Letters to the Editor
-
@ Reality-based Liberal
Would you like something else to wash down that bad acid instead? You don't think that the U.S., having invaded Iraq, now has some kind of responsiblity to the people of that country? You don't think that Russert's inane hypothetical presents a slightly different situation than when Bush decided to invade Iraq? Somehow I doubt Obama and Clinton were proposing an unjustified unilateral invasion based on lies and debunked intelligence.
Obama's response to McCain was spot on, and the response to Russert's question was spot on. The argument that both Clinton and Obama should've taken the option off the table is the same kind of impoverished strategic thinking that has had the democrats cowering on the national security issue for so many years. The excitement surrounding Obama's remarks is because it's clear he's going to respond to republican attacks in an area perceived to be his weakness - not doing so would have been the latest iteration of a losing strategy. But, for either candidate to say "No, I wouldn't reinvade Iraq if Al Qaeda took the country over" in response to a far-fetched hypothetical would provide the right wing noise machine with enough ammunition to kill off their chances of winning the presidency.