls

Rasmussen SD, MN, LA, MI and IA Poll; PPP Poll Colorado;   Rasmussen National Poll;   WAPO/ABC National Economic/Iraq Security Poll; Quinnipiac National Poll; PPP SC Poll; SUSA NC Poll; CBS/NYT National Poll; Reuters/Zogby National Poll; California Field Poll; Rasmussen OR and KS Poll; Rasmussen NC, NV, AR Poll; SUSA Washington State Poll; Obama maintaining support amongst liberals; Rasmussen VA Poll; Pew Research Older Women; Strategic Vision NJ Poll; J Street Jewish Adults Poll; AP/Yahoo "Excitement" Poll; Rasmussen ME Poll; Daily Kos Alaska Poll

obama in kuwait and afghanistan slideshow...a candle to light the way for obama...

this is a reduced diary this week, since i am in a lazy mode, vacation mode.  but had to comment on a few things like, al maliki and the incredible obama foreign trip thus far.  the candle is to light the way for obama, while he is overseas.  we all need light, some of us have been in the dark far too long.  as always remember to focus on obama and not the drama....

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Tip the Obama Jar, Here

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Get Involved Here
For Inspiration:  Yes.We.Can!!!

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icebergslim1047 (at) gmail (dot) com
cross-posted @This Week With Barack Obama

A short time ago I DIARIED about my 'up coming' relocation to Fort Bragg, NC. It was posted both here and at Dailykos.

On DK I have since wrote a couple of different updates. A few on MyDD have also asked me about the current status, so I figued I'll cross post those on here as well.  

BBC is reporting that Senator Obama has arrived in Afghanistan. Other than Afghanistan he is planning to visit Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and Britain.

US Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama has arrived in Afghanistan, at the start of a campaign-season international tour. The countries he is also expected to visit include Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and Britain.The Illinois senator flew to the Afghan capital, Kabul, as part of an official congressional delegation.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7515 179.stm

Check the time on AP News. MyDD beats AP on the Breaking News?? AP Link

Key to selling the Bush/McCain stay the course Iraq policy has been their insistence that Iraq is the "central front in the War on Terror." So, when Ambassador Crocker admitted in April that he was more concerned with al qaeda on the Pakistan/Afghanistan border than he was in Iraq, it shook the underpinnings of the entire rationale for staying in Iraq. That fragile facade has taken another hit this week with John McCain's admission that we do need to add troops to Afghanistan, which, not surprisingly, is a shift in position for Mr. McCain. The risk in such a shift in this case is greater than usual, however, because McCain is essentially adopting what has been Barack Obama's position for at least a year, reinforcing Obama's claim that he is the one with judgment to lead on National Security. Luckily for McCain, though, it's really only risky if the media reports it and, well, let's just say McCain hasn't lost his base, although at least The New York Times is admitting McCain's position represents a shift.

Mr. McCain said that both Iraq and Afghanistan were important battlegrounds and that the United States had the ability to fight in both places as long as it retained the will to do so. But on Tuesday, after saying for months that no additional forces were needed in Afghanistan, Mr. McCain changed course and advocated the deployment of an additional three brigades, or about 15,000 troops.

I'm not entirely sure why the Obama campaign is not shouting from the highest mountain that John McCain has adopted Obama's position on the issue but their strategy appears to be, instead, to use this latest McCain flip as an opportunity to continue the "confused" meme that they have introduced into the ether, for not only did McCain flip but his multiple strained explanations and clarifications that followed it made him look like quite the fool.

First the Obama campaign released a campaign memo yesterday that documented McCain's deep confusion (via Ambinder):

TODAY (MORNING): McCain Called for Sending Three Additional Brigades to Afghanistan and Suggests They Would Come From Iraq. According to a press release issued by the McCain campaign on Tuesday morning, McCain would announce in a speech that he now supports sending at least three additional brigades to Afghanistan: "The status quo in Afghanistan is unacceptable, and from the moment the next President walks into the Oval Office, he will face critical decisions about Afghanistan. ... John McCain Supports Sending At Least Three Additional Brigades To Afghanistan. Our commanders on the ground say they need these troops, and thanks to the success of the surge, these forces are becoming available, and our commanders in Afghanistan must get them." [McCain press release, 7/15/08]

TODAY (AFTERNOON): McCain Clarifies His Proposal On Increasing the Number of Troops, Saying They Could Come From NATO. "Speaking to reporters on his bus after today's speech, McCain indicated that he'd be open to those additional troops coming from NATO." [MSNBC, 7/15/08]

TODAY (EVEN LATER IN THE AFTERNOON): McCain Campaign Further Clarifies Proposal, Saying The Troop Increase Would Be Comprised Of Both NATO And US Forces. "McCain spokeswoman Nicolle Wallace said later that U.S. troops will compose some of the additional brigades McCain would send to Afghanistan, but not all of them. `Will we contribute? Of course we will,' she said." [Washington Post, 5/15/08]

Then there was an Obama conference call this morning during which  Barack Obama's Senior foreign policy adviser, Dr. Susan Rice, flat out referred to John McCain as "confused." From HuffPo:

"Up until a few days ago, his view was that we hadn't diverted any effort and attention from Afghanistan to deal with Iraq. That there was no need for additional American forces in Afghanistan. That all, in effect, was going well," Dr. Rice said Wednesday, adding: "Yesterday, he woke up and came to the sudden conclusion that indeed Afghanistan merited more strategic focus -- something the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has been saying for months -- and that we would therefore be willing to put in additional combat brigades. But then he got confused again, as to whether those needed to be American or NATO [troops] or some combination thereof."

It appears that the Obama campaign is continuing the sort of soft attack style that worked so well for him against Hillary Clinton but I agree with Rachel Maddow who said on Countdown the other night that she's afraid he's not being tough enough on McCain, especially since the media insists on giving him a pass. Josh Marshall has a must-watch video of the entire Afghanistan confusion and wonders, rightfully, where any mention in the media of the fact that John McCain, supposedly the experienced one, has now pivoted toward Barack Obama's position is.

The chirping crickets truly are deafening.

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing


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