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Open Thread: Iraq Is Still The Issue |
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Both Clinton and Obama have repudiated the Iraq war, so naturally in a contest between them the conversation will often turn to other issues. But you may want to bookmark this post for the general, when Clinton or Obama will be running against someone like McCain, who is willing to spend the next 100 years in Iraq (at 100 billion per year, that comes out to $10 trillion in today’s money — more than a doubling of the national debt). Every other issue depends on freeing up the money we’re currently sending to Iraq.
emptypockets is right. Iraq touches every other issue in this race. Personally, even though the media and politicians may not be talking about Iraq on a regular basis, I firmly believe the electorate still has it on their mind, and it will come out at the ballot box.
Meanwhile, conservatives continue to come out against the war, even as their presumptive nominee argues for more blood. Tom Coburn, one of the most conservative Senators in the Senate, is changing his mind. And who could blame him. The only reason “the surge” is stemming some violence in Iraq is because one of the most powerful clerics, Moqtada Al Sadr has called a ceasefire.
Today, he has extended that ceasefire for six months. Let’s see…that would be until September. If I were Al Sadr, and I really wanted America to leave Iraq, I’d call off my ceasefire in September to make sure “100 years” McCain doesn’t win in November. Seems like perfect timing to me…
What have you been reading in the blogosphere today?
I always thought the GOP’s split would happen when the “fiscals” broke stride with the “family values”, but given the direction McCain seems to be heading, could debate over staying the course in Iraq cause a sizable fracture in the conservative voter bloc? He certainly seems to enjoy our current course of self-destruction.
I still think it’ll be the fiscals breaking with the family values conservatives, but in a slightly different way. You’ll have the neocons, who say they are fiscal conservatives but really like to run up the budget on no-bid contracts, the business wing of the party, who don’t like McCain’s public financing stance. Granted, he may be able to placate them with pandering, but his actions speak louder than words.
As for Iraq…well, it’s hard to say. 30% of the country still likes Iraq, and so they play into McCain’s hands. Still, I think it does weaken his hold on the “independents.”