A Good Rebuttal for Obama
I’ve noted in a previous post how Senator McCain seemed to prevail against Barack Obama in the first presidential debate (albeit slightly). He did this by questioning Obama’s experience in dealing with important foreign policy issues. McCain also capitalized on his support for troop “surge” strategy, which seems to be vindicated by the recent progress that has been made in Iraq.
I think the Democrats need to tread very carefully here. Obama is correct to point out that we never should have gone to Iraq in the first place, but McCain has a very strong rebuttal with his focus on the future. According to McCain, how we got into Iraq is far less relevant than how we get out - whether it be with victory or defeat (anyone who is familiar with the principle of “sunken costs” in economics will immediately understand the philosophy behind this position).
If Obama attempts to deny the success of the surge, he risks being seen as a defeatist who is all-to-eager to snatch failure from the jaws of victory. At the same time, acknowledging its success seems to play to McCain’s favor. The challenge Obama faces is trying to point out to the American people that if McCain was wrong about the invasion of Iraq in the first place - regardless of whether the surge has worked or not - he might make a similar mistake in the future. If Obama is going to make this distinction, without alienating those who are encouraged by the recent progress in Iraq, I would recommend he use the following as his rebuttal:
“It’s obvious that Senator McCain and I disagree strongly when it comes to foreign policy. John is correct when he says that I opposed the surge when it was first proposed. Let’s be very clear about something: my opposition had nothing to do with my confidence in our troops, or my confidence in our generals. Ultimately, I was concerned about the surge because of the man who was managing it from very the top - namely George W. Bush. The success of the surge has been a pleasant surprise in a war that has been disastrously managed by this administration from the beginning.”
“I think it’s important for my opponent to acknowledge that while the surge has been successful, it can’t completely undo the damage done by a war we never should have fought in the first place. Regardless of the outcome of Iraq, our children will inherit a tremendous debt of hundreds of billions of dollars. Saddam Hussein was an evil man, and I’m glad he’s gone - but he was one of the biggest enemies of Iran, another major threat to stability in the Middle East. Now that he’s gone, Iran has more influence than ever before. Make no mistake - Iran’s rising power is a direct result of the failed foreign policy of George W. Bush and John McCain.”
“John McCain likes to talk about how he supported the surge when it was unpopular. He deserves credit for taking a stand on difficult issue. I also took an unpopular stand when I opposed the Iraq War from the beginning. The question I would ask my fellow Americans is this, “Do you want a president who only has the ability to partially fix the mistakes he makes, or a president with the judgment to avoid making these types of catastrophic mistakes in the fist place?” That is the judgment that America needs, and that is what I hope to bring to this great country when I’m president.”
This rebuttal has a couple of things going for it. First, it acknowledges the success of the surge and our troops in Iraq. Obama doesn’t come off looking like a defeatist who is unhappy with the progress we’re making. At the time, it provides an excellent reason for someone to have voted against the surge: specifically, his confidence (or lack thereof) in President Bush. Obama can take a very painful stab at the President (and at John McCain as well) by reminding everyone of how badly the war was managed in the years leading up to the surge.
Most importantly, this rebuttal would knock the wind out of McCain’s strongest selling point on foreign policy. McCain has used his support of the surge, and the prospect of success in Iraq, to counter the overwhelming criticism of the way the war has been handled by a Republican administration. Nevertheless, we all remember the saying, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Or, more to the point, the judgment to avoid serious problems is better than the judgment to fix them.
Obviously, Senator Obama has a talented staff advising him and helping him develop his rebuttals for the remaining debates in this election. Those advisors would do well to take a similar approach to the one I’ve demonstrated above, or they may find their candidate struggling to battle the same concerns over and over again. After all, Senator McCain’s attacks seem to have served him well to this point, and kept the race close in climate that would otherwise clearly favor the Democrats. Unless compelled to do so, I don’t believe McCain will abandon his strategy anytime soon.
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October 6th, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Brilliant rebuttal - let’s hope someone in Obama’s camp reads it!
October 6th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
well conceived,developed, and phrased (it even sounds like Obama’s speech patterns). I agree with your suggestion in particular the comments regarding Iran.
October 7th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
PLEASE LET SOMEONE FROM THE OBAMA CAMP READ THIS!!!
really extremely impressive - obama 08
October 7th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Very insightful. You should send this to David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager. Don’t know why they have not taken this line of reasoning.
October 7th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
I love it, it covers all the bases. I also hope the Obama folks have a response like this in their pocket, it would serve them well.
October 7th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
“Satellite shows ethnic cleansing in Iraq was key factor in “surge” success.”
A study by UCLA, and a much uglier truth than what is being said aloud.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/uoc–uso091708.php
This entire war has been nothing but tragic and shameful. I see the kids in uniform when I pass through airports, usually, and it makes me want to cry that our fear has lead so many of our children into this senseless war. So many of our military will return with horrific wounds and lifelong post traumatic stress. We, the public, who allowed this to happen, are every bit as guilty as those at the top of the government.
I am so afraid that we will end up with the government we deserve in November. Again.