The issue- IRAQ.
One the front page of the GOP.com website, you will see the words "Days Since Barack Obama Visited Iraq: 871 (That number will presumably change each and every day until Obama actually visits Iraq to see the situation as it is now)
John McCain has thrown down his own challenge to Obama by suggesting they both go to Iraq to see the conditions on the ground.
"Look at what happened in the last two years since Senator Obama visited and declared the war lost," the GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting told The Associated Press in an interview, noting that the Illinois senator's last trip to Iraq came before the military buildup that is credited with curbing violence.
"He really has no experience or knowledge or judgment about the issue of Iraq and he has wanted to surrender for a long time," the Arizona senator added. "If there was any other issue before the American people, and you hadn't had anything to do with it in a couple of years, I think the American people would judge that very harshly."
[...]
Over the weekend, Sen. Lindsey Graham, one of McCain's top surrogates, laid the groundwork for McCain's criticism in a television interview in which he noted Obama's absence from Iraq and floated the idea that Obama and McCain should go together to be briefed by Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.
Asked whether he'd be willing to take such a trip, McCain told the AP: "Sure. It would be fine."
"I go back every few months because things are changing in Iraq," he said. McCain questioned whether Obama has ever been briefed by Petraeus. "I would also seize that opportunity to educate Senator Obama along the way."
I did a piece here at Wake up America when Vets For Freedom asked the question and produced an advertisement asking why Barack Obama would meet with leaders of terror states but refused to meet with our own war veterans and refused to be briefed by General Petraeus about conditions on the ground.
Senator Obama: Talk to Commanders or Meet with Dictators?
Yesterday, General Petraeus was back on Capitol Hill to testify before Congress. Senator Barack Obama was there too, but not for long. He stayed in the committee meeting long enough to ask one question, before ducking out to head back to the campaign trail. This wouldn't normally be a big deal, except ...
Senator Obama has never sat down, one-on-one, with General Petraeus. Even worse, he hasn't visited Iraq, and our brave troops on the ground, in over two years. And on April 8, when two-dozen Illinois veterans went to his office for a meeting, Senator Obama was unwilling to meet with them. He was in his office, just wouldn't come out.
Back to the RNC website, we see they are asking the very same questions:
Why Does Obama Readily Agree To One-On-One Negotiations With Ahmadinejad, But Decline One-On-One Briefings With Our Military Leaders?
WASHINGTON – RNC Chairman Robert M. “Mike” Duncan released the following statement today:
“Barack Obama has only visited Iraq once – and that was 871 days ago. Despite lacking the experience and leadership to be Commander-in-Chief, Obama has done shockingly little to educate himself firsthand about the war in Iraq. Instead, he displays an arrogant certainty gained on the campaign trail. How would Obama make informed judgments in the future when he has not seen the situation in Iraq since the surge began? Why does Obama readily agree to one-on-one negotiations with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but decline one-on-one briefings in Baghdad with our military leaders? Obama’s failure to visit Iraq, listen and learn firsthand, and witness the surge’s progress demonstrates weak leadership that disqualifies him from being Commander in Chief.”
They go on to list the progress that has been seen in Iraq, which Barack obama refuses to go see for himself:
The Military Has Recently Achieved Notable Progress In Iraq:
Levels Of Violence In Iraq Are The Lowest They’ve Been In Four Years. “U.S. and Iraqi military officials said violence in Iraq has decreased significantly in recent weeks to levels not seen in four years. … A significant difference the drop in violence announced Sunday: It came following concerted efforts by Iraqi security forces backed up by American and allied firepower -- not the other way around, as has been mostly the case in the five-year Iraq war.” (Gina Chon, “Violence In Iraq Reaches 4-Year Low, Military Says,” The Wall Street Journal, 5/26/08)
The Area Known As The “Triangle Of Death” Has Become “A Showcase For What The U.S. Military Hoped To Achieve In Iraq.” “When the Fort Stewart-based 3rd Infantry Division arrived in Iraq's once infamous ‘Triangle of Death,’ violence there and in neighboring Baghdad was so intense that hundreds were dying every day and the country was virtually in a state of civil war. Now as the division heads home at the end of May, the region stretching south from Baghdad and across central Iraq has become a showcase for what the U.S. military hoped to achieve in Iraq.” (Patrick Quinn, “US Military Makes Progress In Iraq's ‘Triangle Of Death,’” The Associated Press, 5/28/08)
- Sunni Fighters In The Triangle Of Death Have Been “Effectively Shut…Down.” “Sunni fighters who swarmed the area are also nearly gone. They have either been killed, or co-opted into Awakening Councils, said Lt. Col. William Zemp, commander of the 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment based in nearby Mahmoudiya. ‘It was a place where they could consolidate, make plans and be put into action,’ Zemp said. ‘We have effectively shut that down.’” (Patrick Quinn, “US Military Makes Progress In Iraq's ‘Triangle Of Death,’” The Associated Press, 5/28/08)
3,500 Troops Are Returning Home From Iraq Shortly, With More Troop Reductions Expected In The Fall As Conditions Improve. “About 3,500 American soldiers are scheduled to leave Iraq in the coming weeks, the U.S. military announced, part of a plan to reduce the number of troops who were part of last year's ‘surge’ by 20,000. … ‘The continued drawdown of surge brigades demonstrates continued progress in Iraq,’ Brig. Gen. Dan Allyn said in the statement released late Monday.” (Bradley Brooks, “US Military: 3,500 US Troops Set To Leave Iraq,” The Associated Press, 5/6/08)
- “Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, The Top U.S. Military Commander In Iraq, On Thursday Gave Congress A Markedly More Upbeat Assessment Of The War Than He Did Six Weeks Ago, Saying Violence Has Hit A Four-Year Low And Further Troop Reductions Are Likely In The Fall.” (Peter Spiegel and Julian E. Barnes, “Fall Troop Cuts Likely, Petraeus Says,” Los Angeles Times, 5/23/08)
The full frontal assault has begun and this is but the beginning.
More from The Corner, The Campaign Spot, RedState and The American Mind.
What is Obama so scared to see in Iraq? Is he so invested in defeat that the conditions on the ground and the progress being seen is that frightening to him?
I guess his answer gives us our answer.
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