From The Hotline for Monday, July 21, 2008

OBAMA

Und Der Winner Is...

Mon. Jul 21, 2008


Barack Obama "arrived today in Baghdad, where he is scheduled to meet with Iraqi political leaders who were scrambling over the weekend to clarify an apparent endorsement of his proposal to pull US forces out of Iraq in 16 months" (Nicholas/Faiez, Los Angeles Times, 7/21).

In an interview with a German magazine, Der Speigel, published 7/19, Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki said Obama's 16-month deadline "would be the right time frame for a withdrawal." But after the "interview was published and began generating headlines," officials at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad "contacted Maliki's office to express concern and seek clarification on the remarks," according to WH spokesperson Scott Stanzel. Later in the day, a Maliki aide "released a statement saying the remarks had been misinterpreted, though without citing specific comments" (Eggen, "The Trail," 7/20).

Maliki's "interview prompted immediate concern" from the Bush admin, and after diplomats spoke to Maliki's advisers, the government's spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, "issued a statement casting doubt on the magazine's rendering of the interview." Dabbagh: "Unfortunately, Der Spiegel was not accurate. I have the recording of the voice of Mr. Maliki. We even listened to the translation."

But the interpreter for the interview works for Maliki's office, not the magazine. And "in an audio recording" of the Der Spiegel interview, Maliki "seemed to state a clear affinity" for Obama's position, "bringing it up on his own in an answer to a general question on troop presence" (Travernice/Zeleny, New York Times, 7/21).

Message After The Bleep

Maliki's comments on Obama's Iraq plan "appeared to give an unexpected boost to" Obama, while making it difficult for John McCain to "continue to justify his support for a more open ended commitment" (Sly, Chicago Tribune, 7/20).

Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice said Obama "welcomes" Maliki's support for a redeployment timetable. Rice: "This presents an important opportunity to transition to Iraqi responsibility, while restoring our military and increasing our commitment to finish the fight in Afghanistan."

Meanwhile, Maliki's initial comments created problems for McCain. According to Univ. of TX-Austin prof Peter Trubowitz,the political fallout for McCain may depend on which al-Maliki statement sticks. "Maliki's initial statement helps Obama," he said, but the follow-up could mitigate matters for McCain. Trubowitz: "I don't think it really helps McCain, but it's certainly less damaging than the first set of comments" (Jackson, USA Today, 7/21).

Via e-mail, a prominent GOP strategist who "occasionally provides advice" to the McCain campaign said, simply: "We're fucked" (Ambinder, "Atlantic Online," 7/19).

In an interview, McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann "dismissed the idea that events abroad had shifted the debate in ways that favor Obama" and said Maliki's comments to Der Spiegel were only "inartful" (Martin, Politico, 7/20).

Al-Itinerary

Obama "launched his week-long world tour with a brief stop in Kuwait and then began a longer visit to Afghanistan, ahead of planned stops in Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Germany, France and England." The "highly anticipated trip was launched in secrecy," with Obama's camp refusing to confirm that he had left the country, citing security reasons. The campaign announced early 7/19 "that Obama was on the ground in Kabul, Afghanistan. The U.S. military later said Obama was greeting U.S. troops at Jalalabad airfield in eastern Afghanistan. Obama made a secret stop in Kuwait and visited U.S. service members, then flew on to Kabul" (Allen, Politico, 7/19).

Obama met with Afghan President Hamid Karzai 7/20 in Kabul, where he stressed the importance of withdrawing forces from Iraq and reinforcing Afghanistan. Karzai's staff "said Obama's message was positive." Karzai spokesperson Humayun Hamidzada: "Obama conveyed... that he is committed to supporting Afghanistan and to continue the war against terrorism with vigor" (AP, 7/21).

Obama joined Karzai, along with his colleagues in the congressional delegation visiting Afghanistan, Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) and Jack Reed (D-RI), for a "working lunch," that lasted nearly two-hours.

Obama left Afghanistan 7/20 "and made a second unannounced stop in Kuwait, Arab media reported." In Kuwait, "Obama was honored at a banquet at the residence of the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, according to the government news agency" (Allen, Politico, 7/20).

Afghanistand And Deliver

In an interview aired 7/20 on CBS's "Face the Nation," Obama called the situation in Afghanistan "precarious" and "urgent," and stressed that Washington needs to start planning now to send more troops to the country rather than leaving that to the next president. He "also took the opportunity to complain that neighboring Pakistan is not doing enough to go after militant training camps in its remote tribal areas" (Baker, Time, 7/20). More highlight from CBS' Logan's interview with Obama in Afghanistan.

Logan: "What would be mission accomplished for you in Afghanistan?"

Obama: "Well, mission accomplished would be that we have stabilized Afghanistan, that the Afghan people are experiencing rising standards of living, that we have made sure that we are disabling Al Qaida and the Taliban so that they can no longer attack Afghanistan, they can no longer engage in attacks against targets in Pakistan, and they can't target the United States or its allies."

Obama, on Afghanistan: "I believe U.S. troop levels need to increase. ... But military alone is not going to be enough. The Afghan government needs to do more, but we have to understand that the situation is precarious and urgent here in Afghanistan. And I believe this has to be our central focus, the central front on our battle against terrorism."

More: "One of the biggest mistakes we've made strategically after 9/11 was to fail to finish the job here, focus our attention here. We got distracted by Iraq. ... And now we have a chance, I think, to correct some of those errors. There's starting to be a growing consensus that it's time for us to withdraw some of our combat troops out of Iraq, deploy them here in Afghanistan, and I think we have to seize that opportunity. Now is the time for us to do it. I think it's important for us to begin planning for those brigades now. If we wait until the next administration, it could be a year before we get those additional troops on the ground here in Afghanistan, and I think that would be a mistake. I think the situation is getting urgent enough that we have got to start doing something now."

Obama, asked how he compels Pakistan to act: "I think that the U.S. government provides an awful lot of aid to Pakistan, provides a lot of military support to Pakistan. And to send a clear message to Pakistan that this is important, to them as well as to us, that I think -- that message has not been sent" (7/20).

Do You Have A Favorite War Zone, Too?

Obama adviser PJ Crowley, on whether Obama is focusing on Afghanistan so he doesn't have to answer questions on Iraq: "He's not doing this for political purposes. ... Barack Obama believes that Afghanistan is much more important to our national security than Iraq. ... Look at this not tactically on surge good or bad but fundamentally, what is more important to the security of the United States. McCain thinks it's Iraq. Obama thinks it's Afghanistan, and on substance that is a very significant issue."

More Crowley: "If there is another attack on the United States, it's going to come from Pakistan or Afghanistan. It is not going to come from Iraq. And that's why Barack Obama thinks the only way we're going to see success in Afghanistan is by moving troops away from Iraq and investing more" ("Fox & Friends," FNC, 7/21).

How To Market Your Visit

After visiting both Afghanistan and Kuwait this weekend, Obama today arrived in Baghdad, where he was to meet with Iraqi leaders and American military officials, including Gen. David Petraeus, and tour parts of the city. According to a dispatch from the AP, Obama's first stop in Iraq was Basra (AP, 7/21).

New York Times' Collins writes, Obama's security is "really, really, really tight" as his "Middle East tour is under way." He "intends to check out" the big "trouble spots" in the Middle East, to "meet with officials and generals" and citizens "to the degree possible for a man surrounded by more armor than a Transformer movie." Obama foreign policy adviser Susan Rice, in reference to McCain's '07 Baghdad visit: "I think he wants to get out and do as much as he can...I don't think he'll be strolling around the market in a flak jacket." McCain gave the "entire expedition provided as much information on real-life conditions in Iraq as a walk down the old 'Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves' set at Universal Studios" as he made his visit look similar to "a new invasion." The question arises, "Why is Obama going at all?" The "chance he'll see something enlightening seem to be lower than the chance of being shown something misleading." But, it's "always useful to get out and about" (7/21).

Joe McCain

Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT): "The fact is that if Barack Obama's policy on Iraq had been implemented, Barack Obama couldn't go to Iraq today. It wouldn't be safe."

Fox's Wallace: "The McCain camp seems divided about whether this is a legitimate fact-finding trip or a political stunt. After McCain and the Republican Party taunted Obama for not going to Iraq, has that, in fact, backfired on them by making this an even bigger story?"

Lieberman: "No, I don't think so. I think John McCain's challenge to Barack Obama is very important. And frankly, it says a lot more than whether McCain was right about Iraq and Obama was wrong. It says what kind of leaders these people will be as president. ... John McCain reached a decision about what to do in Iraq based on what he saw there, what he heard from the generals and from the soldiers, and then he had the guts to fight big interests to see -- including public opinion, to see that that would happen. Senator Obama was taking positions about Iraq to put us on a rigid time line to get all troops out by March 2008. ... That would have been accepting defeat there. ... We need a president who will listen, learn, decide what's right for the country, not what's right for their political campaign" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/20).

A Straight Talk Translation

Obama spokesperson Robert Gibbs rejected GOP "criticism" that the trip is a "campaign ploy." Gibbs: "The trip is not at all a campaign trip, a rally of any sort" (Kapp, FOXNews.com, 7/19).

CBS's Logan: "There is a perception that you lack experience in world affairs. ... Is this trip partly aimed at overcoming that perception that, you know, there is doubt among some Americans that you could lead a country at war as commander in chief from day one?"

Obama: "The interesting thing is that the people who are very experienced in foreign affairs I don't think have those doubts. The troops that I've been meeting with over the last several days, they don't seem to have those doubts. So the objective of this trip was to have substantive discussions with people like President Karzai or Prime Minister Maliki or President Sarkozy or others who I expect to be dealing with over the next eight to 10 years. And it's important for me to have a relationship with them early, that I start listening to them now, getting a sense of what their interests and concerns are. Because one of the shifts in foreign policy that I want to execute as president is giving the world a clear message that America intends to continue to show leadership but our style of leadership is going to be less unilateral, that we're going to see our role as building partnerships around the world that are of mutual interest to the parties involved. And I think this gives me a head start in that process."

Logan: "Do you have any doubts?"

Obama: "Never" ("Face the Nation," 7/20).

Don't Throw Up On The Iraqi PM.... Not Yet, At Least

Los Angeles Times' Finnegan writes, If the "all-but-certain" Obama "avoids mistakes on his trip to the Middle East, the intense news coverage...could ease voter doubts." His "slightest tumble could solidify" the certainty of McCain as the candidate "voters see as more seasoned in world affairs." Obama's advisers have "played down the trip's potential effect" on the camp, describing it as "a substantive exchange of ideas with foreign leaders, not a string of events designed to fill a gap in Obama's public profile." At times, Obama "has faltered in trying to prove himself," and his stops in the Middle East "are fraught with political risk" (7/19).

Fox's Hume: "If he wanted to make this a business only, no big publicity ... he could have kept it low key if he chose to. But you sense a mindset here. You see it in the idea that they had that it would be good for Obama to speak at the Brandenburg Gate as if he were now a figure sufficiently large to merit that. You see it in this level of coverage that they're encouraging, to treat him as if he is a savior of some kind who is now coming to save us all. It is dangerous" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/20).

Weekly Standard's Kristol: "I think it makes sense to give him a lot of coverage. I don't begrudge it to him. Never before have we had someone running for president in a time of war who was so unqualified to be commander in chief" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/20).

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ), on whether Obama's trip is going well so far: "I think so, I think the trip would be counted as a success because it's focused on his presence over there, and the big question about Obama, of course is, is he ready to be commander in chief? Up to now, the majority opinion of the country has been, not yet. So this trip is designed to help burnish those credentials."

Kyl, on how much someone learns by going abroad for a few days: "You learn some, and it's good to go there, and every time I've been there I learned a great deal that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. But there's a big difference between going over there for a couple of days, and spending the time, for example, that John McCain has with, I don't know how many trips he's made to that part of the world. And also, when John McCain goes, he listens, he tries to find the facts. Barack Obama, of course, announced what his position was before he left" ("Fox & Friends," FNC, 7/22).

Washington Post's Balz: "While McCain has the advantage on the issue of who could be commander in chief, Obama has a clear advantage on the issue of who could do more to repair America's image abroad. ... I think that's one other element of this trip that he's going to take to demonstrate to people that he really can do that, to signal a different era in relationships" ("Washington Week," PBS, 7/18).

Be Careful What You Wish For

Chicago Sun-Time's Sweet writes, "As long as Obama does not make a gaffe, the highly choreographed, nearly weeklong trip may plug what has been a lingering hole in his resume despite more than a year of campaigning" (7/20).

Bob Novak writes, "Obama may have been goaded into visiting the war zone by taunts from" McCain's camp. "But once he decided to go to Europe, Afghanistan and Iraq," Obama had GOP "loyalists worried sick. If, as predicted, he is greeted as a conquering hero by Bush-hating Europeans, a champion by apprehensive Afghans and a liberator by war-weary Iraqis (with massive media coverage), Obama may get the big bounce in the polls that eluded him when he took the nomination from Hillary Clinton" (Washington Post, 7/21).

I'm Barack Obama And I Approved Ein Ad

Fox's Wallace, on Obama: "He plans to make a big public speech in Berlin. ... They announced today it's going to be at the Victory Column, a golden column in the heart of downtown Berlin. Why would someone running for president of the United States hold a big rally in Germany? Wouldn't it be like a candidate for German chancellor holding a rally in front of the Statue of Liberty?"

Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN): "We need to rehabilitate these relationships. They frayed over the last eight years. Our reputation in the world has been damaged because of some of the policies this president has pursued. If we are going to be strong, if we are going to confront Iran, we need allies and friends with us. Rallying global opinion to America's side is an important responsibility for a president, and that's one of the things he is attempting to do" ("Fox News Sunday," 7/20).

Baltimore Sun's West writes, an Obama ad team will be on hand for the Berlin rally, which figures to become part of the campaign the same way Pres. Ronald Reagan's "emotional D-Day anniversary speech in France did, as a TV commercial" (7/20).

New York Times' Cohen writes, "Obama has already won the US election by a landslide. In Europe, that is. Polls show the French putting" Obama in the WH with 86% backing. "Obamania is about as intense in Germany and Britain, the two other European countries" Obama will visit this week (7/21).

William Kristol writes, "I'll go out on a limb and say that Barack Obama will be well received when he speaks in Berlin on July 24. O.K., it's not exactly a limb. A recent poll shows that the German public prefers Obama to John McCain" by 67-6% (New York Times, 7/21).

French Connection

New York Daily News' Goodwin writes, "but there's a potential downside to foreign adulation for Obama" (7/20).

Politico's Smith writes, Obama's "popularity in Europe, unmatched among American politicians," could hurt him "if rapturous foreign crowds are seen as emblematic of his purported foreignness." In a campaign where Obama "faces an especially intense variation of a familiar" GOP "assault -- that he is, in some sense, not 'one of us,' the trip abroad represents an opportunity for Obama to assert that he is, rather, not one of them" (7/21).

New York Times' Dowd writes, Obama "must bedazzle three European countries without causing Middle America to begrudge his popularity with a bunch of foreigners. Since he's already fighting the perception that he's an exotic outsider, he can't be seen as too insidery with the Euro-crats. He doesn't want a picture of him nibbling on a baguette to overtake the effete image of the Europhile John Kerry windsurfing" (7/20).

From Mountains To Prairies To A TV Near You

Let Freedom Ring, "an independent conservative group" is planning to spend "several hundred thousand dollars" to run an ad that attacks Barack Obama as a flip-flopper (Luo, "The Caucus," New York Times, 7/18). LFR president Colin Hanna: "The actual buy is being worked on as we speak." Hanna also went on to say that the group has a "multi-pronged strategy." Hanna: "This will not be the only thing you hear from Let Freedom Ring" (Mosk, "On The Trail," Washington Post, 7/19). Even so, "it is unclear how many spots the group could purchase, or how much impact it could have, by going the unorthodox route of a national buy" ("The Caucus," New York Times, 7/18)

Full script: "People are saying that Senator Obama's recent changes of position have made him a flip-flopper. He's not! Flip-floppers only hold one position at a time. Senator Obama is different: he holds two positions at the same time. Both ways on banning handguns. Both ways on public campaign financing. And now, both ways on withdrawing from Iraq. He's 'Both Ways Barack.' Worse than a flip-flopper!"

"One intriguing detail" about the group is consultant Tim Goeglein, an ex-WH political operative "who worked closely with Karl Rove as a liaison to social and religious conservatives." Goeglein quit the WH 3/08, "after admitting he had repeatedly plagiarized" in writing a guest column for his hometown paper ("The Caucus," New York Times, 7/18).

Penny For Your Bank?

Wall Street Journal's Emshwiller writes that Obama's nat'l finance chair Penny Pritzker's "banking past could prove to be an embarrassment to her --and perhaps the campaign." Pritzker "helped run" Superior Bank, a subprime mortgage lender that collapsed in '01.

The Obama campaign "noted" that Pritzker was "never accused of wrongdoing by the regulators." Pritzer said the reasons for the bank's collapse "were complex" and that during her tenure there the bank followed "ethical business practices."

During the period she served as chair, the bank, according to an '02 report by the Treasury Dept. Inspector General, "embarked on a business strategy of significant growth into subprime home mortgages." These mortgages were then repackaged and sold to investors.

Pritzker, who moved to the board in '94, said she "did not set strategy or policies," on lending. In 7/01, The Pritzker's, "without admitting wrongdoing," reached a settlement with regulators for $100M immediately and $360M over 15 years (7/21).

Green, Not The Color Of Change

AP's Cappiello writes that "in an election about change, environmental groups are doing the usual - endorsing the Democratic presidential candidate."

The League of Conservation Voters became the "latest green group" to back Obama and is holding five events across the country on 7/21. Obama scored 67 on LCV's more recent scorecard while John McCain took a zero.

LCV pres. Gene Karpinsky: "When you look specifically at the twin challenges of cutting global warming pollution and moving toward a clean energy future, on those issues Barack Obama has the most comprehensive plan we have ever seen for a presidential nominee" (7/21).

Rampart, We Have An Emergency

In their New York Post column Morris and McGann write that McCain "needs to hit the Obama plan for treating illegal immigrants to free, federally subsidized health insurance." He hasn't, they opine, "perhaps for fear of offending the Latino vote" (7/21)

Measuring The Robes For Deval?

Boston Globe's Drake writes that "speculation" about MA Gov. Deval Patrick's (D) role in an Obama administration "has been rife" and that "lately political and legal observers are pointing to the Supreme Court." Even so, "there's been been frustration" in the MA legal community, with "the amount of time Patrick has taken to make some judicial appointments and with his perceived lack of attention to lawyers' pet issues, including court-appointed attorneys and courthouse conditions" (7/21).

The Full Nelson

African American professional women's network ISAK, Inc. pres. Sophia Nelson takes on the New Yoker cover under the headline "Black. Female. Accomplished. Attacked."

"It was supposed to be satire, but the charicature of Barack Obama and his wife that appeared on the cover of the New Yorker last week rightly caused a major flap." Among "black professional women like me...the mischaracterization of Michelle hit the rawest of nerves. Welcome to our world." African American professional women have watched "with a mixture of pride and trepidation" as M. Obama "has weathered recent campaign travails - being called unpatriotic for a single offhand remark, dubbed a black radical because of something she wrote 20 years ago and plastered with the crowning stereotype: 'angry black woman.'""Sad to say," but M. Obama's experience "is nothing new to African American professional women. We endure this type of labeling all the time." Black professional women are "endlessly familiar with the problem" M. Obama is confronting - "being looked at, as black women, through a different lens from our white counterparts, who are portrayed as kinder, gentler souls who somehow deserve to be loved and valued more than we do." Many African American professional women are hoping that M. Obama, "an elegant and elusive combination of successful career woman, supportive wife and loving mother, can change that" (Washington Post, 7/20).

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