Say Anything Blog

You’ll remember that the Obama campaign previously called any suggestion that he visit Iraq a “political stunt.” With things going well in Iraq I guess it’s not so much a “stunt” any more.

FLINT, Mich. (AP) — Barack Obama says he is going to visit Iraq and Afghanistan before the November election.

The presumed Democratic presidential nominee said he spoke with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Monday about the war and told him he looks forward to seeing him in Baghdad.

Obama has said before he was considering a trip, but his comment to reporters Monday was his first firm declaration that he will be making the trip. He said more details will be announced shortly.

Here’s how I think Obama’s trip will go:  He’ll arrive in Iraq.  He’ll tell the troops what a great job they’re doing.  He’ll make conciliatory noises to Iraqi political leadership about the need to “work together” and such.  Then he’ll fly back here to America, tell everyone that Iraq is in shambles and that we can’t afford to do anything in the country other than abandon it.

He’ll, of course, save that defeatism until he’s back in the United States.  Because he won’t have the cojones to say it to the faces of our troops and the Iraqis.